I just wasn’t paying attention.
A little over a week ago I was multitasking.
That’s the word I use when I’m trying to do too many things at one time and something invariably goes amok.
I was walking, answering an email on the phone while heading to the car just a tad late for my next appointment.
And then it happened.
I stepped into a red ant pile.
For those of you who have never had the pleasure, this is an agony of a unique sort.
In less than an instant, tiny ants are everywhere, biting mercilessly.
They leave behind red, interminably itching, swollen angry welts that blister and take about a week to subside.
There was no one to blame but myself.
I had not been paying attention.
As the days passed and I dealt with the lingering after effects of that one moment, I began to think about the lessons I could learn from the experience.
Rabbeinu Yona of the 13th century, wrote a treatise about improving one’s relationship with Gd. This is a work that is usually studied during the month of Elul in preparation for the High Holidays, a time where are trying to take our relationship with Gd, and each other, to a higher level.
The book’s purpose is to guide a person with instruction and inspiration in the ongoing connection with Gd.
R Yonah teaches that a person should thank Gd for all of the successes he experiences in life. And at the same time, a person should also bless Gd for the misfortunes he undergoes as well, even if a person does not understand how a particular challenge is really beneficial.
R Yonah even teaches that when a person is in a constant state of tranquility there will be no motivation to seek improvement, but through challenge a person may look at actions done and review if they were proper or will use the challenge as a springboard for growth. He compares it to the relationship with a loving father who may chastise a child for improper behavior. While this may seem like a punishment, it’s actually a sign of love for the child, because if the parent thought the child irredeemable, the parent would not even bother with any type of process.
So even a chastisement is a sign of love, a feeling that there is much within the person which can be accessed.
The Jewish approach to challenge is not to say
“Lama?” Which means why,
Why did this happen to me?
But with a slight emphasis on a different syllable we instead may choose to say
“L’Mah” for what purpose did this happen.
So while we may not always be given the reason, we can always use the experience to focus on the avenues it may open.

My go to example is always the Shalva story.
In Israel there is a one of a kind organization called Shalva which was founded by a couple whose healthy toddler was given a tainted vaccination that left him deaf, dumb and blind.
Instead of bemoaning their tragic circumstances, these heroic parents began a grass roots organization to help parents whose children were disabled. Shalva is now a world class organization serving all of Israel out of their magnificent campus in Jerusalem.
It is a holy and sacred place, started by people who experienced a life altering challenge and used it as a stepping stone to help others.
But being involved in a growth process doesn’t always have to be so big.
After all stepping in an ant pile doesn’t compare.
But there are takeaways in every circumstance nonetheless.
After the red ant debacle I started to analyze and try to understand some lessons that could affect me as a result of my misfortune:
Here were some of my takeaways:
It took just a moment.
Am I valuing each moment properly?
Am I moving forward with purpose.
A moment can be the difference between life and death.
On October 7 there was a family hiding in their safe room with a 10 day old baby whose name is Kai. The terrorists tried to get in to the safe room but when they met with resistance they set the house on fire. As the room filled with smoke the baby began to suffocate. The desperate parents were able to crack open a window and put the baby near the window just for a moment at a time. These individual moments, snatched at frequencies dictated by the terrorists movements, ultimately saved baby Kai until the family was saved.
It was only a moment here and there, but well placed moments can literally be life saving.
I also thought about ants.
King Solomon teaches us about the lessons we can learn from an ant whose distinguishing characteristic is diligence.
I saw that first hand.
Never would I believe that so much pain could be inflicted so quickly by such tiny creatures.
Ants are also known to use that diligence to move items way beyond their own size.
Have I become a little lazy in my spiritual pursuits? Could I be doing some more heavy lifting in my relationships? Even when the job seems too big for me?
Could the ant help me refocus my efforts and become more diligent.
My final lesson that I will share came as a result of discussing my experience with a friend.
It turned out that when she was a little girl, her family went on vacation to the South and she stepped in an ant pile. When she came into the house, screaming at the top of her lungs, her mother, a fine lady from the North kept repeating “calm down, ants don’t bite”, until she finally took stock of the situation and realized that her attitude was informed by her experience (there are no red ants North of the Mason Dixon line, trust me) as opposed to what her child was experiencing in real time before her eyes.
That was a really deep message.
Do we allow our mental maps (thank you Helen Zalik for opening our eyes to this phenomenon at our JWCAtlanta Kick Off event this past Tuesday) to limit the scope of our vision and the opportunities we may have to grow. Do really listen to those around me who may be in pain even though that pain makes no sense to me.
These precious days in the month of Elul are the perfect time to make these calculations and this time is ours for the taking.
We are told to “wake up from our slumber”.
Sometimes an alarm clock is needed to rouse us, sometimes it’s stepping into “something”that jars us.
Everything that happens to us is tailor made to encourage personal growth and connection.
We can learn these lessons from the tiniest creatures and from a passing moment.
Keep your eyes open.
You will be surprised by the opportunities that are yours for the taking.
It will also prevent inadvertent steps which may take you in the wrong direction, or right into an ant pile.
Shabbat Shalom and so much love!