The Rav said:
A person always wants to be ahead of everyone else.
Yaakov Avinu says the opposite, “the last one is beloved” (acharon, acharon, haviv). Never want to be ahead of everyone else.
We need to want that, however I am… Even if Hashem puts me in the lowest places, then that’s ok.
If He places me in the lowliest place… I’ve got no understanding. It’s ok.
The lesson to take from Yaakov Avinu is always to be last. ‘The last one is beloved’.
My thoughts:
The Rav is giving us tremendous chizzuk here. Sometimes we’re up, we’re flying, things are going well. But, equally, there are times when we’re down and we sometimes find ourselves in some very low places.
The Rav is telling us something very special. You know what? Being down there in that low place, that’s ok. In fact, it’s more than ok. ‘Acharon, acharon, haviv’! The last one is beloved of Hashem!
Why is this important to know?
Because, when we fall, there’s a great danger that we’ll fall further or at the very least we find that we’re not able to pick ourselves up. But, when we realise that it’s ok that we fell, and not only that, but Hashem still loves us – perhaps even more! – when we’re down in last place. That knowledge by itself is enough to lift us back up.
If we can hold on to that awareness, we’ll have the strength to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves down and carry on with the fight.