Parshas Vayera: Don’t Look Back
Change is hard. Most of us are comfortable in our lives and our lifestyles. It is no wonder that we find it hard to leave things behind. A cruel boss, a toxic friendship, and a bad habit are all things we need to cut out of our lives but find hard to. But even on a simpler level, we find it difficult to walk away. How many times has a conversation with a group of friends turned to gossip or another subject that makes you uncomfortable, but you found yourself unable to turn around and walk away?
Change is really important for progress, advancement, and growth. But that doesn’t make it easy to let go of the past. Usually, when we make a change, whether it is breaking off a bad relationship or walking away from a conversation, we find it hard to sever our ties completely, even though that is the best thing to do.
In this week’s parsha, Sodom and Gemorrah are destroyed. Of the two cities, the only people to survive are Lot and his family. As they fled, they were given but one instruction: Don’t look back; you can never look back. Nevertheless, Lot’s wife gave in to temptation and turned around to look back. As a result, she was turned into a pillar of salt.
How often are we turned into pillars of salt? How often do we decide to make a change, only to turn back and end up feeling uncertain, rooted to the spot in a pillar of indecision? This is not the way to make a change.
When we make a change, we must do so wholeheartedly. We have to decide the best course of action, the right thing to do, and then pursue it with our whole selves. We must flee Sodom without ever looking back.
This week, think about something in your life that needs to change. What action can you take to make it happen? Then take it! And, most importantly, keep your eyes on the prize, on your destination, and never look back.
Shabbat shalom!
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