Page 284 - BERESHIT

exempts those for whom the length of time would be a burden too difficult
to bear.

When Eliezer reached Charan, Lavan greeted him while ‘bearing his
arms,’ intending to do him in. Eliezer elevated himself miraculously by
saying the sacred Name of Hashem. Why did Eliezer use such
supernatural powers to run away and not face Lavan head-on? Eliezer was
aware of his mission and its difficulties. Realizing that any delay or
additional effort could very well sway him from his master’s wish, he took
the quickest way out.

The Vilna Gaon did not want to learn Torah from Eliyahu Hanavi. With
a teacher such as Eliyahu, any difficulties would have been resolved
instantaneously, without any effort on his part. This would have required
him to forgo the reward that one gains for learning Torah through toil and
exertion. In another story, after a separation of many years, the Gaon
inquired about his sister’s well-being for but a few brief minutes, because
he valued every second of life and wanted to take full advantage of his
time.

On the very first day of Creation, Hashem created ‘Space’ and ‘Time.’
Every day can be used to complete another phase of our life’s mission.
Hashem divided Time into days, months, and years, to see if we will value
our time and be attentive to our mission here on earth. By varying and
altering ‘Time’ with auspicious intervals, man is constantly invigorated by
the change, and jarred into reflection by its discordance of continuity.

Many people slumber away their lives, frivolously wasting their most
precious commodity on empty nothings. If we take a time-out from our
daily activities, and use it to learn Torah, Hashem rejoices, saying, “My
sons have been victorious over Me, as they spend their time reveling in
My Torah.”