This morning I was pondering again the lesson my teacher Pesach Sherbow taught us about crabs in a bucket. You can see a short clip of what I am talking about in my last blog, https://emunatrek.com/2019/03/31/beware-of-the-crabs/

Pesach has also in the past mentioned numerous times about the fact that our souls have an animal side and Divine side. This makes sense, because in our creation we are part earth and heaven. We are constantly battling our earthly side as we reach heavenward.

I was putting the two teachings together in my mind as I also pondered humanity in general.

There was part of the crab story that came to mind this morning, it was about when they are put in a bucket, they have a tendency to push one another down – they are totally self-minded without concern for one another.

This got me to thinking about how humans are much in the same way; for example, take a drive down a busy interstate and see how everyone is fighting to get ahead of the other or in business and careers or even the grocery store.

Think about it, it never has been about ‘keeping up with the Jones’ – humanity has been about being better than the Jones. Humans can be very crabby – pun intended.

One of the great Sages of Israel, Hillel, was asked by a gentile to teach him the whole Torah in a speedy fashion, his response was, “Do not do what is harmful to you to your fellow.

Those of us that have chosen to be mindful of the Creator in everything in our life, needs to lead this crabby society by the above example.

We do not push others down so we can get ahead and those who have gotten ahead we do not pull them back down.

We are not crabs in a bucket, we are a very special creation that was made in the image of our Creator, given His attributes, like compassion, mercy and so on.

Terry W. Hayes
4/2019

Photo Credit: Rod Long on Unsplash