Why Nothing Lasts Forever

The end of the matter, everything having been heard, fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the entire man. – Kohelet, (Ecclesiastes), 12:13 

Nothing in this world can last. If it did, we would be tempted to worship it.  

“David, it might be time to start dusting off that resume.” 

The possibility of losing a job can be devastating. It feels like a part of me is being ripped out. I got used to the routine. I got used to the salary. I got used to the expectations.  

Losing it could be the best thing that happens.  

We just read that “man does not live on bread alone, but but by the utterance of Gd's mouth does man live" (Deuteronomy, 8:3).  

When we recite the blessing on most foods, we say “Blessed are You G-d… that everything comes from His word” – the utterance of G-d.  

When my job was in jeopardy, the first thing that came to mind was how I could protect myself. What can I do to appeal to the boss? What can I do to make my case? How will I earn a living if I get fired? 

The Blessing of Loss 

The first mitzvah in the Torah is the commandment of Rosh Chodesh, celebrating the New Moon which marks the beginning of the new month. The first mitzvah of the Ten Commandments is: I am Hashem.  

What do they have in common? 

The Jewish calendar measures months by the moon. But we declare a new month when the moon isn’t even in the sky. The end of a month is just like the beginning – nothing is there.  

The moon waxes and wanes. It comes and goes. It is in a constant state of flux, rising and falling. The one constant about the moon is that you never always have it.  

The same is true for everything in our material world.  

Money is called zuzim, or something that moves, because it never stays in one place. One day you have more than you could ever want, the next day you are looking for the cheapest brand of cheese.  

Vibrancy never stays. At 20 you can run to the next town. By 80, it takes effort to walk to the next block.  

Ideals never remain. Imperialism fell. Colonialism fell. Communism didn’t work. We are even seeing the end of capitalism.  

Jobs don’t stay. Even if you work one career all your life, you retire. You aren’t there forever. These days, staying in one location more than a few years is a rarity.  

Food doesn’t last. Plants don’t last. Cars, computers, even phones don’t see their 10th birthday. Homes don’t see their 100th.  

Neither do we.  

There is nothing permanent in this world. Everything disappears.  

Why Does Everything Disintegrate? 

When we make a blessing, we invoke Hashem’s Name of YKVK, which is pronounced Adonai. It means He was, He is, He will be. 

Every blessing invokes the eternal attribute of God.  

We declare God the only permanent Being in existence. Everything in life comes and goes – except Him.  

That is why we are tempted to worship anything that comes close.  

The sun is always there. It gives us light. It gives us energy. It gives us heat. It enables food to grow. It has been doing so before we were born and will be doing so long after we are gone. For all we know, it is also a “permanent” fixture in the world. The sky also has been around before and after us. It provides rain that waters our food, enabling it to grow.  

Their sense of permanence gives us the deception that they too are “divine.” Countless false religions mutated from societies whose livelihood depended on the sun, and the rain, and the skies. The same way we instinctively think of our boss or our company to provide for our needs, they too looked to their “constant provider.” 

Out of neglect, we cement the unchallenged assumption that our boss will give us money because he or she has been doing it for so long and we got used to it.  

The nations of old took it a step further. They worshipped these “sources” of livelihood.  

That is why we are reminded every month that everything in life is temporary, with highs and lows, certainty and uncertainty, a beginning and an end.  

Except for God. He has no beginning. He has no end. He is infinite, with highs and lows that go on forever at the same time for all existence and beyond.  

Always Remember This  

It’s easy to forget it with our next paycheck.  

Fortunately, Hashem gives us so many reminders.  

Shabbat. Every Shabbat, we are reminded that God created the sun. He created the sky. He created us. We stop looking at all the temporary fixes in this world and look up at He Who creates them. We stop thinking about our careers and start thinking about our relationship with Him.  

Nighttime. Darkness is the absence of light, and the reminder that even the sun has its limits.  

Curses. When we lose a job, money, a business, or anything that makes us feel comfortable, we stop relying on it. We return to Hashem, the True Source of what we were receiving. We reconnect to knowing that all of our livelihood is just manna 2.0, a different bread from God to us.  

Blessings. Every time we say a blessing, we invoke God’s Name as the only forever in all reality. We are declaring everything physical, material, even intellectual as transitory.  

That is why there is no bad in this world. 

If you have faith that everything is good, it comes directly from Hashem, and it is for our ultimate benefit, despite all the pitfalls that lead you forward in ways you didn’t expect – you will never give up on life.   

That’s why Rabbi Arush says, “Emuna is the power to cope – and hope.” 

** * 

David Ben Horin lives in Afula with his wife and children. Since moving to Israel in 2002, David has discovered Torah, writing hi-tech, hiking, coding ReactJS Apps, and hearing stories about the Land of Israel from anyone excited to tell them. Check him out on Highway 60 or email him your favorite Israel story at:  david.ben.horin@spreadyourenthusiasm.com.