Life is busy. We often speak about being overwhelmed by material concerns; family, work, finances, or politics. There is another kind of overwhelm, subtler yet just as real: being flooded with spirituality and communal responsibility.
What happens when helping others, even in the name of holiness, begins to drain us? How do I know if I am truly serving G-d or simply turning mitzvah-work into another job title?
The Lubavitcher Rebbe teaches that the answer to both kinds of overwhelm is the same: anchor yourself in Torah and prayer. Begin your day with Modeh Ani before your feet hit the ground. The Rebbe designated this simple prayer as his favorite, pointing out that its message is: G-d has a lot of faith in us, because He gave us another day of life even though He didn’t have to.
Before you plunge into the floodwaters of daily life, declare: My entire being comes from G-d, Who returned my soul this morning. The same G-d Who gave me Torah is giving me the strength to navigate today. The Rebbe emphasized that when we feel internal pressure, anxiety or ‘flooded by tasks’, the remedy is not simply better organization but returning to Torah and mitzvah observance.
If what I do strengthens my Torah observance and my relationship with Hashem, it is holy work. If it chips away at my prayer, study, or mitzvah-observance, it is not true service. It is mis-directed energy, even if cloaked in spirituality.
Take a personal example: I am both a rabbi and a father. From time to time, I get a call to visit someone in need. However, I cannot visit on Shabbos. In addition, I cannot allow communal duties to cancel my personal responsibility to pray, study Torah, or be present for my children and family.
If rushing to “save the world” means I skip my prayers or Torah study, then it’s not actually G-dly. If I do ensure that my observance remains intact; that I pray and study with intention and that my family responsibilities are honored, then that visit is true chesed, kindness.
The Rebbe taught that Torah study and proper prayer are our lifeboats, our personal Noah’s Ark, protecting us not only from the waters of materialism but also from the floods of well-intentioned but mis-directed spiritual activity.
Have a calm Shabbos,
Rabbi Kushi Schusterman