My boys were off from school a few weeks ago and asked me to take them fishing. Now, fishing isn’t really my thing (I don’t think I’ve ever been!) but why not? Seemed easy enough.
I Googled where to go and there were plenty of options. We booked a trip on a fishing boat with an experienced captain who showed us exactly what to do. The only fish around were striped bass, but there were quite a lot of them. All in all, we had an incredible experience.
My boys were thrilled. Going out in a boat and catching the fish, and then the captain showed us how to skin and filet the fish and prepare them for dinner. At home, we seasoned and grilled them. Definitely not a typical experience for city kids—seeing how their food arrives on their plates from beginning to end.
So many lessons were going through my head during the fishing trip.
For one, every time we eat fish, chicken, or meat, if we make a blessing over the food and then use the energy the food gives us to do mitzvot, we uncover and elevate the spark of G-dliness found in the animal. That’s why G-d gives them to us and allows us to eat them. Having the opportunity to see exactly how that happens from start to finish was invaluable.
Moreover, after we reeled in the fish, it took a couple of minutes but they died naturally, because they cannot live without water. It’s their lifeline.
But what about us? What is the one thing we can’t live without? Is it our morning exercise routine? Our jobs? A second home? A porsche?
There’s a famous story in the Talmud where Rebbe Akiva compares a Jew without Torah to a fish out of water:
The Rabbis taught: at one time, the evil kingdom [the Roman Empire] decreed that the Jews could not study Torah. Papos ben Yehudah discovered Rebbe Akiva gathering congregations and teaching Torah in public. He said, “Akiva! Are you not scared of the government?”
Rebbe Akiva replied, “I will give you a parable. To what can our situation be compared? To a fox walking on the bank of a river, who saw fish in the water darting from place to place. He asked the fish, ‘Why are you fleeing?’ The fish replied, ‘Because of the nets that people use to catch us.’ So the fox said, ‘Would you like to come up on dry land? You and I will live together, just as your fathers lived with mine.’ Asked the fish, ‘Are you the one that they call the clever animal? You are not clever, but a fool! If we are afraid here, where we live, how much more so would we be in a place where we die!’”
I begin each day with my coffee and Torah. It’s what gives me the strength to live in the city while remaining connected to the One Above. It’s my lifeline.
We are just like fish. Torah is akin to water, and without it we become completely lifeless.
Oh, and guess who gave me the idea for today’s post? It was Bing — Microsoft’s search engine which has recently incorporated AI. I asked it, “What should I write my weekly blog about that will inspire people?” and Bing responded, “Write about the one thing you cannot live without.”
So, what is it that you can’t live without?