A World of Renters

You may own a home of your own or you may be renting, but in the grand scheme of things, it is all equal. The achievement of ownership, of possessing material goods and property can be as fleeting as the wind. There are no guarantees that what we worked so hard to physically acquire will belong to us for the duration. Hashem, in His Loving-kindness, may grant us the privilege of a temporary illusion of security, but like our physical lives, nothing is permanent. In essence, we are all renters, living in borrowed dwellings on borrowed time.

The homeowner works hard to pay a mortgage, but the renter must work with equal dedication to pay his rent. Regardless, it is of little significance how hard one works because it is Hashem Who provides our shelter and all other necessities required for our survival.  If He desires that we have enough to subsist on, we will. Both our property and our bodies are here today but can be gone tomorrow. The only true and eternal reality comes through seeking G-d, His Torah and the World to Come. More significant than pride of ownership is taking delight in the fact that Hashem has blessed us with whatever we have. Being bitter and complaining that we are not able to keep up with the Goldbergs comes from our egos and not from the side of holiness. If it is not necessary to bring us closer to Hashem, chances are we don’t need it. As long as we are in good health, have a comfortable roof over our heads, food on the table and clothes to wear, the rest is just superfluous self-indulgence (aside from beautifying the mitzvot and honoring Shabbat and Yom Tov). When G-d blesses someone with abundance and many beautiful possessions, it is, of course, theirs to enjoy, but they are well-advised to be aware of its Source and utilize it with the sanctity it warrants.

Recently we were in a situation where we needed to find a new apartment as our landlord was selling the flat we were renting. With rising housing costs, we were down to the wire with less than two weeks to move and nothing to be found in our price range. We saw one that, with negotiations, may have been something we could afford, but it had almost none of our requirements; no storage room, not enough kitchen cabinets, no air conditioning, it was dirty, run down and a bit far from where we wanted to live. A couple of days later I found an ad for an apartment at a different address on the same street. As we were waiting for the Real Estate Agent to meet us, I crossed the road to enjoy the view of a quiet valley. It was so peaceful, I decided to ask Hashem to please send me a sign so I would know if this was ‘it’. My frustration was beginning to erode my emuna and I needed some help from Above.

When the agent arrived, he directed us to the very same apartment we had already seen! Apparently, he had made an error with the address. I didn’t want to go in again, saying we already decided it wasn’t for us, but he insisted we see it once more.  So much for my sign from Heaven. We went through the motions, but I felt we were wasting precious time looking at something we had already ruled out. Since it was a different agent, he explained that many of the problems would be rectified but it still didn’t sit well with us. As we left, we told him we would think about it. A day or two later, after seeing other apartments which were less than appealing and more expensive, I began mulling over the details of the twice-seen flat. My husband and I discussed it and suddenly I realized how ‘blocked’ I had been. I had asked Hashem for a sign; He sent me one as clear as the glistening sun and I totally failed to recognize it. He was trying to show me we missed our home the first time. He was giving us another chance to look at it again and TAKE IT already! What was I searching for? There was a beautiful, large yard which I love, it was on the ground floor with a separate entrance which is preferable to an elevator and even though it was a bit far out, it was in the community we wanted. Because of some less-than-perfect features that could be worked out, we were going to pass up this deal? Eight days prior to moving day we finally signed the contract.

The apartment had been empty for several months and now that we have moved in, B”H, I realize that it was waiting for us all along. We must have inadvertently neglected to zone in on the humble goal of building a Bayit Ne’eman B’Yisrael, a home faithful to the traditions of Israel, by concentrating too deeply on our personal desires. If we had focused on this modest objective rather than all the extras, we probably would have been able to find a place much quicker. Sometimes we just don’t perceive the obvious when our spiritual sensors are not fine-tuned. Thank G-d Hashem is patient.

To paraphrase Rebbe Nachman’s teaching, in this world of renters, all we really need is a private corner to pour our hearts out to Hashem to bring us true happiness. Through this we can attain contentment with our lot in life. I used to think that we could only feel settled and secure in a house we own. I now understand that genuine security comes simply by way of all the deeds we do in this world to pay for our everlasting dwelling in the next world. All else is transient. We can’t trust in the stock market, real estate, precious metals or the price of tea in China. In fact, we can’t depend on anything but G-d’s mercy.

From the beginning of the creation of man, we have been paying the price for Adam’s sin. G-d told him “By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread ‘till thou returns unto the ground” (Genesis 3:19). Despite this, Hashem always supplies us with what we need for He knows that without proper shelter and sustenance, we cannot serve Him with all our might. Therefore, we are obliged to show our thankfulness verbally and through the fulfillment of all His statutes. Finally, when our earthly lease is almost up, we will be filled with joy knowing we have lived our lives with a love and fear of Heaven and according to His Omniscient Will.