The Last Place You Look
“Why is it,” goes the old joke, “that when you’re looking for something, you always find it in the last place you look?” The answer, of course, is that once you’ve found it, you stop looking! It seems that finding lost or misplaced items is a common problem faced by modern man, and it’s probably exacerbated by the sheer number of “things” we are blessed to have. As Chazal (our Sages of blessed memory) say, “Marbeh nechasim, marbeh daagah – when you increase your possessions, you increase your worry.” With more things to go missing, come more opportunities to search for them.
Right Where You Left It
I have this theory that every family has a “finder,” someone who can locate lost items when others can’t. They can come into the room and locate the library book that simply must get returned today, or the watch someone else, “looked everywhere for.” And they don’t even have to physically be there. Ever been on the phone and had this conversation? “I think we’re out of ketchup?” “Top shelf, left hand side, behind the applesauce.” “Oh! There it is.”
Most parents can relate to the following scenario: [Howl from distant corner of the house…] “I can’t find my shoes! Has anyone seen my shoes???” or “Who took my backpack? I am late and I can’t find it!” Often the parents respond with a calm, “Your shoes are next to the couch, where you left them when you came in last night,” or “Did you look in your room where you were doing your homework?”
It is true that sometimes someone else will move the items in question, like if you were cleaning the living room for an evening with guests and your child left their shoes, backpack, headphones, pile of papers, chewing gum, and half-eaten snack on and next to the coffee table, so you had to move them elsewhere. Usually, though, the missing item is not missing, as much as we forgot where we left it. It’s doubly frustrating when we leave things where we will surely remember where they are, and then we don’t.
It Must Have Been the Kids
One day, I needed something. It was not in the spot where we usually keep it in the pantry. I was annoyed and began looking feverishly around the kitchen for it, wondering where my daughter could have left it. I mean, certainly, if it’s not in the right spot, it must have been one of the kids, right? I couldn’t find it and began to wrack my brain. I thought back to the last time I’d seen it, and then – I remembered where I’d left it. I looked, and sure enough, it was right there in the spot I’d put it down.
To be fair, I was in a hurry, and I was involved in a chesed (act of kindness), so leaving it somewhere else made sense in the moment. Of course, if it was someone else, I should probably give them the same leeway, but for now, suffice it to say that it was where I’d left it and I had no one else to blame.
At that moment, the words of a recent haftarah played in my mind. “Koh amar Hashem, zacharti lach chesed ne’urayich – so says Hashem (God), I remember the kindness of your youth; lechtaich acharai bamidbar – when you followed after me in the wilderness.” (Yirmiyahu 2:2)
What We’ve Lost
At this time of the year, we’re searching for what we’ve lost; the Beit Hamikdash (Holy Temple), the korbanot (sacrifices), the miracles, and the close relationship with Hashem. We cry and pray to Hashem to come back to us, to bring Mashiach (Messiah), and rebuild the Beit Hamikdash. But we’re forgetting something.
You’re Searching? I Haven’t Moved
The Navi Malachi, in the haftarah we read on Shabbat HaGadol (3:6) says, “For I am Hashem, I haven’t changed, and you are the children of Yaakov (Jacob), who have not ceased to exist.” Hashem is telling us that it’s not He who left the relationship, but us. He has remained steadfast in His love for us, evidenced by the fact that despite all the threats and attacks, WE ARE STILL HERE. If we want to find ourselves back deeply in love with Hashem, and to regain what we have lost, we need to remember that Hashem hasn’t moved. Instead, we have to seek Him out, thinking about where we saw Him last. I’m pretty sure that if we do that, we will be able to find Hakadosh Baruch Hu (The Holy One, Blessed Be He) – right where we left Him.
By Rabbi Jonathan Gewirtz
Rabbi Gewirtz (Operation Inspiration) welcomes comments and feedback. Write to him at info@JewishSpeechWriter.com to share your thoughts. You never know when you may be the lamp that enlightens someone else.
