Word Prompt – PEKALACH – Sarah Pachter

On Simchat Torah, a very generous sponsor gives each child a pekele – a bag filled with candy. The pekalach are large and packed with a variety of treats. Everyone receives exactly the same one, which beautifully prevents fighting and chaos in shul.

If only life worked that way, if we were all handed the same “pack.” But would that really be what’s best for us?

One of the most common complaints we hear from our kids is, “That’s not fair!” My response is always, “Thank G-d life’s not fair!” Because if we were to take all the world’s resources and divide them equally, every single one of us who lives in relative (and many in actual) prosperity would have already “won the lottery,” so to speak.

In other words, we must learn to be grateful for our pekelach in life – our personal lot – because, as the saying goes, if everyone were to place their own bundle of challenges in the middle of the room, each person would ultimately choose their own back again.