B"H
Thursday, Mar-Cheshvan 4, 5781 / October 22, 2020
This week’s Parsha, Noach is about the story of the Great Flood and Noach’s Ark. The Parsha ends with the birth and life of Abraham and Sarai (Sarah).
Q. How long did it take Noach to build the Ark?
A. 120 years. Noach began building the Ark when he was 480 years old and completed it at age 600.
Q. Why did it take him so long?
A. To give people a chance to repent. When people asked Noach why he was building an ark, he replied that G-d was bringing a Great Flood unless people would repend and better their ways. Yet, 120 years of exposure to building The Ark and telling people why, they still didn’t repent and G-d eventually brought The Flood. Also, G-d waited for Noach’s grandfather, Mesushelach, to pass away.
Q. The Torah proclaims Noach to be a righteous person. Noach was the one who built The Ark and was responsible for saving life on this planet, yet, the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 54) refers to The Great Flood, which brought so much destruction, as Mei Noach, "the waters of Noach." Placing partial responsibility for the Flood on Noach. How could a righteous person (Tzaddik) like Noach, who, he and his family were saved from The Flood, be blamed somehow for The Flood?
A. Our sages explain the apparent contradiction with the following parable: Many people were sitting in a cold room. Two of the people decided they couldn't take the cold any more.
One person went and put on his fur coat. Although he was now comfortable, everyone else was still freezing. The other person decided to get wood and make a fire. He not only warmed himself, but everyone else in the room too.
Abraham, who was a descendent of Noach, was like the second person. When G-d wanted to destroy the cities of Sodom and Gomorra, Abraham prayed to G-d to save the people of those cities. But Noach was similar to the first person. Noach was indeed righteous, but he didn't go out of his way to save the rest of his generation.
Only when asked why he was building the Ark, he told them, but he didn’t go out of his way to call people to repent. He also didn’t pray that G-d spare the people. Because he didn't do enough to prevent the disaster of The Great Flood, the prophet calls it by his name – “The waters of Noach.”
The Torah portion of the week is not a lesson in history, but to teach us a lesson. The lesson here is that if one doesn’t do enough to set another person on the right path, they too bear some of the responsibility for the other person’s negative actions.
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY
B"H
Tuesday, Mar-Cheshvan 9, 5781 / October 27, 2020
The reason that the Bible is called, "Torah" is because it comes from the word "hora'ah" - "teaching/guide." Even the stories of creation and of our Patriarchs and Matriarchs are not a history lesson, but serve to teach andguide us in each generation and at all times.
This week's Parsha, Lech Lecha, is devoted to our Patriarch Abraham and Matriarch Sarah. The Parsha tells about many of the tests which Abraham and Sarah endured, beginning with G-d's commandment to Abraham, Lech Lecha, to leave their birth place and their father’s home.
He promised Abraham that in the new land, "I will bless you and make your name great and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who will bless you... and in you shall all the families of the earth bless themselves."
Thus, Abraham at the age of seventy five, and Sarah at age sixty five, became the first wandering Jews. G-d commanded Abraham and Sarah to travel to a foreign destination--the land of Canaan. But, when they finally arrived, G-d brought a famine and again they had to move. This time, they traveled to Egypt where they experienced more trials and tribulations. Sarah was taken from Abraham and brought to King Pharaoh. G-d punished Pharaoh and his household and she was returned to Abraham. So began Abraham and Sarah’s experience in The Promised Land.. tests and more tests.
Torah commentaries discuss why does the Torah use the words "Lech Lecha" which literally mean "go for you," when only the word "Lech" ("go") would have sufficed?
Rashi explains that with the two words, LechLecha, go for you, G-d is telling Abraham that although this commandment 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.
Said a wise person: In life, generally, the things in which a person finds pleasure are not necessarily for the person's benefit. But, the pleasure one derives through performing G-d's commandments are indeed for our benefit!
The Midrash uses the following analogy to explain why G-d wanted Abraham to experience the many exiles from place to place:
A bottle of perfume was placed in the corner of a shelf. As long as it remained there, no one 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 could get to know them, appreciate them and emulate their pious and generous deeds.
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY
Wednesday, Mar-Cheshvan 10, 5781 / October 28, 2020
This week's Parsha, Lech Lecha, covers a span of twenty four years in the life of Abraham and Sarah. The Parsha begins with Abraham, at the age of 75, and Sarah, at age 65, arriving in the land of Canaan (The Promised Land). It concludes with Abraham being circumcised at the age of 99.
In this Parsha G-d promises Abraham that his children will inherit the land of Israel: "G-d said to Abraham... Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are; northward, southward, eastward and westward, for all the land which you see, to you I will give it and to your seed forever." G-d promises Abraham that, like the dust of the earth which cannot be counted, so too, will be his seed - the people of Israel. Thus, the Land of Israel was promised by G-d to the people of Israel over 3500 years ago!
The Parsha describes many of the trials which Abraham endured after moving to Canaan. One such experience happened when his nephew, Lot, was captured in the war between the four and five kings.
With only 318 men, Abraham battled the mighty armies of the four kings, won the battle and freed his nephew.
After this episode, the Torah tells us that G-d appeared in a vision to Abraham and said to him, "Fear not Abraham, I am your shield, your reward shall be exceedingly great."
Abraham, who was childless, asked G-d, "What good is the reward when I have no heir to inherit it?" The Torah tells us that G-d took him outside and said to him, "Look towards the heaven and count the stars if you can number them... So shall your seed be."
Q. What is the significance and lesson that the Jewish people are likened to the stars?
A. The stars appear small to one who looks at them from the earth - below. However, the closer one gets to the stars, the larger they appear. Only from above can one appreciate their true size. So too, said G-d, the people of Israel may appear small and insignificant, but it is only to those below, from My point they are important and great.
The Baal Shem Tov says: If a person looks small and insignificant to another, it may be only due to the distance between the two. Should the two become closer, they may find a totally different picture; a bright and shining light.
Another explanation is that as a result of the stars shining at night, one who walks in the dark will find guidance and direction. G-d tells Abraham that his children, the children of Israel, will be a light unto the nations, like the shining stars, to illuminate the darkness of the world, through the light of Torah and mitzvot.
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY
B"H
Friday, Mar-Cheshvan 12, 5781 / October 30, 2020
Some interesting points from the Midrash on this week’s Parsha, Lech Lecha.
Parsha(Gen. 12:1): G-d said to Abraham, "Go out to you from your country, from your birthplace, and from your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you and make your name great…And in you shall all the families of the earth bless themselves."
Midrash: A man was walking in the desert on a very hot day. He was hungry, thirsty and very tired. But there was no food, water or shade in sight. Suddenly, he saw a tree full of ripe fruits, its branches gave wonderful shade and a stream of water was flowing by the tree. He ate the fruit until he was satisfied, then he drank the water. Finally, he lay down in the shade of the tree and fell asleep. When he awoke, he was full of energy and vigor, ready to continue his long journey.
Before he left, he looked up at the tree and said with emotion, "Tree tree, I want to bless you for saving my life. But what should I bless you with? With beautiful fruits? You have it already. Should I bless you with shade? You have that too. Should I bless you with a stream flowing next to you? You don't need my blessing for that either. However, I will bless you that all the trees that will come from your seeds shall be as marvelous as you!"
In a similar way, the Midrash says, was G-d's blessing to Abraham, "In you shall all the families of the earth bless themselves." Everyone will pray that their descendants shall be like you!
Parsha(Gen. 12:5): And Abraham took Sarah his wife, and Lot his brother's son and all their substance that they had gathered and the souls which they made in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan and they came to the land of Canaan."
Midrash: "If all the nations of the world got together and tried to create the smallest fly, they couldn't give it life. Yet, the Torah says, 'And the souls which they made!' How is this possible? But, this refers to the converts whom Abraham and Sarah brought closer to G-d. For when one brings someone closer to G-d, it is considered like they created them!"
Parsha (Gen. 12:16): "And he [Pharaoh] bestowed gifts on Abrahambecause of her [Sarah]."
Midrash: Rabbi Chelbo said, "A man should always be careful to honor his wife; for the blessing in his house is only due to the wife, as is written, "And he did good to Abraham because of her." The Talmudic sage Rava would remind the people of his city, Mechuza, "Give honor to your wives so that you will be blessed with wealth!"
Parsha (Gen. 13:16): "[G-d said to Abraham] And I will make your seed as the dust of the earth."
Midrash:G-d said to Abraham, "Just like the sand is from one end of the world to the other, so too, will your children be scattered throughout the world. Just as everyone steps upon the earth, so too, will your children be oppressed. But just as the earth survives everything and is forever, so too, will your descendants last forever and ever.
SHABBAT SHALOM
Montrealcandle lighting time: 5:25 / Shabbat ends: 6:27
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