B"H
Monday, Mar-Cheshvan 6, 5783 (Hakhel Year) / October 31, 2022
This week’s Parsha, Lech L’cha, is about the many challenges and tests which our patriarch and matriarch, Abraham and Sarah, endured from the time they came to the land of Canaan (Israel), the land which G-d promised to give to their descendants, the people of Israel.
Abraham and Sarah didn’t question G-d, but rather accepted every challenge they were presented with. They didn’t view their hardships as an obstacle, but as a springboard to be elevated to greater heights. G-d tested them with ten tests, which they withstood, and thus resulted in great blessings for them.
G-d’s tests are not just through adversity or poverty, but also through wealth and health. When everything is good, that too can be a test to see how thankful that person will be. Will they recognize that it all came as a blessing from G-d, or will they claim that it was their own doing. Will it make them humble and more generous to help others, or will they become more selfish and haughtier.
In the beginning of the Parsha, G-d tells Abraham to leave his birthplace and his father’s home and travel to an unknown land; “To the land that I will show you.” Abraham was seventy-five years old at the time and Sarah was sixty-five.
G-d encourages Abraham by telling him that in the new land, "I will bless you and make your name great and you shall be a blessing.” G-d promises Abraham that in addition to His blessings to Abraham and Sarah, “I will bless those who will bless you, and those who curse you, I will curse.”
Q. We see a difference in the way G-d says what He will do to those who bless Abraham and those who will curse him. When speaking about those who will bless Abraham, G-d first says what Hewill do; “I will blessthose who will bless you.” But when speaking about those who may curse Abraham, G-d doesn’t say, “I will curse those who curse you.” Rather,” And those who curse you, I will curse.” First mentioning what they will do and only after how G-d will respond to them. Why the difference?
A. Our sages say that when a person sincerely wants to perform a mitzvah (good deed), but for reasons beyond their control, cannot perform it, G-d gives them the credit and reward for it as if they have done the good deed.
However, when a person wants to do a sin and, in the end, he refrains from doing it, no matter what the reason may be, G-d does notdeem it as if the act was done. The intention to do good is part of performing the good deed, but the intentionto sin doesn’t count if they didn’t actualize it in the end.
Before a person blesses or curses someone, they think about it first and then express it vocally. G-d says to Abraham, “I will bless those who will bless you.” The blessings (“I will bless”) will begin, even beforethey utter the blessings, for even the thought of blessing Abraham will bring G-d’s blessings. But for those, “who curse you, I will curse.” G-d’s curse comes only afterthey actually do it, not before.
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY
B"H
Tuesday, Mar-Cheshvan 7, 5783 (Hakhel Year) / November 1, 2022
This week's Parsha, Lech Lecha, G-d commands Abraham, at the age of seventy-five, to go out from his homeland where he lived for so many years and from his birthplace and go to, “The land which I will show you.” G-d promised Abraham, “And I will make of you a great nation and I will bless you and make your name great and you will be a blessing.”
The Mishna (Pirkei Avot, chapter 5) says, "Our forefather Abraham was tested with 10 trials, and he withstood them all - to show the degree of our forefather Abraham's love for G-d." Withstanding all of these tests ultimately brought about G-d's blessings for Abraham and Sarah.
Someone once asked Rabbi Tzvi Hirsh, son of Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov, to teach him how to become a Tzadik (righteous person).
Rabbi Tzvi Hirsh replied: "There were once two very wealthy people in a town. One had inherited his wealth from his father, while the other one became wealthy by his own hard work. Someone asked the first one to teach him how to become rich. 'I don't know how,' he answered. 'I inherited all my wealth. Go to the one who earned his wealth. He can teach you.'"
"The same is with me," said Rabbi Tzvi Hirsh. "Whatever I have, I inherited from my father. Go to a righteous person who didn't grow up in a holy environment. He can teach you how to become righteous!"
Abraham and Sarah recognized the creator on their own. They grew up in a family of idol worshippers, so whatever they achieved, they accomplished on their own.
This Parsha teaches us that, just like with Abraham and Sarah, all their obstacles and tests turned out for their benefit. So too, the tests we encounter in life are from G-d. Abraham and Sarah, who lived 400 years before the giving of the Torah, had to find G-d on their own. We, their descendants, have the Torah and have inherited from them their special strength and ability, thus making our tests, easier to overcome.
“Man’s footsteps are set from G-d,” say our sages. Rabbi Shimshon Wertheimer was a scholar and also a successful businessman in the city of Vienna, Austria. Once, as he was walking in the street, he met the Austrian king. The king knew Rabbi Shimshon.
“Shimshon, where are you going?” the king asked.
“I’m not sure,” he replied. The king became angry, and Rabbi Shimshon was imprisoned.
After a few days, the king called for Rabbi Shimshon. “Shimshon,” he said, “I know you are a very smart person. Why did you do such a silly thing as to lie to me?”
My dear king,” he replied. “Had you asked me where I intend to go, I would have told you that I intend to go to my place of business. But you asked me, ‘Where are you going?’ How can a person know for sure where they’re going? You see for yourself, I intended to go to my business and ended up in prison!”
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY
B"H
Thursday, Mar-Cheshvan 9, 5783 (Hakhel Year) / November 3, 2022
As mentioned many times, the word "Torah" comes from the word "hora'ah" - meaning "teaching" and "lesson." The stories of our patriarchs and matriarchs, even though they took place thousands of years ago, are not just stories of the past, but a lesson to guide us in each generation at all times.
This week's Parsha, Lech Lecha, is devoted to our patriarch Abraham and matriarch Sarah. The Parsha talks about many of the tests which Abraham and Sarah endured, beginning with G-d's commandment to Abraham and Sarah to leave their birth-place and homeland and move to an unknown land.
At the age of seventy-five, Abraham and his wife, Sarah became the first wandering Jews. They left their home and went to an unknown destination--the land of Canaan. When they finally arrived, G-d brought a famine upon the land and again they had to move. This time, they journeyed to Egypt where they experienced more trials and tribulations.
Torah commentaries discuss why does the Torah use the words "Lech Lecha" which literally means, "Go for you," when only the word "Lech" ("go") would have sufficed?
Rashi explains that G-d told Abraham that although this may seem difficult at this time, it is in fact, "for your benefit and for your pleasure." For whatever G-d does and whatever He wants us to do is in truth for our benefit and if we accept it as such, it is also for our pleasure, whether we see it at the time or not.
A wise person said, “Many of the pleasures one experiences in life are not necessarily for one’s benefit. However, the pleasures one derives from performing G-d's commandments are always for our benefit!
The Midrash uses the following analogy: A bottle of perfume was placed in the corner of a shelf. As long as it remained there, no one, except for the people in the room, appreciated its fragrance. Only when someone moved the perfume from place to place did everyone enjoy its wonderful fragrance. The same was with Abraham and Sarah. G-d wanted them to move from place to place so that people would get to know them, learn from their ways and thus benefit from them.
"Lech Lecha" can also be understood as "Go to you." G-d expects each person to excel and achieve according to theirability. We must not be discouraged by the fact that others have the ability to accomplish more. All G-d asks of each person is to do the best according to his or her ability.
The noted Chassidic Rabbi Zusia of Anipoli would say, "After I pass on and come before the Heavenly Court, I'm not worried that they will ask me why I wasn't as righteous as Abraham, Moshe or Rabbi Akiva. For, I am not Abraham nor Moshe nor Rabbi Akiva. G-d didn’t make me like them and doesn't expect me to be like them. What I am worried about is if they will ask me, 'Zusia, why weren't you Zusia... Why didn't you achieve and accomplish the best that you, Zusia, could have accomplished with the talent which G-d gave you? What will I answer?'"
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY
B"H
Friday, Mar-Cheshvan 10, 5783 (Hakhel Year) / November 4, 2022
In this week's Parsha, Lech Lecha (Gen. 13:14), we read that G-d tells Abraham, "Lift up your eyes and look northward, southward, eastward and westward; For all the land which you see, to you I will give it and to your children forever. And I will make your children as the dust of the earth. Just like one cannot count the dust of the earth, so too, will your children not be counted."
Our right and ownership of the Promised Land is clearly stated in G-d’s promise to Abraham.
Later in the Parsha (Gen. 15:3-5) G-d says to Abraham, "Look toward the heaven and count the stars if you are able to count them; and He [G-d] said to him [Abraham] so shall your children be."
Q. G-d compares the Jewish people to the sand of the earth and to the stars in heaven. One can understand the blessing to be like the stars which shine, but why to the sand of the earth?
A. Maimonides, in a letter of encouragement to the Jews of Yemen, who experienced great difficulty and oppression, writes, "G-d promised our forefathers that, although the nations will oppress His children and try to annihilate them, the Jewish people will survive and be around long after their oppressors will already have been gone.”
Maimonides continues, “This is the reason for comparing the Jewish people to the sand of the earth. The earth is continuously stepped upon yet outlasts all those who step on it. The same is with us. The nations who oppress and step over us will in the end not survive, while we will last forever."
Comparing the Jewish people to the sand of the earth is G-d's promise to Abraham that his children, the Jewish people, will last forever. Although so many nations, over the past 3000 years, have tried to annihilate us, we have survived them all.
The Baal Shem Tov sees the comparison to the sand of the earth as follows: "Just like the earth contains great hidden treasures deep inside it, which can be extracted only through much effort, so too, every Jew has great spiritual treasures hidden within them. In some cases, it needs effort to reveal it.
A Jewish student once said to Rabbi Meir Leibish Malbim, “Rabbi, I would like to get into university, but as you know, Jews are barred from entering the university. I was told that in order to be accepted I would have to convert. What would be so terrible if I let the priest spray some religious water on me? I’m doing this only so that I can be accepted to university, but in my heart I’m a Jew like before. Can a few drops of water be so harmful?
The Malbim replied, “G-d blessed Abraham that his children, the Jewish people, will be like the sand of the earth. You know that when you mix earth with water it becomes mud. Why would you let anyone make mud out of you?
Shabbat, is the 11th of Cheshvan, the yartzeit (day of passing) of the matriarch Rachel. She passed away right after giving birth to her son, Binyamin. She is buried in Bethlehem. May her memory be a blessing.
SHABBAT SHALOM
Montreal Shabbat candle lighting time: 5:19 / Shabbat ends: 6:22
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