Parashat Vayeira

This weeks Torah portion Vayeira which means “He appeared” starts with a famous scene of three travelers who we find to be Angels visiting a  recovering Abraham. Not wanting to miss out on the mitzvah of Hachnasat Orchim – hospitality to guests, Abraham runs towards the travelers to greet them.

Let a little water be brought; bathe your feet and recline under the tree. And let me fetch a morsel of bread that you may refresh yourselves

The Talmud in Bava Metzia 87a learns from this interaction. “Rabbi Elazar said: From here we learn that the righteous say little and do much, whereas the wicked say much and do not do even a little.”

The Righteous say little and do much

Talk is cheap, actions are everything.  A lesson for entrepreneurs is clear, if you want to build a sustainable business don’t promise the moon not deliver. If a company promised 2-week shipping and delivered in one you’d be happy, compared to a 2-day shipping promise in one week. You get the package in the same amount of time but the expectations were different.

Every product. Every campaign every launch, manage expectations

Leaving Easter eggs for customers to find like Elon Musk does in his Teslas or “Secret” features in Apple products bring delight to customers. Not everything needs to be crammed into a presenation.

Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah, and said, “Quick, three seahs of choice flour! Knead and make cakes!” Then Abraham ran to the herd, took a calf, tender and choice, and gave it to a servant-boy, who hastened to prepare it.

Abraham hastened, he ran. After the encounter with Pharaoh In Lech Lecha, “He acquired sheep, oxen, asses, male and female slaves, she-asses, and camels.”  Abraham was a rich man with servants but he personally wanted to pick out the calf for his guests. But we see that Abraham himself did not prepare the calf, he gave that role to another.

“Don’t be a bottleneck” – Matt Blumberg on What A CEO does.

Abraham is the founder of Judaism, there are jobs for the CEO, and jobs he hires for. Where Abraham himself wanted the personal touch of picking out the calf but leaves the cooking to his servant. As a founder, you don’t need to do it all yourself but there are times to get your hands dirty and times to delegate.