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Zrizus: A Push to Stay on Target and Focused
Zrizus, zeal and speed but with alacrity, is usually identified as a prerequisite for performing mitzvos. As the famous Chaza”l says: זריזין מקדימין למצוות. However, we find in this week’s Torah portion of Vayeira that Avraham Avinu uses this attribute in an additional way, to ensure that the mitzva even gets done. The Torah states, “Avraham circumcised his son Yitzchak at the age of eight days as G-D had commanded him. And Avraham was a hundred years old when his son Yitzchak was born to him… So, Avraham awoke early in the morning, took bread and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. He placed them on her shoulder along with the boy and sent her off” (Breishis 21: 4, 5, & 14).
The Ralbag learns from these pesukim that “it’s proper for a person to have alacrity to perform the mitzvos of Hashem, and not have anything stop him. Also do not forget mitzvos of Hashem because of one’s joy from being graced with good, but one should place the mitzvos of Hashem opposite his eyes constantly. For we see that Avraham Avinu acted with alacrity to fulfill the mitzvos of Hashem and thereby circumcised Yitzchak his son at the age of 8 days just as he was commanded. Even though he was a son of his old age he didn’t find any threat of loss for doing thing. He also didn’t forget the mitzvos of Hashem through so much joy he felt because of the grace bestowed upon him by Hashem for having a son from Sarah at such an old age for him and her. He even stop caring for his son Yishmael and threw him out of his house as Hashem commanded him.” (Click here for Hebrew text.)
Avraham used the attribute of zrizus, alacrity, to ensure he performed mitzvos and the will of Hashem quickly and with zeal. As we see from the fact that he got up early to listen to his wife Sarah’s advice, which Hashem commanded him to do, and banished from his home Hagar and Yishmael, who were harassing Yitzchak. He also used this attribute to ensure he circumcised his son Yitzchak at the proper time of eight days old, as Hashem had commanded him, this zeal helped motivate him to fulfill the mitzva completely and in its entirety.
What is mindboggling is that the Ralbag notes that Avraham needed this attribute of zrizus as a motivation to perform Hashem’s mitzvos, against the joy he received from the fact that Hashem graced him with a child at such an old age. Wouldn’t that feeling of joy, which definitely enlisted feeling of hakaras hatov [gratitude] be a motivating factor to perform the mitzvos of Hashem? Rather than to do the opposite, of hindering the performance of fulfilling the will of Hashem?
We must say that the emotions of joy and excitement can overpower a person to the extent that it disrupts his focus in doing the will of Hashem. Albeit for Avraham Avinu, one who was so close to Hashem, especially at that point in his life, at one hundred years old, we can safely assume that he would have done Hashem’s will of giving a bris. But he may not have done so b’shleimus, with all the complete and proper intent, if not for the fact of the reinforcement of zrizus. What we see is that emotions can disrupt a person’s focus, even if the emotions are directed to Hashem. And using the attribute of zrizus, alacrity, one can refocus his mind on ensuring he fulfills the mitzvos and the will of Hashem properly in all its entirety, in the best way he possibly can.