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My Dear Students,
In our Torah Portion, Vayera, we read of ***, destined to be obliterated owing to its inhabitants’
wickedness. Angels inform Abraham’s nephew, Lot, a resident of ***, of G-d’s impending
judgment and urge him to flee the evil city before the rain of fire descends. The narrative
continues, “But Lot vayitmamah, the Hebrew word for “lingered,” so the angels took
his hands and the hands of his wife and daughters, and brought them out of city, the L-rd being
merciful to him.”
When Lot faced immediate danger in ***, why did he linger? The commentator, Rashi,
tells us that Lot lingered to save his wealth; another commentator Ibn Ezra explains that
Lot was paralyzed with fear; and yet another commentator, Sforno, concludes that the delay
was caused by confusion. In his hour of peril, Lot was not sure what to do, so he did nothing.
Each commentator seeks an explanation of why people do not take decisive action when such
a response is warranted.
Why are we irresolute and hesitant? Why do we postpone what we must do now? Why do we
not seize the opportunity when it is presented to us?
In his autobiography, the late mayor of Jerusalem, Teddy Kollek, recommended an Eleventh Commandment:
“Thou shalt not wait.” This is a much-needed corrective to the human propensity to linger
in ***. Though we are offered no assurance of tomorrows, we behave as if our time on
earth was limitless. Why do we not know that every day is a blessing, not a guarantee?
Vayitmamah, “lingering,” is a regular feature of the human condition. Sometimes,
we realize how critical a situation is just in time. But sometimes, we wait a little too
long and there is no opportunity for escape. There aren’t always angels to take us by
the hand and force us to do what is in our own best interests. When each moment counts,
let us act decisively. Shabbat Shalom