On 9/17/07, <b class="gmail_sendername">Eli Turkel</b> <<a href="mailto:eliturkel@gmail.com">eliturkel@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<div><span class="gmail_quote"></span><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
I have a question about what the phrase ha-sameach be-chelko means?<br>Simple pshat would indicate that one does not strive to be better/richer<br>but is happy with where he is<br></blockquote></div><br>I think you are creating a false dichotomy here. Simple pshat is that one can be rich by being happy where one is, period. One may also strive to have more, with the intention of being happy there too. The mistake to avoid is to say "I could be happy if I only had $x", since if I fall into that mentality, when I have $x I will say "I could be happy if I only had $y". (I was going to add "IMHO" to the last sentence until I remembered that Shlomo Hamelech said the same thing in Kohelet 5:9 "hao'ehev kesef lo yisba` kesef")
<br><br>I believe that the same goes for the spiritual interpretation. As you say, one should always work on getting better, but this doesn't contradict being happy at whatever level one has reached.<br><br>On the linguistic level, I suppose what I am saying here is that "sameach bechelko" doesn't mean "happy with, one's chelek" in the sense of not wanting to improve one's position or to have an easier time finding tuition fees, but "happy, with one's chelek", and I think this fits better the Mishna's proof text from Tehillim "Yegia` kapeicha ki tochel, ashreicha vetov lakh".
<br><br>Ketiva vehhatima tova!<br>