פרשת עקב
למען ירבו וימי בניכם על האדמה....כימי השמים על הארץ וגו' | דברים, יא, כא
In order to prolong your days and the days of your children upon the land … like the days of the heavens over the earth
The Torah describes our reward as, “Heavenly days upon the Earth”. What is meant by these words? How does one make his days on earth “Heavenly”?
R’ Elya Lopian, ZT”L cites Chana, the mother of Shmuel Hanavi, as an example of one whose days upon this earth were truly “himmeldik.” When Chana was begging Hashem for a child, she said the following words: “Hashem, You created every part of my body for a reason. Eyes to see. Ears to hear. Hands to feel. Feet to walk.
You have also given me the organs to give birth and nourish a child. Should these organs go to waste?”
R’ Elya writes that these words are so powerful that any woman who wishes to bear children should say these words and her prayers should be answered, as were Chana’s.
However, it’s not only what Chana said that was so powerful, it was what she meant. She cried out to Hashem, “You created every part of my body for a reason, and what did I do with every part of my body? With my eyes, I was careful to see only good. With my ears, I only listened to holy words. With my hands, I did acts of chesed and righteousness. With my feet I ran to do mitzvos!
Therefore, since I used the parts of my body to do Your will, Hashem, please allow me now to give birth and nourish a child with the parts of my body that You gave me!”
This is the סגולה – the secret to the success of Chana’s prayer to Hashem, and this is the meaning of living ones’ days upon this earth in a “HEAVENLY” manner. By utilizing every part of our earthly bodies for good, for ratzon Hashem, the true purpose for which they were created – this is deemed a heavenly, spiritual life upon this physical earth.
About the Author: Rabbi Yisroel Meir Rubinfeld
Rabbi Rubinfeld has been in the field of Torah education for over 3 decades and serves as an Executive School Consultant for Torah Umesorah. He provides an array of services to schools across North America, including teacher and principal mentorship, school and curricula evaluations, professional development and parent education.
Rabbi Rubinfeld's expertise includes classroom management and discipline, effective instruction, bullying, cultivating sensitivity in the classroom, impulse disorders (such as ADHD and ODD), and balancing the educational needs of mainstream and special needs children in the classroom.
Rabbi Rubinfeld is the also the founder and director of Torah Umesorah's Lilmod U'Lilamed department which provides professional development for teachers and principals throughout the year.
Rabbi Rubinfeld is a talmid of the distinguished Yeshivos of Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin, the Mirrer Yeshiva in Yerushalayim and Bais Medrash Govoha in Lakewood.