The Blessing of Forgetfulness and the Art of Letting Go for Future Growth

Show Notes
Transcript

What if forgetting wasn't always a negative? What if it could be a blessing in disguise that helps us unload the burden of past grudges, hardships, and successes? This episode invites you on a journey through the captivating story of Yosef Hatzaddik, who named his son Menashe, meaning forgetfulness, and the profound wisdom behind this unusual choice. Discover, through the teachings of Rav Yisrael Salanter, how forgetting can be a powerful tool for overcoming past traumas and making room for future growth.

The second half of our discussion, led by Rav Moshe Sternbuch, challenges the conventional wisdom of holding on to past victories. Reliving past triumphs, as comforting as it might be, can lead to complacency and rob us of our will to strive for more. Embracing the idea of 'forgetting,' we deeply dive into the benefits of living in the present. Tune in to this enlightening episode and discover how the art of forgetting could be your ticket to an unburdened and growth-oriented life. Let's celebrate the blessing of forgetfulness!

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Transcript

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It must have been a bit hair-raising for the congregants and she'll that morning when they heard Yosef al-Zadik up on the Bima.

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When the Gaba is said v'kareh, shamo b'Israel.

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Yosef, what are you going to call your eldest child, yorachar?

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And Yosef said minnaasha, which means forgetful in English.

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He Naashani Elohim, for God has made me forget, so I call my son forgetful minnaasha.

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A bit odd, interesting choice of name.

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And the Tyre points out to us that the blessing that Yosef saw in the forgetfulness as to why he named his child minnaasha is because God made him forget all the tough times.

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Kinashaan Elohim is called Amoli.

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God has made me forget all the suffering, that his brothers sold him away, that he was abandoned at such a young age, left for dead inside of a creepy, dark pit of snakes and scorpions.

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If Yosef was to bear a grudge, to tarry over his past, to harp on all of his previous struggles, don't you imagine it would have been really hard for him to become who he was?

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This is all pointed out by the great Revistral Salanter the importance and the blessing of being able to forget, for everyone has at least one, the two memories that they wish they could forget.

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Where Masha Sturmbach and his safer.

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Tom Vedas has pointed out so eloquently by one of the Balabatim who spoke in the show that I dobbined that last week at the bar mitzvah of his son, pointed out, citing Rev Masha Sturmbach, that the positive continues.

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And Yosef also cites his forgetfulness of the good times, also as to why he named his son forgetful Masha, why Kinashaan Elohim is called Amoli.

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God made me forget all of the tribulations of his son and everything about my dad's house.

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Even the good stuff seemed to have been forgotten and that was good in Yosef's eyes.

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And why?

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And Masha Sturmbach tells us, because often when we harp on previous successes, then our new situation we will just say I wish it used to be like the old days, like the kid who peaked in high school as the high school champion.

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Things were great back then.

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And dwelling on the past and even in previous successes will open up the drain of our bathtub of energy and have it twirl down out because we just wish that things used to be the way that they were.

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Often dwelling on previous successes also can make a person feel content as if he's done enough.

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I've done something good.

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Why do I need to keep growing To become complacent?

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So it's the ultimate bracha to forget the previous struggles, but also Ves'khol based of all of the good times, because, while it was great to learn with my dad in peace and tranquility, just me and Yakov Veno as the beloved youngest son, but remembering that when Yosef was in the next stage of life, he was definitely going to have him limping through his time in Egypt.

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So try to live in the moment, live in the present.

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Sometimes forget previous successes because otherwise you'll be complacent, and definitely try to forget the things that give no value to you and only drain you of your strength.

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The Shani Elohim.

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Forgetfulness is sometimes a terrific bracha.

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