"May goodness and kindness pursue me all the days of my life."
Psalms 23:1
"You shall pursue righteousness, only righteousness."
Deuteronomy 16:20
Many people have things reversed. They pursue goodness and kindness for themselves, but leave righteousness
to somehow catch up with them. The Torah dictates a different order. A person
should pursue righteousness and allow goodness and kindness to catch up.
Many people’s goal in life is "to achieve happiness." While this is certainly understandable, happiness
should not be the primary goal. In the creation of man the Scripture states very clearly: "Man was created in order
to toil." (Job 5:7) This means to work at fulfilling the Divine will. If our primary goal is happiness, we are certain to
be frustrated. The average person's life is abundant in distressful happenings. However, when the primary
goal is to do Yahveh’s Will, then those times of happiness that do occur can be enjoyed, and the times of distress are
borne without bitterness.
Try to remember that you were created to do Yahveh’s bidding rather than to lead a blissful life.
