Daily Chizuk #0736

As we prepare for Rosh Hashanah, many people are thinking about how they can improve for the upcoming year, but they don’t want the avodah to be something they do by rote. They want to be excited to serve Hashem and do their avodah with enthusiasm. What advice can we give them? The Pele Yoetz writes in Erech Ahava l’haKadosh Baruch Hu that we have a natural, inborn character trait to love somebody who benefits us. Even if the benefit they provide us is small, we naturally love them. If the benefit they provide us is something big, then the love is even greater. And if somebody would give us all of our parnasa and take care of every single one of our needs, we would naturally try to think of what we could possibly do to repay that individual. If he would ask us to travel a far distance in the middle of the night, it would be nothing for us, we would be glad to do it. This is how we have to view our avodat Hashem, every benefit we have ever received in our entire lives is a direct result of Hashem’s kindness to us. Whether the benefits have come through other people or through a business, Hashem is the source of it all. Every moment of joy, ever good feeling, every pleasure has all been given to us by Hashem. Therefore, we should feel that whatever we do to serve Him is not even close to what we should be doing. It’s a simple thought process that could help us immensely if we do it properly.
We all have so many reasons to appreciate Hashem. Let us think about them and become more excited to do our avodah the best way possible!