“I rejoice over Your words, as one who finds an immense treasure”
Psalms 119:162
Said Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov: One who finds an immense treasure … his distress is greater than his happiness. Because the treasure is so great, he is capable of carrying off only a small fraction of it; whatever joy he may experience over what he has gained is eclipsed by his distress over the far greater riches he was forced to leave behind.
This is the deeper significance of King David’s words. When I study Your Torah, I know that whatever I have comprehended is but a paltry fraction of the truths Your words contain. So my joy over my newly gained wisdom is the joy of one who has stumbled upon an immense treasure—a joy that pales to insignificance before the knowledge of what I cannot know.
Adapted from the teachings of the Rebbe by Yanki Tauber
