Oct 30, 2015 | Torat Devorah
The Torah tells us that before G’d destroyed Sodom He said, “Shall I conceal from Avraham what I do, now that Avraham is surely to become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall bless themselves by him?…” Rashi cites Chazal who explain, “G’d had said, ‘It is not appropriate that I should destroy Sodom without informing Avraham. I have given him this land with its five metropolises. He has been declared the ‘father of all nations.’ Should I destroy the children without informing the father? Therefore I will inform him.” What was the value of G’d informing Avraham of His actions prior to destroying Sodom?
The Gemara in Tractate Nidarim cites an opinion that states that the reason the Jewish people were exiled to Egypt was because Avraham had not taken the opportunity to convert the people of Sodom to monotheism. After Avraham was victorious over the four mighty kings, the king of Sodom, who was initially taken captive with his people, had said to Avraham, “Give me the people and take the possessions for yourself.” Avraham the victor should have said to the king of Sodom, “Because you are the equivalent of my spoils, I will take the people.” The Gemara states, “If Avraham had taken the members of the Sodom community under his jurisdiction he would have brought them under the wings of the Divine Presence (converted them to monotheism).” Avraham passed on this opportunity. He had said to the king of Sodom, “I will not benefit from you as much as a thread or a bootstrap…”
Rabbi Yosef Kalatsky explains: ‘The consequence of Avraham not taking the people of Sodom, was that they had not only remained pagans, but they had descended to the depths of evil -as the verse states, “The men of Sodom were evil and sinned against G’d defiantly….” There was no other choice but to destroy this evil entity. It was because Avraham’s inaction, regarding Sodom, that the Jewish people were exiled to Egypt. Avraham had lived his entire life for Kiddush Hashem (Sanctification of G’d’s Name) in order to purge the world of paganism. However because of Avraham’s decision not to take the people of Sodom under his influence, the most extreme level of Chilul Hashem (Desecration of G’d’s Name) was brought about. This was the claim against Avraham. Avraham was pained that because of his inaction the people of Sodom would never be spiritually rehabilitated. If through his supplication he would be able to bring about a reprieve, which would allow them to live, there was a chance they would do teshuvah (repent). Thus, Avraham would be released from this very serious claim. G’d therefore gave Avraham the opportunity to pray on their behalf so that they should live in order to do teshuvah. Despite the fact that ultimately Avraham’s supplications were in vain regarding the people of Sodom, the fact that he took the initiative to the point of jeopardizing his own relationship with G’d, caused a level of correction within himself. When Avraham had spoken to G’d in defense of Sodom, he had spoken in a very direct manner which could have been interpreted as a disrespect. Thus, informing Avraham of the imminent destruction of Sodom was for the benefit of Avraham – to secure and advance his own spirituality. Prepared by: Devorah Abenhaim
Oct 23, 2015 | Torat Devorah
“And it occurred, as he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, ‘See now, I have known that you are a woman of beautiful appearance. And it shall occur, when the Egyptians will see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife!’ – then they will kill me…’ ” (12:11-12) How was it possible that only now Avraham recognized Sarah’s beauty? The Arizal says that up till this point in time Avraham had no concept of physicality – like Adam before he sinned. However, as he approached Egypt, the world center of decadence, even his lofty spiritual level lessened when he perceived good and evil – the domain of physicality. Sensing this change in himself, Avraham recognized the depths of impurity that was Egypt. He now sensed that it was indeed possible for man to sink to murder in order to satisfy his physical desires.
The following is a quote from the the Vilna Gaon: “In every generation new barriers need to be erected, for every generation is less than its predecessor and the eruv rav (descendents of the Egyptians who left Egypt at the time of the Exodus) grow stronger. Therefore, it is necessary to barricade anew the breaches (in morality) perpetrated by the eruv rav. This is what the Torah means when it says “Guard my guardings!” (Vayikra 29:9)
Rabbi Chaim Zvi Center explains: Like Avraham, the closer we get to our own little Egypts – the larger our cars, our houses and our physical well-being loom in our lives – the more we know that we need to build stronger and stronger fences against a world that celebrates immorality and conspicuous consumption.
Rabbi Yaakov Asher Sinclair comments: ” Life’s essential journey is that of the soul discovering its true identity. We learn this from the first two words in this week’s Torah portion. “Lech Lecha.” “Go to yourself.” Without vowels, these two words are written identically. When G-d took Avraham out of Ur Kasdim and sent him to the Land of Israel, He used those two identical words —Lech Lecha —“Go to yourself.” Spiritual growth requires the soul to journey. Our soul must notch up the miles, not our feet. The spiritual road requires us to forsake the comfortable, the familiar ever repeating landmarks of our personalities, and set out with an open mind and a humble soul. We must divest ourselves of the fawning icons of our own egos which we define and confine us — and journey. Avraham experienced ten tests in his spiritual journey.Each was exquisitely designed to elevate him to his ultimate spiritual potential. When G-d gives us a test, whether it’s the death of a loved one or a financial reversal or an illness, it’s always to help us grow. By conquering the obstacles that lie in our spiritual path – be it lack of trust in G-d or selfishness or apathy — we grow in stature. We connect with the fundamental purpose of the journey — to journey away from our negative traits and reach and realize our true selves. We “go to ourselves.”
Prepared by: Devorah Abenhaim
Oct 15, 2015 | Torat Devorah
“And He blotted out all existence that was on the face of the ground – from man to animals to creeping things and to the bird of the sky; and they were blotted out from the earth. Only Noach survived and those with him in the Ark.” (Gen. 7:23)
Parashat Noach raises the following question: Why did G-d wipe out all of the beasts, birds, and crawling things in the flood? If man sinned, why should the animals suffer? Rashi explains: “The entire creation is for man, and when man is wiped out, who needs all these?” That is, the purpose of the creation is not simply to exist, but rather to actualize the destiny of the Creation. The moment there is no purpose (which is the case after G-d wiped out man, for whom the world was created), then the animals must perish since there is no longer a reason for their existence. Here, too, the moment the deeds of man prove that there is no longer a possibility for him to fulfill his destiny, his existence is no longer necessary, and he perishes. But we are still left wondering: All that creation, just for annihilation? All those generations before the flood (a span of 1654 years) were for nothing?
The answer is no. Harsh though this verses may be, a verse appears at the very end of Bereshit which turns everything around: “But Noach found grace in the eyes of G-d.” And while this lonely verse may appear to be only a small comfort to a world gone astray, the truth is that this one verse is everything. Even if we are speaking about one individual, he is the one who counts. Noach is the justification for the world’s continued existence.
The story of Noach provides us with a concrete illustration as to what the true role of the chastising prophet is – as Noah did warn the people to repent. Certainly the major goal of the warnings and admonishment are to direct the people onto the proper path, in the hope that they will do “teshuva” immediately. But in contrast as to what one might think, if the prophet does not succeed in bringing the people to “teshuva,” this does not necessarily mean that he failed! A deeper look will reveal that the rebuke in itself has value. If we look at the prophets of Israel, we will notice an amazing fact: Generally speaking, they were a dismal failure. It seemed as if they influenced no one. The people were not interested in hearing them, and did not change their evil ways. Does this mean that there was no value in the warnings of the prophets? Rav Binyomin Zeev Kahane explains: ‘G-d’s answer to Ezekiel when He appoints him as a prophet (chapter 2) is as follows: “And He said to me, Son of man, I sent thee to the children of Israel…that have rebelled against me…and you shall say to them, Thus says the Lord G-d. And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will refuse to hear, (for they are a rebellious house), so that they shall know that there has been a prophet amongst them.” And afterwards (3:7): “But the house of Israel will not hearken to you…” Can this be? If G-d knows that they will not listen, why send Ezekiel out and put him through such humiliation and abuse? And so a new concept is learned here. The saying of truth has value, even if it has no apparent influence at that particular moment. What is the value? “So that they shall know that there has been a prophet amongst them.” Even if immediate results are not seen, the value of the warnings are that they manifest the bringing in of G-d’s word into the world. The prophet who expresses G-d’s truth is giving expression to G-d’s actual presence in this world. It is showing us that the world is not “hefker” (chaos). There is justice in the world. By so doing, the prophet in essence sanctifies G-d’s name.’
Prepared by: Devorah Abenhaim
Oct 8, 2015 | Torat Devorah
To introduce the creation of man, the Torah says, “VaYomer Elokim Naaseh Adam BeTzalmeinu KiDemuteinu,” “And God said, ‘Let us make a man in our image, as our likeness.’” (Bereishit 1:26) The Midrash explains that this Pasuk uses the plural Naaseh because God consulted the Malachim (angels) before creating man.
The Midrash states that when Moshe was writing the Torah, he saw this Pasuk and he asked Hashem, “Why are You creating an opportunity for people who don’t believe in You to find support for their opinions in this Pasuk, which seems to imply the existence of multiple gods, Chas VeShalom?” Hashem answered that he should leave the Pasuk the way it is and let anyone who wants to err do so. Hashem said to do this because in the future, there would be a leader who would think that he could make decisions without consulting his subordinates and his subordinates would be able to say that if Hashem consulted the Malachim, that leader should consult them too (BeReishit Rabbah 8:8).
Based on this Midrash, the Chanukat HaTorah explains the saying of Chazal that arrogance is like idol worship. One can interpret “Naaseh Adam” in two ways—that it is an expression of humility which Hashem showed by consulting the angels, or that it indicates the presence of other gods. A person who chooses to be arrogant will deny that Hashem went out of his way to show that humility is important; therefore, he will infer from this Pasuk that other gods exist, which is Avodah Zarah.
Rav Elchanan Wasserman finds this Midrash puzzling. In a business venture, would someone risk a large amount of money for a small profit? Obviously not; the risk and reward have to be somewhat in balance. So too, why would Hashem create a situation where someone could mistakenly conclude that other gods exist, just to teach the lesson of humility? This is a case where the risks seem to heavily outweigh the rewards.
Rav Elchanan explains that for years, people have learned this Pasuk and not believed that other gods exist. The Pasuk does not imply that there are other gods; it is clearly saying that Hashem only consulted his angels out of common courtesy. Only people who are looking to deny Hashem’s existence can understand this Pasuk as saying that there are other gods. This is what the Midrash means when it says that if people want to err they can—they are looking to err, so there is nothing Moshe can do to prevent it. This also means that the risk-to-reward proportion is greatly in Hashem’s favor. The vast majority of people will be able to learn the message of humility from the Pasuk and only a very few, for whom nothing can be done anyway, will perceive the wrong message.
Prepared by: Devorah Abenhaim
Oct 1, 2015 | Torat Devorah
V’zot Ha’bracha is not the first time in Chumash where we find that each tribe receives a blessing. Recall that back in Parshat Vayechi, Yaakov Avinu blesses each tribe before his death. Unlike Moshe, however, Yaakov addresses his children in almost exact age order: Reuven, Shimon, Levi, Yehuda, Zevulun & Yissachar [note slight deviation], Dan (first born of Bilhah), Gad (first born of Zilpah), Asher, and Naftali. Although Gad & Asher precede Naftali, they may very well have been born first, depending on how one understands Bereishit 30:5-10.
The reason why Yaakov blesses his children in age order is quite simple. Yaakov (prior to his death) blesses each son according to his individual potential, as exhibited and manifest throughout each respective son’s life. Therefore, whereas these blessings relate to personal destiny, it is only reasonable that they follow (more or less) the order of the sons’ births.
Moshe, by contrast, is not the ‘dying father’ of twelve sons. He is rather the ‘departing leader’ of twelve tribes to whom he has given the Torah and who are about to conquer and occupy the Land of Israel. As we would expect, his blessings accurately reflect the setting and circumstances in which they are administered.
Aware of the geographic division of the tribes in the land and their respective military capabilities, Moshe blesses each tribe prior to his death to encourage them to achieve their fullest potential in occupying the Land of Israel.
Moshe introduces his brachot with a four-pasuk ‘opener’ (33:2-5) and a corresponding four-pasuk ‘closer’ (33:26-29). The introductory psukim – the precise translation of which requires further discussion beyond the scope of this shiur – clearly point to Ma’amad Har Sinai and Moshe’s role as the transmitter of the laws commanded at Har Sinai.
Moshe’s closing remarks focus on God as the Protector of Israel, Who provides close supervision (33:26), assistance in battle (26:27,29), and agricultural and economic prosperity (26:28).
Rabbi Menachem Leibtag explains: Not only do these opening and closing remarks form the appropriate framework for the individual blessings, they also directly relate to primary theme of Sefer Devarim (and, for that matter, Chumash as a whole). God has chosen the Jewish nation to represent Him as His model nation to guide mankind in the proper direction. To that end, He gave them the Torah (see 33:2-5), which contains the specific laws whose observance in the Promised Land leads to the realization of that goal. Now, before his death, Moshe blesses Bnei Yisrael that they fulfill that potential, that God assist them in their achievement of these goals, in the “nachala” they are about to conquer and occupy.
Prepared by: Devorah Abenhaim
Sep 24, 2015 | Torat Devorah
Haazinu contains a lengthy poem that comprises almost this whole sidrah. It is part of a speech that Moses shares with our people before we enter the Promised Land. The poem declares God’s majesty, power, presence, and capacity to forgive. Since the poetic fragments of the Torah represent the most ancient strands of our tradition, these verses of poetry convey many core spiritual concepts of our faith.
Let us consider two words in the poem’s first verse. They are Haazinu, “Hear, O heavens, and I will speak” and V’tishma, “Hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.” (Deuteronomy 32:1) Is it the repetition of these two verbal forms that carry the meaning of “hearing” only for poetic purposes? To probe this question, we are presented with guidance by turning to Rashi’s comment on Genesis 18:2. Rashi teaches us that because the word vayar, “and he looked,” is repeated twice, there are two types of seeing. The first is the ordinary physical act of looking. The second is looking with clarity, empathy, and a deep understanding. The same concept applies in this first verse of our Torah portion with regard to the sensory act of hearing.
Rabbi Meyer Perelmuter explains: ‘There are two ways in which we can hear. The first is obviously the physical capacity to perceive sound by the ear. We hear words spoken and ideas and feelings expressed. We assimilate these sensations into our consciousness and oftimes respond to them. However, the depth of our response depends not just on the physical act of hearing (haazinu) but also on tishma, hearing with understanding and compassion. We hear surface sounds ( haazinu) and are challenged to hear them with understanding (tishma) and respond to them with empathy. On a spiritual level, the heavens may just be asked collectively to hear (haazinu), but we on earth are challenged to hear with understanding (tishma) that the earth, our loved ones, and life itself are God’s gifts to us. We are challenged to hear God’s presence in our lives (sh’ma).The watchword of our faith is not Haazinu Yisrael but rather Sh’ma Yisrael, “Hear O Israel,” in order to teach us to listen with openness and receptivity. God calls to us at every moment of our lives, opening us up to all kinds of inner forces, feelings, and sparks of insight. May we, in the spirit of this week’s Torah portion, Haazinu, identify one of the voices calling to us as the voice of God, which has called to us since our birth.’
Prepared by: Devorah Abenhaim
