We all know the saying: if you need something done, ask a busy person. Shouldn’t we ask someone with extra time? The reason this often proves true is because certain people simply operate differently. They live with initiative and are naturally in motion. They are accustomed to showing up, helping and taking responsibility. You do not need to change who they are in order to get something done because they are already in that space.
The same is true in life more broadly. Heroes rarely emerge from nowhere. We sometimes imagine that extraordinary people suddenly rise to the occasion when history calls upon them. More often, people rise to the occasion because they have spent years living with purpose, generosity and conviction. When the moment arrives, they simply continue being who they already are.
Pinchas did not suddenly become extraordinary in a single moment. He lived with purpose, courage, and complete devotion to what was right, and that is why when the moment arrived, it was he who stood up while others stood silent.
The Talmud teaches that “one who sees Pinchas in a dream will encounter wonders." Perhaps on a deeper level this means that if we “dream,” aspire and strive to live as Pinchas lived, seeking every day to make a positive impact and refusing to live passively, then wonders begin to appear in our own lives as well. When a person chooses to live with purpose and conviction, G-d often blesses those efforts in ways they never anticipated. Doors open, opportunities emerge and one good deed often leads naturally to another.
When Jews arrived in America from Europe they faced a completely different reality. Many worried that the comforts and opportunities of the United States would weaken their commitment to Jewish life that had been taken for granted in the old country. Yet there were those who brought with them the same devotion and ideals they had lived by before, continuing to build Jewish life with strength and pride even under entirely new circumstances.
As we celebrate 250 years of the USA, we thank G-d for the tremendous blessing of living in a country that has allowed us to live openly and proudly as Jews. And we pray that this blessing continues for generations to come, as each of us makes the daily choice to live as an example of Jewish values, inspiring others to live lives of purpose, goodness and faith.