Eckhart Tolle, author of A New Earth and The Power of Now, develops what is now a famous thesis: most of our problems stem from a lack of focus on the present moment. Critics of Tolle suggest that a relinquishment of past events and future consequences leaves one severely limited. To be clear, Tolle never rejects the meaning of tradition and the past, nor does he ask us to ignore our calendar. Instead, Tolle recommends that we live our lives with more attentiveness towards the present moment. There is great wisdom in that.

In the Torah portion for the upcoming week we read about the first few plagues. The plague of frogs is a case in point for Tolle's worldview. The Torah says "ותעל הצפרדע ותכס את ארץ מצרים""And the frog emerged and covered the Land of Egypt." The singular language of "the frog" indicates, as per Rashi's interpretation, that it all started with one little annoying frog. Each and every time the Egyptians hit it in an attempt to kill it - it would multiply.

R. Yisrael Yaakov Kanyevsky Zt"l identifies the psychological destructive pattern of the Egyptians. Out of their rage they kept hitting and hitting without regard for the betterment of their own situation. With every blow, more problems would arise - yet they kept going.

R. Pincus (in his Haggadah Anthology, p.149) gives this a Tolle spin. Would the Egyptians have stopped for one brief moment, if they would have reflected on their current state as is: in the present we have 4 frogs, for example, accept this situation as is - the crippling effects of the plague would never have been attained.

Stay present focused.