Parshat Lech Lecha


The question this week:

Genesis 12:1 God said to Abram, 'Go away from your land, from your birthplace, and from your father's house, to the land that I will show you.
וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֶל-אַבְרָם, לֶךְ-לְךָ מֵאַרְצְךָ וּמִמּוֹלַדְתְּךָ וּמִבֵּית אָבִיךָ, אֶל-הָאָרֶץ, אֲשֶׁר אַרְאֶךָּ.

Genesis 22:2 'Take your son, the only one you love - Isaac - and go away to the Moriah area...'
וַיֹּאמֶר קַח-נָא אֶת-בִּנְךָ אֶת-יְחִידְךָ אֲשֶׁר-אָהַבְתָּ, אֶת-יִצְחָק, וְלֶךְ-לְךָ, אֶל-אֶרֶץ הַמֹּרִיָּה...

In each case what is Abraham commanded to sacrifice and what is the significance in this repetition?


Preface:

One question we must ask when discussing the Abraham narratives is why we were not informed as to why our Patriarch was originally chosen. Our Sages bequeathed to us traditions of Abraham the monotheist and iconoclast; why does the Torah not mention any of this? Nechama Leibowitz (Studies on Genesis, the first essay on Lech Lecha) proposes a novel answer, that the Torah wishes to focus on our Patriarch’s trials, not on his war against idolatry and that the very fact that he was chosen for a test (Abraham was tested ten times, see Pirkei Avot 5:4 and the Rambam there) proves that he was worthy. (She cites a medrish which says that G-d only tests the righteous.) Keep this in mind.



Walking Before the Lord


In this week’s Parshah we find the famous words “Abram was 99 years old. Hashem appeared to him and said, 'I am E-l Shad-dai. Walk before Me and be Tamim” (Genesis 17:1)

What is the significance of G-d’s name E-l Shad-dai and what exactly does it mean to be Tamim (typically translated as complete or perfect)?

There the Ramban comments “Rabbi Avraham [the Ibn Ezra] in the name of [Shmuel] HaNaggid of blessed memory explains [Shad-dai] is from the root Shadad, which means to say Victor and Prevailer over the hosts of the heavens, and this [explanation] is correct…”

Before discussing the Ramban, we should look at another verse in Deuteronomy.

“You shall be Tamim with Hashem your G-d” (Deuteronomy 18:13)
תָּמִים תִּהְיֶה, עִם יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ.

There, the Ramban comments as follows “…Do not seek out stargazers or astrologers, do not trust their words will come true on any matter, but if you hear something from them, say all is in the Hands of G-d, because He is the G-d of all powers, supreme over everything, and He can change or defeat over the stars and the constellations…”

Abraham was always alone. Our sages homiletically comment that Avraham was referred to as the Ivri (Genesis 14:13) because he the believer was on one side of the world and the rest of humanity who were pagan were on the other side. Why was this necessary? Rav Soloveitchik’s writings offer an answer. In enumerating the benefits of loneliness, he writes:

1. “…Social man is superficial: he imitates, he emulates. Lonely man is profound: he creates, he is original…” (The Community, page 13)
2. “Lonely man is free; social man is bound by many rules and ordinances [the Rav makes clear that he is not speaking about Halacha but rather arbitrary human rules]… Man is required, from time to time to defy the world, to replace the old and obselete with the new and relevant. Only lonely man is capable of casting off the harness of bandage to society” (Ibid)

The Rav continues “Who was Abraham? Who was Elijah? Who were the prophets? People who dared rebuke society in order to destroy the status quo and replace it with a new social order” (Ibid) [Predictably, the Rav does not view this as the ideal situation, if you can get a hold of the essay, I highly suggest you read it]

[[8/23/06 - The Rav says that sometimes one must stand alone. He seems actually to be quite clear that there are times and there always will be times when it is ideal. (See http://www.yutorah.org/_shiurim/1-14%20Carmy.pdf) Probably when the Messiah comes this will change and the dialectic will no longer be needed.]]

Things would have been much easier if Abraham and Sarah conformed to their surroundings, if they practiced their Judaism in secret, if they never had the courage to stand alone if that was what was required.

But thank G-d, this never happened!

The stars said Abraham and Sarah would be childless but E-l Shad-dai put us above the stars, above fate.

Similarly, in the years approximately from 1900-1950, Orthodox Judaism in the Unites States was wishy washy with halachic observance and flimsy in its commitment to Judaism. Seemingly, it was dying and sociologists predicted its rapid demise. But there were pioneers, names such as Rav Yaakov Yitzchak Ruderman (founder of Ner Israel), Rav Aharon Kotler (founder of the Lakewood Yeshiva), Rav Soloveitchik (no elaboration is required), and many more. They landed on shores bereft of any intensive Torah study, where shuls were social halls, and compromise (on that which cannot be compromised on) was the order of the day. Burning with an inner fire, they taught, they opened yeshivot and kollelim, and they build communities. Onlookers viewed them as insane and often mocked these visionaries. But history speaks for itself.

In our days, our challenges are different but we must still have the confidence in G-d and in our Torah that we will prevail.

When I was at the 2005 National Jamboree, a Chabadnik told me an excellent comparison. When one is cold, one can either put on warmer clothes or start a fire. With the fire, not only will you warm up yourself, you will warm up others.

We must be brave and respond to cold by lighting fires. If we feel our Judaism threatened, if we feel hard being Jewish, the solution is to strengthen oneself while strengthening others.


Of course, with troubles and distractions left and right, we need to make sure we stay on the right path. Thus, the Ramchal writes that a person must “at designated times, when he is by himself, reflect upon the true path that a person must follow in accordance with the laws of the Torah. And afterwards, he should reflect upon his deeds: do they conform to this path or not?” (The Path of the Just, Chapter 3). Setting aside time for such contemplation is tough and painful but it is necessary, even and most importantly in yeshiva, and certainly in everyday life.

This combination of self contemplation and strengthening others is doubly difficult but their synthesis is a sure success.


Have a good Shabbas,
Mordechai