Our sages say: "Who is rich? He who is happy in his lot." The ability to be content with what exists and rejoice in what you have is a wonderful trait.
A person with such ability is not in constant pursuit and dissatisfaction, but rather enjoys his achievements and is content with the blessing that God has bestowed upon him.
But is this a positive trait in everything?
People often express satisfaction with their spiritual state. "Everything is fine with me," they say with a look of satisfaction. They are happy with the spiritual level they are at, and they have no aspirations to advance and ascend.
It turns out that the trait of being "happy in one's lot" is wonderful in all that relates to the material world, but in all that relates to spiritual assets - Torah, good deeds, good qualities - it is a very bad trait.
In the spiritual world, a person must constantly be in a state of dissatisfaction and constant ambition. Otherwise, he will freeze in place, will not progress, and will therefore retreat.
Like a tree in the field
On Tu B'Shvat, we raise our eyes to the world of plants, according to the verse: "For man is a tree of the field." What characterizes plants is the quality of growth and development. A tree is in constant growth. It is customary to measure the years of a tree according to the layers of its trunk, since each year it adds a new layer.
This kind of constant growth should be reflected in our spiritual lives.
A person is never allowed to say: I have nothing left to improve. As long as there is life in him, he has the power, and therefore the duty, to continue to progress and improve. One can always add to Torah and good deeds, because Torah is infinite and goodness has no limit.
If a person freezes his progress and remains in the same state, he is not, in fact, utilizing the days and years that God has given him.
He invites an argument against him: Why were you given more years, if you think you have already reached perfection? The constant ascension gives renewed content to each new day and each new year.
Man proves that he needs these days and years to achieve new goals in his spiritual life.
We can move forward.
Anyone who examines his situation honestly and sincerely will undoubtedly discover that he has the ability to improve and add. He has the ability to set aside another hour for Torah study. There are more mitzvot he can keep. He has time to do another good deed for another Jew. This is the growth required of a living Jew.
The phrase "everything is fine with me" should be erased from the spiritual system of concepts. Self-satisfaction is a sure recipe for spiritual degeneration and the loss of initiative and vitality. When initiative and renewal disappear and are replaced by a sense of complacency and stagnation - this is a very bad sign.
A well-known Hasidic proverb says: True life means that today will be better than yesterday, and that tomorrow will be better than today. The aspiration is to progress and transcend every day.
May we have a new year of growth – for trees and for people.
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