News of a bear market has rocked the nation as of late, causing much economic panic. Millions, even billions, of dollars are lost in an instant, and for those with large investments on the line, it’s a scary time to be alive.

But then there are those select few who rejoice at such a turn of events. Why? Because they’re comfortable enough to play the long game and wait out the storm.

So what do they do? They come in and buy up shares at record low prices. They buy, for they see the future, when the market will inevitably rebound and they can cash out on their investment.

It’s a risky business, but for those with disposable income and a keen eye to what will be as opposed to what is now, it can be a veritable gold mine.

Shabbat and the Festivals

A major chunk of Parshat Pinchas is devoted to detailing the various sacrifices offered on each of the festivals, namely the additional “mussaf” sacrifice. Beginning with Rosh Chodesh and then through all the festivals like Passover and Rosh Hashanah, we get a snapshot of the entire calendar.

But before the Torah kicks off the list, it also mentions the weekly Shabbat offering:

And on the Sabbath day . . . This is the burnt offering of each Sabbath on its Sabbath, in addition to the continual burnt offering and its libation.1

Which immediately prompts the question, why is Shabbat mentioned here amid all the festivals, and at the beginning of the list, no less?2 While it’s easy to think that Shabbat is quite similar to the festivals, it really isn’t. The festivals mark particular events, and are entirely contingent upon the calendar months of the year. Shabbat, by contrast, marks the story of Creation itself, and has nothing to do with the calendar, but the days of the week.

Treatment Based on Future Events

All Jewish festivals are rooted in our nation’s landmark story—the Exodus. Beginning with the obvious example of Passover, the other festivals are also based on continued chapters of that same story: Shavuot at Sinai, and Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot further in the desert.

There are many themes to the Exodus, and multiple reasons it holds such a prominent place in our collective identity. One such theme centers on the worthiness—or lack thereof—of the people at the time. By all accounts, the people living in Egypt were far from saints.

In fact, according to the Kabbalists, there are 50 “gates of impurity,” and the people had sunk into the 49th one.3 Had they stayed one moment longer, they would have fallen into the abyss, irredeemable and lost forever. It was precisely for this reason that when the time came, they were whisked out of Egypt in the middle of the night like a house on fire—for had they stayed a moment longer, it would have been too late.4

Indeed, the Midrash5 relates that when G‑d took the people out, the prosecuting angels protested, “Hey, what makes these guys any better than their Egyptian lords? They’re both idolaters!”

So why did G‑d redeem the people? What was our saving grace?

In two words: future performance. G‑d saw the Israelites’ future performance, how they would march to Sinai and accept His Torah and keep it for thousands of years thereafter. Based on this promise of stellar behavior, the Jews earned their ticket out of Egypt.

Creation and Exodus: Magnanimity Based on Future Performance

When you think about it, the story of Creation carries the very same theme. After all, prior to creation there couldn’t possibly have been anything or anyone worthy of being created. So why did G‑d bestow such kindness to us lowly creatures and do us the favor of bringing us into existence?

Like the Exodus, it was based on future performance. In those moments before Creation, G‑d (so-to-speak) envisioned the world that would be and the great worth its inhabitants would earn as they went along. That was enough for Him to go ahead with the plan and bring this big, beautiful universe into existence.

And that’s why Shabbat comes at the beginning of the holiday list, because they all affirm the same thing: That G‑d is ready to bestow kindness upon His Creations, not only based on past performance, but on future promises.6


The Future Starts Right Now

This is quite an invigorating idea. G‑d doesn’t only love you and treat you based on your current performance or your track record. He's willing to treat you based on how you'll behave in the future.

It’s very easy to get overwhelmed by your own past. Say you aren’t exactly the next Moses or Sarah, and if you’re honest with yourself, your resume is quite stained. When you think about who you are and all the mistakes you’ve made, it can be depressing. “How can I hope for a better life? How can I possibly think that I deserve anything good when I know that I really don’t deserve it?”

While such thoughts can sound noble and oh-so-brutally honest, more often than not they only serve to drag you down. After all, why try to be better if you don’t deserve better? Let life just run its natural course, and “it will be what it will be.”

Such thinking doesn’t do anyone any good. So think about the Jews in Egypt: They didn’t deserve it either, but G‑d whisked them out of Egypt anyway. Not because He checked the rap sheets of every Jew in Egypt and found some redeeming qualities (there were none). Nope. The Jews didn’t deserve redemption by any stretch.

Yet G‑d was generous, loving, and incredibly redeeming. Because He believed in the Jews He was about to redeem. He believed that somewhere down the line, they would be awesome.

You, too, can be awesome. Starting right now. And that’s what G‑d really cares about. Good things are in store for you, because your future starts right now.7