Leaving the Comfort Zone and Reaching Your Goal

In this week’s parsha[1] Hashem tells Avram to leave his land, his relatives and his father’s house. Basically, he had to give up his entire past!

If Hashem told us to leave our place of residence, I’m not sure we would be so eager to leave. We would tell Him, “Hashem, with all due respect, where I live right now I have good friends and neighbors. My children are in the best yeshivos and I enjoy the job that I have,” etc.

Hashem gives Avram an incentive, “I will make you into a nation that is great; I will bless you, make your name great and you shall be a blessing.”[2]

We know that “The events of the forefathers are signs for [what would happen to] their children.”[3] What is Hashem telling us, in our generation, who live a luxurious life in America?

He ‘knows’ how difficult things are for us.[4] There are Shabbosos that one is walking to shul and its cold outside. While he’s walking, he sees his non-Jewish neighbor or a non-Jew driving his car and he might think to himself, ‘It must be so warm in his car.’ Even though he would never entertain the thought of driving to shul on Shabbos, it would be a lot more convenient, than to walk in the frigid weather outside. Other times, one might be tempted to look,[5] think[6] or listen to something that’s forbidden. Recognize, “The reward for keeping G-d’s commandments is increased in proportion to the effort and discomfort one experiences in its performance.”[7] [8]

Bear in mind, “G-d does not make matters difficult for His creatures. However, He does expect a person to perform per his capacity.”[9] [10] For instance, one is in middle of Talmud Torah and suddenly he gets a headache, stomachache, bodily ailment or a situation came up that deprived him of sleep; don’t stop learning! As the Medrash[11] says, “If you learn Torah when it is difficult for you, your reward is one thousand; when things are going smoothly for you, the reward is [only] two hundred.”

From time to time we ask G-d, “Why are You sending me these hardships? Is it to make me miserable?”[12] No! On the contrary, it is, “… In order to test you… and benefit you in your end.”[13] Yes, to test you! As the Medrash[14] puts it, “Hashem does not bestow greatness on someone until He tests him with a small matter.” We need to recognize that tests and challenges are not an unfortunate fact of life, but a sign of Hashem’s trust and confidence in our ability to prevail.[15] Avraham did not win his new status by default; he had to prove his greatness by passing ten tests.[16] [17]

What does your end mean? It’s referring to the World to Come. We create our ‘estate’ in the World to Come based on how one deal with the challenges and situations that He send us in This World. Realize, ‘The spiritual strengths of our ancestors were genetically imprinted into us.”[18]

Hashem gave us free will.[19] If we fail a challenge that He sends us, don’t give up! Just make a small effort – by turning back to Him - and He will open for you openings through which wagons can pass.’[20] For, “One who seeks to improve himself will be granted His assistance.’[21] Rav Tzadok HaKohein of Lublin writes, “Just as one must believe in Hashem, so too, one must believe in himself. Hashem wants us to BELIEVE in our strengths, capabilities, ability to overcome evil and achieve greatness.”[22] In the words of Rav Scheinberg, “Serving the Almighty properly involves constant challenges, which takes consistency and persistence to succeed… Only FOOLS give up HOPE.”[23]

A few pesukim later we find that “Avram took [his household]... and they set out for the land of Canaan[24] and they came to the land of Canaan.[25] The Chofeitz Chayim states, “Because Avraham Avinu was determined to go to the land of Canaan; he reached the land of Canaan. In contrast, we find that Terach set out, but never made it there: [He] set out with them from Ur Kasdim to go to the land of Canaan and they came to Charan and dwelt there.[26] These pesukim teach us to follow the example of Avraham Avinu, ‘If we resolve to go to the land of Canaan [or to reach some other important goal], we must not change direction or stop and remain someplace midway there.’”[27]

The Chofeitz Chayim would always say, “Once you start something, even if you get interrupted and must wait several hours before you can return to what you were doing, do not allow yourself to get involved with something else in the interim.[28] Rather, do not take your mind off the task at hand.”[29]

Let’s face our daily challenges instead of running away from them. In this merit, may Hashem help us stay focused on obtaining our goal(s) and bring forth the hidden greatness that lies within ourselves!