What’s the difference between dust and dirt?
If you think about it, dirt isn’t just the stuff that defaces our clothing and muddies our carpets. Given the right conditions, dirt sprouts forth the agriculture that is the stuff of life. Much of our nutrition comes from….the dirt.
So what’s dust?
Dust seems like dirt’s spatter. Like soot. Useless.
Dirt just overlays the world around you; and too much in the air can obstruct your vision. Who can find any good in dust?
In life, we encounter lots of objects and situations. Some seem to have an immediately-appreciable positive purpose.
Some things are like dirt, where you have to consider how to extract positive usage from apparent muck.
But what’s with life’s dust?
How do I deal that part of life which seems to have no positive input and just sullies my life’s veneer?
How do I deal with the mental haze which disallows me from seeing/appreciating my life with its truest potential and beauty?
It’s a challenge of historic proportions.
So let’s look at a classic Biblical episode.
Jacob is walking alone, when he is accosted by a strange ‘man’, who is actually an angel. They wrestle each other, “kicking up dust”, until dawn.
Finally the angel tells Jacob that he will receive a new name, Israel, which linguistically means: “You have wrestled with G-d, and with man, and have prevailed”.
Jacob is challenged and he responds. He grapples and he struggles; ultimately, by the grace of G-d and the power of his soul, he is able to persevere.
But what is the challenge? What does this wrestling match represent for me and you?
While there are many beautiful lessons learned, it’s interesting that Jewish thought puts a large focus on the “dust”, as a pivotal part of Jacob’s struggle.
From this perspective, Jacob was struggling to elevate – to “kick up” - the dust of life. Jacob struggled to handle life’s big challenges; but perhaps more insidious was the challenge of ‘dust’. Jacob struggled to elevate the static that doesn’t allow us to find peace right here and now, with ourselves and with G-d.
And he was successful.
So we can be too.