The Daily Reminder

The morning preliminary prayer service begins with the L’olam prayer, which contains important reminders that we should carry in our hearts all day long:

A person should always fear Heaven in private as in public…

When a person is with others, he is more apt to act like a completely righteous person. But when he is at home – well, that’s a different story altogether. As soon as he leaves his friends and enters his home, he completely changes. In this prayer, G-d reminds us that our behavior in private should reflect at least as much fear of Heaven as our public behavior.
 
And admit the truth and speak truth in his heart, and arise early and say: “Master of the Universe, we do not rely on our righteousness as we lay our supplications before You, but on Your great mercy.”
 
A person with a morsel of integrity admits the obvious: he deserves nothing. He relies only on the mercy of the Creator for health, sustenance, and everything else in life. Truth and humility go together, for as soon as a person casts his arrogance aside, he realizes, “What are we, what are our lives worth, what is our righteousness, what is our strength, what is our bravery…”
 
For all the brave are as naught before You,
 
The mightiest heroes are powerless against Hashem during their lifetimes, and even more so after they pass on to the cemetery.
 
And the famous are as if they never existed,
 
So many famous people are like a splash in a bucket – while they’re alive, they make waves, but once they’re no longer here, they’re completely forgotten.
 
And the wise men as if they have no knowledge and the people of understanding as if they have no intelligence, for all their deeds are emptiness
 
As long as a person is not seeking or involved in his or her ultimate purpose, everything is emptiness. It is all meaningless. A brave person is nothing, a famous person is as if he never existed, and all the smart and wise people are as if they have no knowledge or intelligence. But once a person is seeking, or involved in, his ultimate purpose, everything takes on great importance. We see with our own eyes how the memory of Torah scholars lives on, how people tell stories about them and study the books that they authored. We never forget them. They are still alive in our midst. The Gemara says that their lips move in their graves every time that we quote them.
 
Only the life of a person who is not seeking or involved in his ultimate purpose can be considered meaningless, as the prayer continues:
 
Because the superiority of a person over an animal is naught –
 
There is no difference between a person and an animal. Actually, an animal’s situation is much better, because it lives without worries. Did you ever see a lion working as a welder or a horse driving a bus? Did you ever see a tiger reserving a wedding hall or a giraffe worried about paying his bills? A person who is not seeking or involved in his true mission in life, yet seeks only the amenities of the material world would be much happier as a worry-free animal…
 
Because there is no advantage to a man over an animal, because everything is nothingness,
 
A person who lives for the inconsequential pleasure-seeking material world – which all is meaningless – lives a life that is not only no better than the life of an animal, but is actually worse. He wastes physical and emotional efforts trying to attain inconsequential amenities that have nothing to do with his true purpose in life. An animal, at least, does what it is supposed to do.
 
However, a person who lives to fulfill his purpose in this world, who lives for his soul, is in a completely different place. As the prayer continues:
 
Except for the pure soul, which is destined to give an accounting before Your throne of glory!
 
The pure soul will give an accounting of all its deeds. It is eternal and has no connection to the nothingness of this world. After we have asserted that this world is nothingness, we once again thank G-d for our lives in this world:
 
But we are Your nation, the children of Your covenant, the children of Abraham, who loved You, to whom You vowed on Mount Moriah; the seed of Your son, Isaac, who was bound on the altar; the congregation of Your chosen son Jacob, who, because of the love that You loved him and the joy that You rejoiced in him, You called his name Israel and Yeshurun…
 
Because our lives have a purpose, they are a cherished gift for which we must certainly thank G-d. This leads us to the next part of the prayer:
 
Thus we are obligated to thank You and praise You and glorify You and give praise and thanks to Your Name,
 
We are obligated! The prayer does not say, “What a good idea to thank You,” or “It is worthy to thank You.” It is not a recommendation – it is an obligation!
 
We say every morning in the preliminary prayers: “Thus we are obligated to thank You and praise You and glorify You and give praise and thanks to Your Name. How fortunate we are, how good is our lot and how pleasant our fate.” How fortunate we are that early in the morning and at night we are in the synagogues and study halls and twice daily say with love: “Hear o Israel, Hashem is our G-d, Hashem is One!”