On Ownership and Despair

You are walking down fifth avenue and you see a wallet fall out of someone's pocket. You hear that person despairing of ever finding the wallet, saying something like “what a shame I lost this wallet I will never find it again”. According to Jewish law, as surprising as this may seem, although it would be nice for you to return the wallet, the wallet is legally yours to keep.

The explanation that according to Jewish law ownership is strongly associated with knowledge of the mind, therefore if one despairs it is as if she disowned the wallet, has always been a hard “sell” to people.

This week I was enlightened by a participant in our Torah class, who happens to be a descendant of Mimanodies, to a powerful message that lies within this law:

The Torah is telling you that if you want to achieve anything in this world, from basic survival to achieving greatness, you must believe it to be possible. If you don't see how you will survive, or thrive, or earn that degree, or right that book, or be that person you want to be, and you despair then spiritually you lose the energy necessary to succeed That energy, even if destined for you, is no longer yours.

This law, which traditionally is the first that children study in the Talmud, may be the secret to Jewish survival. If we achieved all that we have, as a people and as individuals, despite the odds stacked against us, it's because we refused to despair. We would not give up ownership on the internal spiritual strength that we know is within our soul.