Helping Someone Unknown

A lesson in futility or genius? How often do you go to bat for the people or staff which are not even known to you? Do you ever try to redirect people's anger, complaints or hatred from their intended direction?

I have a sympathy for support people, I have been on both ends and trained the support staff, yet many people hate support staff. Sometimes you get some new staff member or maybe your issue is above them but there are ways to work it out so no one gets upset. Emergencies aside as most people become different in an emergency situation.

One would think people would be nicer to each other, but the truth is not so clear especially in these times of instant satisfaction.

In this week's parsha, Avraham goes on the defense for the original Sin Cities, Sodom and Gomorrah ( I Wonder why it is translated this way, the Hebrew says Amorah). Why would someone so nice try to defend these places?

Avraham tries to save them for 50 people, then 45 and eventually gets down to 10 before giving up. A famous story of course and ends with this exchange:

32. And he said, "Please, let the Lord's wrath not be kindled, and I will speak yet this time, perhaps ten will be found there." And He said, "I will not destroy for the sake of the ten."		לב. וַיֹּאמֶר אַלנָא יִחַר לַאדֹנָי וַאֲדַבְּרָה אַךְהַפַּעַם אוּלַי יִמָּצְאוּן שָׁם עֲשָׂרָה וַיֹּאמֶר לֹא אַשְׁחִית בַּעֲבוּר הָעֲשָׂרָה:
33. And the Lord departed when He finished speaking to Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place.		לג. וַיֵּלֶךְ יְהֹוָה כַּאֲשֶׁר כִּלָּה לְדַבֵּר אֶלאַבְרָהָם וְאַבְרָהָם שָׁב לִמְקֹמוֹ:

Avraham or God gives up since they can not even find a minyan or quorom of 10 righteous people. A city with no righteous people can not exist as a city and so as we are told God destroys the cities.

Saving your skin is one thing but trying to save other people along the way is something which unfortunately gets lost in modern times too often. Did you really need to fire everyone or could you have come up with some plan to make it not as bad? They have families too.

Due to circumstances in the last week many people have once again found the ability to trust in others is what is really important at the root of society. So the next time you are in a similar situation where people are being ignored or maybe a division is being let go for whatever the reason, think of Avraham and how he tried to help those he had no allegiance or knowledge. Every little bit goes a long way.

Hope everyone gets their water, heat, power back and lives in their homes again soon and you are spared from future catastrophes such as this going forward.
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Parsha Vayeira in the book of Bereishit, 18:1-22:24 It is said that the Torah or Bible
could be interpreted in over 70 ways. More likely these days 100's of ways. In light of this idea, I am writing some posts that bring business sense to what we can learn on a weekly basis. Enjoy, Shabbat Shalom