Careful Consideration
Naaleh.comSummary by Channie Koplowitz Stein
Parshat Voeyrah contains seven of the ten plagues Hashem brought on Egypt. After the first six plagues occurring exactly as predicted, Hashem has Moshe and Aharon warn the Egyptians concerning the imminent plague of hail. Moshe urges the Egyptians to take precautions against the hail, to bring their servants and their livestock indoors and save them from the hail. "Whoever... feared the word of Hashem chased his servants and his livestock to the houses. And whoever did not take the word of God to heart, whoever did not pay attention to the word of God, he left his servants and livestock in the field." Rabbi Frand here poses the most obvious question. Statistics are usually accurate. After six plagues, why would some Egyptians refuse to heed the warnings about this seventh plague and risk destruction of all their property?
Rabbi Kofman in Mishchat Hashemen observes that the fear of God and inattentiveness do not appear to be opposites, as implied in this verse. However, continues Rabbi Kofman, they are indeed opposites, for inattentiveness to that which is around you indicates total self absorption and an inability to consider other realities. Hence there can be no fear of Heaven, of a God Who is outside the self. Rabbi Wolbe clarifies this idea. It doesn't matter what miracles surround you, if your mind is not open and conscious to them, they will make no impression on you and you will remain unaffected and continue with life as usual. Therein lies the very crux of the matter, continues Rabbi Wolbe citing Reb Yisroel of Salant. Paying attention forces one to take responsibility and change. Paying attention forces someone to focus inward, away from the "big picture" and toward the meaning for oneself. Therefore, writes Rabbi Chayim Mordechai Katz, Moshe directed Bnei Yisroel to carefully observe the wonders Hashem would perform for them at the Red Sea so that they would reflect upon it Even so, the splitting of the sea did not make a lasting impression. Only three days later Bnei Yisroel were already complaining again.
It is only through reflection that one can see a deeper truth in any observation and build on it. The Manchester Rav, Rav Segal notes two examples of normal, constantly occurring phenomena that changed the world only because someone reflected on them. In science and engineering, someone noted the power of steam to lift up the lid of a pot, and the first steam engines were born on that observation. A thousand years before that, an ignorant shepherd observed how the constant dripping of water on a rock eventually bore a hole in the rock, and he rationalized that with constant "drilling" of lessons, the lessons could penetrate his thick skull, and a Gadol Hador was born, Rabbi Akiva observed, took his observation to heart, began learning to read and became a giant of Torah for all eternity. How many others had seen these things before them but had taken no heed? We must learn that by paying attention to our surroundings, we become the rider and not the horse traveling on the path of our lives.
The Medrash identifies the one who heeded the warning Moshe issued as Iyov and the one who ignored it as Bilaam. Rabbi Frand notes that the reason Bilaam did not heed the warning was because of his self absorption, his involvement strictly with his own agenda. It was this same self absorption that later gave rise to the Bilaam who refused to take God's warning and insisted on going with Balak's messengers to try to curse Bnei Yisroel.
In order to be God fearing and keeping the yetzer horo at bay, one must continuously remain conscious of one's surroundings and be careful of the appropriateness of his behavior, writes the Mesillas Yeshorim. The path the crowd follows is strewn with both visible and invisible danger. It is a path ruled by instinct and emotion, not by intellect. This was the problem of the generation of the Prophet Jeremiah. They forged ahead following their emotions and instincts, never questioning the appropriateness of their actions. The problem today, notes Rabbi Frand, is that with all the labor saving technology at our fingertips, we have even less time than ever before to sit in quiet contemplation and reflect on the direction our actions are taking us. As is often said, we live lives of quiet desperation.
Rabbi Itamar Schwartz describes our current frenetic lifestyle all to vividly. We are so surrounded by communication technology that we never turn off, as if these are more important than any task at hand, If the phone rings, we stop our calculations mid column and will need to start all over again, or we step away from putting our children to bed. It is important to develop the habit of focusing on the task at hand, to complete it properly, and not run mindlessly as soon as technology beckons. We've lost the ability to focus, and with it to appreciate the quiet of alone time. It is through that alone time, even if just for a few moments, that we can clear our minds and center ourselves so that we can focus. A few moments of quiet can provide the opportunity to focus and ask appropriate questions. It allows you to pay attention. Apathy and busyness pave the road to the lower realms writes Rabbi Chaim Shmulevitz, while contemplation and caring pave the way to Yirat Shamayim.
Paying attention and living in the moment, indeed preparing for the moment, offers many opportunities for growth. Rabbi Zissel Epstein offers some practical suggestions. Before making a bracha, whether over a piece of fruit or before performing a mitzvah, take just a second or two to focus on the words, for we are about to have a dialogue with Hakodosh Boruch Hu. Even when doing such mundane tasks as cooking a dish for Shabbos or mopping the floor for Shabbos, we can reframe the task and elevate it from being a miserable chore that must be done to being an opportunity to show Hashem how much we love the opportunity to prepare for the special gift of Shabbat He has given us. All it takes is conscious attention. The simplest tasks can become opportunities to accomplish a mitzvah. The Chofetz Chaim, when paying his daily workers, would verbalize that he is performing the mitzvah of paying a worker at the end of the workday. But the Chofetz Chaim, through his mindful attention, could create a mitzvah where none seemed to exist. If he was testing a pen to see if it would write, instead of just scribbling back and forth on the paper, he would write "Amalek," and then scribble over it to perform the mitzvah of blotting out the name of Amalek. Granted, we are not on that level, but we can all internalize when tempted to take something not ours, that Hashem knows exactly what we need, and it is not this item. Then our relationship with Hakodosh Boruch Hu changes.
In addition to mindlessness, having a personal agenda can also keep a person from really seeing what is right in front of his eyes. One's agenda will cloud one's judgment writes Rabbi Moshe Egbi in Chochmat Hamatzpun, so that facts are no longer clear and logic becomes shrouded by emotion. One becomes so involved in what one wants to happen that he cannot see what is actually happening. Along these lines, one must accept facts as Hashem's agenda, and not attribute negative happenings to chance. To say, "Today is just not my day," is to deny Hashem's involvement in the world, writes writes Rabbi Doniel Ochyan. Instead, ask what lesson am I to learn from this occurrence, what does Hashem want of me.
Perhaps the most destructive reaction to any given fact or occurrence is mockery. When a person deals with a fact mockingly, writes the Ramchal, he deflects attention from the facts and therefore cannot deal with the facts effectively. At that point, he cannot change. This was where Pharaoh was at from the moment Moshe approached him as God's messenger
We can trace this denial of attention to the very first plague. After the plague of blood, the Torah says that Pharaoh returned to his house and did not take this to his heart either. As Rabbi Schorr writes in Halekach Vehalebuv, Pharaoh did think about the plague and Hashem's messages momentarily, but as soon as he entered his home filled with idolatry and witchcraft, all positive thoughts immediately vanished. Good thoughts and intentions are not enough if one then goes to a place where his ideas are disrespected and he is mocked and met with cynicism. The inspiration soon dissipates, not so much of a Pharaoh who is evil to begin with, but of a child who comes up with a wonderful idea only to have it shot down and mocked at by parents, siblings or friends.
The Yirat Shamayim cannot remain external or it will quickly dissipate. What happened to those who brought their livestock into their homes? They were the ones who chased Bnei Yisroel into the sea, for they were the ones who still had horses and cattle, writes Rabbi Ezrachi in Birkat Mordechai.
One must start by living a life of mindfulness, conscious of our surroundings and of Hashem's role in everything around us. But we must follow up by internalizing the messages around us from the myriad daily miracles that surround us. Such mindfulness will dramatically change who we are, what we do, and our relationship with Hakodosh Boruch Hu.