A Timely Message
I was once approached by a Jew who was hard hit in many areas. He asked me for favors, blessings, prayers on his behalf, and made other requests. After I acquiesced to all of his demands, I suggested that he join the Torah shiur in the yeshiva, which was only a half-hour long. But he flatly refused, claiming that the shiur did not interest him in the least.
After listening to his words of ridicule, I offered a rejoinder. “You unburdened yourself to me, relating all your woes. Then you asked me to do many things for you. I invested precious time into hearing you out and agreeing to your requests. I agreed to pray for you, at no charge. Hashem, too, does untold chessed with you each day, without demanding any recompense. And what do you do? You categorically refuse to offer him thirty minutes of your time! This is time which really belongs to Hashem. He can take all of the rest of your allotted time at any given moment, without asking your permission.
“Our Sages have said: Give Him what is rightfully His, for you and your possessions belong to Him (Avot 3:7). Whatever we give to Hashem already belongs to Him. All of our abilities are gifts from Him, in order that we should serve Him faithfully all our days.
“Go with this thought and be perfect in your service of Hashem. In this merit, He will open the gates of Heaven and shower you with abundance of health, sustenance, blessing, and all that you wish for yourself.”
