Roadrunner Revisited
We certainly don’t put down our Gemaras to watch Roadrunner and Batman cartoons. But, if they’re part of our past...
I can just imagine the reactions we’ll be receiving from this week’s edition of Breslov World: “Batman and Roadrunner in one week? Has BreslovWorld gone bananas?” Not yet – the truth is that we keep our feet solidly planted on firm ground.
We receive frequent mail from new BTs (baalei teshuva, Jews returning to their roots) asking how it’s possible to serve Hashem after years of being far off the path. Others ask how to erase their non-observant past.
If you’d ask those questions to Moshiach, he’d probably tell you, “Don’t erase your past; bring it all into the service of Hashem!”
How do I know that Moshiach would give such an answer? His great grandfather King David said, "I attained wisdom from all my teachers" (Psalms 119:99). In other words, King David learned different things from every living creature.
Rebbe Nachman of Breslev, another descendent of King David, also teaches us to look for the Divine wisdom in every creation and event, for it is a stimulus to help us connect with Hashem.
A few days ago, I caught myself lamenting during hitbodedut about my former years outside the world of Jewish spirituality, and especially the time wasted on TV and movies. All of a sudden, a beautiful, encouraging and consoling thought entered my brain, like a rare gift from Hashem instantly deposited in my mailbox: "Wait a minute," I said to myself, "If Hashem decreed that I be born in Washington, DC, and that I'd become a fan of Roadrunner cartoons, then there must some Divine wisdom to learn here!" Roadrunner was my favorite, ranking slightly higher than the Washington Redskins. Later, as a recon NCO in Israel's Special Forces, "Roadrunner" was my code name. Coincidence? In retrospect, I don't think so.
According to the abovementioned teaching of King David and Rebbe Nachman, I started contemplating the lessons to be learned from Roadrunner. Here's what I came up with:
1. The Roadrunner's only two weapons are his speed and his "Beep-beep"; other than them, he never uses armed force to protect himself against Wiley Coyote. The Roadrunner's speed is an allusion to his agility in the service of Hashem, while his double beep symbolizes the voice of prayer and the voice of Torah learning – these are the weapons with which one defeats one's enemies.
2. The Roadrunner symbolizes the good inclination (yetzer tov) while the Coyote symbolizes the evil inclination (yetzer hara).
3. No outside force ever harms the Coyote other than his own ineptitude. In like manner, our own evil inclinations are our worst enemy.
4. The Coyote could stop persecuting Roadrunner at any time if he were not a fanatic. In similar fashion, the evil inclination tries to prevent the good inclination from getting close to Hashem, and ultimately, the person him/herself suffers.
5. The Roadrunner must stay on the road – otherwise, logically, he would not be called Roadrunner. As such, if a person strays from the path of righteousness, he/she loses the lofty identity of a person created in G-d's own image.
6. All action must be confined to the natural environment of the two characters – the southwest American desert. Likewise, this world is like a desert, but it's our unique opportunity to make spiritual gain and to perfect our souls.
We certainly don’t put down our Gemaras to watch Roadrunner and Batman cartoons. But, if they’re part of our past, let’s bring them into the service of Hashem. Don’t try to throw your past away – it’s a part of you. Grab those lovely little Divine sparks that were in your music, your football, your art, or even your favorite cartoons, and bring them into your service of Hashem. You can’t imagine how much gratification Hashem derives from such gifts. Rebbe Nachman teaches us that the further a person is from Hashem, the greater the sanctification of Hashem’s name when that person ultimately seeks Hashem and does teshuva.
Thanks Roadrunner; I owe you one.
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