BREAK IT DOWN

Break it Down

October 31, 2012

“Then Abraham approached him and said: ‘Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked?’” — Genesis 18:23

The Torah portion for this week, Vayeira, is from Genesis 18:1–22:24 and 2 Kings 4:1–37.

When God decided to destroy the city of Sodom, He informed Abraham about His plan. After all, Abraham would be God’s partner in perfecting the world; he deserved to know. Abraham didn’t want to see the death of his fellow human beings, especially the good ones. So he prayed on their behalf and tried to bargain with God. The conversation went something like this:

Abraham: “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked?” What if there are 50 righteous people in Sodom? Will you save them all?

God: Yes.

Abraham: What if there are only 45?

God: Yes.

Abraham: How about 40?

God: Yes.

30? Yes. 20? Yes. Ten? Yes.

Abraham struck a deal. If there were only ten righteous individuals in Sodom, God would save the entire city. Unfortunately, even ten righteous people could not be found, and the city was destroyed anyway. So why are we given the details about Abraham’s attempt to save Sodom? Wouldn’t it have been enough to say that Abraham prayed on their behalf?

Like everywhere else in the Bible, every detail is provided for a reason. It has something to teach us about how we should live. In this case, Abraham’s conversation with God is a lesson in achieving goals.

Abraham approached God with great trepidation when he presented his request. He knows that he is asking a lot. But ultimately, Abraham was successful in achieving his goal. How did he do it? By breaking it down into smaller, bite-sized, mini-goals. First, Abraham’s goal was to have God agree to spare the city for the sake of 50 good men. Once he secured that agreement, he went to the next goal, 45 men. In small steps, he progressed toward his ultimate goal of ten men. Had he tried for ten in the beginning, Abraham probably thought he would not have succeeded.

Do you have a great goal that you want to achieve? Try to reach it the Abraham way. Don’t go for the whole goal right away. Instead, break it down into small, easy steps, and take the journey one step at a time. Celebrate each achievement and recognize every milestone along the way. Keep putting one foot in front of the other, and before you know it, you’ll arrive at the finish line!

With prayers for shalom, peace,


Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein
President