Rebbetzin Leah Gans
Lesson Five
Quantity and Quality
When Esau and Jacob met, Esau said, "I have a lot," meaning: I have a lot, but I want more; it is not enough for me. Jacob said, "I have everything." Did he really have everything? Did Jacob say this out of pride? Of course not. Jacob said that he had everything he needed. He had everything the Almighty had given him, and he did not need anything more.
This shows us the approach to life of the wicked, and that of the righteous. No matter how much the wicked have, they always want more. The righteous are content with what they have.
We see another difference here. Esau speaks in terms of quantity: a lot. What he has can be counted, so he needs more and more. Jacob, however, appreciates quality. Even a small number of well-performed mitzvot can already be "everything."
We mentioned the Temple. There were 12 loaves of showbread in the Temple. They were divided among all the kohanim, and there was enough for everyone, regardless of the size of each piece. They felt full because they knew how to appreciate quality rather than quantity.
That is, a small quantity but high quality—within our abilities—is what is required of us.
There is a story from many years ago about a woman who had a serious intestinal illness. She was unwell and lay in bed. At that time, not all the hygiene products available today existed. Nor were there organizations that helped people like her. Only one woman came to help this sick woman once a week—washing her and changing her clothes and bed linens. Understandably, the unfortunate woman suffered terribly throughout the week because she could not utter a single sacred word: her illness left her physically unclean all the time. But on the day she was washed, she could pray.
One of the leaders of that generation came to visit the woman. He asked her whether she had any zest for life. She was suffering physically and emotionally—from illness, loneliness, and being unable to pray or recite blessings. Was there any meaning in such a life? She said, "No, I want to continue living!" He asked again, "What meaning do you see in such an existence?" She replied, "It is true, I am alone all week, and I suffer terribly. But on the day when I am washed, my clothes are changed, and I am clean again—for a little while I can pray, recite a blessing, speak to G-d—the entire past week of suffering is worth that moment! I want to continue living!"
This woman teaches us what quantity and quality mean. If she were thinking in terms of quantity, she would have every reason to despair. Of course, there are far more hours when she lies helpless and alone than moments when she can pray or recite a blessing. But she values the quality of those moments so highly that it is worth continuing to live for their sake.
All the more so when a person is healthy and can spend all their time performing mitzvot consciously and thoughtfully! Then they unite their physical part with their spiritual part, cleave to the Almighty—and that is true joy!
Prepared by Mrs. Zissi Skarzhinskaya