Sefaria Kedushat Levi, Genesis, Vayera Kedushat Levi translated by Rb. Eliyahu Munk
Sefaria Kedushat Levi, Genesis, Vayera Kedushat Levi translated by Rb. Eliyahu Munk
Level six:
Near the weekly parsha with the haftorah both with Rashi, a chapter of Nach beginning with Joshua until the end of II Chronicles without Tehillim and start after the 'end' with Joshua again, Mishnah starting with Seder Zeraim (Agriculture) Berakhot until the end Seder Tahorot (Purity) Oktzin and start after the 'end' with Seder Zeraim (Agriculture) Berakhot, a daf from the Talmud Babylonian-Jerusalem starting from the beginning until the end and after the 'end' starting with the beginning again. Midrash Tanchuma after Parsha reading. Kalach Pitchei Chokhmah every day a chapter, begin with 1 until 138, after 138 starting with 1 again. Tanya every day a chapter, from the beginning until the end, after the 'end' starting with the beginning again. Sha'ar HaEmunah VeYesod HaChasidut every day a chapter, from the beginning until the end, after the 'end' starting with the beginning again. Likutei Moharan every day a chapter, from the beginning until the end, after the 'end' starting with the beginning again. Kedushat Levi from beginning until end. Reading it very quickly every day.
Read every week from Kabbalah Online click: Weekly Torah
While it is an 'obligation' to learn not everyone need to reach Level six. Depending on your possibilities and personal desire. But on the end of your daily study, you need to read a Siman of the Kitsur Shulchan Aruch every day a Siman, from the beginning until the end, after the 'end' starting with the beginning again.
The daily reading is a cycle repeating until we 'know' all....... Learning to think as an Israelite, then we shall come to the fulfillment of the Mitzvoth of the Korbanot. Do the Temple Service under, the coming, Messiah King Ben David.
About This Text
Kedushat Levi
Chasidut
One of the chasidic classics, reputedly endowed with special sanctity due to the famous righteousness of the author.
Composed: Berdychiv, Ukraine (c.1772 - c.1798 CE)נוצר/נערך: ברדיצ'ב, אוקראינה (1772 - 1798 לספירה בקירוב)
Current Version
Current Translation
To enhance the quality of this text, obvious translation errors were corrected in accordance with the Hebrew sourceRead More
Source: urimpublications.com
Digitization: Sefaria
License: CC-BY
For commentary etc. (right side page under resources) click: Kedushat Levi, Genesis, Vayera 1 with About (sefaria.org)
Kedushat Levi, Genesis, Vayera
וירא אליו ה' באלוני כו' (בראשית יח, א). ויש לדקדק למה לא כתב וירא ה' אל אברהם ולמה אינו מזכיר שמו. ונראה, כי הבורא ברוך הוא משפיע שפע לברואיו ויש שפע אשר לא צמצם עדיין בעולמות. והנה השפע אשר היא מצומצם בעולמות הוא באותיות כגון עולם השרפים הצמצום הוא באותיות שרפים וכן לכל העולמות שלהם וכן לעולם התחתון לכל אחד כפי אותיות שלו, היינו לאברהם השפע מצמצום אברהם וכן לכל אדם. והנה האדם העובד להשם יתברך במסירת נפש אז הוא מתפשט מאותיות ומדבק עצמו להשפע אשר עדיין לא נתצמצם באותיות. והנה אברהם אבינו עליו השלום מל עצמו לעת זקנותו והיה עובד הבורא ברוך הוא במסירת נפש ועל ידי זה נתפשט עצמו מן האותיות שלו, כי הוא דבוק בהשפע אשר עדיין לא נתצמצם באותיות ולא נקרא בשמו כלל. וזהו וירא אליו ה', שלא נקרא בשמו כלל:
Genesis 18,1. “Hashem appeared to him (Avraham) in the groves of Mamre.” Since we have been told that G’d had departed from Avraham in 17,23, we would have expected the verse here to mention the subject Avraham by name. Why does the Torah only write לו, “to him?”
G’d, i.e. aspects of the אין סוף, G’ds Essence, dispensed different amounts of שפע, “original light,” eventually converted in the lower domains of the universe into matter of varying degrees of physical densities. Every such שפע, represents a distillation, צמצום, “shrinkage, of this original light. [If I understood the concept correctly, Ed.] This process is reflected already in the different names we have for G’d, the letters in these names reflecting varying degrees of G’d’s having restricted His manifestations to His creatures in order to make it compatible with what His creature can tolerate.
This principle applies not only to creatures in the lower part of the universe, i.e. our planet, but also to the different categories of “angels,” disembodied servants of the Lord in the celestial spheres, according to the spiritual level attained by the creature, angel, or human being, as the case may be.
When such a human being has been given a “name” by its Creator, this “name” reflects the degree to which this person is able to absorb G’d’s “light,” without being harmed by it. When a human being serves his Creator out of awe, יראה, by totally negating the limitations imposed on a soul while it is constricted by the body it inhabits, it may be considered as having “disrobed,” shed the restrictions his body imposed upon the free, upward, heavenward motion of his soul. When we express this concept in terms of the meaning of the letters in our G’d-given names, this means that we have divested ourselves of our “names.”
Avraham, at the time of his life that the Torah speaks about here, had not yet freed himself from the limits imposed upon him (by dint of the letters in his name) prior to his having been circumcised. This state of flux, a temporary situation, in which Avraham found himself at the beginning of this portion, is reflected in the Torah referring to him only by a pronoun, instead of by his full name.
G’d, i.e. aspects of the אין סוף, G’ds Essence, dispensed different amounts of שפע, “original light,” eventually converted in the lower domains of the universe into matter of varying degrees of physical densities. Every such שפע, represents a distillation, צמצום, “shrinkage, of this original light. [If I understood the concept correctly, Ed.] This process is reflected already in the different names we have for G’d, the letters in these names reflecting varying degrees of G’d’s having restricted His manifestations to His creatures in order to make it compatible with what His creature can tolerate.
This principle applies not only to creatures in the lower part of the universe, i.e. our planet, but also to the different categories of “angels,” disembodied servants of the Lord in the celestial spheres, according to the spiritual level attained by the creature, angel, or human being, as the case may be.
When such a human being has been given a “name” by its Creator, this “name” reflects the degree to which this person is able to absorb G’d’s “light,” without being harmed by it. When a human being serves his Creator out of awe, יראה, by totally negating the limitations imposed on a soul while it is constricted by the body it inhabits, it may be considered as having “disrobed,” shed the restrictions his body imposed upon the free, upward, heavenward motion of his soul. When we express this concept in terms of the meaning of the letters in our G’d-given names, this means that we have divested ourselves of our “names.”
Avraham, at the time of his life that the Torah speaks about here, had not yet freed himself from the limits imposed upon him (by dint of the letters in his name) prior to his having been circumcised. This state of flux, a temporary situation, in which Avraham found himself at the beginning of this portion, is reflected in the Torah referring to him only by a pronoun, instead of by his full name.
וירא והנה שלשה אנשים נצבים עליו (בראשית יח, ב). ופירש הזוהר הקדוש והנה שלשה אנשים אלו אברהם יצחק ויעקב. ויובן דברי מאמר הזוהר. דידוע דאברהם אבינו עליו השלום עבד תמיד ה' באהבה ובמילה עבד ה' ביראה ויראה היא גבורה ובמילה מכרית הערלה ובזה מכרית כל הקליפות כנזכר בכתבי אריז"ל והוא שמתגבר על כל הקליפות. אם כן אז במילה היה באברהם אבינו עליו השלום אהבה ויראה אהבה מדריגת אברהם ויראה דהיא גבורה מדריגת יצחק אבינו עליו השלום שבעת שמל עבד השם יתברך במדת גבורה. וידוע דבכל מקום שיש אהבה ויראה דהוא אש ומים מוכרח שיהיה מדה הממוצע דהיא תפארת בחינת יעקב אבינו דיעקב הוא תפארת לכן אז במילה דהיא אהבה ויראה הוכרח שיהיה התפארת גם כן דהיא הממוצע, אם כן היה אז כל ג' בחינות ומדות של אברהם יצחק ויעקב. ועל פי זה מובן פירוש הכתוב כפי הזוהר הקדוש וישא עיניו וירא והנה שלשה אנשים נצבים, שראה אז אברהם יצחק ויעקב והבן:
Genesis 18,2. “when he looked out, here three men were standing practically on top of him.” The Zohar I, 98, identifies these three “men” as “Avraham, Yitzchok, and Yaakov.” Clearly, we must try and understand what the Zohar meant by this, since the same “Avraham” is reported in the very same verse as running to meet these three “men”.
We have explained earlier that normally Avraham served the Lord from feelings of love, whereas in submitting to the circumcision, he had switched to serving G’d from feelings of יראה, awe, i.e. by totally negating the interests of his earthbound personality. By destroying his foreskin, a symbol of limitations and hindrance to spiritual development, known generally as קליפה, “husk,” in kabbalistic parlance, (compare writings of Ari z’al) he had attained a new and higher level of spirituality. He had now mastered both the ability to serve the Lord on two levels, אהבה (attribute of חסד) and יראה, attribute of גבורה). The latter attribute is the one that his son Yitzchok would symbolize for us in the future.
It is part of our tradition that whenever the attributes of אהבה and יראה, i.e. אש, and מים, “fire and water,” in terms of our terrestrial part of the universe, are present simultaneously, due to the fact that these two attributes are opposites of one another, we require the presence of a third attribute one that harmonizes between these two opposite attributes. This third attribute is known as תפארת, harmony; the third of our patriarchs, Yaakov, is perceived by our sages as having characterized the attribute “harmony.” It follows that at the time of Avraham’s circumcision this third attribute had been present also, i.e. it had a part to play in the performance of that commandment. When the Torah speaks of what Avraham “saw,” it referred to Avraham’s having become aware at that moment that these three attributes, all of which can be part of מצוה performance, had had a part in his having circumcised himself at the command of G’d. The word: נצבים, describes the “presence” of all these three attributes during Avraham’s recovery from the physical effects of the circumcision.
We have explained earlier that normally Avraham served the Lord from feelings of love, whereas in submitting to the circumcision, he had switched to serving G’d from feelings of יראה, awe, i.e. by totally negating the interests of his earthbound personality. By destroying his foreskin, a symbol of limitations and hindrance to spiritual development, known generally as קליפה, “husk,” in kabbalistic parlance, (compare writings of Ari z’al) he had attained a new and higher level of spirituality. He had now mastered both the ability to serve the Lord on two levels, אהבה (attribute of חסד) and יראה, attribute of גבורה). The latter attribute is the one that his son Yitzchok would symbolize for us in the future.
It is part of our tradition that whenever the attributes of אהבה and יראה, i.e. אש, and מים, “fire and water,” in terms of our terrestrial part of the universe, are present simultaneously, due to the fact that these two attributes are opposites of one another, we require the presence of a third attribute one that harmonizes between these two opposite attributes. This third attribute is known as תפארת, harmony; the third of our patriarchs, Yaakov, is perceived by our sages as having characterized the attribute “harmony.” It follows that at the time of Avraham’s circumcision this third attribute had been present also, i.e. it had a part to play in the performance of that commandment. When the Torah speaks of what Avraham “saw,” it referred to Avraham’s having become aware at that moment that these three attributes, all of which can be part of מצוה performance, had had a part in his having circumcised himself at the command of G’d. The word: נצבים, describes the “presence” of all these three attributes during Avraham’s recovery from the physical effects of the circumcision.
בפסוק וירא וירץ לקראתם (בראשית יח, ב). כי אברהם אשר היה לו הכאב מן המילה ועל החולה יש מדת רחמנות עליו ואברהם התחזק בכאן לרוץ לקראתם עשה כאן מדת גבורה וזכה לנשמה של יצחק שהוא מדה זו נמצא יש כאן מדת אברהם ויצחק וכל מקום שיש אברהם ויצחק שם יש יעקב. וזהו וירא והנה שלשה אנשים , אברהם יצחק ויעקב:
Genesis 18,2. “when he saw, he ran towards them;” Avraham had still been suffering from the pains of his circumcision. A sick or ailing person is usually the recipient of the loving concern of the attribute of Mercy; Avraham, instead of indulging himself was overcome with the attribute of גבורה, overpowering courageous energy, so that he was able to run to meet these men. He was suddenly possessed of the characteristic (the author has “soul,”) that would distinguish his not yet conceived son, Yitzchok. We explained in the previous paragraph that this resulted in his also being endowed with the attribute תפארת, harmony, so that he combined all the three characteristics that distinguished the three patriarchs.
עוד יבואר, וירץ לקראתם. והענין הוא כך, דהנה הצדיק יכול להבחין כשרואה בני אדם אם הם טובים אם לאו, דהיינו כשהצדיק רואה את האדם ובא לו בהירות ואור גדול אז האדם הוא טוב ואם לאו שאינו נופל עליו בהירות אזי הוא אינו טוב. וזהו שאמר הכתוב וישא עיניו וירא, דהיינו שנפל עליו בהירות ואור גדול מחמת הראיה. מיד וירץ לקראתם:
Another aspect of the line: וירא וירץ לקראתם. A tzaddik is able to judge the character of a person by merely looking at that person’s face. When encountering a wholesome person, he is suddenly filled with light, whereas when he does not feel his features suddenly exuding brightness, this is a warning to him that he is looking at an evil person. In this instance, the Torah prefaces Avraham’s running to meet these men with the words: וישא עיניו וירא, “he raised his eyes and saw;” this meant that he felt himself reacting positively to the appearance of these men as soon as he set eyes upon them.
ויאמר אל נא תעבור מעל עבדך וגו'. דהנה ידוע שפנחס זה אליהו וכשנקם נקמת ה' אזי מתוך כך בא לנשמת נדב ואביהוא. וזהו שאמר אברהם אל נא, שהוא ראשי תיבות נדב אביהוא שהוא אליהו. תעבור מעל עבדך, דהיינו בעת שיהיה לישראל ברית מילה יהיה אליהו שם:
Genesis 18,3. “do not just pass by your servant.” Avraham was overcome with a sense of prophecy as soon as he saw these men. We have a tradition (Rashi, Baba Metzia 114) according to which the prophet Elijah was a priest; and that when Pinchas avenged the insult to G’d (Numbers 25,1-9, 11-15) perpetrated by Zimri and the people at Shittim, his soul linked up with those of Nadav and Avihu (who had been priests) and the letters in the word נא in our verse allude to the first letters in the names נדב, אביהו, so that he became henceforth identified with the prophet Elijah, who similarly was jealous on behalf of G’d. The words: תעבור מעל עבדך, “pass by your servant,” are an allusion to Elijah’s traditional role of briefly attending every circumcision of a Jewish baby, as a symbol of the importance of that covenant between the Jewish people and G’d.
כי על כן עברתם על עבדכם (בראשית יח, ה). לכאורה אין זה דרך שיאמר בעל הבית לאורח לזה באת אלי להתארח לאכול אצלי. ויתבאר כי כל המלאכים מקבלים שפע ממצות ישראל והקדוש ברוך הוא הוציא כאן חמה כו', ולא היה אברהם אבינו יכול לעשות מצות עם הכנסת אורחים ונמנע השפע מן המלאכים עליונים. וזה שאמר על כן עברתם על עבדכם, כדי שאקיים מצות הכנסת אורחים להשפיע בכם:
Genesis 18,5. “for this is why your journey has brought you to the house of your servant.” On the face of it, this is a very unusual manner of extending an invitation to passing strangers to partake of a meal with the host. The commentators explained that angels are recipients of the largesse provided by G’d for the Jewish people who have performed G’d’s commandments. In other words, it was G’d Himself, Who took the butter, etc., described in this verse, and served it to these strangers who were angels garbed in human clothing. Avraham, personally, was not able to perform his duties as an attentive host due to his not yet having recovered from the effects of the circumcision. Under normal circumstances, these men would have been denied his hospitality. He therefore explains that due to his having fulfilled the commandment of circumcision, they would in fact be partaking of a meal provided by G’d Himself. They had been sent to him so that he could take credit for hosting them.
We have to elaborate somewhat on the tradition that Avraham had been observing, voluntarily, all of the commandments that would later on be found in the Torah. The only exception he had made was the commandment of circumcision. In light of the fact that this commandment was the cornerstone of G’d’s covenant with the Jewish people, why would Avraham purposely have neglected to perform this commandment until being told to observe it?
We have to elaborate somewhat on the tradition that Avraham had been observing, voluntarily, all of the commandments that would later on be found in the Torah. The only exception he had made was the commandment of circumcision. In light of the fact that this commandment was the cornerstone of G’d’s covenant with the Jewish people, why would Avraham purposely have neglected to perform this commandment until being told to observe it?
לבאר הענין למה כל מצות קיים אברהם אבינו מעצמו ומצות מילה לא קיים רק עד שהיה הציווי מן השם עליו. ויבואר על פי מאמר רבותינו ז"ל שאל וכו' את רבי עקיבא איזה מעשים נאים מעשה הקדוש ברוך הוא או מעשה בשר ודם עיין שם, שהויכוח היה מה שהאדם נימול על ידי מעשה בשר ודם ועיין שם התירוץ. והנה באמת גדולים מעשה צדיקים להיות המעשה נעשה כרצונם אפילו לבטל רצון העליון. ומעשה המילה מורה על זה שהרצון הצדיקים גדול מרצון העליון. והנה באמת האב לאהבת בנו ולחיבתו יכול לומר לבנו מעשיך יהיה גדול ממעשי אבל שהבן יאמר לאב אף על פי שיודע שהאב אהב אותו ומחבבו חיבה יתירה מעשי גדול ממעשיך זה חס ושלום שהבן יאמר כן וכאשר מבואר ממצות מילה שמצות מילה מורה על הרצון התחתון גובר רצון העליון זה אי אפשר לעשות עד שיהיה הציווי מן השם עליו לעשות מחמת שזה מורה שמעשה התחתונים כנ"ל. ולכך לא מל אברהם אבינו עצמו עד שהיה הציווי מן השם עליו לעשות כנ"ל:
Midrash Tanchuma Tazria 5 relates that Turnus Rufus the wicked, engaged in an argument with Rabbi Akiva, concerning whose works are more impressive, G’d’s or Man’s? Rabbi Akiva, sensing a trap, promptly replied that man’s works are more impressive. Turnus Rufus, feeling outwitted, thereupon asked Rabbi Akiva since when “man” was able to create heaven and earth. Surely this was proof that G’d’s works are more impressive! Rabbi Akiva retorted that the subject under dispute did not concern the celestial regions, a domain to which man did not have access, but it dealt with works performed in the terrestrial regions. Thereupon Turnus Rufus questioned why the Jews circumcise themselves. Rabbi Akiva said: “I knew right away that you would raise this question, as in your mind this looks as if we criticize G’d as having made an imperfect creature when He made man, and we are ‘repairing’ G’d’s ‘oversight.’” He added that this was precisely why he had said immediately that man’s works are more significant. Rabbi Akiva then proceeded to show Turnusrufus a freshly baked roll, and some wheat kernels. He pointed to the wheat kernel as an example of G’d’s (nature’s) work, whereas the roll he described as an example of man’s works. He challenged Turnus Rufus to tell him which of the two he preferred. Thereupon, feeling outwitted, Turnus Rufus asked that if G’d did indeed prefer man without a foreskin, why did He equip him with a foreskin in the first place? Thereupon Rabbi Akiva asked, that according to Turnus Rufus argument, why is a baby born with an umbilical cord, which was to be cut off for the baby to start living outside the mother’s womb? If man was born with a foreskin, this was in order to enable his father, or himself, to circumcise himself and thus fulfill a commandment by His Creator.
From Rabbi Akiva’s answer to Turnus Rufus we learn why Avraham had waited for the commandment to circumcise himself, seeing that this is a commandment that can be fulfilled only once in a lifetime, the foreskin not growing back. It is a greater credit for man to perform G’d’s commandments when having been told to do so, than to merely do so because one assumes that this is what the Creator would want him to do. [Compare Baba Kamma 38 Ed.]
From Rabbi Akiva’s answer to Turnus Rufus we learn why Avraham had waited for the commandment to circumcise himself, seeing that this is a commandment that can be fulfilled only once in a lifetime, the foreskin not growing back. It is a greater credit for man to perform G’d’s commandments when having been told to do so, than to merely do so because one assumes that this is what the Creator would want him to do. [Compare Baba Kamma 38 Ed.]
ואקחה פת לחם וסעדו לבכם וכו' ויתן לפניהם ויאכלו (בראשית יח, ה-ח). יבואר על פי דכתב באור החיים על פירוש התורה, כי המלאכים אפילו מיכאל שר הגדול לפעמים נקרא כהן גדול ולפעמים נקרא בשם אחר. הבחינה הוא, כי המלאכים יש להם חיות מהמצות והתורה שעושים ישראל עם קדוש וכשישראל הם במדריגה אז נקרא מיכאל כהן גדול. וזהו ואקחה פת לחם, כי פת הוא מרמז על תורה שבכתב ושבעל פה כדאמרינן (מנחות לד:) פת באפריקי שתים, ולחם גם כן רומז על התורה כמאמר הכתוב (תהלים עח, כה) לחם אבירים אכל איש ולכו לחמי בלחמי (משלי ט, ה). וזהו ויאכלו, כי המלאכים החיות שלהם ממצות ישראל כשישראל עושים רצון הקדוש ברוך הוא ועושים מצותו ברוך הוא ונמצא שעשה המצוה של הכנסת האורחים. וזהו הרמז ויקח ויתן לפניהם, המצוה של הכנסת אורחים שעשה ויאכלו, מזה היה החיות שלהם. וזהו והוא עומד עליהם תחת העץ ויאכלו, כי העץ הוא תורה על שם הפסוק (משלי ג, יח) עץ חיים היא:
Genesis 18,5. “let me take a piece of bread so that you can refresh yourselves,……he presented it to them and they ate.” The true meaning of this verse has been best explained by the Or Hachayim, according to whom even the highest ranking angel, Michael is on occasion referred to as “High Priest,” whereas on other occasions he is known by another name. [Not in my edition of the אור החיים. Ed.] The point of this is to alert us to the fact that the standing, or even existence, of the angels in the celestial spheres, is affected by the mitzvah performance of the Israelites in the terrestrial part of the universe. When Israel is meticulous in the performance of G’d’s Torah, then the most senior of the angels in the celestial spheres assumes the title: “High Priest.” When Avraham spoke about a פת לחם, instead of merely פת, bread, he alludes to both the written and the oral Torah. The word פת refers to the written Torah, whereas the word לחם refers to the oral Torah. The word לחם in psalms 78,25 i.e. לחם אבירים, is an allusion to the Torah. According to the Talmud Menachot 34, the word פת amongst the Africans means “two.” [The latter half of the word: טוטפת. Ed.] The word is used as an allusion to Torah also in Proverbs 9,5, לכו לחמו בלחמי, “come and partake of My bread.” [Compare Alshich, pages 171-172, my translation of Proverbs. Ed.] When Avraham is now described as serving the angels, we may see in this the reward both for Avraham‘s having performed the circumcision on himself, as well as reward for the angels, their being hosted by a person of Avraham’s standing. [Perhaps the mitzvah of hospitality shown the angels by Lot in the following chapter was a factor in his being saved, whereas his wife was not. Ed.] When Avraham, in verse 8, is described as standing next to the angels while the latter were seated while eating, the “tree” mentioned in that verse may be a reference to the tree described as “tree of life” in Proverbs 3,18, i.e. an allusion to the Torah.
ונבאר מה דאיתא במדרש (בראשית רבה מט) דאברהם אבינו עליו השלום לאחר שאכלו אמר ברכו לאלהי עולם. למה לא אמר להם קודם האכילה שיברכו ברכה. אפס קודם היו גוים והאיך יקבלו עליהם עול מלכות שמים. אמנם לאחר שכבר אכלו עשו מצוה שזיכו את אברהם במצות הכנסת אורחים אם כן זה הזכות גרם להם שיהיו יכולין לקיים ולקבל עול מלכות שמים. ולכך אמרינן במדרש דמי שלא רצה לברך אחר האכילה אמר שישלם לו, כיון דלא נכנס בו ריח קדושה שמע מינה דלא כיון לזכות אותו במצות הכנסת אורחים למה לא ישלם:
This brings me to Bereshit Rabbah 49,4 where we are told that it was Avraham’s custom after having served his guests a meal to ask them to give thanks to the Creator of the universe. Why did Avraham not ask them to pronounce a benediction before they commenced eating, as is customary among Jews, and even among many gentiles? The reason may be that before eating these people were pagans, and how could they pronounce a blessing that implied that they had accepted the yoke of serving the one and only Creator? Having eaten, they had performed a commandment through conferring upon their host Avraham the merit of fulfilling the duty to be hospitable; having done so, they themselves had been given a merit by dint of having contributed to Avraham’s merits, so that now when they pronounced a blessing thanking the Lord Who provides food for all of His creatures, they were not mouthing empty phrases. This is why the Midrash continues by relating that if Avraham’s guests would refuse to recite a blessing to the Lord, he would demand that they return to him what they had eaten, etc, etc. The embarrassment caused the guest when he realized that he had partaken of what had not been intended for him, would usually cause the guest to reconsider. Avraham had explained to the guest that unless they provided him with the merit of having performed the commandment of being hospitable, they would in fact have robbed him of something that was his.
ונבאר עוד למה נתן אברהם למלאכים בשר ולא דגים. משום דרצה לזרז להם במצות ובבשר יש הרבה מצות שחיטה ומליחה וניקור אבל בדגים אין שום מצוה. אבל לעתיד לבוא יהיה העיקר הסעודה דגים ולכך סעודת לעתיד לבא נקראת סעודת לויתן. ואמרנו פירוש על מה שאמרו חכמינו ז"ל (בבא מציעא פו:) שאברהם אבינו עליו השלום האכיל למלאכים שלשה לשונות בחרדל. ונבאר על דרך שאמרו בגמרא במסכת ערובין פרק כיצד מעברין, ר' אשיאן כי הוי משתעי בלשון חכמה הוי אמר קריבו לי שור משפט בטור מסכן, ופירש רש"י טור מסכן היינו חרדל הר דל עיין שם. והנה שבא ללמד זכות על ישראל שיצא לאור משפטם ושלא יראה עמל בישראל חס וחלילה לזה אמר טור מסכן, היינו הר דל דאמרו חכמינו ז"ל (סוכה נב.) יצר הרע נדמה להם כהר והיצר טוב נקרא מסכן וחכמת המסכן בזויה (קהלת ט, טז) וכיון שגדול כח היצר הרע ונדמה כהר והיצר טוב הוא מסכן אין להאשימם על אשר לא זכרו את האיש המסכן ולולי זאת היו מסגלים מעשים טובים הרבה. וזה הרמז שהאכיל אברהם אבינו עליו השלום להמלאכים שלשה לשונות בחרדל, היינו הר דל שהוזכר להם זה שהיצר הרע נדמה כהר והיצר טוב כמסכן ולזאת לא יקטרגו חס ושלום על ישראל שלולי זאת שגדול כח היצר הרע שנדמה כהר והיצר טוב כמסכן היו עובדים את השם יתברך כראוי וכנכון:
While on the subject of the meal Avraham prepared for these heavenly guests, we need to understand why he served them meat instead of fish. The motivation may have been to afford his guests to perform many commandments in short order; in the terrestrial regions, nowadays, before being able to consume a meat meal many more commandments must be fulfilled than before preparing a fish meal. This is in contrast with the world to come, where, according to our tradition, G’d will present the righteous with a meal consisting of the Leviathan. There are many more commandments associated with the preparation of a meaty meal than with the preparation of a “fish meal,” i.e. Leviathan. (Baba Metzia 86) According to the Talmud, Avraham slaughtered three calves in order to be able to offer each of his guests a tongue and mustard (as seasoning), considered the choicest meat of the animal.
The Talmud Eyruvin 53 relates that when Rabbi Yossi bar Avion wished to say something that only people familiar with him would understand, he would say: ”עשו לי שור במשפט בטור מסכן;“ he deliberately used some Hebrew words, שור, במשפט, which have a different meaning in Aramaic. Similarly, the word חרדל used by our sages for the seasoning Avraham provided for his guests is really a translation of the words הר דל, “a low hill.” In short, the Rabbi making excuses for the errors committed by the Jewish people, referred to the evil urge as an almost insurmountable obstacle, a tall mountain, whereas the urge to do good given to every human being, appeared like a low hill, so that it is not surprising that many Jews many times found it difficult to climb over the tall mountain in order to avoid sinning. When the sages spoke of the “seasoning” Avraham served his guests, this is merely a euphemism for saying that he tried to provide his guests with merits by the type of food served that would make it relatively easy to overcome the temptations offered by the evil urge. When the angels would reflect on this, they in turn, in the future, would tone down their accusations against sinful Jews, having realized through their visit on earth how difficult it is to fight these temptations.
The Talmud Eyruvin 53 relates that when Rabbi Yossi bar Avion wished to say something that only people familiar with him would understand, he would say: ”עשו לי שור במשפט בטור מסכן;“ he deliberately used some Hebrew words, שור, במשפט, which have a different meaning in Aramaic. Similarly, the word חרדל used by our sages for the seasoning Avraham provided for his guests is really a translation of the words הר דל, “a low hill.” In short, the Rabbi making excuses for the errors committed by the Jewish people, referred to the evil urge as an almost insurmountable obstacle, a tall mountain, whereas the urge to do good given to every human being, appeared like a low hill, so that it is not surprising that many Jews many times found it difficult to climb over the tall mountain in order to avoid sinning. When the sages spoke of the “seasoning” Avraham served his guests, this is merely a euphemism for saying that he tried to provide his guests with merits by the type of food served that would make it relatively easy to overcome the temptations offered by the evil urge. When the angels would reflect on this, they in turn, in the future, would tone down their accusations against sinful Jews, having realized through their visit on earth how difficult it is to fight these temptations.
ונבאר עוד פירוש על מה לא נאמר באברהם אצל המלאכים ויעש להם משתה (בראשית כו, ל), כמו שנאמר גבי לוט ויעש להם משתה, וכן אצל סעודת אסתר שם כתיב (אסתר ז, ח) משתה היין. כי הכלל כשהצדיק אוכל עם הרשע על ידי זה הצדיק מעלה את הרשע וזה הוא עיקר השמחה כשהצדיק מעלה הניצוצות. והנה משתה הוא לשון שמחה. והנה בכאן שאכלו המלאכים אצל לוט שלא היה צדיק וכשאכלו המלאכים אצלו העלו המלאכים הניצוץ הקדוש שהיה בלוט כי אחר כך שאכלו הוציאו ממנו נשמת משיח שבא מרות ונמצא היה שם עליות נצוצות וזה הוא שמחה ולכן כתיב בו משתה, לשון שמחה. וכן על ידי המשתה שעשתה אסתר בא ישועה לישראל לכך גם כן כתיב בו משתה אבל מה שאכלו המלאכים אצל אברהם לא היה מזה עליות הנצוצות כי אברהם אבינו לא היה צריך לעליות המלאכים לכך לא כתיב שם משתה לשון שמחה:
We need to explain the absence of the expression: ויעש להם משתה, “he made a festive meal for them.” We find such an expression even when Lot served the angels a meager meal (Genesis 19,3) consisting primarily of unleavened bread of indeterminate age. We also find it when Esther prepared a sumptuous meal for her husband King Ahasverus (Esther 4,4, as well as 7,8) to which she had invited the wicked Haman, also. In that instance, it is clear that quantities of wine were served, hence the word משתה, which suggests liquid refreshments.
We have a rule that when a righteous person shares a meal with a wicked person, the wicked person’s spiritual status will become enhanced thereby. This is the moral justification for the joy at such a meal. During such a meal the tzaddik is able to elevate the sparks of the Shechinah which had descended into the terrestrial domains as a result of man succumbing to the seduction of the serpent. [Compare what we wrote on page 21-22.Ed.] The word משתה is basically a variant of the word שמחה, joy, so that when Lot offered the angels a meal which the Torah described as משתה, it was not a reference to the number of courses served, but to the atmosphere that prevailed during that meal. In that instance it was Lot’s moral status that became elevated due to the company of celestial beings at his table. As a result of the angels having eaten at his table, (and their having rescued him from Sodom) the soul of the messiah, that had lain dormant within Lot, was awakened somewhat so that he could become the father of a child whose descendant, Ruth, eventually became the ancestor of David, who in turn is the ancestor of the messiah. The joy generated at the meal Esther served the King and Haman, resulted in the salvation of the Jewish people at her time, due to her having elevated some of the sparks of the Shechinah that had lain dormant within her husband. Since Avraham was on a far higher moral/ethical level than either Lot or Ahasversus, there was no need for a משתה to bring the participants’ spiritual qualities to the fore. Hence there is no mention of this word, although Avraham had spared not effort to make it a tasty repast.
We have a rule that when a righteous person shares a meal with a wicked person, the wicked person’s spiritual status will become enhanced thereby. This is the moral justification for the joy at such a meal. During such a meal the tzaddik is able to elevate the sparks of the Shechinah which had descended into the terrestrial domains as a result of man succumbing to the seduction of the serpent. [Compare what we wrote on page 21-22.Ed.] The word משתה is basically a variant of the word שמחה, joy, so that when Lot offered the angels a meal which the Torah described as משתה, it was not a reference to the number of courses served, but to the atmosphere that prevailed during that meal. In that instance it was Lot’s moral status that became elevated due to the company of celestial beings at his table. As a result of the angels having eaten at his table, (and their having rescued him from Sodom) the soul of the messiah, that had lain dormant within Lot, was awakened somewhat so that he could become the father of a child whose descendant, Ruth, eventually became the ancestor of David, who in turn is the ancestor of the messiah. The joy generated at the meal Esther served the King and Haman, resulted in the salvation of the Jewish people at her time, due to her having elevated some of the sparks of the Shechinah that had lain dormant within her husband. Since Avraham was on a far higher moral/ethical level than either Lot or Ahasversus, there was no need for a משתה to bring the participants’ spiritual qualities to the fore. Hence there is no mention of this word, although Avraham had spared not effort to make it a tasty repast.
והוא עומד עליהם תחת העץ ויאכלו. הכלל הוא כמבואר שבעל הבית לא יהיה מתנהג בפני האורח יותר מגדולת האורח כדי שהאורח לא יקנא את בעל הבית. והנה צדיק נקרא מהלך שהולך תמיד ממדריגה למעלה למעלה ומלאך נקרא עומד וכאן רצה אברהם שלא יקנאו בו המלאכים התלבש עצמו בבחינת מלאך להיות עומד. וזהו והוא עומד עליהם:
Genesis 18,8. “He remained standing next to them while they ate.” We have a rule that the host should not visibly display physical satisfaction greater than that enjoyed by his guests. The reason for this rule is to avoid causing the guest to become jealous of the host. A tzaddik is also known as a מהלך, “a person constantly on an upward spiritual move,” [compare Zecharyah 3,7. Ed.] Angels, by comparison, are considered עומד, “standing still,” not ascending in a spiritual sense (as they do not have an evil urge to overcome). Avraham was anxious that his guests, the angels, should not become jealous of him; this is why he made a point of standing still.
ויאמר ה' אל אברהם למה זה וכו' ואני זקנתי (בראשית כו, יג). פירשו חכמינו ז"ל שהשם יתברך ברוך הוא שינה מפני דרכי שלום. ולכאורה יש להבין למה הוצרך לשנות שלא יתרעם אברהם אבינו עליו השלום באומרה ואדוני זקן, איזה צד תערומת שייך על אומרה ואדוני זקן, הלא אברהם אבינו בעצמו אמר (בראשית יז, יז) הלבן מאה שנה יולד. והנראה דבאמת שרה שאמרה אחרי בלותי כו', לא היתה כוונתה שלעת זקנתה לא תלד רק כוונתה היתה אם השם יתברך ברוך הוא וברוך שמו גזר אומר ליתן לי בן למה נתן לי אחר זקנתי למה לא נתן לי זה הבן מקודם. ואי מטעם דאמרו חכמינו ז"ל (חולין ס:) שהקדוש ברוך הוא מתאוה לתפילתן של צדיקים שרה אמנו היתה במדת ענוה באמת שהיה בדעתה שהיא יותר שפילה מכל העולם ומכל שכן שלא החזיקה עצמה לצדיקת וכיון שכן לא עלה על דעתה כלל שהשם יתברך ברוך הוא מתאוה לתפילתה גלל כן אמרה אחרי בלותי היתה לי עדנה, כוונתה היתה למה לא היה לה מקדם כיון שלפי דעתה לא עלה כלל על לבה שהשם יתברך מתאוה לתפילתה. אמנם דמה שאמרה ואדוני זקן, למה לא הוליד מקדם על זה שפיר יקשה דהשם יתברך מתאוה לתפילתו והאיך לא עלה על לבה שאברהם אבינו הוא צדיק גמור שהשם יתברך מתאוה לתפילתו. ולהכי שינה הקדוש ברוך הוא ואמר ואני זקנתי, שלא יפלא בעיני אברהם אבינו בשלמא על עצמה החזיקה במדריגת ענוה אבל על אברהם מאי קשיא לה ואדוני זקן, ולא מקודם שהשם יתברך מתאוה לתפילתו והבן:
Genesis 18,13. “the Lord said to Avraham: ‘why did Sarah laugh and say…that I am too old?” Our sages in Yevamot 65 point out that in this case G’d, i.e. His angels, deliberately misquoted what Sarah had said, by quoting her as describing herself too old to bear a child, whereas actually, she had described her husband as being too old. The Talmud uses this example to teach that a “white lie” is justified when it serves the purpose of preserving harmonious relations between husband and wife.
It is difficult to understand this example as Avraham himself had described himself as being too old to sire a child, when he said: הלבן מאה שנה יולד, “is a 100 year old man going to have child born for him?” (Genesis 17,17) Why would it bother him if his wife would merely confirm what he himself had already said? We may have to understand what Sarah said as being slightly different from what is commonly perceived. Sarah’s reaction to the angel’s prophecy [at a time when she was not even aware that he was an angel. Ed.] had referred to the miracle she had just experienced, i.e. אחרי בלותי היתה לי עדנה, “after I have stopped having the periods of women, I have suddenly been rejuvenated!” Her comment about her husband’s old age simply meant that as long as she had not observed a similar process of rejuvenation in her husband, how would her own rejuvenation alone contribute to the fulfillment of the prophecy? She may also have meant to imply that if G’d had wanted her to bear a child, why had He waited until after she had become too old for this to happen unless He performed a miracle?
The subject has been discussed in Yevamot 64 where one answer is that G’d is so anxious for the tzaddikim to pray to Him, that He will wait and delay His timetable, in order to be able to give credit to the tzaddikim who have turned to Him in supplication.
Sarah being an extremely humble person, never considered herself as being on the level of a tzadeket, a righteous woman, so that it never occurred to her that almighty G’d would feel in need of her prayers of supplication. On the other hand, she was not entitled to think that her outstandingly righteous husband had not seen fit to pray for children, so that when she referred to him as “old,” she meant that in spite of his prayers he had not been granted children, and that by now it was too late for this. If her real words had been reported to Avraham, this would have caused him anguish, so that the Torah, (G’d, i.e. His angel) decided to substitute the word אני for אדוני. A person’s humility must not be carried to the extent that he is humble on someone else’s account. This is the reverse of ‘humility,’ and borders on arrogance.
It is difficult to understand this example as Avraham himself had described himself as being too old to sire a child, when he said: הלבן מאה שנה יולד, “is a 100 year old man going to have child born for him?” (Genesis 17,17) Why would it bother him if his wife would merely confirm what he himself had already said? We may have to understand what Sarah said as being slightly different from what is commonly perceived. Sarah’s reaction to the angel’s prophecy [at a time when she was not even aware that he was an angel. Ed.] had referred to the miracle she had just experienced, i.e. אחרי בלותי היתה לי עדנה, “after I have stopped having the periods of women, I have suddenly been rejuvenated!” Her comment about her husband’s old age simply meant that as long as she had not observed a similar process of rejuvenation in her husband, how would her own rejuvenation alone contribute to the fulfillment of the prophecy? She may also have meant to imply that if G’d had wanted her to bear a child, why had He waited until after she had become too old for this to happen unless He performed a miracle?
The subject has been discussed in Yevamot 64 where one answer is that G’d is so anxious for the tzaddikim to pray to Him, that He will wait and delay His timetable, in order to be able to give credit to the tzaddikim who have turned to Him in supplication.
Sarah being an extremely humble person, never considered herself as being on the level of a tzadeket, a righteous woman, so that it never occurred to her that almighty G’d would feel in need of her prayers of supplication. On the other hand, she was not entitled to think that her outstandingly righteous husband had not seen fit to pray for children, so that when she referred to him as “old,” she meant that in spite of his prayers he had not been granted children, and that by now it was too late for this. If her real words had been reported to Avraham, this would have caused him anguish, so that the Torah, (G’d, i.e. His angel) decided to substitute the word אני for אדוני. A person’s humility must not be carried to the extent that he is humble on someone else’s account. This is the reverse of ‘humility,’ and borders on arrogance.
וה' אמר המכסה אני מאברהם כו' כי ידעתיו למען אשר יצוה את בניו ואת ביתו אחריו ושמרו דרך ה' לעשות צדקה ומשפט למען הביא ה' על אברהם (בראשית יח, יז-יט). הני תרתי למען אינו מובן. ועוד יש הרבה דקדוקים בפסוק ואין להאריך. ונראה פירוש הענין כך הוא, דשורש הדבר דהכתוב מספר צדקתו של אברהם. והנה כל העבדות של אברהם שעשה ועבד את השם באהבה ובשכל גדול הכל היה מעט בעיניו ולא היו נחשבים לו נגד טובות השם והנסים שנעשה עמו ולכך לא היה די בעיניו ואמר בלבו אף אם אתקן את עצמי בכל מיני עשיות ועובדות טובות מה אני. גלל כן התיישב את עצמו שאין זה מספיק מה שאני לבדי מקיים את המצות בשכל גדול רק הכניס עוד כוונה אחרת במחשבתו כשהיה מקיים איזה מצוה לעשותו בשם כל ישראל. דהנה כל ישראל היו כלולים במחשבתו ובמוחו של אברהם, כי הבן הוא גנוז בכח האב והנה במוחו של אברהם היה שורש וכלל מכל כנסת ישראל וזרע אברהם הבאים אחריו כל דור ודור עד עקבא דמשיחא ואם כן כשעשה איזה מצוה עשה עם כל הכוחות שלו ועם כל הענפים העתידים להתפשט ממנו. אם כן הגיע מזה שני טובות לבניו. אחד, כיון דהוא קיים כל המצות וכל מצות דרבנן והדקדוקי מצות ואפילו עירובי תבשילין אם כן כשעשה בשם כל ישראל היה עבודה דרבים אשר כל אחד מישראל קיים כל התרי"ג מצות בכח. ועוד נצמח טובה מזה העבדות שעשה דרך סלולה לזרעו אחריו שיוכלו להשיג שכליות המצות ולקיים אותם מחמת שכבר קיימו אותם פעם אחת בכח בצוותא עם אברהם אבינו אשר בקל כל אחד מישראל יכול להוציא הדבר מכח אל הפועל ולקיים המצוה בפועל ממש כיון שהשער הוא פתוח מימות אברהם:
Genesis 18,17. “and the Lord had said: ‘shall I conceal from Avraham….seeing that I have singled him out, that he may instruct his children and his posterity to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is just and right in order that the Lord may bring about for Avraham what He has promised him;”
Why does the Torah write twice: למען, “in order that, etc,” in this verse? There are numerous additional details in this verse which I do not wish to dwell on at this time due to their requiring lengthy answers.
Basically, the root of the problem G’d is addressing here is that the verse addresses the righteousness of Avraham seeing that all of Avraham’s devoted service to G’d originated in his love for G’d and his outstanding intellect. Due to his outstanding intellect, he realized that whatever he had done was very little compared to the vast amount of loving attention and miracles G’d had already showered upon him at various times in his life. As a result, Avraham did not for a moment consider that he had reciprocated sufficiently for what G’d had done for him. When pondering this dilemma, Avraham realized that the only way in which he could improve the quality of his service of the Lord was by being instrumental in getting others to follow his example. As long as he was not able to accomplish this to the extent he hoped for, he decided to view his service to G’d as being performed also on behalf of the entire Jewish people. He knew that it is within the power of someone given the title אב, “father,” or better, “patriarch,” to act as the High Priest of others in his service of the Lord. Having realized this, he not only intensified the performance of the Torah’s commandments that his intellect had convinced him would be part of the text of the Torah when it would be revealed, but he even understood what kind of safeguards the sages would surround Torah laws with in order to insure that Biblical laws would not be violated by the Israelites in the future.
When the sages tell us that Avraham even observed the halachah of ערוב תבשילין, (Yuma 28) precautionary preparation of food for the Sabbath following immediately after a festival, they merely wanted to illustrate that these laws were based on application of intelligence, and the sages’ ability to divine the reasons behind the basic legislation. How else would Avraham have been inspired to think of this? The sages chose this example to illustrate Avraham’s performance of the commandments, as when we nowadays, perform this commandment, we include in our benediction a statement that includes all of the people in our town as being included in our having performed this commandment. This Rabbinic ordinance has remained an illustration of how easy it is to include others in the performance of G’d’s commandments by having them in mind and acting as a branch of the tree planted by the first Jew, Avraham.
Why does the Torah write twice: למען, “in order that, etc,” in this verse? There are numerous additional details in this verse which I do not wish to dwell on at this time due to their requiring lengthy answers.
Basically, the root of the problem G’d is addressing here is that the verse addresses the righteousness of Avraham seeing that all of Avraham’s devoted service to G’d originated in his love for G’d and his outstanding intellect. Due to his outstanding intellect, he realized that whatever he had done was very little compared to the vast amount of loving attention and miracles G’d had already showered upon him at various times in his life. As a result, Avraham did not for a moment consider that he had reciprocated sufficiently for what G’d had done for him. When pondering this dilemma, Avraham realized that the only way in which he could improve the quality of his service of the Lord was by being instrumental in getting others to follow his example. As long as he was not able to accomplish this to the extent he hoped for, he decided to view his service to G’d as being performed also on behalf of the entire Jewish people. He knew that it is within the power of someone given the title אב, “father,” or better, “patriarch,” to act as the High Priest of others in his service of the Lord. Having realized this, he not only intensified the performance of the Torah’s commandments that his intellect had convinced him would be part of the text of the Torah when it would be revealed, but he even understood what kind of safeguards the sages would surround Torah laws with in order to insure that Biblical laws would not be violated by the Israelites in the future.
When the sages tell us that Avraham even observed the halachah of ערוב תבשילין, (Yuma 28) precautionary preparation of food for the Sabbath following immediately after a festival, they merely wanted to illustrate that these laws were based on application of intelligence, and the sages’ ability to divine the reasons behind the basic legislation. How else would Avraham have been inspired to think of this? The sages chose this example to illustrate Avraham’s performance of the commandments, as when we nowadays, perform this commandment, we include in our benediction a statement that includes all of the people in our town as being included in our having performed this commandment. This Rabbinic ordinance has remained an illustration of how easy it is to include others in the performance of G’d’s commandments by having them in mind and acting as a branch of the tree planted by the first Jew, Avraham.
ובזה יש ליישב פירוש מה שאמרו חכמינו ז"ל חייב כל אדם לומר מתי יגיעו מעשי למעשי אברהם יצחק ויעקב. דלכאורה הוא תמוה האיך יכול כל אדם לבוא למדריגה והשגה של אברהם שהוא מרכבה לימין חסדו יתברך. אבל באמת אין הכוונה להגיע למעשה אברהם עצמו רק למעשיו של אותו אדם עצמו כשהיה בשורש של אברהם כיון דכל אדם עשה כבר כל המצות בכוחו של אברהם ואם כן אינו צריך רק לשוב לשורשו ולכוחו של אברהם ולהוציא הדבר מכח אל הפועל ואז יוכל להשיג זה הבחינה של עשיה כמו שהיה בכחו של אברהם. וזה שאמר למעשי אברהם, רצה לומר כמו שכתבתי לעיל כשהיה העשיה בכוחו של אברהם:
Having explained this, we can now understand a statement by the sages [Tanna D'vei Eliyahu 25] according to which every Jew is to critically examine his mitzvah performance by asking himself; “when will I attain the level of serving G’d demonstrated by the patriarchs Avraham, Yitzchok, and Yaakov?” On the face of it, this seems to be an impossibility, as some of the commandments performed by the patriarchs are so unique that they can never be emulated in the true sense of the word! [Avraham’s offering his son Yitzchok on an altar, for instance. Ed.]
Our sages did not mean for this statement to be understood literally. They meant that our mitzvah performance, instead of being based primarily on our having seen our mentors performing the commandments, or in some cases, performing the commandments almost as a reflex movement, should be based on the kind of thoughts that prompted the patriarchs to perform these acts. Once we try and relive what must have gone through Avraham’s mind before he performed these commandments, we will have attained the proper frame of mind to perform the same acts, and it will be accounted as if we had done no less than the patriarchs did. [Some of these words are mine. Ed.]
Having said this, we can now better understand why G’d before carrying out judgment on the wicked people of Sodom and district, felt that He had to take Avraham into His confidence, i.e.
Our sages did not mean for this statement to be understood literally. They meant that our mitzvah performance, instead of being based primarily on our having seen our mentors performing the commandments, or in some cases, performing the commandments almost as a reflex movement, should be based on the kind of thoughts that prompted the patriarchs to perform these acts. Once we try and relive what must have gone through Avraham’s mind before he performed these commandments, we will have attained the proper frame of mind to perform the same acts, and it will be accounted as if we had done no less than the patriarchs did. [Some of these words are mine. Ed.]
Having said this, we can now better understand why G’d before carrying out judgment on the wicked people of Sodom and district, felt that He had to take Avraham into His confidence, i.e.
וזה שאמר הכתוב, המכסה אני מאברהם כו' כי אני ידעתיו. מלשון אהבה, רצה לומר אני אוהב אותו והתחיל לספר בשבח ומעלת אברהם בקיום מצותיו. וזה שאמר למען, רצה לומר עבור. אשר יצוה, רצה לומר לשון צוותא וחבור אשר יכוין לחבר בעשותו איזה מצוה אינו עושה אותו הוא לבדו רק את בניו ואת ביתו אחריו, רצה לומר שהוא עושה עם כל יוצאי חלציו וזרעו הבאים אחריו. וזהו שאמרו ושמרו דרך ה', לשון עבר, רצה לומר שנחשב כאילו שמרו כבר דרך השם כיון שכבר קיימו כל המצות וגם עשה דרך לבניו שיהיה להם קל אחר כך לעשות צדקה ומשפט. ועוד כוונתו למען הביא ה' על אברהם שכיון להנהיג את הבורא ברוך הוא ולהשפיע על כל שרשי הוי"ה ממדות אברהם שיתנהג בחסד כאשר הוא מתנהג להמשיך שפע ברכה ורחמים וחסדים לעולם אמן כן יהי רצון והבן:
Genesis 18,17 “How can I conceal from Avraham….seeing that I have known him intimately and want to encourage him to command Torah observance to his offspring, etc., etc.” This introductory verse is G’d’s way of demonstrating His love for Avraham to the whole world. He is not so much concerned with Avraham “ordering” his descendants to keep these commandments, as no one knows better than G’d that such “commandments” by a grandfather or great-grandfather, are usually observed in the breach, seeing that even HIS direct commandments are more often ignored than observed. The word יצווה in this verse is akin to צוותא, חברותא, friendly association, i.e. performance of G’d’s commandments collectively in a spiritually oriented community, each member of such a community drawing inspiration and additional strength form the other.
The fact that the words ושמרו דרך ה' לעשות צדקה ומשפט, are phrased in the past tense, i.e. “so that the generations following Avraham drew on his shining example in the past when performing righteousness and justice,” are G’d’s way of saying that when Jews in the future will act as Jews, a large part of the credit goes to their founding father Avraham. Avraham’s having had all of his descendants in mind when he performed G’d’s commandments, enabled them in later generations to emulate their ancestor. Seeing one’s father perform charitable deeds, i.e. showing that one considers oneself as merely an administrator of the wealth granted by Hashem, makes it easier for the son to follow in such footsteps.
The fact that the words ושמרו דרך ה' לעשות צדקה ומשפט, are phrased in the past tense, i.e. “so that the generations following Avraham drew on his shining example in the past when performing righteousness and justice,” are G’d’s way of saying that when Jews in the future will act as Jews, a large part of the credit goes to their founding father Avraham. Avraham’s having had all of his descendants in mind when he performed G’d’s commandments, enabled them in later generations to emulate their ancestor. Seeing one’s father perform charitable deeds, i.e. showing that one considers oneself as merely an administrator of the wealth granted by Hashem, makes it easier for the son to follow in such footsteps.
כי ידעתיו למען אשר יצוה את בניו וכו' למען הביא ה' על אברהם את אשר דיבר עליו. כי כשאדם מאמין באמונה שלימה שהקדוש ברוך הוא יתענג בהשפעתו לישראל אז מה שמבקש מהשם יתברך טובה וברכה הוא תענוג השם יתברך ותענוג השם יתברך בהשפעתו לישראל הוא מחמת שישראל הולכין ומחזיקים בתורת ה' על ידי זה מתענג בהשפעתו. וזהו למען אשר יצוה את בניו וכו' ושמרו דרך ה', שיצוה אותם להחזיק תורת ה' ועל ידי זה יתענג השם יתברך מהשפעתו. וזהו למען הביא ה' על אברהם כו', אז שפיר יכולין לחשוב שיבא על אברהם אשר דיבר עליו ולא יחשוב על מנת לקבל פרס, כי מה שהשם יתברך משפיע להם טובות הוא עבור תענוגו יתברך כיון שמחזיקים תורת ה' ודאי מתענג בהשפעתו להם והבן:
Turning to the second half of this verse in which G’d apparently links fulfillment of His promises to Avraham to the latter’s implanting his convictions in their hearts, i.e. למען אשר יצוה את בניו ואת ביתו אחריו, “in order that he will command (by testament) his sons and household after him, etc.,” how precisely are we to understand this?
When a person sincerely believes that G’d derives satisfaction from being given a reason for disbursing some of His largesse on the Jewish people, any blessing requested by an Israelite in his prayers is itself a source of pleasure for G’d, seeing that it reflects the Israelite observing the Torah and its commandments. The words: למען הביא ה' על אברהם, “in order that G’d can bring upon Avraham, etc.;” mean that the recipient of these blessings will perceive that Avraham is being rewarded when his offspring receives the blessings, both material and spiritual, from G’d. When this occurs, the Israelite who had prayed to G’d and had kept the commandments, will not be perceived as having done this so that he receives a reward for it.
When a person sincerely believes that G’d derives satisfaction from being given a reason for disbursing some of His largesse on the Jewish people, any blessing requested by an Israelite in his prayers is itself a source of pleasure for G’d, seeing that it reflects the Israelite observing the Torah and its commandments. The words: למען הביא ה' על אברהם, “in order that G’d can bring upon Avraham, etc.;” mean that the recipient of these blessings will perceive that Avraham is being rewarded when his offspring receives the blessings, both material and spiritual, from G’d. When this occurs, the Israelite who had prayed to G’d and had kept the commandments, will not be perceived as having done this so that he receives a reward for it.
באופן אחר כי ידעתיו למען אשר יצוה את בניו כו' לעשות צדקה ומשפט. צדקה, ואחר כך משפט ופעם כתיב עושה משפט וצדקה משפט קודם. הכלל הוא הקדוש ברוך הוא משפיע תמיד טובות על ישראל וזה הוא תענוג שלו כביכול כשישראל מקבלים ממנו שפע כמאמר חכמינו ז"ל (פסחים קיב.) יותר ממה שהעגל רוצה לינק וכו'. וזה הבחינה נקרא ד"ד שני דלתי"ן, כי ישראל הם ד' א' כמאמר חכמינו ז"ל דלה ועניה. וכמו כן התענוג מהבורא יתברך אין לו שלימות עד שישראל מקבלים ממנו והוא משפיע עליהם ונמצא הוא גם כן ד' א' ונמצא הם ב' דלתי"ן והבורא ברוך הוא שמו אל, וזהו הרמז (במדבר יא, כז) א"ל ד"ד ומידד מתנבאים כו'. והנה הבורא יתברך האציל בעצמו מדת אהבה והוא מדת אברהם לעשות חסד עם ישראל וכן האציל בעצמו מדת רחמים והוא מדת יעקב לרחם על ישראל והאציל בעצמו מדת משפט והוא מדת יצחק להכרית לשונאי ישראל. והנה משפט וצדק הוא בתחילה דין ואחר כך צדקה צדק ואחר כך משפט הוא יותר צדקה, כי יש שהבורא משפיע חסד מחמת שהוא רב חסד אבל אינו שוקל כמה ואיך יהיה גודל החסד ויש שהקדוש ברוך הוא משפיע רב חסד ושוקל איך וכמה יהיה החסד ומחמת ששוקל את החסד שמשפיע בזה הוא משפיע יותר חסד. ובחינת שוקל הוא משפט כמו הדיין ששוקל את הדין ומסתכל בבעל הדין איך לשפוט כן כביכול הבורא יתברך מסתכל על הדבר שמשפיע עליו חסדו ועל ידי זה משפיע עליו חסד גדול. וזהו הרמז צדק ומשפט וכו', והבן:
Yet another approach to the above verse. In this verse the Torah speaks of the performance of righteousness preceding the performance of justice, i.e. לעשות צדקה ומשפט, whereas elsewhere we find the reverse order of עושה משפט וצדקה. [Actually, in connection with G’d we do not find that order anywhere, we only find the sequence of עושה חסד, משפט וצדקה,“performing deeds of loving kindness, justice and righteousness,” in that order. David, on the other hand is described as :ויהי דוד עושה משפט וצדקה, “David used to mete out justice and righteousness.” Ed.] It is a rule that G’d always dispenses His largesse to the Jewish people, this being His only pleasure. The fact that the Jewish people are the recipients of His goodness gives Him satisfaction. Our sages in Pessachim 112 phrased it thus: “the mother cow is more desirous of suckling her calf than the calf is anxious to drink her milk.” [I am omitting the balance of this paragraph, as I have not understood it. Ed.]
We know that Yitzchok personified the characteristic/virtue of גבורה, steadfast bravery in face of overwhelming odds. We also know that G’d in His love for the Jewish people, arranged for the “cure” before the onset of the disease. (Megillah 13) (Compare Rashi who describes the period of the Jews’ exile and bondage as having commenced with the birth of Yitzchok. Exodus 12,40) The Torah’s describing the birth of Moav and Ammon, even before the birth of Yitzchok, is another example of the redemption being prepared by G’d even before the onset of exile, seeing that the messiah will be a descendant of Moav, Ruth in David’s maternal ancestry.
We know that Yitzchok personified the characteristic/virtue of גבורה, steadfast bravery in face of overwhelming odds. We also know that G’d in His love for the Jewish people, arranged for the “cure” before the onset of the disease. (Megillah 13) (Compare Rashi who describes the period of the Jews’ exile and bondage as having commenced with the birth of Yitzchok. Exodus 12,40) The Torah’s describing the birth of Moav and Ammon, even before the birth of Yitzchok, is another example of the redemption being prepared by G’d even before the onset of exile, seeing that the messiah will be a descendant of Moav, Ruth in David’s maternal ancestry.
וידוע שיצחק הוא גבורה מורה על גלות שהיא גבורה עיין ברש"י שגלות מצרים התחילה מלידת יצחק. וידוע מאמר חכמינו ז"ל שהשם יתברך מקדים רפואה למכה, לכן לידת עמון ומואב מלוט נאמר בפרשה זו קודם לידת יצחק, כי משיח בא ממואב, דהיינו מרות המואביה ומשום הכי נזכר לידת משיח שבא ממואב שהיא הרפואה בתורה קודם לידת יצחק והבן:
We know that Yitzchok personified the characteristic/virtue of גבורה, steadfast bravery in face of overwhelming odds. We also know that G’d in His love for the Jewish people, arranged for the “cure” before the onset of the disease. (Megillah 13) (Compare Rashi who describes the period of the Jews’ exile and bondage as having commenced with the birth of Yitzchok. Exodus 12,40) The Torah’s describing the birth of Moav and Ammon, even before the birth of Yitzchok, is another example of the redemption being prepared by G’d even before the onset of exile, seeing that the messiah will be a descendant of Moav, Ruth in David’s maternal ancestry.
וה' פקד את שרה כאשר אמר ויעש ה' לשרה כאשר דיבר. במדרש (בראשית רבה נג) הדא דכתיב (תהלים קיט, פט) לעולם ה' דברך נצב בשמים, אלו דברים שאמרתי לאברהם בהשמים וכו'. ונראה דהנה לכאורה יקשה דמה בא הכתוב להשמיענו דפקד השם את שרה כאשר אמר דודאי הקדוש ברוך הוא מקיים דברו ההוא דבר ולא יקימנה, וכי בן אדם הוא ויתנחם, והלא אמרו חכמינו ז"ל (ברכות ז.) כל דיבור שיצא מפי הקדוש ברוך הוא לטובה אפילו על תנאי אינו חוזר:
Genesis 21,1. “Hashem took note of Sarah as He had promised, and He did for Sarah as He had said.” Bereshit Rabbah 53,4 understands this verse as reflecting the truth of what the psalmist said in psalms 119,89 לעולם ה', דברך נצב בשמים, “The Lord exists forever; Your word stands firm in heaven.” The author of the Midrash queries, rhetorically, if David meant that G’d’s word does not stand firm on earth? He explains that what the psalmist had in mind was that the promise G’d made to Avraham He had made in heaven, i.e. when the angel announced that Yitzchok’s birth would occur at a time prearranged in heaven. (In Genesis 15,5, long before the angel announced Yitzchok’s impending birth, G’d had take Avram outside his tent and had make him look at the heaven telling him that he would father children and that the would be as numerous as the stars in the heaven.) For our sages in B’rachot 7 the verse is understood to make the point that even when G’d makes a conditional promise, He will keep it. The Talmud there uses as its proof Deuteronomy 9,14 where G’d had suggested that He would trade the Jewish people who had made the golden calf for a new Jewish people founded by Moses.
אבל שורש הענין כך הוא. דהנה יש חילוק בין לשון פקידה לזכירה. דהנה איתא בזוהר הקדוש דפקידה היא לנוקבא וזכירה הוא לדכורא דלשון פקידה הוא מורה על דבר שקיבל מאיזה בחינה הקודם לו. ושורש הדבר כך הוא, דודאי כל הבטחות שהבטיח הקדוש ברוך הוא לישראל אנו בטוחים שבוודאי יקיים לנו השם יתברך הבטחתו ליתן לישראל ולהשפיע להם כל הטובות והברכות אך דכשהקדוש ברוך הוא מבטיח לעשות איזה דבר טובה בוודאי כשהטובה ההוא קשורה עדיין אצלו וכמוס בכוחו אין חילוק בין עבר להוה ועתיד. אך בפני המקבלים כשמצריכים לקבל דבר ההוא שאז צריכים להוציא הדבר מכח אל הפועל להביא אותו אל התגלות שיהיה במהרה, כי כשהוא עדיין נעלם במחשבה הוא באתכסיא והוא בעלמא דאתי בעולם העתיד רצה לומר שעתידה להתגלות אבל עדיין הדבר ההוא בהעלם. והמשכח הדבר ההוא מן העתיד אל ההוה הוא באמונה, רצה לומר כיון שהצדיק מאמין בדבר שבוודאי יקיים השם הבטחתו ומצפה בכל שעה ומתלהב שיתקיים הדבר ההוא ואותו התשוקה והתלהבות והצפוי של הצדיק הבא על ידי האמונה אותו הדבר מחבר המחשבה עליונה של הבטחה וממשיכו לאמונה:
Our author proceeds to tackle the problem from another angle. In order to get to the root of the matter we must remember that the word פקד and the word זכר, both loosely translated as “to remember,” are not interchangeable. The Zohar explains that the word פקד is used in connection with the feminine parts of the emanations, whereas the word זכר belongs to the masculine side of these emanations. It follows that the word פקידה, implies that the party remembered had previously “received” something [as the feminine is always perceived in terms of being a receptacle. Ed.] The “root,” i.e. origin of all promises received is G’d. When G’d gives a promise to Israel we rely on this promise absolutely. We have no doubt that He will shower His largesse upon us at the appropriate time. It is also clear that when G’d promises to do something for us, that this “something” is still securely under His control. At the same time, we need to remember that due to G’d being eternal, i.e. timeless, He does not think in terms of “past” and “future.” Concepts such as “past” and “future” are relevant only to the potential recipients of the promises made by G’d. For the recipients of the promise, it remains in the realm of the potential rather than actual. For them, the time when such a promise will be fulfilled is something concealed, i.e. it exists only in the “future.” The period that elapses between the promise being made and its fulfillment is what we call אמונה, “faith.” Since a tzaddik never doubts that the promise will be fulfilled, the period during which he expects fulfillment bonds him to his Creator on an ongoing basis. G’d considers this period as one in which the tzaddik displays his faith.
וזה פירוש הפסוק (תהלים קיט, פט) לעולם ה' דברך נצב בשמים, רצה לומר שהדיבור של הבטחת הטובה ההוא כשהוא ברוחניות הוא באתכסיא ועומד בשמים. אבל בזה שלדור ודור אמונתיך (שם קיט, צ) רצה לומר על ידי האמונה כוננת ארץ, רצה לומר עשית ותקנת כלי להתגלות הדבר. והנה זה מצינו באברהם אמירה ודיבור אמירה היא בחשאי כל זמן שהוא בדקות באתכסיא ודיבור הוא באתגלייא. וזה שאמר רש"י בצחות לשונו כאשר אמר בהריון, רצה לומר שהיה אצל שרה ב' דברים. הריון, רצה לומר כשהיה הדבר עדיין במחשבה באתכסיא לא המשיך רק הריון שהוא גם כן באתכסיא וזהו בחינת אמירה. אבל ויעש ה' לשרה, רצה לומר תיקנה ועשאה כלי לקבל הדבר לבא להתגלות וזהו בחינת דיבור וזהו כאשר דיבר ומזה בא הלידה כנ"ל והבן:
When David in psalm 119,89 says: he means that G’d’s word, promising to do good things for Israel, refers to the period during which the “promise” is in limbo in heaven awaiting being converted into reality. [The word עולם, derived from נעלם does not only mean “forever,” but primarily “hidden,” seeing the distant future is hidden from us. Ed.] When used as “forever,” by David, it means that our faith in G’d fulfilling His promise is unlimited, our patience inexhaustible. When David, in verse 90 adds the words כוננת ארץ ותעמוד, “You have established the earth and it stands,” he refers to G’d having created the appropriate vessel designed to reveal this principle in the person of Avraham.
When we find the Torah using the expressions פקד and זכר respectively to describe different nuances of remembering, we find the expressions דבור and אמר, as similar nuances of “speaking,” or “saying.” The word אמירה, אמר is used when the statement made by one’s mouth was made discreetly, not publicly, whereas the word דבור,דבר is used when the spoken word was said in public. Rashi already refers to the fact that the expression אמר when used in the verse above refers to Sarah’s being pregnant, something private not seen by everybody, whereas the word דבר applies to Sarah having given birth, something very public. By that time Sarah had become the instrument used by G’d to show to one and all that He fulfills His promise.
When we find the Torah using the expressions פקד and זכר respectively to describe different nuances of remembering, we find the expressions דבור and אמר, as similar nuances of “speaking,” or “saying.” The word אמירה, אמר is used when the statement made by one’s mouth was made discreetly, not publicly, whereas the word דבור,דבר is used when the spoken word was said in public. Rashi already refers to the fact that the expression אמר when used in the verse above refers to Sarah’s being pregnant, something private not seen by everybody, whereas the word דבר applies to Sarah having given birth, something very public. By that time Sarah had become the instrument used by G’d to show to one and all that He fulfills His promise.
או יבואר, וה' פקד את שרה כאשר אמר ויעש ה' לשרה כאשר דבר (בראשית כא, א). לבאר הכפל לשון עיין רש"י, כי רבותינו ז"ל אמרו כשהשם יתברך עושה נס מנכה מזכיותיו וכשפקד השם יתברך שרה דהוה נס שיהיה להם בן לעת זקנותם ורצה שלא ינוכה להם מזכיותיהם לכן הבטיח להם קודם שיהיה להם בן כנזכר בקרא ואז כשפקד השם יתברך וקיים להם שיהיה להם בן בדין הוא שלא ינוכה להם מזכיותיהם, כי מה שנתן להם הוא לקיים הבטחתו. אמנם אי לא היה מבטיח להם קודם אז כשהיה נותן להם בן אז היו מנוכים מזכיותיהם. זהו וה' פקד את שרה כאשר אמר, פירוש כאשר כבר הבטיח להם בן. ושלא תקשה למה לי ההבטחה מפרש הכתוב ויעש ה' לשרה כאשר דיבר, פירוש שזה העשיה שעשה היה כאשר דבר לקיים הבטחתו וממילא על ידי זה נמשך פעולה שלא לנכות מזכיותיהם, כי העשיה היה לקיים ההבטחה ומצד הדין אין לנכות על ידי העשיה שהיה להם בן באשר שדבר מלך יצא עליו כביכול לקיים הבטחתו לטובה והבן:
A different approach to understanding the verse וה' פקד את שרה כאשר אמר, ויעש ה' לשרה כאשר דבר, “G’d remembered Sarah as He had said, and He did for her as he had stated.” Why is it necessary for the Torah to state twice that G’d kept His promise? Who had doubted it? The Talmud Taanit 20 states that when G’d goes out of His way to perform a miracle for an individual, this is used to deduct from the merits that individual had accumulated up to that point. If G’d had performed a miracle for Sarah and made her become pregnant and bear a son, this would have been held against her accumulated merits. In order to avoid this, G’d announced to Sarah and Avraham beforehand that they would have a son, etc., so that when the time came for Sarah to give birth, this was first and foremost not a miracle, but G’d was simply fulfilling a duty, a promise He had made previously. This is why the story of Yitzchok’s birth is prefaced by the verse above in which the Torah reminds us of the promises G’d had made concerning that subject. The line commencing with ויעש ה', “G’d carried out, etc.” is a reminder that what follows is merely the fulfillment of something that had been promised much earlier.
ועל פי זה יובן שבפרשת לך לך קודם שמל אברהם אבינו הבטיח לו השם יתברך שתלד לו שרה את יצחק כנאמר (בראשית יז, יט) אבל שרה אשתך יולדת לך בן וכו', כי מצות שעשה אברהם אבינו עליו השלום אחר המילה הם היו זכים וצלולים שהיה נימול כבר והשם יתברך לא רצה לנכות ממצות שיעשה אחר המילה שרצה הקדוש ברוך הוא שמצות אלו שהם זכים וצלולים יעמדו ויתקיימו לדורות להגן על כל זרע ישראל לכן הבטיח קודם המילה שעל ידי זה לא ינכה ממצות שעשה אחר המילה, כי הוא הבטיח לו קודם המילה שיהיה לו יצחק והשם יתברך כביכול קיים הבטחתו והבן:
Once we appreciate this we can also understand why in parshat Lech lecha prior to Avram being commanded to circumcise himself, G’d promised him that he would father a son from Sarah. (Genesis 17,15-16) This meant that the reward for all the commandments Avraham would perform subsequently would not be offset against accumulated merits in respect of miracles G’d would perform for him. These “miracles” would be viewed as fulfillment of what G’d “owed” him, i.e. promises made but not yet fulfilled.
צחוק עשה לי אלהים כו' (בראשית כא, י). הנה שכוונת השם יתברך במה שפקדם לעת זקנותם ולא כדרך כל הארץ בשני נעורים כדי שתצטער על זה ואחר כך כשיפקוד אותה יהיה שמחה גדולה, כי הדבר שבא בנקל בלי שום צער אין בה שמחה. וזהו פירוש צחוק עשה לי אלהים, פירוש אלהים בחינת דין שמנע ממני פרי בטני עד עתה זמן רב עשה לי צחוק ושמחה. וזהו רמז בפסוק (תהלים קיח, כא) אודך כי עניתני ועל ידי כן ותהי לי לישועה (שם) כוונת הענין הוא בשביל הישועה וזהו גם כן כוונת הפסוק (שם קיח, כב) אבן מאסו הבונים ואחר כך היתה לראש פינה ואמר (שם קיח, כג) מאת ה' היתה זאת, כלומר בזה שעניתני בתחילה ואחר כך בא הישועה בזה אני מבין כי מאת ה' היתה זאת ולא כן כשהשם יתברך נותן לאדם הטוב מנעוריו אינו מבחין שהוא מהשם יתברך ואומר מקרה הוא אבל כשיש לו רע בתחלה ואחר כך משמח אותו הבורא ברוך הוא בישועתו ופודה אותו מצרה וצוקה אז מבחין שבהשגחת השם יתברך כל העולם תלוין ומאתו היתה לו זה וזה היא נפלאת בעינינו (שם) ואמר זה היום עשה ה', כדי שעל ידי כן נגילה ונשמחה בו. והענין שבהשפעות השם יתברך יש בבחינת המקבלים ב' כיתות יש כת אחד שהם משמחים עצמם בהשפע עצמו ויש כת ב' שהם חכמים ומשכילים האמת לאשורו ושמחתם שעל ידי השפע הזאת רואה איך שהשם יתברך משגיח בעינא פקיחא ומראה חבתו היש שמחה גדולה מזה שידע האדם שמלך אדיר גדול ונורא משגיח עליו. וזהו שאמר דוד זה היום, דהיינו האור והטוב שהשם יתברך משפיע. עשה ה' נגילה ונשמחה בו, בהשם יתברך עצמו:
Genesis 21,6. “G’d has made laughter for me.” Sarah realized that if G’d had granted her children in her old age instead of during her child-bearing years, He had multiplied the joy she experienced by this birth. Had she given birth in her younger years the pregnancy and subsequent birth would have been periods of discomfort and pain for her. Now, that she had not become pregnant until she was close to 90 years old, every day of that pregnancy had been filled with joyful expectation, and even the birth itself was not felt by her as an excruciatingly painful experience. Instead of thanking G’d in His capacity as Hashem, as we might have expected, she thanked Him in His capacity as אלוקים, the attribute of Justice, realizing that during all the years she had felt deprived of the joys of motherhood, the attribute of Justice seemingly being applied to her, had enabled her to exult in joy at this time.
This feeling of Sarah is reflected in psalms 118,21:אודך כי עניתני ותהי לי לישועה, “I wish to thank You, for You have afflicted me/answered me. For through my affliction my salvation has come.” The same thought is repeated in a different nuance, when David continues (verse 22) אבן מאסו הבונים היתה לראש פנה, “the stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” David adds, that it has become clear to him that all of this had been planned by G’d in advance, i.e. (verse 23) מאת ה' היתה זאת היא נפלאת בעינינו, “this is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.” David too, is aware that it is far more rewarding to experience these blessings from G’d in one’s mature years than in one’s early youth. When a youth experiences all these blessings, he does not even recognize them as blessing bestowed by G’d, but credits them to chance or other circumstances. Having experienced G’d’s salvation at a relatively late stage in one’s life makes one doubly grateful to Hashem, i.e. זה היום עשה ה' נגילה ונשמחה בו, “this is the day that the Lord has made, let us exult and rejoice on it.”
When examining the manner in which G’d shares out His largesse, we must distinguish between two categories of recipients. One category enjoys the material benefits provided by Hashem for what they are worth, i.e. they consider the material part as the essential part, not considering them as a means to an end. The second category of recipients are the sages and the pious people who perceive these “gifts” as proof of the caring supervision exercised by G’d over all of His creatures, and they see in it an encouragement to never forget that there is a benevolent King Who rules over us. This is what David referred to when he said in the above-quoted hymn:זה היום עשה ה' נגילה ונשמחה בו, “this is the day that the Lord has made let us rejoice and be happy in Him.” They see in the word בו at the end of this verse a reference to G’d, not to the day.
This feeling of Sarah is reflected in psalms 118,21:אודך כי עניתני ותהי לי לישועה, “I wish to thank You, for You have afflicted me/answered me. For through my affliction my salvation has come.” The same thought is repeated in a different nuance, when David continues (verse 22) אבן מאסו הבונים היתה לראש פנה, “the stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” David adds, that it has become clear to him that all of this had been planned by G’d in advance, i.e. (verse 23) מאת ה' היתה זאת היא נפלאת בעינינו, “this is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.” David too, is aware that it is far more rewarding to experience these blessings from G’d in one’s mature years than in one’s early youth. When a youth experiences all these blessings, he does not even recognize them as blessing bestowed by G’d, but credits them to chance or other circumstances. Having experienced G’d’s salvation at a relatively late stage in one’s life makes one doubly grateful to Hashem, i.e. זה היום עשה ה' נגילה ונשמחה בו, “this is the day that the Lord has made, let us exult and rejoice on it.”
When examining the manner in which G’d shares out His largesse, we must distinguish between two categories of recipients. One category enjoys the material benefits provided by Hashem for what they are worth, i.e. they consider the material part as the essential part, not considering them as a means to an end. The second category of recipients are the sages and the pious people who perceive these “gifts” as proof of the caring supervision exercised by G’d over all of His creatures, and they see in it an encouragement to never forget that there is a benevolent King Who rules over us. This is what David referred to when he said in the above-quoted hymn:זה היום עשה ה' נגילה ונשמחה בו, “this is the day that the Lord has made let us rejoice and be happy in Him.” They see in the word בו at the end of this verse a reference to G’d, not to the day.
וזהו הענין וזרח משעיר למו הופיע וכו' (דברים לג, ב), הנה לכל מבין יקשה הלא כבר חלקו עשו עם יעקב קודם הלידה עם ב' עולמות זה נטל חלקו בעולם הזה וזה נטל חלקו בעולם הבא, אם כן מהיכן אנו מקבלים שפע עולם הזה. ואם תאמר שכר מצוה, הא שכר מצוה בהאי עלמא ליכא כנודע. אלא הענין, שכל אדם מישראל צריך לעבוד הבורא בדביקות והתלהבות הנפש מאוד בכל עת ורגע כמו שהשם יתברך משגיח עליו בכל עת ורגע ואינו מניח אותו חלילה בלי השגחה אפילו רגע אחד וזהו רחמנות השם יתברך שמראה לו לפעמים לאדם שמשגיח בנתנו שפע רב ואין זו שכר מצוה רק הכונה לעבדו על להבא ואז אפילו על פי פשוט יכול להבין שהשם יתברך משגיח עליו ואינו מניחו רגע בלי השגחה וזהו כוונת וזרח משעיר למו, מחלק השייך לשעיר. וכן הופיע וכו', היינו קושיא הנ"ל. והתירוץ מימינו אש דת למו (שם) רצה לומר מה שנותן להם חלק משעיר הוא מימינו, מחמת אהבת השם יתברך המכונה בשם ימינו. וזהו אש דת למו, היינו שיתלהב לבם על מה שנתן למו. ולזה הטעם קרא אברהם שם בנו יצחק, כי בא מחמת שהיה שמח בביאתו לכן היה יצחק בבחינת יראה, כי בא בעבור שמחה ושמחה שורשה אש ואש היא יראה. והנה בחינת שמחה אינה תמידיות כי הוא בבחינת מקבל מזה שגרם השמחה והחכמה שלה היא תמידית, וזהו החכמה תחיה בעליה (קהלת ז, יב) והנה מחשבה אותיות בשמחה ומחשבה היא ראשונה ותמידיות וכשאדם בא לאין ומדבק עצמו במקור החיים ואז שופע עליו חיות ואז בא לעולם התמורה ומעלה אותו לאדון הכל להיות הכל דבוק בהשם יתברך חי וקיים לעד וזהו סוד והיה הוא ותמורתו יהיה קודש (ויקרא כז, י) וזהו שאמרו חכמינו ז"ל (ירושלמי ברכות ב, ד) בט' באב נולד משיח, כי אז הוא עולם התמורה ואז יכול להיות הגאולה:
When Moses, in Deuteronomy 32,2 describes G’d as וזרח משעיר למו הופיע מהר פארן, “the Lord shone upon them from Seir, He appeared from Mount Paran,” every intelligent person must ask that Esau and Yaakov had been separated already prior to their respective births, and that the two represented two totally opposite perceptions of what life and the world is all about, one deciding in favour of worldly goods, whereas Yaakov decided in favour of spiritual values, so what point was there in G’d offering the Torah to the descendants of Esau? At the same time, since when do we the descendants of Yaakov, expect to have a share in G’d’s largesse on this earth? Does the Talmud Kidushin: 39 not teach us not to expect a reward for serving the Lord while we walk on this earth?
The answer to this question is this: Every Israelite is obligated by being part of the covenant between Israel and G’d, to serve the Lord enthusiastically and meticulously with all his soul at all times. Just as G’d supervises his well being every minute of every hour, so, in turn he is obliged to serve the Lord. When G’d on occasion supplies a Jew with material benefits, these are not to be understood as part of the reward for his mitzvah performance. It may be understood as an encouragement to the person concerned, to serve the Lord with even greater devotion and intensity. When Moses speaks of מימינו אש דת למו, “from His right side the fire had turned into law,” he meant that if G’d decided to give the Jewish people, or some of the Jewish people, part of the material comforts that had originally been allocated to Seir, i.e. Esau, He referred to G’d’s “right side”, the side exuding love. G’d intended that by doing so even the ordinary Jew who is not steeped in Torah learning will respond to G’d’s Torah with more enthusiasm when he feels that G’d had singled him out for loving care.
This is one of the reasons why Avraham called his son Yitzchok, the name reflecting the joy he felt at being granted this son by Sarah. If Yitzchok developed into a personality symbolizing יראה, awe, this was because he was rooted in שמחה, joy, and joy‘s root in turn is fire. [If I understand the author correctly, the joy described as “fire” is the enthusiasm, almost ecstasy, with which such a person serves his G’d. Ed]. The characteristic יראה is not one that is manifest in the person who possesses it all the time, as it is in the nature of being a response to certain stimuli, in this instance the external “cause” is G’d Himself. This characteristic becomes manifest in response to external stimulants. This is what Solomon had in mind when he said in Kohelet 7,12 ויתרון דעת חכמה תחיה בעליה, ”and the advantage of knowledge is that it adds an additional dimension to the life of him who possesses it..”
It is significant that the letters in the word מחשבה, “thought,” are the same as in the word בשמחה,”with joy.”מחשבה is an attribute that is both primary and constant. If a person reduces himself to the אין, negating all interest in the physical part of the world, having done this he is able to attach himself to the source of all “Life.” When this has occurred, a new “LIFE” is bestowed on him, a life in a different world, one in which he is elevated to be close to Eternal G’d. This concept is portrayed in the Torah in Leviticus 27,10 where the subject is the person who donates to הקדש, G’d’s representative on earth, his “net worth,” as defined according to his age. Having done so, the Torah there describes him as והיה הוא ותמורתו יהיה קודש, “then both he and his substitute will be holy.” Concerning this procedure the sages in the Jerusalem Talmud B’rachot 2,4 said: the messiah was born on the 9th day of Av, he being the exchange for the Jewish world which had been destroyed on that day (when the Temple was burned). We find an allusion to this negating the physical world and being “reincarnated,” when Avraham before proceeding to offer his son Yitzchok as a total burnt offering, tells the servants attending them, that “we will go, and prostrate ourselves and return to you.” (Genesis 22,5)
The answer to this question is this: Every Israelite is obligated by being part of the covenant between Israel and G’d, to serve the Lord enthusiastically and meticulously with all his soul at all times. Just as G’d supervises his well being every minute of every hour, so, in turn he is obliged to serve the Lord. When G’d on occasion supplies a Jew with material benefits, these are not to be understood as part of the reward for his mitzvah performance. It may be understood as an encouragement to the person concerned, to serve the Lord with even greater devotion and intensity. When Moses speaks of מימינו אש דת למו, “from His right side the fire had turned into law,” he meant that if G’d decided to give the Jewish people, or some of the Jewish people, part of the material comforts that had originally been allocated to Seir, i.e. Esau, He referred to G’d’s “right side”, the side exuding love. G’d intended that by doing so even the ordinary Jew who is not steeped in Torah learning will respond to G’d’s Torah with more enthusiasm when he feels that G’d had singled him out for loving care.
This is one of the reasons why Avraham called his son Yitzchok, the name reflecting the joy he felt at being granted this son by Sarah. If Yitzchok developed into a personality symbolizing יראה, awe, this was because he was rooted in שמחה, joy, and joy‘s root in turn is fire. [If I understand the author correctly, the joy described as “fire” is the enthusiasm, almost ecstasy, with which such a person serves his G’d. Ed]. The characteristic יראה is not one that is manifest in the person who possesses it all the time, as it is in the nature of being a response to certain stimuli, in this instance the external “cause” is G’d Himself. This characteristic becomes manifest in response to external stimulants. This is what Solomon had in mind when he said in Kohelet 7,12 ויתרון דעת חכמה תחיה בעליה, ”and the advantage of knowledge is that it adds an additional dimension to the life of him who possesses it..”
It is significant that the letters in the word מחשבה, “thought,” are the same as in the word בשמחה,”with joy.”מחשבה is an attribute that is both primary and constant. If a person reduces himself to the אין, negating all interest in the physical part of the world, having done this he is able to attach himself to the source of all “Life.” When this has occurred, a new “LIFE” is bestowed on him, a life in a different world, one in which he is elevated to be close to Eternal G’d. This concept is portrayed in the Torah in Leviticus 27,10 where the subject is the person who donates to הקדש, G’d’s representative on earth, his “net worth,” as defined according to his age. Having done so, the Torah there describes him as והיה הוא ותמורתו יהיה קודש, “then both he and his substitute will be holy.” Concerning this procedure the sages in the Jerusalem Talmud B’rachot 2,4 said: the messiah was born on the 9th day of Av, he being the exchange for the Jewish world which had been destroyed on that day (when the Temple was burned). We find an allusion to this negating the physical world and being “reincarnated,” when Avraham before proceeding to offer his son Yitzchok as a total burnt offering, tells the servants attending them, that “we will go, and prostrate ourselves and return to you.” (Genesis 22,5)
ולזה כיונו חכמינו ז"ל במדרש פרשה זו ונשתחוה ונשובה אליכם, אמר ר' יהודה הכל בזכות השתחויה אברהם לא חזר מהר המוריה כו'. שהשתחויה מורה על השפלות מחמת הסתכלות בגדלות מי שהשתחוה אליו מבין שפלות עצמו ובא לאין ומכח זה נמתקים כל הדינים. ולזה אמר אברהם אבינו עליו השלום לא חזר מהר המוריה שלם אלא בהשתחויה, כי על ידי שבא לאין חזר לשלום בלי שום פגע כי היה ממתיק מעליו כל הדינין וכן התורה לא נתנה אלא בהשתחויה, דהיינו על ידי אין שנתדבקו באין והיו יכולין לקבל את התורה. וזהו והשתחויתם מרחוק, רצה לומר השתחויה שתבואו לאין מרחוק שתהיה מרוחק ומופשט מאצליכם ועל ידי זה יהיו מוכנים לקבל את התורה. וזהו רמז מרחוק ה' נראה לי, כשאני מרחוק שאין אני אצלי במחשבה כלל אזי ה' נראה לי. וכן הגלות אין אנו מתכנסין אלא בזכות השתחויה שעל ידי שיבואו למדת אין יסתום פיות המקטריגים שנאמר (ישעיה כז, יג) והיה ביום ההוא יתקע וכו' והשתחוו וכו', ודוק היטב:
Rabbi Yitzchok in Bereshit Rabbah 56,2 comments on this as follows: “the only reason that Avraham was able to keep his promise to the lads that he would return from Mount Moriah (alive), is that he prostrated himself there before the Lord, [something beyond what the Lord had asked of him when He commanded him to offer his son Yitzchok as a burnt offering.” Ed.] This is why hundreds of years later his descendants were redeemed from Egypt, as G’d explained to Moses in Exodus 3,12 and as the Israelites did in Exodus 4,31. This השתחויה, “prostration before the Lord,” symbolized that the person doing so abandoned any claim that he might have had to the material benefits that life on earth offers. This is also what enables G’d to “sweeten” i.e. remove the sting, of any judgments man is subjected to by the attribute of Justice. Avraham’s example of reducing himself to אין or אפס, “nothing,” paved the way for his descendants to emulate him and to be redeemed from the yoke of the Egyptians who had effectively reduced them to a similar state of having to negate the attractions this world offered to others.
The Torah itself was only given to the Jewish people because they voluntarily repeated this השתחויה, prostrating themselves before the Lord, as we know from Exodus 24,1 where all the elite of the Jewish people are reported as having prostrated themselves some distance away from Mount Sinai. [That chapter, though written after the revelation, describes events that occurred before the revelation, Ed.] The elite negating their claims on the material benefits this world has to offer, made it possible for coming so close to G’d during the revelation that He addressed them as if He were speaking to an equal. In psalms 99,9 when Moses (the author of this psalm) says: רוממו ה' אלוקינו והשתחוו להר קדשו, “Exalt the Lord our G’d and prostrate yourselves at the Mountain of His holiness;” similar verses are found in Isaiah 27,13, and Samuel I 1,19 where the wording is almost identical. Rabbi Yitzchok concludes by saying that the resurrection when it will occur, does so only in recognition of these voluntary prostrations of the Jewish people on various occasions when they demonstrated their absolute submission to G’d and His will. If we needed proof of this we find in in Isaiah 27,13 where we read והיה ביום ההוא יתקע בשופר גדול ובאו האובדים בארץ אשור והנדכים בארץ מצרים והשתחוו לה' בהר הקודש בירושלים, “it will be on that Day, when a great ram’s horn will be sounded, and the strayed who are in the land of Assyria, and the expelled who are in the land of Egypt, shall come and prostrate themselves on the holy Mountain in Jerusalem.”
The Torah itself was only given to the Jewish people because they voluntarily repeated this השתחויה, prostrating themselves before the Lord, as we know from Exodus 24,1 where all the elite of the Jewish people are reported as having prostrated themselves some distance away from Mount Sinai. [That chapter, though written after the revelation, describes events that occurred before the revelation, Ed.] The elite negating their claims on the material benefits this world has to offer, made it possible for coming so close to G’d during the revelation that He addressed them as if He were speaking to an equal. In psalms 99,9 when Moses (the author of this psalm) says: רוממו ה' אלוקינו והשתחוו להר קדשו, “Exalt the Lord our G’d and prostrate yourselves at the Mountain of His holiness;” similar verses are found in Isaiah 27,13, and Samuel I 1,19 where the wording is almost identical. Rabbi Yitzchok concludes by saying that the resurrection when it will occur, does so only in recognition of these voluntary prostrations of the Jewish people on various occasions when they demonstrated their absolute submission to G’d and His will. If we needed proof of this we find in in Isaiah 27,13 where we read והיה ביום ההוא יתקע בשופר גדול ובאו האובדים בארץ אשור והנדכים בארץ מצרים והשתחוו לה' בהר הקודש בירושלים, “it will be on that Day, when a great ram’s horn will be sounded, and the strayed who are in the land of Assyria, and the expelled who are in the land of Egypt, shall come and prostrate themselves on the holy Mountain in Jerusalem.”
ויעש אברהם משתה גדול ביום הגמל את יצחק. וכתיב בתוספות ביום ה' ג' מל. הכלל, כי אברהם בעת המילה ניתוסף ה' על שמו כי בתחילה היה שמו אברם ובעת המילה ניתוסף ה' על שמו. והנה באמת השתלשלות זרע אברהם היה עיקר מיעקב אבינו כי ממנו נולד י"ב שבטי י"ה. ובאמת מה שלא היה הי"ב שבטים מאברהם מחמת שהוא לא נימול לשמונה ויצחק גם כן בא מזרע שלא נימול לשמונה לכך לא היה ממנו הי"ב שבטים אבל יעקב הנולד מזרע הנימול לשמונה בא ממנו הי"ב שבטים ונמצא נגמר הה"א שניתוסף באברהם ביעקב, כי יצחק הוא הראשון הנימול לשמונה ממנו בא הגאולה כמאמר חכמינו ז"ל אתה אבינו וכו', רומז על הגאולה. ונמצא באמת תוספות הה' על אברהם שמורה על הגאולה נשלם ביעקב שנולד מזרע אברהם הנמול לשמונה. וזהו הרמז ה' ג' מל שנשלם הה' בג' שהוא יעקב שלישי לאברהם:
Genesis 21,8. “Avraham made a great feast on the day Yitzchok was weaned.” The דעת זקנים מבעלי התוספות comments on this verse that the words ביום הגמל may be broken up into several parts, i.e. ביום ה ג מל alluding to the fact that the letter ה had been added to Avram’s name on the day of his circumcision. The letters ה and ג also allude to the eighth day on which a newborn is to be circumcised.
21,8. “Avraham made a great feast on the day Yitzchok was weaned.” The דעת זקנים מבעלי התוספות comments on this verse that the words ביום הגמל may be broken up into several parts, i.e. ביום ה ג מל alluding to the fact that the letter ה had been added to Avram’s name on the day of his circumcision. The letters ה and ג also allude to the eighth day on which a newborn is to be circumcised.
21,8. “Avraham made a great feast on the day Yitzchok was weaned.” The דעת זקנים מבעלי התוספות comments on this verse that the words ביום הגמל may be broken up into several parts, i.e. ביום ה ג מל alluding to the fact that the letter ה had been added to Avram’s name on the day of his circumcision. The letters ה and ג also allude to the eighth day on which a newborn is to be circumcised.
והוכיח אברהם את אבימלך על אודות הבאר וכו' ויאמר אבימלך לא ידעתי מי עשה את הדבר הזה וגם אתה לא הגדת לי וגם אנכי לא שמעתי וכו' (בראשית כא, כה-כו). הכלל הוא, שהצדיק מוכיח את הרשע שלא יעשה נגד הקדוש ברוך הוא ונגד התורה. והנה בכאן הוכיח את אבימלך אשר גזלו עבדיו ואמר לו שהקדוש ברוך הוא ברא עולמו ונתן לו תורת אמת וכתיב בתורה שאסור לגזול. ויש עוד בחינה כשהצדיק מוכיח את הרשע אזי אלו אותיות שהצדיק המוכיח מוציא מפיו מאירים לעיני רשע ואז הרשע יכול לחזור בתשובה כאשר זוכה שאותיות הצדיק עושים רושם אצלו ומאירים לפניו אז בקל יכול הרשע לעשות תשובה. והנה הקדוש ברוך הוא נקרא מי וכן מבואר. ולכן אמר פרעה הרשע מי ה'. וזהו שהשיב אבימלך לא ידעתי מי עשה את הדבר הזה, וגם הקדוש ברוך הוא נקרא זה כמאמר הכתוב (שמות טו, ב) זה אלי, וגם פסוק (ישעיה כה, ט) זה ה' קוינו לו. והשיב שלא ידע שיש בורא עולם רק מחמת ידיעתו של אברהם שהוכיח אותו להודיע לו, וגם אתה הוא אותיות התורה מא' ועד תי"ו היוצאים מה' מוצאות הפה וזה אתה לא הגדת לי, לשון מזל העליון השופע עלינו ומאיר על האדם מלשון גד גדוד וגו' (בראשית מט, יט) כלומר עדיין האותיות לא האירו מול פני למען לשוב בתשובה עד עתה שעתה בתוכחה שלך האירו האותיות לפני. וגם אנכי לא שמעתי, אנכי הוא התורה, כי בראשון שמעו ישראל אנכי מהתורה. וזהו שאמר בלתי היום, קאי אשלשה בחינות, כלומר שאלו שלשה בחינות היום השיג בתוכחה שהוכיח אברהם אותו ודו"ק:
Genesis 21,25. “Avraham rebuked Avimelech on account of the well, etc.” Avimelech rejected the accusation, claiming he had not known about what his servants had done.
Normally, we have a rule that when a tzaddik engages in rebuking someone, he points out that the trespass committed by the wicked concerned was a sin against G’d and His Torah.
In this instance, Avraham accused Avimelech of having committed a wrong when it had been his servants who had stolen the water from Avraham. He reminded Avimelech that G’d created the world, and that He gave us laws by which to conduct ourselves, and that robbery was definitely forbidden. The person violating G’d’s law receives a warning in the form of the tzaddik rebuking him. The letters in the words uttered by the tzaddik when he rebukes the sinner light up in the face of the guilty party, thus affording him an opportunity to immediately do penance.
One of the names of G’d is: מי, as we know when Pharaoh challenged Moses by saying: מי ה'? This is what Avimelech meant when he said to Avraham לא ידעתי מי עשה את הדבר הזה, “I do not know of this מי who has done this;” i.e. “I have never heard of a Creator who has created the universe, hence I do not know of a prohibition to steal or rob.” Another one of G’d’s names is the word זה, as we know from Exodus 15,2 זה א-לי ואנוהו, “זה is my G’d and I will glorify Him.” We also find the word as a reference to one of G’d’s names when Isaiah 25,9 said זה ה' קוינו לו, “we have been hoping for the Lord זה.” Avimelech tells Avraham that he had heard of all this theology only from the mouth of Avraham, he had never previously been informed of this. He adds that even now he has not heard or “seen” the letters that make up the alphabet of the Torah from Avraham’s mouth, i.e. גם אתה לא הגדת לי. The word הגדת, derived from גד, is similar to גד גדוד יגודנה in Genesis 49,19, where it refers to “good fortune,” similar to what Gad’s mother proclaimed בגד, viewing herself as having good fortune seeing that she had born 6 of the twelve tribes. (Genesis 30,11) The word is a simile for good fortune in the sense of מזל טוב. Avimelech had not yet seen the letters that would trigger his doing teshuvah for the wrong he had been guilty of. The word אתה is an allusion to the letters from א to ת in the Hebrew alphabet, the letters of the Holy Tongue.
When Avimelech adds: וגם אנכי לא שמעתי בלתי היום, “and I also have not heard about all this until this day,” he uses the word אנכי, the first word of the Ten Commandments with which G’d revealed Himself at Mount Sinai, as meaning that on this day G’d’s sovereignty was revealed to him, and he could now perceive these letters of the Holy Tongue. On that day Avimelech had learned from Avraham about three aspects of G’d, i.e. מי, זה, אנכי.
Normally, we have a rule that when a tzaddik engages in rebuking someone, he points out that the trespass committed by the wicked concerned was a sin against G’d and His Torah.
In this instance, Avraham accused Avimelech of having committed a wrong when it had been his servants who had stolen the water from Avraham. He reminded Avimelech that G’d created the world, and that He gave us laws by which to conduct ourselves, and that robbery was definitely forbidden. The person violating G’d’s law receives a warning in the form of the tzaddik rebuking him. The letters in the words uttered by the tzaddik when he rebukes the sinner light up in the face of the guilty party, thus affording him an opportunity to immediately do penance.
One of the names of G’d is: מי, as we know when Pharaoh challenged Moses by saying: מי ה'? This is what Avimelech meant when he said to Avraham לא ידעתי מי עשה את הדבר הזה, “I do not know of this מי who has done this;” i.e. “I have never heard of a Creator who has created the universe, hence I do not know of a prohibition to steal or rob.” Another one of G’d’s names is the word זה, as we know from Exodus 15,2 זה א-לי ואנוהו, “זה is my G’d and I will glorify Him.” We also find the word as a reference to one of G’d’s names when Isaiah 25,9 said זה ה' קוינו לו, “we have been hoping for the Lord זה.” Avimelech tells Avraham that he had heard of all this theology only from the mouth of Avraham, he had never previously been informed of this. He adds that even now he has not heard or “seen” the letters that make up the alphabet of the Torah from Avraham’s mouth, i.e. גם אתה לא הגדת לי. The word הגדת, derived from גד, is similar to גד גדוד יגודנה in Genesis 49,19, where it refers to “good fortune,” similar to what Gad’s mother proclaimed בגד, viewing herself as having good fortune seeing that she had born 6 of the twelve tribes. (Genesis 30,11) The word is a simile for good fortune in the sense of מזל טוב. Avimelech had not yet seen the letters that would trigger his doing teshuvah for the wrong he had been guilty of. The word אתה is an allusion to the letters from א to ת in the Hebrew alphabet, the letters of the Holy Tongue.
When Avimelech adds: וגם אנכי לא שמעתי בלתי היום, “and I also have not heard about all this until this day,” he uses the word אנכי, the first word of the Ten Commandments with which G’d revealed Himself at Mount Sinai, as meaning that on this day G’d’s sovereignty was revealed to him, and he could now perceive these letters of the Holy Tongue. On that day Avimelech had learned from Avraham about three aspects of G’d, i.e. מי, זה, אנכי.
ויאמר אדני אלהים במה אדע (בראשית טו, ח). עיין ברכות דף ז' ע"ב למען אדני למען אברהם שקראך אדון. הכלל הוא, עד אברהם לא היה נשמה בעולם שיהיה יכול לבטל גזירות הקדוש ברוך הוא. והא ראיה נח לא היה יכול לבטל המבול וכן שת היה צדיק ובימיו הציף הים שליש עולם ואברהם היה הנשמה הראשונה בעולם שהיה יכול לבטל גזירות השם יתברך. ובאמת אף על פי שהיה אברהם יכול לבטל גזירות הקדוש ברוך הוא אף על פי כן ידע שהקדוש ברוך הוא אדון עליו וזהו למען אברהם וכו':
Going back once more to Genesis 15,8 when Avraham himself had asked a question not i.e. revealing that He had not quite understood G’d, as a result of which he was granted better understanding, just as Avimelech here had concluded with understanding and acknowledging the dimension of G’d as אנכי, the Talmud B’rachot 7 states that when Avraham posed the question of במה אדע, he had become the first person ever to address G’d as א-דני, “My Lord;” He had implied by this that G’d in His capacity of א-דני was able to annul decrees. Noach had not been aware that G’d could do this, and this is why he had not bothered to appeal to G’d to annul the decree to annihilate mankind. His predecessor Sheth, third son of Adam, himself a tzaddik had also not known about this and therefore he had remained silent when a third of the inhabited area of the globe had been flooded in his day. The power of addressing this dimension of G’d was given to Avraham as a reward for having recognized G’d as possessing this dimension. It was Avraham’s genius to recognize this quality of G’d although he addressed Him as “My Lord.”
ויהי אחר הדברים האלה והאלהים נסה את אברהם ויאמר אליו אברהם (בראשית כב, א). והנה יש להבין למה כאן אמר פעם אחד אברהם והמלאך קרא לו אברהם אברהם ב' פעמים. ועוד בראשונה אמר לו ולא חשכת את בנך כו' ממני, ובקריאה ב' לא אמר ממני (בראשית כב, יב). ויובן על פי פירוש רש"י אצל שמואל שמואל בכל מקום שכפול וכן באברהם עצמו שמו מורה על חבה וכאן בשעה שאמר לו הקדוש ברוך הוא שיעשה המצוה לא הראה לו שום חיבה מחמת עשיית המצוה אבל כשלא שחט אותו אז הראה לו חבה שזה הוא המצוה מה שלא ישחוט אותו. וזהו שאמר ממני, כמאמר חכמינו ז"ל (בראשית רבה נו) שמלאכי השרת היו בוכים על עקידת יצחק שלא ישחט. וזהו שאמר המלאך ולא חשכת את בנך את יחידך ממני, כלומר שאני הוא הגורם שהייתי בוכה לפני הקדוש ברוך הוא וזהו ממני ודו"ק:
Genesis 22,1. “It was after these events that G’d subjected Avraham to a trial, saying to him: ‘Avraham!’” We must try and understand why at this point G’d addressed Avraham by calling out: ”Avraham,” once, whereas in verse 11 of this chapter the angel addressing Avraham calls out to him: “Avraham, Avraham!” Another nuance that deserves our attention is why, on the first occasion (verse 12) G’d compliments Avraham on not having tried to withhold his beloved son from Him, ולא חשכת את בנך את יחידך ממני, whereas in verse 16 when the compliment is repeated, the word ממני, “from Me,” is absent.
This may be understood when we consider that according to Rashi on verse 11 repetition of the name indicates that the party addressed by G’d is especially beloved by G’d. We find in Samuel I 3,10 that when G’d called on Samuel, He always repeated his name when addressing him. In the case of Avraham, his very name reflects the fact that he was beloved by G’d. Here when G’d called upon him seeing that He wanted him to perform a commandment, He deliberately refrained for indicating how fond he was of him, as this call had not been designed to make him go through with slaughtering Yitzchok. However in verse16, when we became aware that Avraham was not to slaughter his son, this had become the מצוה. By commanding Avraham not to harm Yitzchok in any way, He displayed His true love for him. He did so by repeating his name when He called him.
As to the word ממני in verse 12, this was the angel speaking (although in the name of the Lord) Bereshit Rabbah 56,5 understands the angel as hinting to Avraham that seeing the angels in heaven have shed tears when they heard that Avraham had been asked to sacrifice his son Yitzchok, G’d cancelled the decree. The angel wanted Avraham to know that he had had a share in Yitzchok’s surviving the akeydah. In verse 16, when G’d is speaking to Avraham without intermediary, there was no reason to add the word: ממני, “from Me.”
This may be understood when we consider that according to Rashi on verse 11 repetition of the name indicates that the party addressed by G’d is especially beloved by G’d. We find in Samuel I 3,10 that when G’d called on Samuel, He always repeated his name when addressing him. In the case of Avraham, his very name reflects the fact that he was beloved by G’d. Here when G’d called upon him seeing that He wanted him to perform a commandment, He deliberately refrained for indicating how fond he was of him, as this call had not been designed to make him go through with slaughtering Yitzchok. However in verse16, when we became aware that Avraham was not to slaughter his son, this had become the מצוה. By commanding Avraham not to harm Yitzchok in any way, He displayed His true love for him. He did so by repeating his name when He called him.
As to the word ממני in verse 12, this was the angel speaking (although in the name of the Lord) Bereshit Rabbah 56,5 understands the angel as hinting to Avraham that seeing the angels in heaven have shed tears when they heard that Avraham had been asked to sacrifice his son Yitzchok, G’d cancelled the decree. The angel wanted Avraham to know that he had had a share in Yitzchok’s surviving the akeydah. In verse 16, when G’d is speaking to Avraham without intermediary, there was no reason to add the word: ממני, “from Me.”
בפסוק הנה האש והעצים ואיה השה לעולה (בראשית כב, ז). נראה דיצחק שאל אותו דהלא הנסיון העיקר הוא שתשחוט את בנך אבל למה לך עצים ואש לשרוף אותו אחר שכבר נשחט ואינו חי מה נסיון הוא אם תניח אותו או שתשרוף אותו אחר שכבר יהיה נשחט ולמה לך לשרוף אותו ועל כרחך העצים והאש אינו עבורי רק בשביל שה ועל כן ואיה השה לעולה. ומתורץ על פי זה מה שלא שאל אותו על המאכלת דבאמת זה ידע שהוא על עצמו והשיב לו אברהם אלהים יראה לו השה לעולה בני, דאתה חשוב אצלי בשביל אהבת הבורא כשה לשרוף אותך על קידוש שמו:
Genesis 22,7. Concerning Yitzchok’s question of “here is the fire and the kindling, but where is the lamb for the burnt-offering?,” it seems that Yitzchok’s question implied that seeing the principal purpose of his father’s trial was to see if he was prepared to slaughter his son, what need was there for fire and kindling, seeing that after he had been slaughtered surely it did not matter to G’d if his remains would be burned up! Yitzchok wanted his father to know that the kindling and the fire had nothing to do with him, as the intended victim. He wanted to know if there was going to be another offering, i.e. a lamb, as usual. If so, where did his father expect to find it at short notice? When we understand Yitzchok’s question as suggested, we can understand why he did not ask a question concerning the knife to be used in the slaughter. Avraham’s reply, saying that G’d would select who should be the “lamb,” meant that as far his relationship to G’d was concerned, his own son was as valuable to him as if he would burn up an actual lamb for G’d in order to demonstrate his love for Him.
ויאמר אל תשלח ידך אל הנער ואל תעש וכו' כי עתה ידעתי כו' ולא חשכת את בנך את יחידך ממני (בראשית כב, יב). ויש לדקדק למה כתב כאן ממני ואחר כך כתיב ויאמר בי נשבעתי כו' ולא חשכת את בנך את יחידך ולא כתיב ממני. ונראה לתרץ ומתחילה נבאר הגמרא (שבת סג.) העושה מצוה כמאמרה אין מבשרין לו כו'. וקשה מאי לשון כמאמרה. והענין כל מה שאדם עושה מצוה או לומד תורה צריך להסתכל שיהיה כוונתו בלתי לה' לבדו לעשות נחת רוח ליוצרו יתעלה. אמנם אחר המעשה לא יעלה בלבו חלילה שכבר עשה רצון הבורא ברוך הוא שאם יחשוב כך וודאי אין מעשיו רצוין כלל ועדיין בן זומא מבחוץ ולא קרב אל פתח העבודה אפילו שאם היה באמת שעשה איזה נחת רוח להבורא ברוך הוא יהיה מכיר בשפלותו שעדיין לא התחיל לעבדו יתברך מכח יראת הבורא שהיה נופל עליו כמשל מי שזכה לבוא לפלטין המלך מי שבא להיכל יותר פנימי רואה יותר גדולת המלך ועשרו סגולת מלכים ואדרכמונים כך מה שאדם עושה יותר המצוה בדחילו ורחימו זוכה ונכנס להיכל המלך יותר פנימי וכל מה שנכנס יותר יותר פנימי יותר רואה שם גדולת המלך מלכו של עולם יתברך שמו ורוממותו ונתחייב מזה כשנופל בדעת העושה איזה עובדא שעשה מאומה נחת רוח להבורא וודאי רחוק עדיין ואל פתח העבודה לא בא לעבודתו יתברך:
Genesis 22,12. “He (the angel) said to him: ‘do not touch the lad, and do not harm him in any way;’….for now I know …and you have not withheld your only son from Me.” We need to examine why in this verse the word ממני has been added, as well as why this word is omitted when G’d speaks about the oath He has sworn to Himself in verse 16. Before answering these questions, let us look at Shabbat 63 where the Talmud states that כל העושה מצוה כמאמרה אין מבשרין לו דבר רע, “when someone performs one of G’d’s commandments in accordance with its halachot, one (heaven) does not sadden him by informing him of bad news. The Talmud bases this on Kohelet 8,5 שומר מצוה לא ידע רע, “he who will obey the commandments will know no evil.” The word כמאמרה in the Talmud poses a problem. The Talmud means that both study of Torah and performance of the commandments must be based on one’s desire to carry out G’d’s wishes. If one studies Torah to pass an exam, this is not accounted true Torah study. If one blows the shofar on New Year’s day in the synagogue, however expertly, but in order to earn the fee one has been promised, the promise that such people will be spared bad news is not applicable.
Furthermore, even having performed the mitzvah according to the halachah and exclusively in order to fulfill G’d’s wish, one must not congratulate oneself for having carried out one’s Creator’s wishes and have pleased him. If one thinks along these lines, one’s performance of the commandment will not please the Lord.
It is related in Chagigah 15 that it happened once that Rabbi Yoshua ben Chananyah (one of the leading scholars in his time) was standing on one of the steps leading up to the Temple Mount, [the Temple had already been destroyed, but the Mount had not yet been levelled by the Romans, Ed.] when he saw ben Zoma in front of him, and the latter did not rise in acknowledgment of the presence of his teacher. Rabbi Yoshua asked ben Zoma what subject he was so deeply immersed in that he had not noticed the presence of his teacher. The latter replied: “I was contemplating the significance of the difference between the “upper waters,” and the “lower waters,” (Genesis 1,7) and he had discovered that the distance between them was only three fingers’ breadth.” He claimed that the proof was founding Genesis 1,2 where the spirit of the Lord is described as hovering above the surface of the waters.” He considered the word מרחפת, used by the Torah there as describing the act of “hovering” as a reference to a pigeon hovering above its young without touching them. Upon hearing this, Rabbi Yoshua commented to his other students: “ben Zoma is still on the outside.” He meant that ben Zoma had not yet become privy to hidden aspects of the Torah. [The reader will note that ben Zoma, in spite of sayings of his being quoted in the tractate Avot, is never referred to as “Rabbi.” Ed.]
We learn from this passage that even if a person performs the commandments in a manner which affords G’d satisfaction as the worshipper had reduced himself to negating earthly concerns, this does not automatically mean that he has attained the level of awe of the Creator that would overcome him when he enters the palace of a King. He may have attained the awe that a visitor to the King’s palace experienced when entering the vestibule of the palace, but not the awe that overcomes people who enter the inner sanctum of the palace. The closer the visitor approaches the presence of the king, the more profoundly will he be impressed with the aura of glory and power surrounding his majesty. Recognition of this obligates him to prostrate himself, this act being an expression of his being aware how totally inadequate anything that he had done to honour his king really was.
Furthermore, even having performed the mitzvah according to the halachah and exclusively in order to fulfill G’d’s wish, one must not congratulate oneself for having carried out one’s Creator’s wishes and have pleased him. If one thinks along these lines, one’s performance of the commandment will not please the Lord.
It is related in Chagigah 15 that it happened once that Rabbi Yoshua ben Chananyah (one of the leading scholars in his time) was standing on one of the steps leading up to the Temple Mount, [the Temple had already been destroyed, but the Mount had not yet been levelled by the Romans, Ed.] when he saw ben Zoma in front of him, and the latter did not rise in acknowledgment of the presence of his teacher. Rabbi Yoshua asked ben Zoma what subject he was so deeply immersed in that he had not noticed the presence of his teacher. The latter replied: “I was contemplating the significance of the difference between the “upper waters,” and the “lower waters,” (Genesis 1,7) and he had discovered that the distance between them was only three fingers’ breadth.” He claimed that the proof was founding Genesis 1,2 where the spirit of the Lord is described as hovering above the surface of the waters.” He considered the word מרחפת, used by the Torah there as describing the act of “hovering” as a reference to a pigeon hovering above its young without touching them. Upon hearing this, Rabbi Yoshua commented to his other students: “ben Zoma is still on the outside.” He meant that ben Zoma had not yet become privy to hidden aspects of the Torah. [The reader will note that ben Zoma, in spite of sayings of his being quoted in the tractate Avot, is never referred to as “Rabbi.” Ed.]
We learn from this passage that even if a person performs the commandments in a manner which affords G’d satisfaction as the worshipper had reduced himself to negating earthly concerns, this does not automatically mean that he has attained the level of awe of the Creator that would overcome him when he enters the palace of a King. He may have attained the awe that a visitor to the King’s palace experienced when entering the vestibule of the palace, but not the awe that overcomes people who enter the inner sanctum of the palace. The closer the visitor approaches the presence of the king, the more profoundly will he be impressed with the aura of glory and power surrounding his majesty. Recognition of this obligates him to prostrate himself, this act being an expression of his being aware how totally inadequate anything that he had done to honour his king really was.
והנה לשון מצוה פירוש לשון חיבור כנודע לשון צוותא חדא. וזהו פירוש כל העושה מצוה כמאמרה, כפירושה של מצוה שמתחבר עצמו על ידי כן להבורא יתברך שמו וכו', ויש מצות שאין בהם שום הנאה גופניות כמו תפילין וציצית ודומה להן ויש מצות שבהם יש הנאת הגוף כגון מאכלות שבת ויום טוב, והנפקותא שבאלו המצות חומרא גדולה שלא יהא לו פניה בהן. ובזה מתורץ בפרשת עקידה אל תשלח ידך אל הנער וכו' כי עתה כו', פירוש עתה כשאני רואה שאפילו מה שאתה מורידו מן העקידה גם כן בלי שום פניה מזה ידעתי כי ירא אלהים אתה. ועל דרך זה נראה מה שאמר יען אשר עשית את הדבר הזה ולא חשכת, ולא נאמר ממני, כי שם מדבר על העלאה לעקידה כמשמעות לשון עשית את הדבר הזה ובהעלאה אינו צריך להשמיענו כי אז בוודאי עשה לאהבת יתברך שמו ולא היה שום פניה אבל לעיל מדבר על הירידה וזה ממני, שאפילו הירידה היה גם כן ממני, בלי שום פניה והבן:
When we examine the meaning of the word מצוה, commonly translated as “commandment,” this is quite inadequate, as the deeper meaning of the word is derived from צוותא, a word describing companionship. In other words, the performance of a מצוה is meant to establish a degree of companionship between man and his G’d. When the Talmud Shabbat 63 had stated that anyone who performs a commandment, כמאמרה, “in the true sense of its meaning,” will be spared disagreeable news, it is this “companionship” with G’d achieved by the performance of the commandment that the Talmud refers to.
There are commandments, the performance of which does not afford the person performing it the slightest physical satisfaction. To mention just a few examples: putting on phylacteries, attaching the fringes, tzitzit, to a four-cornered garment; on the other hand, there are commandments the performance of which entails pleasurable sensations, such as consuming three meals on the Sabbath, or Kiddush, reciting the benediction over wine and drinking same. The awareness of the expense involved in order to perform these commandments represents a major aspect in an ordinary individual’s מצוה performance, it contributes to the feeling that he has done something “for G’d.” As long as such considerations are part of one’s מצוה performance, one has not attained the level of מצוה performance described in the Talmud as כמאמרה, “in the full sense of its meaning.” When we keep this in mind we can understand the nuances in verses 12 and verse 16 in which G’d compliments Avraham. When G’d commands: אל תשלח ידך אל הנער...כי עתה ידעתי...ולא חשכת את בנך ממני, He compliments Avraham for not having had any selfish thoughts when offering Yitzchok as an offering, it had been done totally לשם שמים, for the sake of heaven, i.e. Avraham had not withheld anything personal from G’d, by feeling he had done something for G’d. This had been performance of a מצוה כמאמרה in the parlance of the Talmud Shabbat 63.
Now, that this part of the עקדה, was over, and G’d saw that even after Avraham had been spared the need to go through with what he had thought, he did not react with relief but continued to endeavour to perform the commandment in a different way, he had shown G’d that he had been motivated not only by love for G’d, but by totally unselfish awe of Him; there was therefore no need for the Torah to repeat the word ממני, “from Me.”
There are commandments, the performance of which does not afford the person performing it the slightest physical satisfaction. To mention just a few examples: putting on phylacteries, attaching the fringes, tzitzit, to a four-cornered garment; on the other hand, there are commandments the performance of which entails pleasurable sensations, such as consuming three meals on the Sabbath, or Kiddush, reciting the benediction over wine and drinking same. The awareness of the expense involved in order to perform these commandments represents a major aspect in an ordinary individual’s מצוה performance, it contributes to the feeling that he has done something “for G’d.” As long as such considerations are part of one’s מצוה performance, one has not attained the level of מצוה performance described in the Talmud as כמאמרה, “in the full sense of its meaning.” When we keep this in mind we can understand the nuances in verses 12 and verse 16 in which G’d compliments Avraham. When G’d commands: אל תשלח ידך אל הנער...כי עתה ידעתי...ולא חשכת את בנך ממני, He compliments Avraham for not having had any selfish thoughts when offering Yitzchok as an offering, it had been done totally לשם שמים, for the sake of heaven, i.e. Avraham had not withheld anything personal from G’d, by feeling he had done something for G’d. This had been performance of a מצוה כמאמרה in the parlance of the Talmud Shabbat 63.
Now, that this part of the עקדה, was over, and G’d saw that even after Avraham had been spared the need to go through with what he had thought, he did not react with relief but continued to endeavour to perform the commandment in a different way, he had shown G’d that he had been motivated not only by love for G’d, but by totally unselfish awe of Him; there was therefore no need for the Torah to repeat the word ממני, “from Me.”
כי עתה ידעתי כי ירא אלהים אתה ולא חשכת את בנך את יחידך ממני (בראשית כב, יב). נראה בסייעתא דשמיא דיש ב' בחינות, אחד שאדם עושה מצוה שיודע טעם המצות ואחד שעושה מצות ואינו יודע טעם. וגדול הוא העושה בלי ידיעת טעם ממי שיודע הטעם. שביודע הטעם אינו ניכר שעושה המצות מאהבת הבורא שאפשר מחמת שיודע הטעם הוא עושה מה שאין כן העושה בלי ידיעת טעם ניכר שעושה הכל מאהבת ה'. והנה קודם שאמר לו המלאך אל תשלח ידך אל הנער, היו סבורים הכל שיצחק יעלה לקרבן אל המזבח ולא היה ניכר כל כך גודל הנסיון של אברהם אבינו עליו השלום בעקידה שהיו יכולין לומר שידע טעם שבשביל זה מהראוי שיעלה יצחק לקרבן ועשה אברהם אבינו עליו השלום מחמת הטעם, מה שאין כן אחר שהודיע המלאך אל תשלח ידך אל הנער, שיצחק לא יעלה לקרבן אם כן למפרע היה הוכחה שרצון אברהם אבינו עליו השלום להעלות יצחק בנו על גבי המזבח מאהבת ה' לא בשביל הטעם דעתה מוכיח שאין טעם לעקידה שיעלה יצחק לקרבן, דאם היה טעם שיעלה לקרבן מדוע צוה המלאך שלא יעלהו לקרבן הלא יש טעם שצריך שיעלהו לקרבן ומכיון דאין טעם ידעו הכל כוונת אברהם אבינו עליו השלום דלא היה בשביל טעם דהא מוכח עתה דאין טעם שיהיה יצחק קרבן רק מיראת ה' פעל כל אלה:
Genesis 22,12. “for now I know that you are G’d fearing, seeing you have not withheld your only son from Me.” It appears, based on this verse, that there are two types of fear of the Lord. One type is based on a person’s understanding the meaning of the commandment that he performs, i.e. it makes sense to him. The second type of fear of the Lord is shown when he fulfills commandments whose purpose he had not been able to understand. When someone performs commandments without knowing their meaning, his level of fearing G’d is on a higher rung than the person who does so because he believes that he understands the reason why G’d has demanded fulfillment of that commandment, and he “agrees” with G’d. When the latter person observes a commandment, it is not clear that he does so out of love for G’d, as he may be doing so because he feels he is doing himself a favour, as the commandment is logical, and clearly in the interest of mankind as a whole.
Before the angel said to Avraham: “do not touch and harm the lad,” people had thought that surely the reason why Avraham set out to do this was because he thought he understood G’d’s reason for issuing such a commandment.
After he was now commanded not to proceed, it would be clear to everybody that Avraham had not understood the reason for G’d’s command, as if he had been correct in what he thought, G’d could not have cancelled the command. What had been a valid consideration could not suddenly have become an invalid consideration! Therefore it had emerged retroactively that when Avraham had begun to carry out the commandment to offer Yitzchok as a burnt offering, he had been motivated only by his love for G’d, and how could he possibly refuse the command given by a G’d Whom he loved!? By cancelling His command G’d had demonstrated that there had never been a rationale for such a command. The trial of Avraham had consisted in his performing even a totally irrational command.
The only reason for issuing such a command was the desire of G’d to prove that Avraham would not be deterred by the absence of a valid reason for Yitzchok having to die on the altar. All of this is implied in the angel saying: “now I have seen, etc.;” it does not mean that G’d had not known up to now. It means that this was the only way in which G’d had been able to demonstrate to the world what He had known about Avraham’s potential to perform such an act for no other reason than that He loved Gd.
Before the angel said to Avraham: “do not touch and harm the lad,” people had thought that surely the reason why Avraham set out to do this was because he thought he understood G’d’s reason for issuing such a commandment.
After he was now commanded not to proceed, it would be clear to everybody that Avraham had not understood the reason for G’d’s command, as if he had been correct in what he thought, G’d could not have cancelled the command. What had been a valid consideration could not suddenly have become an invalid consideration! Therefore it had emerged retroactively that when Avraham had begun to carry out the commandment to offer Yitzchok as a burnt offering, he had been motivated only by his love for G’d, and how could he possibly refuse the command given by a G’d Whom he loved!? By cancelling His command G’d had demonstrated that there had never been a rationale for such a command. The trial of Avraham had consisted in his performing even a totally irrational command.
The only reason for issuing such a command was the desire of G’d to prove that Avraham would not be deterred by the absence of a valid reason for Yitzchok having to die on the altar. All of this is implied in the angel saying: “now I have seen, etc.;” it does not mean that G’d had not known up to now. It means that this was the only way in which G’d had been able to demonstrate to the world what He had known about Avraham’s potential to perform such an act for no other reason than that He loved Gd.
זהו פירוש הכתוב עתה ידעתי, לשון הפעיל שהודעתי לעין כל. כי ירא אלהים אתה ולא חשכת את בנך את יחידך ממני, דייקא מחמת יראתי עשית את הדבר הזה שלא חשכת את בנך כפי מחשבותיך שרצית להעלות אותו לעולה ואין יכולין לאמור מחמת טעם לזה אמר עתה ידעתי מעכשיו מוכח זה כיון שציותי אחר כך שלא להעלות אותו לעולה שמע מינה שאין טעם בהעלות יצחק לקרבן שיהיה אישים על גבי המזבח, והראיה דצוה השם יתברך שלא להעלות אותו לקרבן ואם היה טעם שצריך להיות אישים על גבי המזבח ודאי היה נתקיים כן שיהיה אישים ולא היה מצוהו אל תשלח ידך אל הנער, על כן מוכח עתה דאין טעם בדבר ומחשבת אברהם אבינו עליו השלום שרצה במחשבתו לעשותו אישים על גבי המזבח היה לאהבת ויראת ה' ברוך הוא וברוך שמו והבן:
Our author understands the word ידעתי as being in the hiphil, causative mode, i.e. as if the Torah had written הודעתי, “I have made known;” the normal hiphil mode of the root ידע. Avraham’s “love” for G’d was demonstrated by his performing an act that reflected “fear of the Lord” on the highest level. This “fear” is the fear of disappointing the loved one by not responding to his will as he had hoped you would. If there had been any need to prove that G’d abhors human sacrifice, He demonstrated this not by never having commanded it, but by having commanded it and cancelled the command before it could be executed.
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Pirkei Avot 6:10
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Pirkei Avot 6:10
Dr. Joshua Kulp
חֲמִשָּׁה קִנְיָנִים קָנָה לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא בְעוֹלָמוֹ, וְאֵלּוּ הֵן, תּוֹרָה קִנְיָן אֶחָד, שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ קִנְיָן אֶחָד, אַבְרָהָם קִנְיָן אֶחָד, יִשְׂרָאֵל קִנְיָן אֶחָד, בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ קִנְיָן אֶחָד. תּוֹרָה מִנַּיִן, דִּכְתִיב (משלי ח), ה' קָנָנִי רֵאשִׁית דַּרְכּוֹ קֶדֶם מִפְעָלָיו מֵאָז. שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ קִנְיָן אֶחָד מִנַּיִן, דִּכְתִיב (ישעיה סו), כֹּה אָמַר ה' הַשָּׁמַיִם כִּסְאִי וְהָאָרֶץ הֲדֹם רַגְלָי אֵי זֶה בַיִת אֲשֶׁר תִּבְנוּ לִי וְאֵי זֶה מָקוֹם מְנוּחָתִי, וְאוֹמֵר (תהלים קד) מָה רַבּוּ מַעֲשֶׂיךָ ה' כֻּלָּם בְּחָכְמָה עָשִׂיתָ מָלְאָה הָאָרֶץ קִנְיָנֶךָ. אַבְרָהָם קִנְיָן אֶחָד מִנַּיִן, דִּכְתִיב (בראשית יד), וַיְבָרְכֵהוּ וַיֹּאמַר בָּרוּךְ אַבְרָם לְאֵל עֶלְיוֹן קֹנֵה שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ. יִשְׂרָאֵל קִנְיָן אֶחָד מִנַּיִן, דִּכְתִיב (שמות טו), עַד יַעֲבֹר עַמְּךָ ה' עַד יַעֲבֹר עַם זוּ קָנִיתָ, וְאוֹמֵר (תהלים טז) לִקְדוֹשִׁים אֲשֶׁר בָּאָרֶץ הֵמָּה וְאַדִּירֵי כָּל חֶפְצִי בָם. בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ קִנְיָן אֶחָד מִנַּיִן, דִּכְתִיב (שמות טו), מָכוֹן לְשִׁבְתְּךָ פָּעַלְתָּ ה' מִקְּדָשׁ ה' כּוֹנְנוּ יָדֶיךָ. וְאוֹמֵר (תהלים עח) וַיְבִיאֵם אֶל גְּבוּל קָדְשׁוֹ הַר זֶה קָנְתָה יְמִינוֹ:Five possessions did the Holy Blessed One, set aside as his own in this world, and these are they: The Torah, one possession; Heaven and earth, another possession; Abraham, another possession; Israel, another possession; The Temple, another possession. 1a) The Torah is one possession. From where do we know this? Since it is written, “The Lord possessed (usually translated as ‘created’) me at the beginning of his course, at the first of His works of old” (Proverbs 8:22). 2a) Heaven and earth, another possession. From where do we know this? Since it is said: “Thus said the Lord: The heaven is My throne and the earth is My footstool; Where could you build a house for Me, What place could serve as My abode? (Isaiah 66:1) And it says: “How many are the things You have made, O Lord; You have made them all with wisdom; the earth is full of Your possessions” (Psalms 104:24). 3a) Abraham is another possession. From where do we know this? Since it is written: “He blessed him, saying, “Blessed by Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth” (Genesis 15:19). 4a) Israel is another possession. From where do we know this? Since it is written: “Till Your people cross over, O Lord, Till Your people whom You have possessed” (Exodus 15:16). And it says: “As to the holy and mighty ones that are in the land, my whole desire (possession) is in them” (Psalms 16:3). 5a) The Temple is another possession. From where do we know this? Since it is said: “The sanctuary, O lord, which your hands have established” (Exodus 15:17”, And it says: “And He brought them to His holy realm, to the mountain, which His right hand had possessed” (Psalms 78:54).
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Dr. Joshua Kulp
חֲמִשָּׁה קִנְיָנִים קָנָה לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא בְעוֹלָמוֹ, וְאֵלּוּ הֵן, תּוֹרָה קִנְיָן אֶחָד, שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ קִנְיָן אֶחָד, אַבְרָהָם קִנְיָן אֶחָד, יִשְׂרָאֵל קִנְיָן אֶחָד, בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ קִנְיָן אֶחָד. תּוֹרָה מִנַּיִן, דִּכְתִיב (משלי ח), ה' קָנָנִי רֵאשִׁית דַּרְכּוֹ קֶדֶם מִפְעָלָיו מֵאָז. שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ קִנְיָן אֶחָד מִנַּיִן, דִּכְתִיב (ישעיה סו), כֹּה אָמַר ה' הַשָּׁמַיִם כִּסְאִי וְהָאָרֶץ הֲדֹם רַגְלָי אֵי זֶה בַיִת אֲשֶׁר תִּבְנוּ לִי וְאֵי זֶה מָקוֹם מְנוּחָתִי, וְאוֹמֵר (תהלים קד) מָה רַבּוּ מַעֲשֶׂיךָ ה' כֻּלָּם בְּחָכְמָה עָשִׂיתָ מָלְאָה הָאָרֶץ קִנְיָנֶךָ. אַבְרָהָם קִנְיָן אֶחָד מִנַּיִן, דִּכְתִיב (בראשית יד), וַיְבָרְכֵהוּ וַיֹּאמַר בָּרוּךְ אַבְרָם לְאֵל עֶלְיוֹן קֹנֵה שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ. יִשְׂרָאֵל קִנְיָן אֶחָד מִנַּיִן, דִּכְתִיב (שמות טו), עַד יַעֲבֹר עַמְּךָ ה' עַד יַעֲבֹר עַם זוּ קָנִיתָ, וְאוֹמֵר (תהלים טז) לִקְדוֹשִׁים אֲשֶׁר בָּאָרֶץ הֵמָּה וְאַדִּירֵי כָּל חֶפְצִי בָם. בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ קִנְיָן אֶחָד מִנַּיִן, דִּכְתִיב (שמות טו), מָכוֹן לְשִׁבְתְּךָ פָּעַלְתָּ ה' מִקְּדָשׁ ה' כּוֹנְנוּ יָדֶיךָ. וְאוֹמֵר (תהלים עח) וַיְבִיאֵם אֶל גְּבוּל קָדְשׁוֹ הַר זֶה קָנְתָה יְמִינוֹ:
Five possessions did the Holy Blessed One, set aside as his own in this world, and these are they: The Torah, one possession; Heaven and earth, another possession; Abraham, another possession; Israel, another possession; The Temple, another possession. 1a) The Torah is one possession. From where do we know this? Since it is written, “The Lord possessed (usually translated as ‘created’) me at the beginning of his course, at the first of His works of old” (Proverbs 8:22). 2a) Heaven and earth, another possession. From where do we know this? Since it is said: “Thus said the Lord: The heaven is My throne and the earth is My footstool; Where could you build a house for Me, What place could serve as My abode? (Isaiah 66:1) And it says: “How many are the things You have made, O Lord; You have made them all with wisdom; the earth is full of Your possessions” (Psalms 104:24). 3a) Abraham is another possession. From where do we know this? Since it is written: “He blessed him, saying, “Blessed by Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth” (Genesis 15:19). 4a) Israel is another possession. From where do we know this? Since it is written: “Till Your people cross over, O Lord, Till Your people whom You have possessed” (Exodus 15:16). And it says: “As to the holy and mighty ones that are in the land, my whole desire (possession) is in them” (Psalms 16:3). 5a) The Temple is another possession. From where do we know this? Since it is said: “The sanctuary, O lord, which your hands have established” (Exodus 15:17”, And it says: “And He brought them to His holy realm, to the mountain, which His right hand had possessed” (Psalms 78:54).
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It should be most honest:'Israeli MK proposes dividing Temple Mount between Jews and Muslims
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'Israeli MK proposes dividing Temple Mount between Jews and Muslims
**AMIT HALEVI'S PLAN WOULD GIVE MUSLIMS CONTROL OF THE SOUTHERN END OF THE TEMPLE MOUNT COMPLEX, WHICH CONTAINS THE AL-AQSA MOSQUE, WHILE JEWS WOULD RECEIVE THE CENTRAL AND NORTHERN AREAS.
(JUNE 8, 2023 / JNS)**A Likud lawmaker is proposing a plan to divide Jerusalem’s Temple Mount between Muslims and Jews and to remove Jordan’s custodial status over the holy site.Speaking to the Zman Yisrael Hebrew news site, Knesset member Amit Halevi outlined a plan whereby Muslims would control the southern end of the 37-acre complex which contains the Al-Aqsa mosque, while Jews would receive the central and northern area, where the Dome of the Rock sits.According to Halevi, the reorganization makes sense from a religious point of view because that part of the Temple Mount is the holiest site in Judaism, where it is believed the First and Second Temples stood. The Foundation Stone at the center of the Dome of the Rock is where Jewish sources place the Holy of Holies.“This is the place of the First Temple and the place of the Second Temple built by Babylonian immigrants. No one needs to examine the stones to know that it is ours,” he said.Halevi also wants to end Israel’s agreement with the Jordanian Waqf whereby the Islamic trust controls and manages Islamic edifices on the Temple Mount.“Why not give them status in the Dizengoff Center [a large shopping mall in Tel Aviv] as well? This is a terrible mistake. This status should be abolished. I know it’s an agreement between countries, but we have to deal with it. It requires change, even if the process will take time,” he said.In addition, Halevi wants to give Jews the same access to the Temple Mount enjoyed by Muslims. Currently, the Waqf only allows Jews and non-Muslim tourists access to the Temple Mount via the Maghrebi Gate and only at certain hours when the gate is open.“We will take the northern end and pray there. The entire mountain is sacred to us, and the Dome of the Rock is the place on which the Temple stood. This should be our guideline,” he said. “Israel is leading. It will be a historical, religious and national statement. If this does not happen then you are not actually the owner of the house. You are a klutz. Why are you even going in there?”
Please let we all, Jews and all their friends, take the Har HaBayit and start building the Temple and restoring her service?כִּ֤י אִם־הֵיטֵיב֙ תֵּיטִ֔יבוּ אֶת־דַּרְכֵיכֶ֖ם וְאֶת־מַעַלְלֵיכֶ֑ם אִם־עָשׂ֤וֹ תַֽעֲשׂוּ֙ מִשְׁפָּ֔ט בֵּ֥ין אִ֖ישׁ וּבֵ֥ין רֵעֵֽהוּ׃
No, if you really mend your ways and your actions; if you execute justice between one party and another; גֵּ֣ר יָת֤וֹם וְאַלְמָנָה֙ לֹ֣א תַעֲשֹׁ֔קוּ וְדָ֣ם נָקִ֔י אַֽל־תִּשְׁפְּכ֖וּ בַּמָּק֣וֹם הַזֶּ֑ה וְאַחֲרֵ֨י אֱלֹהִ֧ים אֲחֵרִ֛ים לֹ֥א תֵלְכ֖וּ לְרַ֥ע לָכֶֽם׃
if you do not oppress the stranger, the orphan, and the widow; if you do not shed the blood of the innocent in this place; if you do not follow other gods, to your own hurt— וְשִׁכַּנְתִּ֤י אֶתְכֶם֙ בַּמָּק֣וֹם הַזֶּ֔ה בָּאָ֕רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֥ר נָתַ֖תִּי לַאֲבוֹתֵיכֶ֑ם לְמִן־עוֹלָ֖ם וְעַד־עוֹלָֽם׃
then only will I let you dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your ancestors for all time.Ariel your Representee, Representee of Ephraim and adviser (not a rabbi but friendly adviser) of Bet Yisrael international on the Har HaBayit.I like to call out to all my Jewish friends:
Zechariah 8:23
23So said the Lord of Hosts: In those days, when ten men of all the languages of the nations shall take hold of the skirt of a Jewish man, saying, "Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you."
כגכֹּֽה־אָמַר֘ יְהֹוָ֣ה צְבָאוֹת֒ בַּיָּמִ֣ים הָהֵ֔מָּה אֲשֶׁ֚ר יַֽחֲזִ֙יקוּ֙ עֲשָׂרָ֣ה אֲנָשִׁ֔ים מִכֹּ֖ל לְשֹׁנ֣וֹת הַגּוֹיִ֑ם וְֽהֶחֱזִ֡יקוּ בִּכְנַף֩ אִ֨ישׁ יְהוּדִ֜י לֵאמֹ֗ר נֵֽלְכָה֙ עִמָּכֶ֔ם כִּ֥י שָׁמַ֖עְנוּ אֱלֹהִ֥ים עִמָּכֶֽם:
ten men: from the seventy nations. This equals seven hundred for each corner. For the four corners of the tallith there will be two thousand and eight hundred.
עשרה אנשים: משבעים לשון הרי שבע מאות לכל כנף וכנף הרי לד' כנפי הטלית אלפים ושמונ' מאו':
Please Judah if a righteous gentile tries ‘to grasp your ‘tsi-sit’ and say: "Let me go with you, for I have heard that God is with you." Open your heart for him/her and share all our Torah. The Torah of Moshe Rabbeinu as it is written and spared and is teaches in the Tanach and all scripture of Rabbinical Judaism………
Ariel your Representee, Representee of Ephraim and adviser (not a rabbi but friendly adviser) of Bet Yisrael international on the Har HaBayit.
Read my story: https://rb.gy/i654b
Please contact me for further questions: Telegram https://t.me/ArielRepresentative WhatsApp: +972 54-568-3031 Ariel van Kessel LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ariel-van-kessel-71797424 Email: arielvankessel@aol.com Ariel, hopefully your Representative
(JUNE 8, 2023 / JNS)**
A Likud lawmaker is proposing a plan to divide Jerusalem’s Temple Mount between Muslims and Jews and to remove Jordan’s custodial status over the holy site.
Speaking to the Zman Yisrael Hebrew news site, Knesset member Amit Halevi outlined a plan whereby Muslims would control the southern end of the 37-acre complex which contains the Al-Aqsa mosque, while Jews would receive the central and northern area, where the Dome of the Rock sits.
According to Halevi, the reorganization makes sense from a religious point of view because that part of the Temple Mount is the holiest site in Judaism, where it is believed the First and Second Temples stood. The Foundation Stone at the center of the Dome of the Rock is where Jewish sources place the Holy of Holies.
“This is the place of the First Temple and the place of the Second Temple built by Babylonian immigrants. No one needs to examine the stones to know that it is ours,” he said.
Halevi also wants to end Israel’s agreement with the Jordanian Waqf whereby the Islamic trust controls and manages Islamic edifices on the Temple Mount.
“Why not give them status in the Dizengoff Center [a large shopping mall in Tel Aviv] as well? This is a terrible mistake. This status should be abolished. I know it’s an agreement between countries, but we have to deal with it. It requires change, even if the process will take time,” he said.
In addition, Halevi wants to give Jews the same access to the Temple Mount enjoyed by Muslims. Currently, the Waqf only allows Jews and non-Muslim tourists access to the Temple Mount via the Maghrebi Gate and only at certain hours when the gate is open.
“We will take the northern end and pray there. The entire mountain is sacred to us, and the Dome of the Rock is the place on which the Temple stood. This should be our guideline,” he said. “Israel is leading. It will be a historical, religious and national statement. If this does not happen then you are not actually the owner of the house. You are a klutz. Why are you even going in there?”
Please let we all, Jews and all their friends, take the Har HaBayit and start building the Temple and restoring her service?
כִּ֤י אִם־הֵיטֵיב֙ תֵּיטִ֔יבוּ אֶת־דַּרְכֵיכֶ֖ם וְאֶת־מַעַלְלֵיכֶ֑ם אִם־עָשׂ֤וֹ תַֽעֲשׂוּ֙ מִשְׁפָּ֔ט בֵּ֥ין אִ֖ישׁ וּבֵ֥ין רֵעֵֽהוּ׃
No, if you really mend your ways and your actions; if you execute justice between one party and another;
גֵּ֣ר יָת֤וֹם וְאַלְמָנָה֙ לֹ֣א תַעֲשֹׁ֔קוּ וְדָ֣ם נָקִ֔י אַֽל־תִּשְׁפְּכ֖וּ בַּמָּק֣וֹם הַזֶּ֑ה וְאַחֲרֵ֨י אֱלֹהִ֧ים אֲחֵרִ֛ים לֹ֥א תֵלְכ֖וּ לְרַ֥ע לָכֶֽם׃
if you do not oppress the stranger, the orphan, and the widow; if you do not shed the blood of the innocent in this place; if you do not follow other gods, to your own hurt—
וְשִׁכַּנְתִּ֤י אֶתְכֶם֙ בַּמָּק֣וֹם הַזֶּ֔ה בָּאָ֕רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֥ר נָתַ֖תִּי לַאֲבוֹתֵיכֶ֑ם לְמִן־עוֹלָ֖ם וְעַד־עוֹלָֽם׃
then only will I let you dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your ancestors for all time.
Ariel your Representee, Representee of Ephraim and adviser (not a rabbi but friendly adviser) of Bet Yisrael international on the Har HaBayit.
Zechariah 8:23
23So said the Lord of Hosts: In those days, when ten men of all the languages of the nations shall take hold of the skirt of a Jewish man, saying, "Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you." | | כגכֹּֽה־אָמַר֘ יְהֹוָ֣ה צְבָאוֹת֒ בַּיָּמִ֣ים הָהֵ֔מָּה אֲשֶׁ֚ר יַֽחֲזִ֙יקוּ֙ עֲשָׂרָ֣ה אֲנָשִׁ֔ים מִכֹּ֖ל לְשֹׁנ֣וֹת הַגּוֹיִ֑ם וְֽהֶחֱזִ֡יקוּ בִּכְנַף֩ אִ֨ישׁ יְהוּדִ֜י לֵאמֹ֗ר נֵֽלְכָה֙ עִמָּכֶ֔ם כִּ֥י שָׁמַ֖עְנוּ אֱלֹהִ֥ים עִמָּכֶֽם: |
ten men: from the seventy nations. This equals seven hundred for each corner. For the four corners of the tallith there will be two thousand and eight hundred. | | עשרה אנשים: משבעים לשון הרי שבע מאות לכל כנף וכנף הרי לד' כנפי הטלית אלפים ושמונ' מאו': |
Please Judah if a righteous gentile tries ‘to grasp your ‘tsi-sit’ and say: "Let me go with you, for I have heard that God is with you." Open your heart for him/her and share all our Torah. The Torah of Moshe Rabbeinu as it is written and spared and is teaches in the Tanach and all scripture of Rabbinical Judaism………
Ariel your Representee, Representee of Ephraim and adviser (not a rabbi but friendly adviser) of Bet Yisrael international on the Har HaBayit.
Read my story: https://rb.gy/i654b
Please contact me for further questions: Telegram https://t.me/ArielRepresentative WhatsApp: +972 54-568-3031 Ariel van Kessel LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ariel-van-kessel-71797424 Email: arielvankessel@aol.com Ariel, hopefully your Representative
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