בּ"ה
Parshas Lech Licha
With the parsha of Lech Licha, we essentially begin the stories of the Avos (Patriarchs):
It says in Tehillim (121:1-2): ‘I raise my eyes to the mountains; from where will come my help? My help is from with Hashem, Maker of Heaven and earth.’
Now, the Avos are, at times, compared to mountains (see Rashi HaKadosh to Rosh Hashanah 11a, on the words ואומר שמעו הרים את ריב ה׳ והאיתנים). We thus see a wonderful inspiration from the above quoted verse: A person sometimes doesn’t know what to do in a certain situation or how they will be helped. But what we must do is ‘raise our eyes to the mountains’ -- meaning to look at and recall the stories of what happened with the holy Avos, and understand that just like they were in seemingly hopeless positions at times, and HaKadosh Baruch Hu helped and saved them, so too He will help us no matter what situation we find ourselves. He is always there.
(Tal U’Matar)
<><><><><><><><><><>
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
‘“Go for yourself -- לך לך”’ (Bereishis 12:1)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Hashem alluded to Avraham Avinu, says the Baal HaTurim, that when he was 100 years old -- like the Gematria (numerical value) of the words לך לך -- then ‘I will make you into a great nation’, when Yitzchok Avinu would be born.
Another thing, says the Baal HaTurim: Hashem alluded to him that after leaving from his land, etc. he he would live 100 more years (like the Gematria of לך לך), for he was 75 years old at the time of his departure from his land, birthplace, and father’s house.
<><><><><><><><><><>
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
‘“Go for yourself -- לך לך”’ (Bereishis 12:1)
- -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
I was privileged to hear from my Rebbe, HaRav Elyakim Rosenblatt shlit”a,* a beautiful lesson derived by one of the great Chassidishe Rebbes from these words: לך לך -- Go away from ‘for yourself’ -- i.e. we must overcome the tendency to be and think exclusively about ourselves.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Who saw it, I believe, in sefer Peninei HaTorah.
<><><><><><><><><><>
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
‘And he [Avraham] pitched his tent -- ויט אהלו’ (Bereishis 12:8)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The usual grammar for saying that a man pitched his tent would be to say ‘ויט אהלו’ -- yet that isn’t what the Torah says here. Although vowelized as if spelled in the masculine form, the verse reads ‘ויט אהלה’, spelled in the feminine form, seemingly meaning ‘and he pitched her tent’!
Explains Rashi HaKadosh (from Midrash Bereishis Rabbah); that is exactly what the spelling means to say: Avraham Avinu first pitched Sarah’s tent -- and only afterwards he pitched his own.
<><><><><><><><><><>
- - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
‘And Sarai afflicted her [Hagar] and she fled from before her.’ (Bereishis 16:6)
- - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The question arises; is it possible that the great Sarah Imeinu, the first Matriarch of the Jewish People, should have acted out of pure malice? Surely she must have had some kind of reason or justification for her actions!
Suggests HaRav Yisroel Yaakov Lubchansky zt”l; Sarah Imeinu’s conduct towards Hagar did not change at all: She had been accustomed to treating her with a certain strictness and direction all along in order to better mold her character and make her into a finer person. Hagar, who greatly respected Sarah, willingly accepted this, and also understood that it was for her benefit.
Once she conceived a child, however, ‘her mistress became light in her eyes’: Hagar developed a certain arrogance towards Sarah Imeinu and no longer regarded her with the same respect. Suddenly, Sarah’s household strictness was no longer acceptable to Hagar. She started feeling persecuted and oppressed, until finally, she she was forced to flee from the house of her mistress.
Perhaps Sarah Imeinu should have been more sensitive to Hagar’s new state of mind, says Rav Lunchansky zt”l, which is why her descendants suffer as a result (see Ramban zt”l), but she certainly didn’t act out of spite or malice.
(Talelei Oros)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* See The Stone Edition Chumash p. 71, for a similar idea in the name of HaRav Aryeh Levin zt”l.
<><><><><><><><><><>
- - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
‘And Avram heard that his brother [Lot] had been captured, and he armed [וירק] his students who were born in his house, three-hundred-and-eighteen, and he pursued until Dan.’ (Bereishis 14:14)
- - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
According to Shmuel in the Gemara (Nedarim 32a), “וירק” means that Avraham Avinu brightened his students with much gold (i.e. he gave the much gold). Why did he do so? Tosafos to Gemara Sukkah 31b explains that it was so that they would not be tempted to secure for themselves the spoils of war, and would be able to concentrate on saving lives. (See Matanos Kehunah on Bereishis Rabbah 43:2).
According to this explanation of Tosafos, says my Rebbe, HaRav Elyakim Rosenblatt shlit”a (adapted from a shmuse of HaRav Chanoch Henoch Leibowitz zt”l), in his Dvar Torah, the verse is saying that prior to their embarking on their sacred mission to rescue Lot from captivity, Avraham Avinu gave each and every one of his students an abundance of gold. The reason for this somewhat strange behavior for people going to war was that in the course of battle, these students might be tempted by the glitter and glare of the spoils of war lying on the battlefield. They might stop, even if only briefly for a few short moments, to acquire this newfound wealth, and thus jeopardize their goal of saving Lot. Avraham Avinu foresaw this possibility and gave them gold to counter this temptation. They no longer would need to stop. They would now be independently wealthy on their own.
This would seem to imply that if Avraham Avinu hadn’t given them the gold, there would be a significant possibility that they might have indeed stopped and been diverted from their mission by the lure of financial gain.
However, who were these students? They were Gedolei Torah and Tzaddikim in their own right (Nedarim 32a), worthy of being disciples of the Patriarch of the Jewish People, Avraham Avinu. These noble people had volunteered to risk their lives for the holy Mitzvah of saving a life, of rescuing Lot from captivity. How could such great and idealistic people jeopardize their entire mission by stopping to acquire for themselves spoils of war? Wouldn’t rational people, as they surely were, understand how precious every moment actually was? Shouldn’t they realize that tarrying even for a few short moments could jeopardize their entire mission? Surely, it made no sense for them to stop, even for one moment. Why, then, did Avraham Avinu deem it necessary to give them gold?
We see from here, says Rav Rosenblatt shlit”a, a profound insight into the human temperament: Even rational people, Gedolei Torah and Tzaddikim, embarking on a sacred life saving mission, willing to risk their own lives for the sake of this goal, might stray from their path and engage themselves in insignificant matters.
While on the path to attain their holy objective, they will see the enticing gleam and glitter of the spoils of war lying on the battlefield, and they will be attracted to it. Avraham Avinu, with his brilliance and depth, foresaw and understood these inner temptations of the human being. He, therefore, addressed the issue directly by satiating that desire from the outset, by giving his students an abundance of gold prior to their embarking on their mission to rescue Lot, in order to counter that temptation.
An he concludes beautifully: Perhaps we can apply this thought to our very own lives: Hashem created us and charged us with a mission and purpose in life -- to do Hashem’s will, to study and observe His Holy Torah, and to disseminate it. Despite the fact that we are fully cognizant of this sacred mission -- which is our obligation on earth and the purpose of our creation -- and despite the fact that we may set out to attain this goal with great self-sacrifice, we can nevertheless become distracted from this noble goal. We can involve ourselves in trivial pursuits, and in matters of zero spiritual consequence. We can tarry on the way, to the extent that we may never attain our holy objective, which means so very much to us, and for which we are willing to sacrifice so very much.
May we recognize this inherent weakness within us, and may we find the inner strength to overcome it. May we be zoche to never be distracted from the sacred mission for which we have been created. Amein.
<><><><><><><><><><>
Gut and meaningful Shabbos to all!
