B"H
Monday, Mar-Cheshvan 13, 5780 / November 11, 2019
In last week’s Torah Fax we explained that according to the Torah, it’s the effort that counts most. Judaism is not a competition. Every single person can achieve and reach the highest spiritual levels. It’s not about who does more; who gives more; who knows more or who performs mitzvot more. It’s all about effort. It’s about performing to the best of our ability. The following is from the Midrash:
A wealthy man was leading his ox to be offered as a sacrifice in the Holy Temple. Suddenly the ox refused to continue. Nothing worked and the ox stubbornly stood there and refused to move.
A poor man, holding a bundle of grass, decided to help. He offered the ox his bundle of grass. The ox ate the grass and continued toward the Temple. The wealthy man felt great about his offering.
That night, he had a dream. In his dream he was told, “The bundle of grass which the poor man sacrificed was appreciated in heaven even more than your sacrifice.”
Another story in the Midrash: The Talmudic sages, Rabbi Eliezer, Rabbi Yehoshua and Rabbi Akiva went to a suburb of Antioch to collect for charity. In that suburb there lived a man by the name of Abba Yuden, who used to give charity with an open hand and open heart, but at that time he had lost everything and was poor.
When he saw the rabbis and knowing that he had nothing to give, he felt terrible and came home. His wife looked at him and asked if he was sick. Abba Yuden told her that he saw the rabbis and he feels awful because he has nothing to contribute.
His wife, who was even more pious than he (these are the words of the Midrash), said to him: “We have only one field left. Sell half of it and give the money to the rabbis. He did so. When he gave the money to them they said to him, “May G-d, Who is everywhere, make up what you lack.”
A while later, Abba Yuden went to plow the half-field he still owned. As he plowed the ground opened up and his heifer fell into the hole and broke a leg. As he went down to bring up the animal, he noticed a treasure there. Abba Yuden said, “It was for my benefit that my animal fell into the hole.”
Later, when the rabbis came back, they inquired about Abba Yuden. People told them, “Abba Yuden is very wealthy, he is the possessor of servants, he possesses goats, donkeys and oxen.”
When Abba Yuden heard that the rabbis were there he came to see them. They asked him how he was doing. He replied, “Your prayers had produced fruit and the fruits have also produced fruits!”
The rabbis said to him, “We want you to know that even though others gave more than you, we wrote down your contribution at the top of the list!” It’s the effort which counts most.
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY
B"H
Tuesday, Mar-Cheshvan 14, 5780 / November 12, 2019
This week's Parsha, Vayeira, begins, "And G-d appeared to him [Abraham] in the plains of Mamrei, as he sat at the entrance of the tent as the day was very hot." According to our sages, G-d appeared to Abraham on the third day after his circumcision to fulfill the mitzvah of visiting the sick.
The Torah continues, "And Abraham lifted his eyes and saw three men standing before him." Abraham asked G-d to wait, while he "ran" toward them and invited them into his home. The Torah then describes how Abraham himself, at the age of 100, ran and fetched the calf and attended to his guests with great dedication and he stood by them under the tree as they ate.
Abraham was known for his special fondness for the mitzvah of "Hachnasat Orchim" (hospitality to guests). Abraham's tent had four entrances, one on each side, so that travelers could easily enter.
Although Hachnasat Orchim is a big mitzvah, our sages ask why Abraham, who was in the presence of G-d, ran to invite them and then attended to his guests himself? Didn't this show a lack of respect toward G-d? Abraham was a wealthy man and could have had his servants take care of the guests.
Perhaps we can understand this with the following Talmudic story (Kedushin 32):
Rabbi Eliezer, Rabbi Yehoshua and Rabbi Tzadok were at a festive gathering at the home of Rabbi Gamliel's son. Rabbi Gamliel, who was the dean of the Torah academy, filled a cup and handed it to Rabbi Eliezer.
Rabbi Eliezer refused to be served by the great scholar. Rabbi Gamliel then handed the cup to Rabbi Yehoshua who accepted it. Rabbi Eliezer turned to Rabbi Yehoshua and said, "How can you let such a great man like Rabbi Gamliel serve you?"
Rabbi Yehoshua replied: "Why not? We find that our forefather Abraham, the greatest person in his time, attended and "stood" by his guests. So why should we refuse to be attended by Rabbi Gamliel."
Rabbi Tzadok then said: "I will give you a better reason why we may accept Rabbi Gamliel's service. We see that G-d Himself creates winds, gives rain, makes things grow and provides food for each one of us. There is no-one greater than G-d, yet, He attends to our needs. So why shouldn't we let Rabbi Gamliel serve us?"
Similarly, when Abraham left G-d's presence to help others, he wasn't showing a lack of respect. On the contrary, he was showing G-d how grateful he was! Just like G-d attended to Abraham's needs, he too would attend to the needs of others.
It’s a great lesson. Just as G-d attends to our needs, we too should help others in need, as well.
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY
B"H
Thursday, Mar-Cheshvan 16, 5780 / November 14, 2019
In this week’s Parsha, Vayeira, the Torah tells the story of the birth of Yitzchak (Isaac) & his circumcision on the eighth day. We also read the story of G-d commanding Abraham to bring Yitzchak to Mount Moriah to be offered as a sacrifice. Only at the last minute, as Abraham was about to fulfill this commandment, did the angel tell him that it was only a test - the greatest test of all.
Q. Who chose the name Yitzchak & why?
A. G-d told Abraham to name his sonYitzchak. Yitzchak is comprised of four Hebrew letters and each of the letters has a numerical value; Yud (10), Tzadik (90), Chet (8), Kuf (100). Each of these four letters represent an important event related to Yitzchak’s life.
Ten(Yud) represents Abraham’s tenth test, when G-d told him to bring Yitzchak as a sacrifice.
Ninety(Tzadik) represents Sarah’s age when she gave birth to Yitzchak.
Eight (Chet) alludes to the eighth day in which Yitzchak was circumcised (he was the first one to be circumcised at eight days).
One hundred(Kuf) is Abraham’s age when Yitzchak was born.
Yitzchakalso comes from the word “tzchok” which means laughter and happiness. One can only imagine the great joy and laughter Yitzchak’s birth brought to his parents; his 90 year old mother & 100 year old father.
Q. How old was Yitzchak when his father led him to be slaughtered on Mount Moriah?
A. He wasn’t a young child. He was thirty seven years old! Abraham was 137 at that time!
Q. Where is Mount Moriah?
A. The Temple Mount in Jerusalem, where many years later the Holy Temple was built.
Q. Which day of the year was Yitzchak born?
A. Yitzchak was born on the first day of Pesach (Passover), exactly 400 years before the Exodus. In the previous Parsha we read that G-d told Abraham that his descendants will be in exile for 400 years and they will come out with great wealth. The four hundred years began with the birth of Yitzchak. The Jewish people were redeemed from their Egyptian exile on Pesach on the very same day of Yitzchak’s birth, precisely when the 400 years were up.
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY
B"H
Friday, Mar-Cheshvan 17, 5780 / November 15, 2019
In last week's Parsha, Lech L'Cha, we find that when G-d told Abraham that his wife Sarah will give birth to a son, "Abraham fell upon his face and laughed. He said in his heart, 'Shall a child be born unto him who is a hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is 90 years old, bear a child?" G-d told Abraham to name the child Yitzchak. "And I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his seed after him."
In this week's Parsha, Vayeira, we read that when one of the three angels, who came to Abraham disguised as men, told Abraham, that next year at this time Sarah will have a son, “Sarah laughed to herself, saying, 'After I have become this old, shall I have a son?'" G-d was not happy that she laughed. He asked Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh… Is there anything too hard for G-d?"
What was the difference between Abraham's laughter and Sarah's? Rashi explains that Abraham's laughter was an expression of happiness and joy for this great miracle. The fact that G-d tells Abraham to name his son "Yitzchak," which means "laughter," is proof that his laughter was good. Sarah's laughter had, within it, an expression of doubt. She felt that at her age, she could no longer bear a child.
Q. Why was Abraham assured that he will have a son, yet, Sarah had her doubts?
A. The difference was that Abraham heard this from G-d. Thus, he was certain that this will happen. Sarah, on the other hand, heard it merely from one of the three angels who appeared like ordinary people. She understood the remark to be a courteous blessing by a guest and laughed.
A businessman, who only a few years earlier emigrated to America, received a telegram at his office from his son, Yankelle, attending an out-of-town college. Not being very comfortable with reading English, he handed the telegram to his secretary to read it to him. The secretary, who at the moment was not in her best mood, read the telegram in an unpleasant and demanding tone: "Shoes torn. Very cold here. No decent coat. Not enough to eat. Send money!"
When the secretary finished reading the telegram in her unpleasant and demanding voice, the father roared, "Who does he think he is talking to? How dare he address his father so disrespectfully? He will not get one penny from me. I will teach him manners!"
That night at the dinner table he handed the telegram to his wife, "Read this," he exclaimed. “Could you believe that our own son is so rude?"
Her heart trembling, fearing the worst, the mother began reading in a soft motherly voice; "Shoes torn," she read with a soft sob. "Very cold here. No decent coat.” When she came to the words "Not enough to eat. Send money," she could actually feel her child starving and she broke down and wept.
"Now, this is different," said the father, as he reached for his check book, while wiping away a tear. "Now he is asking like a gentlman.”
SHABBAT SHALOM
Montreal candle lighting time: 4:06 / Shabbat ends: 5:11
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