The First Hatzoloh Call in History

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In Pashez Vaheeh the Torah tells us that a messenger came to Yoysef,

this may seem like an ordinary message.

After all, Jacob Avina was the elderly man.

But in truth, this was an extraordinary statement.

Chazal say that this was the first time in world history

that a person became sick before passing away.

Until then, death came suddenly.

Death never came as a culmination of a long illness.

A person could be a picture of health one moment,

walking down the street or sitting at home,

and in an instant, their soul would depart.

They would sneeze and life would end.

There was no illness preceding death.

It simply arrived without warning.

But Jacob Avina changed the course of history.

He asked Hashem that people experience illness before they die.

So they would have some inkling that the end is near.

Not just to meet with their lawyer or accountant to settle their fears

and divide their assets,

but also to leave behind ethical guidance for their children.

Jacob Avina ensured that people would have the opportunity

to leave a proper departing message to their families.

Terminal diseases may be painful,

but at the same time it's a great blessing.

They allow a person to prepare their soul for the next world.

To tie up the loose ends of life,

and to leave instructions for their children.

So no passes away suddenly,

misses this profound opportunity,

the chance to bring their life to a meaningful conclusion.

A parent who lives long enough to prepare their departure,

can pass down wisdom,

and advise their children on the good paths to follow

and warn them not to repeat the mistakes that they made.

And this brings to mind a fascinating letter

by an elderly doctor that he left over to his children in his will.

And I'll paraphrase.

He writes,

My dear children,

when I first graduated from medical school,

my burning ambition was to pursue medical research,

to discover a cure for a major disease.

I believed in my talents,

and I wanted to make a lasting impact,

to improve countless lives,

and add years to people's health.

I wanted to be a doctor in the fullest sense of the world,

but I also wanted financial security.

I didn't want to have to worry about bills and mortgage payments.

I wanted to provide a comfortable life for your mother.

So I opened up a practice and upscale neighborhood,

planning to work for 10 or 15 years,

earning enough money,

retire,

and then dedicate myself fully to research.

And what should I say my dear children?

You know the rest of the story.

My practice was successful,

and I made a lot of money.

And I kept on delaying my retirement,

chasing even more wealth.

One year passed,

and another year,

and another year.

Before I knew it,

I had spent the best years of my life amassing a fortune.

My dream of discovering a cure

remained just that, a dream.

I squandered my greatest talents

and opportunity to achieve immortality.

And for what?

For a part of gold.

And the saddest part is

that in retrospect,

your mother would have supported my decision to pursue research.

I told myself,

I needed to provide for her.

But she would have encouraged me to follow my dreams

if I had only asked her.

My dear children,

the part of gold I'll leave you

should free you from financial worry.

But please, do not make my mistake.

Do not spend your precious lives chasing money

at the expense of your goals.

What a letter.

How often do we hear people say,

I'll go into business for a few years,

make enough money,

and then,

I'll go back to Coil

and devote myself fully to Tiger Learning.

But we all know,

you walk into anybody's marriage or any Coil,

you won't see many people

who have returned from the business world.

You won't find professionals in the prime of their lives.

People get caught up in the rat race.

Accumulating wealth becomes a way of life.

It becomes the end rather than the means.

Chasing wealth and buying luxury homes

and maintaining a high standard of living

becomes a vicious cycle.

And their turn to their base matters

gets pushed off another year and another year.

And then, it's too late.

The best years are gone.

And you spend it making millions

you will never enjoy.

Yakovinu teaches us

that life is not measured by wealth or comfort,

but by the opportunity to live meaningfully

and guide others.

Every moment we are given

to act wisely, to instruct our children

and to cultivate our souls

is a blessing beyond measure.

Life's true richness

is found not in the gold that we accumulate,

but in the wisdom we pass on

and the souls we shape along the way.

And now, we know.

Have a wonderful day.