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Chassidut on the Torah |
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The week of Parshat Vayeira, 5762 This Dvar
Torah is dedicated in memory of Shaul (Paul) Hegeman, A”H, by his mother,
Kathryn. Overview (Genesis
18:1-22:24) Avraham interrupted
a conversation with G-d to run and offer three people walking by a rest stop
and food. They were messenger angels from G-d, who told him that Sarah would
have a son next year, and that G-d was about to wipe out Sodom. Avraham prayed
for the people of Sodom. The messengers continued to Sodom, and were invited
home by Lot. The people came to attack them, as their city was against
hospitality. The messengers struck them blind, and told Lot to flee with his
family, and not to look back. They ran, but his wife looked back and became a
pillar of salt. The five cities were destroyed. Lot and his two daughters moved
into a cave. The daughters thought they were sole survivors in the world, so
they got their father drunk and had his sons. Avraham visited Gerar, announcing
that Sarah was his sister. The king Avimelech took her, but G-d told him in a
dream that she was already married and that he must return her to her husband.
Sarah gave birth to Yitzchak, whom Avraham circumcised when he was eight days
old. Avraham sent Hagar and Yishmael away, as Sarah did not want Yitzchak to
share his inheritance. G-d promised Hagar that Yishmael would also become a
great nation. Avraham and Avimelech made an oath regarding the well which
Avraham had dug, and a peace treaty. G-d tested Avraham and told him to bring
his son Yitzchak as an offering. At the last moment, a voice from heaven
stopped him, telling him that he had proved his faith in G-d. Avraham offered a
ram instead. G-d blessed him that he would have many descendants. Insights In this week’s portion is one of the most intriguing dialogues in the history of mankind. For the first time in the Torah, a mere mortal—Avraham—argued with His Creator! G-d decided to destroy Sodom and revealed His plan to Avraham. In response, Avraham determinedly attempted to convince G-d to nullify the harsh decree, “Avraham approached (vayigash) and said, would You wipe out the righteous with the evildoer?” (18/23). Apply this to our own lives: How many times have we been enmeshed in a very unfair situation. To whom can we complain? What can we do about it? What can we learn from this scenario to help us in our lives? Let us begin with understanding the meaning of the opening word in the verse, “vayigash”. We know from the previous verse that after the angels left (see overview), Avraham was still standing in G-d’s presence, so why did he have to approach G-d. Rashi answers this by explaining that the word ‘hagasha’ (root of the word ‘vayigash’) can refer to going to war, to reconciliate, or to pray. Rashi writes, “Avraham went for all three, to speak aggressively, to reconciliate and to pray.” The word ‘vayigash’ is informing us that Avraham was about to make an unprecedented act: to do all in his means to change the situation. This itself is hard to understand, considering that Avraham is known as the epitome of kindness. How was it possible for Avraham to speak harshly—and to whom—G-d! In addition to this, as Rashi states, of the three possibilities for ‘vayigash’, Avraham opened with severe aggression, even though according to his reputation he should have begun with reconciliation and prayer. From this we get a glimpse of Avraham’s greatness. We commonly find that a person is kind due to a natural inclination to be so. This was the uniqueness of Avraham. His kindness was not a product of his nature but rather this was his CHOSEN path to serve G-d. His entire reality was his Divine service including how he chose to express himself. Therefore, when he saw a need to act in the opposite way from his normal behavior, he did it with the same enthusiasm and devotion. It was not his nature or habit that directed his behavior, but rather what was required of him to serve G-d. When something out of the ordinary was required, he did not hesitate. When it was Avraham’s mission to save lives, and he realized that no other avenue existed except to speak out, he immediately did what was required, antithetical to his regular approach. This is the lesson we learn from Avraham. When a situation arises that could save the life of a Jewish person, be it physical or spiritual life, we must not start making calculations. It is forbidden to think, ‘I can’t deal with this.’ We are required to immediately use all available methods to the best of our ability in order to save a life. And if this requires us to “speak harshly”—(or gently, as the case may be)— to go totally against our nature—then that is what we must do. It is our obligation which the Almighty expects us to perform, and we must let no obstacle hold us back from fulfilling our goal, especially not our own nature. Chassidus teaches that even our inborn character traits are meant to be elevated through their proper use. See what happens the next time you do what you should, not what your nature demands. You will be definitely surprised. Shabbat Shalom, Shaul Rabbi Leiter will be in the
USA for the next few weeks, starting Nov. 1. He can be reached at 917-771-5455.
Rabbi (Big Mo) Siev will
also be in the USA and available at 516-921-7949. |
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