Winning People
You’ve probably heard the phrase, “He’s got a winning smile.” It means that when this person smiles, it wins people over, makes them comfortable, or even more so, makes them like them. In a sense, it’s less about an actual victory, but creating teamwork.
Some people are considered, “winners.” Everything they do seems to be blessed with success and they are envied by others for the fact that they never seem to lose. They may be the ones who get the best chavruta (study partner), shidduch (marriage partner), job, house, and cars. When they have a disagreement, they always seem to come out on top. Those winners aren’t making others comfortable, but rather are competing with others in the game of life, and they are, to quote a decade-old catchphrase, “Winning!”
Standing Alone, Standing True
Now that’s not necessarily a bad thing. When you are able to stand up for what you believe to be right in the face of naysayers, you are, in fact, “Winning!” This is what Avraham Avinu (our patriarch Abraham), who’s called “Ivri,” did – because he was on one side while the whole world was on the other.
When you are able to be happy with what you have, instead of feeling jealous of what you don’t, again, you’re winning. You’re winning the game of life which is a serious sport, not to be taken lightly. We’ve got a mission and though we are part of a team, each of us has to aim to be a standout player. You might say you need to have a winning attitude.
The Lottery Ticket
What is a winning attitude? Well, I recently had an epiphany (I haven’t used that word in a while, so I thought I’d bring it back into the mix. It’s really a good one.)
I’d seen the billboards advertising the big, mega-lotteries which are available in my area. One day my wife saw them, noted the large jackpots, and asked me to buy a ticket for each. I did, and though the numbers the machine auto-picked were great and meaningful, like 18 and 26 and 42, those weren’t the numbers that were drawn, and our tickets ended up in the trash.
Something interesting happened. Even as I was crumpling the losing tickets, I was thinking about buying for the next drawing. My mind said, “Maybe last week Hashem didn’t want you to win but this week He does.” Like, $358 million wasn’t enough, He wants you to have $373 million.
Unexpected Winning
Now, I didn’t run out and buy more tickets hoping I’d win, because in all fairness, Hashem could make me win without even buying a ticket. I could be walking down the street and a ticket could come rolling along the sidewalk in the wind. I’d pick it up, and boom, I’m a lottery winner. I’m not a fan of buying a ticket every week trying to change my life.
If I was meant to have the money, I would. Hashem does what’s best for us, and He has many different ways to do it. I mean, in 1975, a guy sold rocks as no-hassle pets for $3.95, saying they didn’t need food, walks, or vet visits, and he became a millionaire in six months. The guy who caught Mark McGwire’s 70th Home Run ball sold it for three million dollars, and there are people who rent goats for eco-friendly weed control and make $600,000 a year!
Maintain Your Dreams
I may buy a ticket once in a while, but it’s more of a lark, or to say, “I want to donate a building to a Yeshiva,” and imagine all the good things you’d do with it. But there is something very valuable in buying lottery tickets – the winning attitude. You see, the people who buy tickets each week, and think that the next buy is going to be their big windfall, they have a winning attitude. They aren’t getting down or depressed. They are maintaining the optimism and the dream of winning.
Now, while it is sad that they feel they’re in a terrible existence they need to break free of, they imagine that their salvation is right around the corner, and all their troubles will be over. And THAT is something worth holding onto.
We’re In The Best Hands
The ability to remember that Hashem wants to shower us with goodness and blessing, regardless of whether we truly deserve it or not, is akin to winning the lottery. Knowing we’re in good hands with Hashem takes away our worry and troubles, and lets us live with a clear mind and heart.
If we run into a difficulty, we know that we can turn to Him for help. It’s like a limitless checking account, but better, because it works for things money can’t buy, like health and relationships. If success is the ability to go from failure to failure without the loss of enthusiasm, then being aware of this winning mindset and putting it into practice is just the ticket we need.
By Rabbi Jonathan Gewirtz
2025 – All Rights Reserved
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