Parshas Vayera: Work, Business, Family—A Million Responsibilities, One Scattered Mind. The Malachim’s Secret to Locking In

Where This Talk Comes From

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The following is based on a speech that was transcribed from the talk delivered by the Mashkiach Rukhani, the spiritual advisor of the Mir Yeshiva in pre-war Poland, his name, Rabbi Yoruchum Levovitz, the essays that he delivered to the American boys that discussed the Parsha and Rashi's commentary on it, was the delivering of proper Torah ideals and values to a generation of boys that would grow up to be the leaders of Clayostral on American soil. The Safer in which I'll find these talks is called Safer Das Torah, which was compiled and authored based on the notes of many of the boys who heard these talks. It was all compiled by his son, Ribsimcha Zisel Lovabitz. And the following talk, it was poignant and meaningful to the challenges that they had back then, but it has matured like a fine whiskey, a McCallan thirty, a Glenn Livitt twenty-one, Sherry Kask, and has become an ultra important piece of musar advice that helps us in our Avaidas Hashem to sidestep, to bifurcate some of the Eight Sahara's biggest traps, and to take advantage of one of our greatest assets. So we begin.

Parsha Vayera Sets The Scene

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Welcome into the weekly Parsha, the weekly Parsha podcast on the Motivation Congregation podcast channel. It's Parsha's Vayera. We're talking about the Avos, and every detail that's given to us is obviously of utmost importance. And here we hear how God appeared to Avraham by the terebinths of Mamre, in the plains of Mamre. And Avraham was sitting at the entrance of the tent. And then, as the day grew hot, Bayisa Enov, Avraham raises his eyes, Vaiar, and he sees Vihine, and behold, Shlosha Anashim Nitsovim, three figures standing near him. He sees them and runs towards them, Mipsa Chaoel, from his tent, from the doorway of his tent, Vaishtahavu Artza, and to greet them does he bow down to the ground. Avramavinu is on the third day of his brismila. It is interesting to me that Rashi sticks that in here. Hashem came to visit Avruham on the third day after his brasmila. Rashi sticks in that medris here. It's not apparently clear where Rashi seems to be applying it to the Pasuk. And where did Rashi see that from Vayar a love that God showed himself to him? Is that clearly talking about that it's the third day after the brasmila? But that's not our discussion. It's also not our discussion to discuss the importance of the Hachnas Orchim and the Midos of Avraham that is on full display in the way that he was sitting even in pain looking for passer buyers. But what is our discussion?

Rashi On Three Separate Angels

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Is Rashi's comment. On Vihine Shlosha Anashim, behold there are three men, says Rashi, and behold three men, Echod Levaser Es Sara, one to announce to Sarah on the birth of a son, the Echad La Hafokh as Sodom, one to overthrow Sodom, Sadom, that terrible city, the Echad La Rapis as Avruham, and one to heal Avram. Three separate messengers. Why? Shein Maloch Echad Osa Ste Shlihuyos Because one angel does not carry out two missions. Rashi is quoting Bracius Rabba fifty, two. Tedalcha. Rashi proves his concept. Tedalcha, Shikane Kolaparcha, Humazkurin Baloshan Rabin Bayochelu. The Torah is constantly referring to them as a group, and they ate under the tree. And they said to him. But when it comes to these separate missions, Uvab Sura, when it comes to giving the tidings to Sara, Nemarvayomer, it speaks in the single person tense, to the individual, Shuv Ashuv Elecha. And when it comes to the Vahafiha Saddom, the turning over of Sedom, who omer kilo ukal asos devar la viltiha, we see again it's talking to one messenger. Urifael Shuripe. When it comes to the singular person, it's Rifael that came to heal Avram. Rafael then continued to do a second mission, Halacham Hatziola S Lot to save Lot. The Medres concludes, we have learned that it was the one that saved Adkal Shono. The idea being that even though they were a group that was eating, they each were sent. It sounds like the Almighty required that three men be sent because each angel needs to do a separate part of the job. One angel cannot do all three. It would seem that it would have been enough to just hire one carrier of the information, one angel to just multitask and do all three of the different things that were needed. To first go ahead and give the tidings, to then go ahead and turn over Sodome, and to then go ahead and heal off Ruham. But no points out the great Miru Mashkiach, Rabbi Rucham Lavovitz, the spiritual dean of Yeshiva Samir during the roaring twenties, that awesome things we see here, dear Bahram, that for one mission, a complete angel is needed. And

An Angel’s Name Equals Its Mission

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the Mashkiak argues this point. That we find in Chazal that they say about the man Manoach, when his wife became expecting and they were learning the news about their future holy long haired son was to be born to them. The Manoach asked the angel that came, Dear Dear angel of Hashem, what is your name? And the angel answered him, Why do you ask my name? Seeing that my name is hidden. You can see this entire story in Shoftim, Parak Yud Gimel, Posak Tess, Zion, and Yodches. Meaning, if you'll see Rashi and the Yalkut Shemaini over there, the angel was saying his name is hidden because the name changes of an angel, because according to each mission, does the angel's name change? What does that mean? What it means is that the entire reality of an angel, which is the matter of the name, the essence of the thing's reality literally transforms through its action and mission. If an angel's mission is water, then I am water. And if the mission is fire, then the angel says, I am fire. The angel and his mission are one. The identity of the mission is the identity of the angel. The mission, behold, he ne is the essence of the angel. The mission fills the entire essence of the angel, and there is not a hair's breadth in him that is not made up of the mission. Do you get the picture? You can see Hakodish Baruch sending angels down to the world to do different things. And they keep coming back to him and getting new a new message to send, a new action to do. But they can't multitask. They aren't to multitask. Their goal is to do just that one thing and then come back and then get a new name and a new mission. They are, their name changes because their mission changes, and their name is their essence, and their essence is their mission. And the same applies to our topic. The angel sent to bring the tidings to Sarah could do nothing else besides that. To the angel sent to heal Avraham, all other reality was lost during his occupation with the mission. How great is the action, how great is the deed, for it occupies the absolute entirety of an angel. And behold the power of an angel, how great it is in our eyes, even greater power it seems than a man. And then comes our Yasod, and then the Mashkiach turned to the Bahram. And

Becoming The Mitzvah You’re Doing

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he said, My dear students, we learn from here something amazing, something noira, something extraordinary, that for one action and a deed, a complete angel is needed. Total immersion in the action is needed. And the quality of every deed is without end. So boys, to bring forth any deed whatsoever into existence as it should be, the whole prateam vedicum, its worker, its man needs to be similar to an angel of the Lord of hosts. A man should become so personified by his mission that he becomes like an angel that all limbs, all sinews, the entire essence of a person must invest into bringing forth that one action that is on his plate to bring that one deed into effect to such an extent that in doing the one deed, he will be totally stripped of any aspect of any other deed. His entire main name will be called and designated by the service of that deed. Do you hear what he's saying, folks? When I am Davining Shachris, and I'm wrapping my tfillin, and I put my phylacteries on my left arm, and I begin to place the tfillin on the squishy part of the muscle bending into the heart. At that moment, you have to become like the angels were when they brought the news or when they came to turn over Sodom or to heal Avraham that you have to become Lahani Achtfillin. My name, when I'm putting on Tvillin, is Lahani Achtfillin. It is the only thing that exists at this moment. I am so consumed when someone comes over you after you've put on your Tvillin and is collecting tzidaka, you turn to that mitzvah, and another angel would be needed. A separate shliach would be needed. You can't simply have Gavriel, Michael, or Raphael double dip. If an angel would be doing it, we would need a new angel to move from the Tvillin and send a new angel down here to do the mitzvah of Tzidaka. As a human being, at that moment, you finish the mitzvah of Tvillin for a moment, even though you are never to totally cease thinking about it. You should continue to touch it and understand that it's there to keep the proper mindset of what the Tvillin represent. But for the moment that you're giving Tedaka, you're to fully be Tsedaka. You have a new name. I am no longer Lahaniak Tvillin Brook. I am Tedaka Brook. That's the only thing that's here. That's my mission. It's nice to meet you, Shaliach. My name is Tsedukah Brook. Totally involved. And now you'll say, well, is that really necessary? I mean, we could multitask. We're humans. But I don't know. I think you see, well, you see a couple things. You definitely see the power, the godless Ha'adam. But I think what you see even more is just how large a responsibility it is to do the mitzvah right. If you're to do the mitzvah of Tsadaka the right way, to really do it the right way, go through all the halakhos. That would mean behold diktu kayam uprateyam, the kavonoseam. That would mean with the right hand pulling the money out. You'd be thinking about the kavana of who he is that you're giving it to, why you're giving it, who commands you to give it. The entire action is a large action, and the mere slipping of a dollar bill half-heartedly, well, it might not even require an angel to do that. We're talking about doing mitzvahs the right way. We're talking about doing them behol prateam vediktukeam, and that requires a full immersion in that action with your new name of Tsadaka Brook. It's very powerful to think about, about the depth of each mitzvah. And it's extraordinary to think about the godless Ha'adam that if God were to give the Torah to the angels, back when Moshe Rabinu was fighting with the angels up in the heavens as to whether or not the Torah was to remain in the heavens or for it to be sent downward to Kalyasar, if the angels would have won, it would have required 613 separate angels to get the Torah done. But man, man seems to be powerful enough to be able to be fully immersed in one, and that's required. But then through contemplation and understanding, through his sechel, he can turn and become a new schliach for a new mitzvah. This implies the greatness of man and the great ability that you have, the superior advantage that you have over angels. For you are everything and you're ready for many things. Man has the ability to transform his name from work to work, from mission to mission. But nevertheless, at the time that you do each mitzvah, you need to be entirely immersed in that mission, in that mitzvah, and become that angel for that occupation. And it should be to you as if there's no other mitzvah in the world. This is all I am for these moments.

Why One Mitzvah Exempts Another

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This understanding really does fa enfort, which is the Yiddish word for, it does answer up and explain a concept that I've struggled with. When I learn Musahta Suqqa, we learn about the concept of being osek ba mitzvah patramana mitzvah. It comes up in Tractate Brachos as well, but the idea that Khazal teach that when a person is involved in a mitzvah, he becomes exempt from other mitzvos. And this comes out in the Gemara in the telling of how a person could be on the way to fulfill a mitzvah. He's going to do some sort of mitzvah. And therefore he's putter from finding a sukkah as he's traveling to do the mitzvah. And it always kind of bothered me, however, you learn the topic, that can't I just do both? I mean, it seems to be that even if you're traveling by daytime, then the whole daytime you might be considered exempt because you're involved in the mitzvah. It's always funny to me. Can't we just question where the entire concept of Osigba mitzvah, that you're involved in a mitzvah, you're punter from other mitzvahs? But you see, this question is faulty. And it only stems from the lack of understanding of how much focus is required to get a mitzvah to its completion. You need to be Asok bemitzvah, your Osake be mitzvah. At that time, your name is Sukkah. When you're traveling, these folks in the Gemar that are traveling to do a mitzvah, they can't have the name Sukkah, Sukkah Brook, because at that moment they're Haknosa's Orchenbruck or Biker Cholenbruck or whatever your last name is, but they're totally personified and fully involved in bringing what their current mission is to fruition. So hence their putter from other mitzvos, not because they can't, but because, well, actually, yes, they can't. You can't do anything else. It's unimaginable, incomprehensible to do some other mitzvah when your name is already the current obligation that you're involved in, the current opportunity that you have. And the question only came from a lack of understanding of how much focus needs to be given to each mitzvah opportunity. There is a

Learning Torah Like It’s The Only Page

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quote from the Vilna Gon that ties into this concept very well. He said, Learn as though you are the only person in the world. This is your only day, and the daff hagemorrah before you is the only daff of Gemorah in existence. Now the Gun was giving advice for how to properly learn Torah. But Torah study is the most important mitzvah. And it's what we are obsessed with as Jewish people. Other people have America's pastime as baseball, but the Jewish pastime is Talmud Torah. And the way that Torah should be done, if you want to inspire yourself to learn with Hislavut, is that you understand that there may be 613 Blot of Gemarah I need to learn. There may be Msehthas I need to learn, but for focusing, but for properly doing it, my name is Blot Yud Gimel of Mesehta Megillah. Right now, like the angel, with only one job and one mission. What am I? I'm fully involved in Rashi Deber Hamaschil Vajomer. The yeshiva boy for that day is Toisvis Deber Hamaschil Vajloiku. Rajva Deber Hamaschil, etc. Fully bought in. That's the only piece of Torah that you have. It's the only thing that matters. And this is such an important concept. It seems it's such an important concept. Because there's also a quote that I just heard from my rabbi Rabbi Lezevnik of Presidential Estates congregation who should continue to live and be well and spread Torah throughout the world and to empower his congregation to serve Hakadish Barakhu with love and with reverence. He quoted the Chavitzchaim from Avas Ches al-Khailek based Perakud Aleph in a footnote called the Hagga'a, where the Chavitzkhaim says something similar to this concept. He hits a Besigoin Echar with the same tune and the same tone as the Vilna Gon. The Chavitzchhaim says, Omar, I heard from one brilliant scholar that a person should envision three things. Number one, that he only has one day to live. He has only one Parak of Mishnah or Daf of Gemarah that he's currently learning, and that he is the only Jew who Hashem commands to uphold the Torah, and the world continue existence depends upon him fulfilling this mitzvah. All of the Gedalam are pushing this mindset specifically in Torah study, because it becomes so challenging for people to focus in learning because the Yet Sahara gets them so overwhelmed with their obligations. There's 613 mitzvos to do. I'm overwhelmed. I can't focus. There's so many blot of Gemara and so much Torah to learn. So that becomes an overwhelming obligation that damns their even focus on what they're learning right now. But the focus is needed. The attention to detail is needed. And just imagine learning a blot of Gemara or a paragraph of the Rajbah if you understood and focused in your attention as if that you were one person with one day to live, with only one thing to learn, and that it all depended upon you learning that. How do you think your first Seder would look? How do you think your night satyr would look? That the Bhaire Ilam's entire Torah is Tolui, is Toluya Vomate upon me understanding this sif cut on in the Mishnah Bura, this paragraph of Ramgal, this halakha of Lashinhara, this Mishnah, this Braisa, just this. My name, like the angel, is this Tosefta Bruk. One day left, one blot left, everything's dependent upon me learning Mesehta Shabislamid Beza Madalef Bruk. But

Fighting Mental Scatter And Regaining Calm

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in our times, the opposite is Rahman al Itslan so prevalent. Our struggles are so clearly documented in all of the Svarim and all of the podcasts and all of the magazines, through your water cooler conversations, you will pick up on the fact that the struggle with Yiddishkait and Talmud now is not that people aren't inspired. It's that they're inspired, but they can't follow through because they suffer from Pizar ha nefesh of being mentally scattered among many tasks. Pizor Hanfesh is what my Rashushiva would shrie about to the Bahrim. Pizar a Nefesh is what destroys the hopes of so many high-aspiring, high-seeking Jews. They're so scattered. The bil hadas, it shakes them. So they can never buy into what they're learning because they're constantly running to the next thing. They can never do the mitzvah properly because they're already doing the next mitzvah. A man could stand surrounded by 613 obligations, and each mitzvah is standing there and pulling him in another direction. So he has Pizaran Efesh. So many obligations in business, in Parnasa, in family, in Khinoch. So what does he feel? He feels pulled. He opens up his Gimarah and his mind. Instead of the Gimara is on to chesed, is onto business while helping someone. He's worried worrying about his learning. Every mitzvah, it matters to him, yet the weight of everything is weighing upon him because he keeps being distracted and from ever being fully present for any one thing. His hands are occupied with one mitzvah, but his heart is scattered in 612 other pieces. He is not an angel with one name. He is not bedtime brook because he's scattered into business and learning and tfila and also bedtime and brushing teeth brook. That's too many names. Each item gets its own name for its own task. And bedtime and bathtime and the commute, these obligations are what God wants from us. There's a time to be breakfast brook. So that's what you should be involved in. To be fully, fully involved in that activity. Maybe not breakfast, because you can still continue to think about what's important. But when you're involved in a mitzvah, the important things, to be fully involved, fully arranged. Like a mala whose name is refoiled because that's all he is is the healer. Pizar Hanefish is what we suffer from. Bilbal Hadas is what we struggle with, and it's what saps our energy and geschmack and learning. But the opposite is Yish of Hadas, Menuchas Hanefesh, the relaxed mind, the focused mind, the calm heart, the calm soul. That's what the Bairaya wants from us: a settled, composed mind filled with menukas hanefish of an internal calm that you're fully bought into the mitzvah that you're doing, and there's nothing else to think about. It's these malachim in our parsha that teach us how to approach our own avodas Hashem. Each has a mission, and that mission commands his full attention. We all have many responsibilities. But when we learn Davin, help another yid, attend to our families, we must give ourselves fully to the task before us. Our generation, our dar, faces an extraordinary challenge and struggle with Pizor Hanefesh. We are exposed to so much that while doing one thing, our minds are pulled toward countless other things. The avoda is to slowly gather ourselves back to recognize and to collect up the pieces that at this moment, this is the task that Hashem has placed before me, and I am fully bought in, and it deserves my entire zik, my entire being and heart. That was the lesson that Rabbi Ruchim took from the three angels that were needed to come and do three separate jobs. The power that he spoke to the Bahram with, you can still hear it. But can't you now also feel how the whiskey is mature that in our times when we're even more distracted than what they were, and there's even more on our plates, how much more important it is to understand and internalize and take full advantage and to put into effect this idea. One man, one mission, one blot, one mitzvah, it's all come down to this. This is for all the marbles.

Eyes Forward: The Closing Charge

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If you need a posak to round it out, a necho lenoichachu, Shlomo Amelech in Mishlay, Perak Dalid, Posakchaf Hei. Shlomo Amelech tells us, A Necho Lenochach Ya bitu. Let your eyes look straight ahead, be focused. And let your gaze be directed to what's in front of you. You're to be focused. You're to be bought in. You're to live with each mitzvah that comes to you. That is the only thing that is there for you for that moment. That's what you are. That we should be totally bought in to what's in front of us. That we should give ourselves totally over to the incredible opportunity of the mitzvah that we have in front of us at that moment. And we should be angelic in the way that that becomes our name, that becomes our essence. And like this, we should be Zoha to fulfill the mitzvos of our Qadrish Barakho in the proper way and with the right mindset.