When Pedaling Feels Pointless – Ki Seitzei

I was recently thinking about what it was like when I was younger and learning to ride a bike. At first, everything made me want to stop. My legs would burn, I would lose my balance, and I would think, “Maybe this is not for me.” Then I pushed through. Eventually, I got it. I rode everywhere by bike. I loved riding. Over the years, I started driving, and biking stopped. If I were to get back on a bike, I would struggle. I would think, “Why? I do not like this.” Because of the passage of time and the struggle, I had forgotten the joy I once felt.

In this week’s parsha, Ki Seitzei, the Torah opens with the words, “When you go out to war against your enemies.” Rashi explains that this is not only about a physical battle. It is also about the battle with the yetzer hara. I see this in myself when I stop writing, when I stop going to shul, or when I let habits slip. Starting again feels heavy. To be honest, it often feels pointless. Like trying to ride a bike uphill after years of not touching one. But the Torah teaches that this is a real war. Every time I fight that voice and keep going, I am winning.

I was reading the introduction to Shaar HaBitachon for some inspiration, and Rabbeinu Bachya adds that when a person trusts in Hashem they are not crushed by struggles, because they know that the strength they have is not their own. I find this to be true because if I remember that the goal is to just make an effort, the burden is lighter.

So when I ask myself, “Why push through? Why pedal when it hurts? Why open the siddur when I am not motivated?” The answer is that Hashem values the effort, not the outcome. The joy I once had can return, but only if I keep going. The blessing is not only at the finish line. The blessing is in the pedaling itself. Good Shabbos All the best Avroham Yehudah Ross Glossary Torah - Bible Parsha – The Bible portion read weekly Rashi – Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki (1040–1105), a commentator on the Bible. Yetzer Hara – The evil inclination Shaar HaBitachon – A book by Rabbeinu Bachya ibn Paquda (A sage of 11th century Spain). He teaches the importance of placing complete trust in G-D in all areas of life. Bitachon – Trust in G-D Hashem - G-D Siddur – Prayer book Mitzvah – One of the 613 commandments in the Bible.