“The Holy One Blessed Be He Seeks the Heart” [Sanhedrin 106b].



One evening, at an army outpost deep in the Russian forest, a group of young soldiers decided it was time to have some fun for once. So after their night shift ended, they headed to the bar in town. After a long night of drinking & merriment, the intoxicated soldiers started heading up the hill to their outpost. But none of them made it, passing out in a stupor on the ground.

At dawn, the commander was standing over them when some began to wake. Quickly the rest stumbled up in a straight line at attention. He dismissed everyone back to the barracks, except for one, whom he dismissed from the army. “But why me? That’s not fair!”

The commander responded: “You’re right, I found everyone here passed out this morning. But they were all lying down facing our base. You were facing the bar in town.”



All of us veer from the path of truth. We struggle often. But where is our heart directed? Where are we striving to reach? Where do we wish we could be? We are a people of action. But we mustn’t forget: “God seeks our heart.” If you’re trying to do your best in this world, that’s what it’s about.

The Previous Rebbe used to say: "Better to be outside looking in, than inside looking out." The Baal Shem Tov: "You are where your thoughts are." Let's aim inside to where we want to get to, even if we're not close to reaching there yet.

TODAY’S CHALLENGE: Feel a moment of self-compassion for yourself for all the effort you put toward doing your spiritual best. Feel God’s love and appreciation for that.



COMMENT BELOW: What do you think of this idea? Is there a time in your life when you felt that?