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Vayera- Man's Mission
For this year’s Parsha Lesson I will be applying the lesson that can be derived from the Dvar Torah to the world as we know it today.
Background
This week’s parsha starts off with Avraham recovering from the Bris Milah (circumcision) which he performed at the end of last week’s parsha, Parshas Lech Lecha.
It was the third day after his Bris, and Avraham was sitting outside of his tent waiting for guests to come. Avraham’s outstanding characteristics were being a baal chesed (one who does acts of loving kindness) and being someone who spread the awareness of Hashem throughout the world. Avraham combined both of these qualities with the ‘chesed house’ that he ran with his wife, Sarah.
Avraham set up his tent in a place where travelers would often pass by. Avraham would welcome them in and give them a sumptuous meal and engage them in conversation about faith in Hashem. In this way Avraham came to be well known and admired as both a kind and generous person as well as a man of faith in Hashem. Avraham’s ideas and influence were thus spread around the world and an otherwise pagan and idolatrous world was introduced to the idea of a kind, merciful, monotheistic G-d who had created the world and directs all of the events in it.
Being that this was the third day after his bris, and Avraham was in a lot of pain, Hashem made it extremely hot. This was done so that no one would venture outside, and thereby task Avraham with attending to them. While Avraham was sitting outside of his tent, Hashem came to him, to comfort him.
While Avraham is speaking with Hashem, Avraham notices what looked like three travelers, approaching his tent somewhat apprehensively. These ‘travelers’ were in fact angels that Hashem sent to visit Avraham in the guise of men since Hashem saw that Avraham was pained at not having any guests that day. Avraham tells Hashem to ‘hold on’ and runs to take care of these guests.
The Gemara (Shabbos 127a) learns from this incident that it is ‘greater to receive guests than it is to receive the Shechina (divine presence of Hashem).’
Question
While this would seem to be a good source for this, how are we to understand this idea? The Ramchal (R’ Moshe Chaim Luzzatto, born in Italy, 1707- died in Israel 1746) writes at the beginning of the Mesillas Yesharim that man’s ultimate goal on this world is to become close to Hashem, to ‘bask in the presence of Hashem’ and enjoy the ‘splendor of His presence (Shechina).'
If Avraham was now in the presence of the Shechina of Hashem, isn’t that the ultimate goal!? Avraham has arrived! How could Avraham then leave Hashem and go to attend to guests?
Answer
Man’s job on this world is to follow the directives of Hashem as conveyed to us through the Torah. Man is not tasked with bringing the ‘Shechina’ into their life. When Man does his job, when Man follows the commands of Hashem, keeps the Torah faithfully and becomes a righteous person who is now ‘holy’, (removed from other worldly concerns and concerns himself with only what Hashem wants him to do), such a man will then be close to Hashem.
Avraham did not set out at the beginning of his journey of discovering G-d to be close to the Shechina, and Avraham always maintained the proper perspective that man’s duty and mission in this world is to follow the directives of Hashem, thus molding himself in the image of G-d. Once man has so developed themselves, then closeness to the Shechina, the Shechina resting on top of his tent (!), is a natural and deserved byproduct of what that Man has become.
As such, even when conversing with G-d in the ultimate manner in which man can be ‘close’ to Hashem on this world, Avraham still maintains perspective on what his job is– to be a faithful servant of G-d. Hashem wanted him to take leave of Him and go attend to the guests. In fact, as becomes clear later on in the story, these guests were in fact angels, sent by Hashem in order that Avraham should care for them.
How did Avraham know that that is how he should behave? Because Avraham recognized that first and foremost man must be faithful to his duty and mission on this world, and the call of the moment for that mission was to welcome in the guests who were passing by.
Lesson for our world
I was recently approached by someone who shared with me the following conundrum that a number of people are no doubt grappling with: with the frightening war in Israel, and with all of the talk of the impending arrival of Moshiach (may it be speedily in our days) this person was concerned to know- what then? If the purpose of life is to bring Moshiach, what is my purpose post-Moshiach going to be?
Now while I do not know what life will look like, and there are a range of legitimate opinions on the matter, what I do know is that Man’s mission on this world will be exactly the same: to follow the directives of the Torah, thereby molding one’s self into being G-dlike. This is Man’s mission, here and now and forever.
Man was put onto this world and tasked with upholding the Torah, upholding the will and directives of Hashem, to the best of their ability. In so doing, Man becomes more developed, refined, perfected and G-dlike. The reward and state of such a person will be that they will bask in Hashem’s presence. But that is not the mission, that is the destination.
Wishing you a wonderful Shabbos,
Rabbi Eli Meir Kramer
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