By Avraham Dimenstein in Los Angeles
Halibut may be found off the coast of the Palos Verdes neighborhood of Los Angeles. A friend of mine, Freddy, fishes there frequently and has been successful at reeling in a couple of halibut while standing on the rocks along the coastline. So, I decided to try my luck there as well.
My fishing trip that morning was not just an escape from the day-to-day monotony of life. No, it was a spiritual journey. I once learned from my Rabbi that according to the kabbala, when you catch a fish and then serve it for your Shabbos meal, you have elevated it spiritually by enabling the fish to complete its reincarnation for which it was brought to earth.
I arrived at Malaga Cove in Palos Verdes and proceeded down the steep path from the parking lot to the sea shore while carrying all my gear. There had recently been a hurricane somewhere in Mexico, and the ocean waves were much higher than usual. Occasionally as I stood in knee deep water, a wave would come by, and I suddenly found myself up to my waist.
Halibut hide themselves on the ocean floor under the sand. They come out of their hiding places to pounce upon their prey. That’s why I placed a weight on my line. I wanted my baby squid, which I had attached to my hook, to get the attention of a halibut lurking on the bottom of the sea floor. But halibut are not the only creatures that like the bottom of the ocean. As I soon found out, lobsters hang out there too.
About 15 minutes after casting my hook, I decided to bring it in and cast it out again. Along with a large clump of sea weed I brought in a medium-size dark red lobster. I reeled it in and then lifted it in the air. I laid my rod down on the rocks with the lobster still attached since I was afraid he might pinch me if I grabbed him with my bare hands. Somehow the lobster freed himself from my hook, while he was on the rocks, and I left him to get my net. A wave came by, and swept him back out to sea.
But why did God send me a gift of which I could not partake? How will the lobster achieve his purpose in being reincarnated in this world? The answer must be that the lobster was sent to help me understand that we have to let go of the past and throw it back just like he was swept back into the sea. We will never understand why we were meant to go through all the things we experience. God wants us to learn as much as we can from the past but then move on. The lobster had achieved his purpose in the world and now was free to enjoy the rest of his life out at sea.
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Avraham Dimenstein is an 8th grade teacher at Toras Emes Academy in Los Angeles.