Nitzavim: When Serving Hashem is a Struggle

The Mistaken Assistant

A merchant arrived in town from his business trip just as the Sabbath was about to begin. In his haste, he left his packages with the wagon driver, promising to send an assistant to collect them.

"Quick, fetch my bundles from the wagon!" he told young David as soon as he stepped inside.

David, huffing and puffing, lugged the packages to the house, sweat glistening on his brow. "Here they are, I’ve brought your things!" he said, nearly out of breath.

The merchant raised an eyebrow. "Where are my bags?" he asked, puzzled.

"I left everything in the outer room," David replied, still dabbing at his face with his sleeve.

The merchant frowned. "What you’ve brought here isn’t mine. It must belong to someone else."

"Go look in the other room," David insisted. "I’m sure it’s yours."

The merchant shook his head. "No need to look. I can see the sweat and dirt on your face and hear you panting like a dog in a heatwave. My bundles are small and light. There’s no way they could have made you sweat this much."

"This Torah is Very Close to You"

This is exactly what Isaiah told the people: "You have not called upon Me, O Jacob, because you have wearied [in serving] Me, O Israel" (Isaiah 43:22). It’s as if God is saying: If serving Me feels like such a struggle, then perhaps you’re not truly serving Me at all.

Serving God should feel natural and easy. It should be "very close to you, in your mouth and your heart, so that you can do it" (Deut. 20:14)

Torah and mitzvot are not meant to drain us, but to uplift us. If it feels like a burden, then something is out of alignment.

(Adapted from Ohel Ya'akov on the Torah, Nitzavim,10)