To Life

India, Israel and the
United States

TORAH PORTION

Join Us for an Evening of Exploration of
Special Relationships

Tuesday, November 22, 2005

Solo-Tasking

8:00 pm at Congregation Shaarey Zedek

27375 Bell Road, Southfield

Guest Speakers:

Shabbat Vayera:
Genesis 18:1-22:24;
II Kings 4:1-37.

His Excellency Raminder Singh Jassal, India's new Deputy Chief
of Mission in Washington and a former Ambassador to Israel
AND
Ambassador Aaron Jacob, Israel's former Deputy
Permanent Representative to the United Nations and current
Assistant Director of the AJC's Department of International Affairs -
born in India

For further information,

call the American Jewish Committee at ( 248) 646-7686

No charge-open to general community

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Ann Arbor
sider.
he Torah pres-
Most of us, no matter
ents Abraham as
what we do professionally
a multifaceted,
and personally, play many
complex individual
roles. At home, we are
with many different
spouses, parents, children,
abilities and talents
siblings and friends. At
and a long resume of
work,
the vast majority of
Rabbi Robert
varied experiences.
us have jobs that call on us
Dobrusin
But the beginning of Special to the to use different talents and
Vayera presents an
play different roles often at
Jewish News
unexpected scene.
the same time. Our "to do"
Abraham is actually
list keeps changing. Our pri-
just sitting outside his tent in the
orities are shuffled minute to
middle of the day. Some of the
minute and if we do have a
commentaries say he was waiting
moment to sit down and think, we
to welcome guests; others say he
are usually either interrupted or
was recovering from his brit milah begin to feel guilty
(ritual circumcision), which took
But each of us needs to remind
place the day before. But whatever
ourselves that even if we can not
the reason, his rare quiet moment
get away with doing only one
is suddenly interrupted by the
thing, some of the things we are
arrival of three strangers.
called on to do require absolute
Abraham suddenly springs into
100 percent commitment at the
action; and the first verses of
moment we are doing them and
Vayera show him jumping up, ush- trying to multi-task can be dam-
ering the men into his tent, run-
aging to ourselves and our rela-
ning to Sarah, running to the flock tionships.
to get proper food and bringing it
We are all like Abraham, jug-
back to these men who are soon
gling many responsibilities. But it
identified as divine messengers.
would serve us well to be like the
This is the Abraham we are used
messengers on occasion and take
to seeing: the mover and shaker,
on one of our roles (being a good
the active person who gets things
parent or a good spouse would be
done and gets them done quickly.
a good place to start) with full
The midrash notes that there
concentration and full dedication.
were three messengers because
Those relationships often demand
there were three tasks to perform.
of us that we leave the other
One came to do bikur cholim to
important things behind for a
visit Abraham as a means of com- while and be one person with one
fort following his brit milah. One
role, which we fulfill to the
came to announce the future birth fullest. ❑
of a son. One came to tell
Abraham about the destruction of Robert Dobrusin is rabbi of Beth
Israel Congregation in Ann Arbor.
Sodom and Amora. Couldn't one
do all three tasks? The rabbis note
that each Divine messenger is sent
Conversations
to perform only one task.
Are there things to consider
What an interesting contrast!
when visiting the sick that
Abraham, the paradigm of a mul-
might make the mitzvah a
tifaceted individual is greeted by
difficult one to observe?
Divine messengers who are only
Consider topics not to dis-
allowed to do one thing at a time.
cuss, length of stay and
This is a contrast that we, in our
when not to visit.
day and age, would do well to con-

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November 17 . 2005

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