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The Curse of Blessings


 (Originally published April 16, 2015.)

 

There is a wonderful book by Mitchell Chefitz called "The Curse of Blessings." It has ten tales, each teaching a unique wisdom. My favorite is “The Curse of Blessings.”

 

An arrogant, uniformed officer of the law encounters a wise man in rags. The wise man puts a most unusual curse on the officer of the law:

 

Find something new to bless each day –

or die at sundown!

 

So, he finds something new to bless every day! Eventually his life becomes a blessing to himself and to others. Others are drawn to him. The recognition of blessings changed his attitude and his actions.

 

I try to incorporate this idea into my own life. It really has made a difference and enabled me to be happier and recharge my energy.

 

Every day, I count my blessings.

I recognize new ones I never noticed before.

 

As the Psalmist wrote: "Teach us to number our days and help us achieve a heart of Wisdom." As you count your days, count the blessings, because – as we say every Passover – “eventually we will all stand at Sinai and commit to values and actions to create a better world.”

 

Count your blessings every day!

Rabbi Jeffrey Leynor

 

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