priorities – parashat Chayei Sarah

Too often we get distracted when trying to pursuit our precious goals. We make plans and are motivated until we fail to keep holding onto our borders that ensure success – leniency and laziness make us become distracted and we end up forgetting about the goal, following our desires, getting lost on the way. 

The Torah says in the portion of chayei Sarah: Food was served, but Eliezer said, “I will not eat until I have spoken my piece.” Laban said, “Speak.”

Abraham sends his servant Eliezer away to find a wife to his son Isaac. As soon as he finds the right woman and is invited to her house, he pursues his mission and task, declaring his issue before starting to indulge in physical needs or pleasures. It would not make that big of a difference… tell them what he came for after the food would just be the same. No.

This comes to teach us something very profound – we should be very serious about our tasks and pursue them with precision and priority. 

I do not only write this weekly insight on the parasha to repeat an idea that may be found elsewhere in books or on the internet but to connect the חכמה (the main core idea) and the בינה (the expansion of that idea, explaining in detail) with the דעת – which is the application to life, the true internalization; how I feel the parasha is relevant to me, making it more tangible and relatable as opposed to it merely being a concept. 

Personally I feel that this applies in my prayer. I made it a goal and priority to grow through my prayer, take time every day and understand the words of the siddur. These past weeks I have been doing it at later times, being exhausted and not focused. I need to catch the momentum of the right moment of the day when I can fully dedicate myself to that task. First I do what I am here for, what makes me grow and be a better person and after that I enjoy my hobbies or physical pleasures. 

I believe this also applies to smoking weed. After smoking laziness creeps in and doing what you planned rarely comes true. Smoking isn’t a good habit in the first place but it especially isn’t when you don’t manage to get your priorities straight, you get distracted by it. So do your things first and only then consider smoking ! 

Shabbat shalom