As I drove by Walmart yesterday and saw the lines beginning to form, my mind went back two weeks...
I’m at the Chabad annual convention. Following the main event, an informal fabrengen takes place in the smaller sanctuary at the Chabad headquarters in Brooklyn. Senior Rabbis and mentors lead this farbrengen, sharing stories, Chassidic songs, and torah thoughts. This is the last part of the program before we all return to our respective communities. Hundreds begin to pile into the room taking all available seats; Some Yeshiva Students have been been waiting in the room for hours beforehand to be able to watch the fabrengen. Many more shluchim begin to enter, filling up every available standing space in the room. Just as you think there is no more room, dozens more find their way in, the room getting tighter and tighter. Once there is literally no more room for a single additional person, people begin to assemble outside, listening in through the open windows! Others find their way in the adjoining room, their ears pressed against the open door….all hoping to be able to take in some of the inspiration.
The Baal Shem taught that we should learn something from everything that transpires in this world. For me, there’s an easy lesson to take from Black Friday. We all like getting in on a “good deal,” taking advantage of a special situation that comes our way. If this is true in the physical realm, how much more so can it apply to our spiritual lives. Sure, it takes “training” - to begin appreciating that the needs of our soul are just as real and powerful as that of the body - but it can be done. We can be just as excited (and more) about a new Torah Class or about a special opportunity to do a Mitzvah and help another as we would scoring a 42” TV for $179.
I'm reminded of a beautiful story a Chassidic Rebbe who was so excited to put on Tefilin the day after Passover (as Tefilin are not put on during the duration of the Eight Day Holiday) that he was literally up all night waiting for the moment it was light enough outside to don his Tefilin. While we may not be holding on a spiritual level quite like that, we can, in our own way, work on developing a greater sensitivity towards our spiritual needs and the needs of others.