Parashat Vayera - Living the Reality of Ein Od Milvado

The True Reality: Ein Od Milvado

There is a slogan plastered on all the walls, and every group that deals a bit with emunah (faith) today—no matter exactly which group it is—uses this slogan and sees it as a guiding light to follow. It is essentially the flag that leads us, and each individual personally. Everything that happens to a person in their life can be measured by this slogan: "Ein Od Milvado" (There is none besides Him).

This slogan of "Ein Od Milvado" is actually relevant from the beginning of creation until the end of all generations; there is only one thing we need to achieve: this realization called "Ein Od Milvado."

"When a person merits not only to say 'Ein Od Milvado' but to feel it, to live it, to internalize it, then he is in an aspect of 'compelled'—compelled to do the right thing, meaning he has absolutely no free will to do bad; he is compelled to do good." His inner reality compels him to do good. He no longer has a choice; he has internalized it so deeply that he is in a state where he is already "compelled" to do good. He is incapable of doing otherwise! Because the Godly reality stands and hovers over him, demanding that he understand he cannot do otherwise. Because it is impossible to do otherwise. This is the truth. The absolute truth!

What is the truth? What is he compelled to do? To give tzedakah (charity), to pray, to smile at another, to love another, to rejoice with another, to judge another favorably, to love Hashem, to thank Hashem, to say thank you to Hashem. All the wonderful things found in serving Hashem—he already feels compelled to do them. He cannot say, "Right now I don't have to say thank you, because I am currently in such and such a situation." No! He knows he must say thank you! He is connected to the true reality.

What is this entire true reality called? It is called by one name: "Ein Od Milvado." Meaning, Ein Od Milvado is a reality that governs all 248 limbs and 365 sinews, the entire being of a person, their thought, speech, and action, hovering over them at all times. And every time he sees something bad happening to him, he recognizes that he has a problem with "Ein Od Milvado." Apparently, the concept of "Ein Od Milvado" is still not one hundred percent clear to him.

The School of Life

This concept, that there is none besides Him, is a slogan for every minute and moment in life. "Any moment a person does not remember that there is none besides Him, he is in pain. He is in sadness. Or he is in arrogance." If he succeeds, it is arrogance. If he does not succeed, then he is in despair. We are constantly in these zigzags: succeeding, not succeeding, yes succeeding, partially succeeding, somewhat succeeding, etc.

We are caught up in our own ego (yeshut). We exist, and we think we have intellect, and we think we have an opinion, and we forget that a person's entire life in this world is a school. A person thinks he finished school, he invested effort, he studied, and behold, he has a diploma, and he wants a position; he deserves a position, and then he deserves honor, etc. But if we say that all of life is a school, then he cannot come and say he deserves something, because he hasn't finished all of life yet.

Until life is over, until the very last day, we still need to learn because we do not yet know with absolute clarity that "Ein Od Milvado." We haven't understood it yet. We have it in our intellectual knowledge. But the moment we suddenly experience some sadness, or some anger, or anything of that sort, or we think we deserve something and it doesn't actually happen, etc., it is a sign that we do not yet truly know "Ein Od Milvado."

The Secret of Joy: Why Did Sarah Imeinu Laugh?

"And Sarah laughed within herself, saying: 'After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?'" (Bereishit 18:12)

Once, Rabbi Refael of Bershad arrived in Kaminka. He was known in Jewish communities as a tzaddik who expedited salvations for those who turned to him. The daughter of Rabbi Shmuel (who was among the disciples of the holy Baal Shem Tov) stood before him. She had been barren for many years, and she requested a blessing from the tzaddik that an end to her barrenness would come swiftly. Rabbi Refael blessed her with great emotion, and among other things, he told her: "You must know that joy is a proven segulah (spiritual remedy) for having children."

The next day, the woman visited her father and recounted to him the words she had heard from the tzaddik, Rabbi Refael of Bershad. Rabbi Shmuel said to his daughter: "This matter that Rabbi Refael revealed to you, we learn from the Torah, from the Prophets (Nevi'im), and from the Writings (Ketuvim).

In the Torah it is written: 'And Sarah laughed,' and the meaning of the words is that Sarah laughed and rejoiced. And in the merit of this joy, she subsequently gave birth to Yitzchak. And in the Prophets it is written:

"Sing, O barren one, who did not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, you who did not travail" (Yeshayahu 54:1)

And the verse is interpreted here as follows: If a woman is barren and has no children—let her sing and rejoice, and Hashem will expedite healing and salvation for her. And in the Writings it is stated:

"He makes the barren woman to dwell in her house as a joyful mother of children. Halleluyah" (Tehillim 113:9)

And the explanation of the verse is: Hashem makes the barren woman a mother of children because she is joyful with her lot.

The daughter asked her father: "If Sarah Imeinu laughed for the sake of a segulah, why was Hashem displeased with her, saying to Avraham: 'Why did Sarah laugh?'" Rabbi Shmuel replied to her: "There is room to use segulot only when the promise is given by a tzaddik of flesh and blood. But when the One promising is Hashem in all His glory and essence, there is certainly no need for segulot, and in this Sarah Imeinu sinned when she laughed..." (Bnei Tzion)

The Angel of the Covenant: Healing Along the Way

When the Gaon Rabbi Shlomo Kluger, of blessed memory, ascended to the rabbinic seat in the city of Brody, he was honored on the first day of his tenure with serving as Sandek. When he arrived at the location of the brit (circumcision), he heard that the child's father was lying on his deathbed and his hours were numbered. It was a custom in the city of Brody that in such a case, they would delay the brit milah until after the father's passing, in order to name the child after his father.

However, Rabbi Shlomo Kluger ordered to quickly gather a minyan of Jews and to circumcise the baby immediately. Indeed, this was done right away, and wondrously, immediately after the brit, the father rose from his illness and recovered completely. Understandably, the entire city was astir and buzzing over this miracle.

At that time, Rabbi Shlomo Kluger, of blessed memory, said that he learned to act this way from Rashi's commentary on the verse:

"And he lifted up his eyes and looked, and lo, three men stood by him" (Bereishit 18:2)

Rashi explains: One to bring the tidings to Sarah, one to overturn Sodom, and one to heal Avraham... And Refael, who healed Avraham, went to save Lot. Seemingly, this is difficult: Are there a lack of angels in Heaven? Why didn't they send a special angel to save Lot, and instead the same angel who healed Avraham also saved Lot?

Rather, it makes sense that Lot's merit was not great enough to warrant sending a special angel for his rescue. Therefore, the matter had to occur along the way (incidentally), through an angel who was already sent anyway on a mission to heal Avraham.

"I too," said Rabbi Shlomo Kluger, "thought that presumably they are now judging the father of the newborn in Heaven, and it is possible that he does not possess sufficient merits to specially send Eliyahu to expedite a complete healing for him. Therefore, I ordered to circumcise the child quickly, for then Eliyahu would certainly come to the brit, and along the way, he would also bring a complete healing to the sick father..." (Bnei Tzion)