Over Pesach we made sure to have a minyan every morning.
One day, during Chol Hamoed, I got a text from Yankel*, “Tell your son I will give him 10 to 1 odds on our arrival times: if he gets there before me, I give him $50, and if I get there before him, he gives me $5.”
What’s the background?
Every night I had to send out text messages to make sure we would have a guaranteed quorum of 10 for our minyan. With some people needing to get to work, I had promised a prompt start and end time, so we couldn’t waste time waiting for people to show up or calling around in the morning for a 10th.
Thank G-d we succeeded every day, but it required not only waking up early, but rushing out of the house early—something that Yankel found challenging. He began noticing that my teenage son also finds it difficult, dashing in a few minutes late with tired eyes. So he made him the offer.
I showed it to my son and he was excited for the challenge. I forwarded a screenshot of the bet to the shul president who offered another $20 if my son beat Yankel.
Well, the next morning I woke my son gently at 7am as usual and went to get ready myself. Usually, I come back at 7:15 to wake him a second time, but he was already up and getting ready.
Yankel, too, pushed himself to get out of bed and win the bet. He rushed and arrived at 7:31am feeling confident he had won.
Alas, my son had arrived at 7:25 and was already there, having proudly earned his $70.
But what about the rest of us? How can we be motivated to get out of bed day after day when we’re tired, it’s the same old routine, and it’s hard.
But what if there was a one billion dollar prize waiting for you every morning when you got up? Would you not jump out of bed with excitement?
The Shulchan Aruch (Code of Jewish Law) begins with a very clear and strong instruction for how we are to begin our day as a Jew: “Strengthen yourself like a lion to get up in the morning to serve your Creator.”
So actually, forget the $70 my son earned. We all have the opportunity to earn a billion dollars every single morning! What an incentive!
How? By connecting—body and soul—to something greater than ourselves: the Almighty G-d. When we get up and go to shul, and daven with a minyan, that is absolutely priceless—to Him and to us. Moreover, it can completely alter our day, our mood, and mindset.
So, what are you still doing in bed? Yalla! Up and out … come to shul!