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BEGIN WITH A GRIN

What is the shortest measure of time?

The time between when the light changes to green and the driver behind you honks.

WHAT’S THE HURRY?

Parshas Vayeira, continues to tell about the life, works, and deeds of the first Jew, the father of belief in one G-d, none other than Avrohom Avinu. An interesting point about Avrohom Avinu, which many may not notice, is: twice in our parsha, it says “vayashkeim Avrohom ba’boker” (and Avrohom arose early in the morning), each time in a different context. Once regarding the story of the destruction of Sodom and Amorah, and the second time regarding the Akeida (binding) of Yitzchok, written at the end of the parsha. What practical, everyday lesson can we learn from this?

First of all, simply and to the point, we should wake up early in the morning!

But, looking more deeply and from a Torah perspective, we turn to the words of the Gemara (Pesachim 4a) regarding this: “Zerizin makdimin l’mitzvos” (the zealous are early to perform mitzvos) as it says: “vayashkeim Avrohom ba’boker.” It’s not enough to wake up early in the morning to read the newspaper before everyone else (just a waste of time…) or to respond to four hundred (thousand…) WhatsApp messages that accumulated during the night (an even bigger waste of time…). We need to learn from Avrohom Avinu and wake up early in the morning to perform mitzvos and serve the Creator.

But this isn’t the only Gemara on the topic. In Chullin (91a), the Gemara learns from the verse “vayashkeim Avrohom ba’boker” that a Torah scholar should not go out alone at night, which is why Avrohom didn’t set out early while it was still night, but rather in the morning.

The Baalei Tosafos (Pesachim ibid.) discuss the contradiction between these passages and innovate that the two discussions refer to two different verses: The Gemara in Pesachim learns its lesson from the verse “vayashkeim Avrohom ba’boker” stated regarding the Akeida. There, Avrohom wasn’t alone, as it explicitly states “his two young men were with him.” Also he had nothing to fear, as those engaged in a mitzva are protected from harm. If the zealous would hurry to perform mitzvos at night, Avrohom would have left at night.

Meanwhile, the Gemara in Chullin is about the destruction of Sodom: “and Avrohom arose early in the morning to the place where he had stood before Hashem.” Avrohom arose early to pray for Sodom before its destruction. He should have risen at night to pray for them, but he feared going out at night because he was alone, and he wasn’t a messenger for a mitzva, as Hashem did not desire Avrohom’s prayers for Sodom. From this, the Gemara learned that a Torah scholar should not go out alone at night.

Regardless of how we explain these matters, from Avrohom Avinu we learn about the virtue of performing mitzvos with alacrity. The Alter Rebbe in Sefer HaTanya (Igeres HaKodesh 21) explains that the virtue of zerizus is so wonderful and “the zerizus of Avrohom Avinu, peace be upon him, stands eternally for us and our children forever, because the Akeida itself is not considered such a great test relative to the level of Avrohom Avinu.” After all, G-d Himself was revealed to him and explicitly told him: “Take now your son… and offer him as an offering,” and who wouldn’t fulfill an explicit command from G-d Himself?

Rather, the greatness of Avrohom Avinu and the merit of the test of the Akeidah were “only that Avrohom Avinu did this with wonderful zerizus to show his joy and desire to fulfill his Creator’s will and bring pleasure to his Maker, and from him our Sages learned regarding the fulfillment of all mitzvos in general.” This means that the virtue of zerizus in serving Hashem is an important and central quality because it expresses the great joy of a Jew in fulfilling the Creator’s will. The Jew doesn’t approach the fulfillment of mitzvos lazily and without internal motivation, but rather with joy and zerizus that come from an open heart and the deep desire to do everything that G-d commanded.

HURRY UP AND GET READY

In light of this, a deep question arises regarding the true and complete Geula. Let’s ignore for a moment the astounding delay in the coming of Moshiach, whom we’ve been waiting for thousands of years, and perhaps when he comes we’ll merit to ask him: “Honored Moshiach, Avrohom Avinu got up in the m-o-r-n-i-n-g to do important things, while your honor came to redeem us a bit l-a-t-e…” But until then, let’s focus on the verses of consolation of the Navi Yeshaya.

In Yeshaya it states (52:12): “For you shall not go out in haste, nor shall you leave in flight, for G-d goes before you, and the G-d of Israel is your rear guard.” Elsewhere, Yeshaya says (30:15): “In calm and tranquility shall you be saved.” These verses (and others) teach us that the exit from the current exile will be with composure, slowly, step by step, not like the exodus from Egypt which was in haste and flight from captivity. It appears from the prophet’s words that haste in leaving exile is viewed as a deficiency and something undesirable, while we learned above that zerizus is a wonderful virtue. Don’t these things contradict each other?

In a wonderful discourse, the Rebbe explains this topic. The Shelah HaKadosh writes (Shaar HaOsiyos, Os Zayin) that zerizus is the opposite of laziness, and laziness and heaviness come from impurity and the sitra achra (the “other side”). From this, we understand that everything in holiness, including the true and complete Geula, should be done with zerizus. And the more elevated the matter, the greater the zerizus should be. The importance of the matter determines the level of zerizus in its fulfillment. Therefore, the Geula should be brought with extra zerizus, a thousand times more so, because it is the most central thing in Judaism.

How does this align with the words of Yeshaya?

The Rebbe explains that we must distinguish between the preparations for fulfilling the mitzva and the fulfillment of the mitzva itself. The mitzva itself should be performed with deliberation and composure, with full intention and concentration, which (can) take time. In contrast, the preparations for the mitzva should be performed with zerizus and speed. This distinction is also learned from our parsha – Avrohom Avinu’s zerizus wasn’t in the actual fulfillment of the command of the Akeida, but rather in setting out towards the place where the Akeida was to be performed. Avrohom hurried to set out and reach the desired place where he could fulfill the Creator’s command, but the Akeida itself he did with deliberation and presence of mind, a considerable time later.

This distinction between the preparations for a mitzva which should be done with zerizus and the fulfillment of the mitzva which should be done with deliberation, is also valid and true regarding the exodus from the current exile. The preparations for leaving exile, the preparations for Geula, must be done with zerizus, as quickly as possible, but when the Geula itself comes, the actual exit from exile will be in a manner of “you shall not go out in haste,” exactly as the prophet promised.

What are the preparations for Geula that need to be done with zerizus?

Let’s focus here (only) on one point mentioned in the Rebbe’s maamar. As preparation for leaving Egypt, the Jewish people were told that they should have: “your loins girded, etc.” What is the spiritual meaning of this preparation for us now, on the eve of Geula? Should we buy belts?

Rabbi Menachem Recanati (one of the great Italian Kabbalists) explains that “your loins girded” alludes to the famous verse, which is recited in every Jewish home on Friday evening, “she girds her loins with strength.” It is explained in Chassidic teachings (Igeres HaKodesh 1) that this verse relates to the matter of faith. Just as the loins support the entire body, the head and arms, so too, Jewish emuna is what supports the entire Torah, emuna is the foundation and root of all matters of serving Hashem and the general fulfillment of mitzvos.

Emuna, like loins, is something that everyone has. But emuna, like the loins, needs to be “girded with a belt.” Emuna, by itself, is loose, weak, changeable. The Gemara says that even a thief prays to G-d before stealing, because he believes that G-d can help him. So if he believes, why does he steal? And if he steals, why does he pray?

Rather, this is the nature of emuna – emuna is makif (an encompassing awareness) and doesn’t penetrate down to the details, and therefore it doesn’t change a person’s behavior. Girding the loins with a belt means internalizing emuna; one needs to establish emuna, enliven emuna, and connect it to actions and one’s actual way of life. So too regarding Geula, everyone believes that “the Geula will ultimately come,” but we need to strengthen and intensify the emuna in Moshiach’s coming so it becomes more internal, more genuine, and more practical. And this preparation needs to be done with zerizus. Don’t wait until… but rather talk about Moshiach, learn about the Geula, and seek ways to apply that emuna to current actions.

TO CONCLUDE WITH A STORY

We will end with a story about the Chassidic way to achieve zerizus. As mentioned above, the source of zerizus is in the soul’s joy over fulfilling Hashem’s will, and about this, Rav Menachem Teichtal related that once, during Hakafos on Simchas Torah, when he saw the Rebbe’s tremendous joy, he remembered his father who was killed in the Holocaust and he burst into tears. Very quickly, he regained his composure, wiped away the tears, and began to rejoice.

After Tishrei and before returning to Eretz Yisrael, he had a private audience with the Rebbe. The Rebbe told him that he noticed that during Hakafos he cried, and he should know that this wasn’t the time for that. The Rebbe took out a Tanya from the drawer and gave it to Rav Teichtal as a gift, and instructed him to become expert in chapters 26-34 which discuss simcha (joy).

Good Shabbos!

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