✨ Less is More (At Least Some of the Time)
- Moshe Moskowitz
- Mar 28
- 2 min read
✨ Less is More (At Least Some of the Time)
I was recently listening to a shiur (Torah lecture) by Rav Moshe Taragin on Parshas Vayakhel. He commented on Pasuk 35:14, which mentions the oil used for lighting the Menorah.
Rashi notes that producing this oil required wise-hearted people—not because squeezing olives is complicated, but because there’s wisdom in knowing when to stop.
Only the first drops of oil were used for the Menorah. It takes restraint to take just what’s needed, especially when no one else would know the difference except HaShem.
🧠 The Wisdom of Less
It takes willpower to speak less and choose words carefully.
It takes self-discipline to walk away from an argument when nothing productive will come from it.
It takes strength to stop eating at an all-you-can-eat buffet when you’ve had enough.
It takes patience to hold back from correcting someone when they aren’t ready to hear it.
It takes wisdom to pause before reacting and choose a measured response over an impulsive one.
❤️ Applying This to My Life
This message hit home as I go through testing to donate my kidney to a stranger through Renewal. Baruch HaShem, they’ve found a match, and now I’m undergoing medical tests to see if I qualify as a donor.
Some people have raised concerns:
You won’t be able to exercise at the same capacity for a while.
You may need more rest and won’t be able to do as much as you do now.
You will have one less kidney, and the other will have to work harder.
🌱 My Answer? Less is More.
Yes, I may have to exercise less. Yes, I may have to do less. Yes, I will have one less kidney.
But what could be more than saving a life? Nothing.
Less is more.
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