Torah Tidbits Issue 1346 - 09/11/19 by Anglo Media

ISSUE 1346 NOV. 9TH '19

‫י"א מרחשון תש"פ‬

‫לך‬-‫פרשת לך‬

PARSHAT LECH LECHA

SIMCHAT SHMUEL By Rabbi Sam Shor see page 46

TORAH 4 TEENS BY TEENS New Column by NCSY see page 74

‫"קּום ִה ְת ַה ֵּלְך‬ ‫ ִּכי‬...‫ָּב ָא ֶרץ‬ "‫ְלָך ֶא ְּתנֶ ּנָ ה‬

YERUSHALAYIM LECHA YERUSHALAYIMIN/OUT IN/OUTTIMES TIMESFOR FORSHABBAT SHABBATPARSHAT PARSHATLECH SHOFTIM Candles 4:09PM Havdala 5:22PM Rabbeinu Tam 6:01PM Candles 6:22PM Plag 5:39PM Havdala 7:33PM Rabeinu Tam 8:13PM

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PARSHAPIX

PPexplanations on p.68 and at www.ttidbits.com Click on the PPW link

WORD OF THE MONTH

KIDDUSH L'VANA in rainy season There are those who do KL strictly by the GR"A's practice - to take the very first opportunity once three full days have passed since the announced molad (with time adjusted for clock time) - except on Leil Shabbat. There are others who are equally committed to waiting seven full days after the molad. Others will only say KL on Motza'ei Shabbat. Most people don't seem to have a strict practice, but will say KL if they are in shul at the right time. Whichever way you follow (except GR"A people), it is a good idea to check with your Rav about shortening the time you wait after the molad, because of the possibility (probability) of clouds and rain delaying this imortant mitzva. Be careful not to run out of time. 2

TORAH TIDBITS / NOACH 5780

OTHER Z'MANIM

CANDLE LIGHTING A N D H AV DA L A T I M ES

JERUSALEM CANDLES

4:09 4:27 4:25 4:24 4:25 4:25 4:24 4:25 4:25 4:09 4:24 4:13 4:23 4:23 4:24 4:25 4:27 4:25 4:11 4:20

LECH L'CHA

Yerushalayim / Maale Adumim Aza area (Netivot, S’deirot, Bet al)

Beit Shemesh / RBS Gush Etzion Raanana/ Tel Mond/ Herzliya/ K. Saba

Modi’in / Chashmona’im Netanya Be’er Sheva Rehovot Petach Tikva Ginot Shomron Haifa / Zichron Gush Shiloh Tel Aviv / Giv’at Shmuel Giv’at Ze’ev Chevron / Kiryat Arba Ashkelon Yad Binyamin Tzfat / Bik’at HaYarden Golan

HAVDALA

5:22 5:25 5:23 5:22 5:23 5:23 5:23 5:24 5:23 5:23 5:22 5:22 5:21 5:23 5:22 5:23 5:25 5:23 5:19 5:18

VAYEIRA

4:05 4:23 4:21 4:20 4:20 4:20 4:20 4:20

5:18 5:21 5:19 5:19 5:19 5:19 5:19 5:21

4:21 5:20 4:05 5:19 4:19 5:18 4:09 5:18 4:19 5:17 4:19 5:20 4:20 5:18 4:20 5:19 4:22 5:21 4:21 5:20 4:06 5:15 4:15 5:14

Rabbeinu Tam (J'lem) - 6:01pm • next week - 5:57pm OU Kashrut  NCSY  Jewish Action  JLIC NJCD / Yachad / Our Way  OU West Coast  OU Press  Synagogue/ Community Services  OU Advocacy  OU Israel MOISHE BANE, PRESIDENT OF THE ORTHODOX UNION Howard Tzvi Friedman, Chairman of the Board, Orthodox Union | Dr. Michael Elman, OU Israel Chair | Gary Torgow, Chair, OU Kashrus Commission ALLEN FAGIN, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT | Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb, Exec. V.P. Emeritus | Rabbi Steven Weil, Senior Managing Director | Shlomo Schwartz, Chief Financial Officer | Lenny Bessler, Chief Human Resources Officer | Rabbi Dave Felsenthal, Chief Innovation Officer OU KOSHER: Rabbi Menachem Genack, CEO/Rabbinic Administrator OU Kosher | Rabbi Moshe Elefant, COO/Executive Rabbinic Coordinator ISRAEL: Rabbi Yossi Tirnauer, Rabbinic Coordinator OU Israel | Rabbi Yissachar Dov Krakowski, Rabbinic Field Representative

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RANGES ARE 11 DAYS, WED-SHABBAT 8-18 MARCHESHVAN (NOV 6-16) Earliest Talit & T’filin Sunrise Sof Z’man K’ Sh’ma

5:08-5:15am 5:59-6:08am 8:40-8:45am

Sof Z’man T’fila

9:34-9:38am

(Magen Avraham: 8:04-8:08am) (Magen Avraham: 9:04-9:07am)

Chatzot(Halachic noon) Mincha Gedola (Earliest Mincha) Plag Mincha Sunset (counting elevation)

(based on sea level: 4:46-4:39½pm)

11:23¾-11:24am 11:53-11:54am 3:38½-3:34pm 4:51-4:44½pm

Seymour J. AbramsOrthodox Union Jerusalem World CenterAvrom Silver Jerusalem College for AdultsWolinetz Family ShulMakom BaLevBirthrightYachadNCSY in IsraelJLIC in IsraelPearl & Harold M. Jacobs ZULA Outreach CenterThe Jack Gindi Oraita ProgramOU Israel Kashrut

ZVI SAND, PRESIDENT, OU ISRAEL Yitzchak Fund, Former President, OU Israel | Rabbi Emanuel Quint z”l, Senior Vice President | Prof. Meni Koslowsky, Vice President | Dr. Simcha Heller, Vaad member | Stuart Hershkowitz, Vaad member | Moshe Kempinski, Vaad member | Sandy Kestenbaum, Vaad member | Ben Wiener, Vaad member | Harvey Wolinetz, Vaad member RABBI AVI BERMAN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, OU ISRAEL David Katz, CFO, OU Israel | Chaim Pelzner, Director of Programs, OU Israel | Rabbi Sam Shor, Director of Programs, OU Israel Center | Rabbi Sholom Gold, Dean, Avrom Silver Jerusalem College for Adults

22 Keren HaYesod <> POB 37015 <> Jerusalem 91370 phone: (02) 560 9100 | fax: (02) 566-0156 email: office@ouisrael.org | website: www.ouisrael.org Founders and initial benefactors of the OU Israel Center: George and Ilse Falk a”h OU Israel, Torah Tidbits and Anglo Media do not endorse the political or halachic positions of its editor, columnists or advertisers, nor guarantee the quality of advertised services or products. Nor do we endorse the kashrut of hotels, restaurants, caterers or food products that are advertised in TT (except, of course, those under OU-Israel hashgacha). Any "promises" made in ads are the sole responsibility of the advertisers and not that of OU Israel, the OU Israel Center , Torah Tidbits and Anglo Media.

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WEEKLY INSPIRATION ‫ והיהדות של ארץ ישראל‬,‫המעמיד של היהדות הגלותית‬-‫"צפית ישועה היא כח‬ )‫א‬:‫ ארץ חפץ ה‬,‫היא הישועה עצמה"(רב אברהם יצחק הכהן קוק‬ ‘The expectation of salvation is the force that preserves the Jewish people in exile; the Judaism of the Land of Israel is the salvation itself.’ (Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak HaCohen Kook, zt"l, Eretz Chefetz 5:1)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

06 16 20 26 28 32 34 46 48

Aliya by Aliya Phil Chernofsky

Walking With & Walking Before Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb A Palace in Flames Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks Probing the Prophets Rabbi Nachman Winkler The Fifth Shulchan Aruch Rabbi Shalom Rosner

Two words Rebbetzin Shira Smiles Lech Lecha: A (Really) Freilicheh Week! Rabbi Judah Mischel Simchat Shmuel Rabbi Sam Shor Joining Avraham’s Journey Rabbi Aaron Goldscheider

TORAH TIDBITS / NOACH 5780

52 54 56 58 60 64 66 70 74

Divrei Menachem Menachem Persoff Who Should Pay a Ticket? Rabbi Daniel Mann, Eretz Chemda Garden Barrels and Kilei Zera’im Rabbi Moshe Bloom Lech Lecha Rabbi Berel Wein Rendering One's Garment When... Rabbi Shimshon Hakohen Nadel Sarah’s Home – The ORIGINAL Mikdash! Rabbi Ephraim Sprecher Going Against the Norm Sivan Rahav-Meir

Gaining Perspective Rabbi Benji Levy Torah 4 Teens By Teens Rabbi Yosef Ginsberg // Yael Marcus

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LECH LECHA

ALIYA-BY-ALIYA SEDRA SUMMARY [P> X:Y (Z)] and [S> X:Y (Z)] indicate start of a parsha p’tucha or s’tuma. X:Y is Perek:Pasuk of the Parsha’s beginning;

STATS 3rd sedra of 54; 3rd of 12 in B'reishit Written on 208 lines, ranks 23 7 Parshiyot; 3 open, 4 closed 126 p'sukim - ranks 13th - same as R'ei; smaller than R'ei in other categories 1686 words - ranks 18th 6336 letters - ranks 19th Ranks 7 of 12 in B'reishit - all categories Shorter than average p'sukim

MITZVOT 1 mitzva (positive), namely, BRIT MILA FYI, a total of 5 sedras have only one mitzva (another 17 have none and six have 2 or 3 that accounts for 28 sedras, over half of the Torah's 54).

(Z) is the number of p’sukim in the parsha. Numbers in [brackets] are the Mitzvacount of Sefer HaChinuch AND Rambam’s Sefer HaMitzvot. A=ASEI (positive mitzva); L=LAV (prohibition). X:Y is the perek and pasuk from which the mitzva comes.

KOHEN FIRST ALIYA 13 P'SUKIM - 12:1-13 [P> 12:1 (9)] G-d tells (note the softer VAYOMER rather than the harsher VAIDABER) Avra(ha)m to leave his land, birthplace and father's home and go to "the Land which I will show you". LECH L'CHA - GO FOR YOU (or for yourself) - How do we understand L'CHA? Famous question.

SDT

Rashi says that it means "for your benefit", G-d was sending Avram to the future Eretz Yisrael so that he would father a great nation, so that he would be able to have children, so that he would be blessed. Kli Yakar says that L'CHA is only used in the context of Eretz Yisrael. Abravanel says that L'CHA means you, without your father (who had begun the

TORAH TIDBITS / NOACH 5780

journey with you). Ramban says that it is the style of the language (without a necessary further meaning. Otzar M'forshei HaP'shat "Leave your land, birthplace, father's house." Ramban explains that each "point of departure" was progressively more difficult for Avraham. Leaving one's land is difficult, even more so if he was born there. Leaving one's family is most difficult. Ramban says that the Torah is showing us the great extent of Avraham's love of G-d.

SDT

Someone raises a question on this Ramban. What was so difficult in Avraham's leaving the place where he was ridiculed, persecuted and thrown into a fiery furnace for his beliefs. Would he not have left joyfully? The question actually carries the answer. The Ramban was pointing out a significant aspect of human nature. No matter how bad conditions are, how much a person wants a better life, there still will always remain a sadness and regret for the "good old days" and â&#x20AC;&#x153;the old countryâ&#x20AC;? - even when they weren't so good. This aspect of human nature explains a lot of Jewish History. G-d promises that a great nation will descend from him (Avraham) and that he will be a blessing for all (his descendants and all the world). Avra(ha)m is promised great rewards and benefits for listening to G-d. Yet pasuk 4 states that he went "as G-d had spoken to

SDT

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him". His "aliya" is considered a test of his faith. He passed this test because he came to the Land because G-d asked him to, not for any material promises. The call to the Jew to come on Aliya continues. THE only real "right" reason to come is because it is a mitzva and this is what G-d wants of us. MITZVAT HASHEM and R'TZON HASHEM. All blessings that will follow are fringe benefits. And the difficulties one might encounter are parts of the test of our faith. Avraham Avinu led the way when there were no Aliya Shlichim and no Nefesh bâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Nefesh to facilitate Aliya and Kâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;lita. Actually, there was One Shaliach Aliya and One supporter, and He is still and always in that role. Coming on Aliya via EL AL is easier than Avraham and Sara had it. But it is no less of a command by G-d to the descendants of that special first couple of the Jewish People.

Midrash P'li'a points to this episode as proof that one may violate Shabbat to save someone else's life. The idea that one may violate one Shabbat so that he will be able to keep many Shabbatot of the future - from V'CHAI BAHEM - is part of the understanding of the Torah's permission (requirement) to violate Shabbat to save one's own life. This permission can be seen to be extended by Avraham's request to Sarah that she put herself at risk to save him. In other words, not only can one violate (most) mitzvot to save himself, one may also violate mitzvot to save someone else.

LEVI SECOND ALIYA 11 P'SUKIM - 12:14-13:4

Avra(ha)m was 75 years old at the time he came to Eretz Yisrael with Sara(i), nephew Lot, and many people who were brought over to monotheism by Avra(ha) m and Sara(i).

In Egypt, Sarai's beauty is noticed by the people and she is taken to Par'o's palace. Avra(ha)m, as her "brother", receives many gifts. Par'o and his household are afflicted by G-d as a punishment for taking Sarai. When Par'o realizes that Sarai is actually the wife of Avra(ha)m, he confronts him, returns Sarai to him and then asks them to leave Egypt.

[P> 12:10 (29)] Driven from the Land by a famine, Avraham and Sara go down to Egypt. Their plan is to say that they are brother and sister, rather than risk Avraham's being killed.

Avra(ha)m and company, laden with riches, return to Eretz Yisrael via the Negev. Avra(ha)m returns to the Altar he had built and continues to proclaim G-d's Name.

1 of 75,598

EFRAT 02-5454500 www.efrat.org.il

TORAH TIDBITS / NOACH 5780

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Avraham, on the run from his hometown, a stranger in a strange land, has his challenges and tests. Avraham loaded with wealth and prominence, has new challenges and tests. Poverty and famine are tests; so is wealth. And it is hard to know which is harder. In the opening passage of Rosh Chodesh Benching, we ask G-d for many things -- long life, a life of peace, blessings, etc. There is one thing we ask for twice - Yir'at Shamayim, fear of G-d. Why? Because after asking for it the first time, we ask for a life of wealth and honor. If we are blessed with that, then we must humbly ask for Yir'at Shamayim again, because wealth sometimes blinds a person to his obligations to HaShem. It is relatively "easy" for a poor person to believe in G-d and pray to Him. Wealthy people often have a difficult time with that. (There are other explanations, as well.)

SHLISHI THIRD ALIYA 14 P'SUKIM - 13:5-18 Lot also has great wealth, too much to remain together with Avra(ha)m. Quarrels between their shepherds (caused by disparate ethical standards - we are taught) lead to a parting of the ways. Avra(ha)m gives Lot "first choice" of territory, and he (Lot) chooses the then fertile area of S'dom and the Jordan Valley. The Torah makes a point of telling us of the wickedness of S'dom society, an obvious criticism of Lot's distorted priorities. This, too, is a recurring theme in Jewish OU ISRAEL CENTER

life, containing warnings for us all - sadly, many Jews moved away from Jewish neighborhoods to places with country clubs, golf courses, and other "important" things; often the shuls and schools were far away from their new home... they seem to have make the Lot choice. Only after Avra(ha)m parts company from Lot, does G-d once again appear to him, encouraging him to look over the whole land to the north, south, east, and west, which will some day belong to his descendants. G-d also tells him that his descendants will be too numerous to count. (Hidden message: They will sometimes be lowly, like the dust of the ground, trodden underfoot by our enemies. Contrast this with the later comparison to the stars of the heavens, which has the opposite, positive, connotation.) Avra(ha)m settles in Hevron and builds an altar to G-d. One commentary says that although Avraham knew that his spirituality was compromised by Lot's presence, he nonetheless did not chase Lot away until he had no choice. Avraham felt a moral obligation to take care of Lot

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(including saving him even after they parted) even though he knew that G-d was "keeping His distance" with Lot around, so to speak. There are some interesting ramifications for us, of this behavior of Avraham's. How do we view time spent doing chessed and kiruv, or Hachnasat Orchim, at the expense of Torah learning and personal growth. Think about it.

R'VI'I FOURTH ALIYA 20 P'SUKIM - 14:1-20 [P> 14:1 (24)] This portion tells of the battle between the Four Kings and the Five Kings and of the capture of S'dom, including Lot. When Avra(ha)m hears (from Og, â&#x20AC;&#x153;refugeeâ&#x20AC;? from the Flood) of Lot's capture he sets out to rescue him, taking with him a force of 318. Or... Rashi refers to the Gemara which suggests that Avraham took only his servant Eliezer with him to rescue Lot. The numeric value of the name Eliezer = 318. As G'matriyas go, this is one of many. What makes it unusual (maybe unique?), is that Rashi says it and bases it on a number in the text of the Torah.

Avra(ha)m launches a successful surprise attack and frees the people of S'dom. Victory is celebrated with a religious ceremony of thanking and blessing G-d in the presence of MalkiTzedek (a.k.a. Sheim son of No'ach). A tithe of the spoils of war is given to this servant of G-d. • Rashi tells us that AMRAFEL, king of Shin-ar is none other than NIMROD who was the one who tossed Avraham into the fiery furnace for challenging polytheism in public and espousing belief in One G-d. Ironic, is it not, that Avraham has this opportunity to do successful battle against Nimrod. • Malki-tzedek is king of Shalem. Onkeles identifies Shalem as Yeru- shalayim. SHALEM is the part of the city’s name contributed by Sheim. Avraham gave it the first half after the Akeida – YERU.

CHAMISHI 5TH ALIYA 10 P'SUKIM - 14:21-15:6 The king of S'dom offers Avra(ha)m great wealth. Avra(ha)m refuses to take as much as a "thread or shoelace". Avra(ha)m did accept payment on behalf of his allies who helped him. [S> 15:1 (21)] Afterwards, G-d appears to Avra(ha)m in a vision and again promises him great rewards for his faithfulness. Avra- (ha)m, still childless, expresses his disappointment, but resignation, that Eliezer will be his heir. G-d assures Avra(ha)m that he will OU ISRAEL CENTER

indeed have his own child to follow in his footsteps. G-d then takes Avra(ha)m outdoors and promises him that his descendants will be as countless (and exalted) as the stars in the heavens. The GR"A cites the Talmud's mention that Avraham Avinu was the first person to address G-d as "Adon" (Master). We acknowledge this by beginning Shacharit - Avraham's davening - with the poem Adon Olam. Furthermore, the reference to a thread and shoestrap is linked the mitzvot of Talit and T’filin, both of which are also associated with Shacharit. Being compared to dust and sand and to the stars is not just a matter of numerousness, but also to the quality of life. We can be like the dust of the ground - stepped on, trodden upon... Or we can be as lofty, wonderous, grand as the stars of the heavens. The terms reflect the ups & downs of Jewish History.

SHISHI SIXTH ALIYA 37 P'SUKIM - 15:7-17:6 This portion begins with "the Covenant between the Pieces". (Part of this experience is actual, part is prophetic vision.) G-d tells Avra(ha)m that his descendants will be oppressed in a foreign land and will subsequently leave there with great wealth. The promise of the Land to Avra(ha)m is reiter- ated once more. Both Rashi and Onkeles understand the 12

TORAH TIDBITS / NOACH 5780

terms M’SHULASH and M’SHULESHET to mean that Avraham took three each - calves, goats, and sheep for the BRIT BEIN HA-B’TARIM. Tos’fot and others define the term as “prime, of the best quality”. They hold that there was only one each of the animals. Others say the animals were to be third-born or three years old or part of triplets. The Living Torah by R’ Aryeh Kaplan z”l [S> 16:1 (16)] Sarai, being barren, gives her hand-maiden Hagar to Avra(ha)m (after 10 years in K'na'an) to bear him a child. When Hagar becomes pregnant, she taunts her mistress. Hagar then flees from Sarai's retalia- tion. An angel finds her, promises that her child, too, will sire a countless multitude, that her son to be born shall be called Yishmael, and that she is now to return to Sarai. Yishmael is born when Avra(ha)m is 86 years of age. [S> 17:1 (14)] When Avra(ha)m is 99... G-d appears to him and asks him to "be complete". G-d changes Avra(ha) m's name to Avraham, symbolizing his role as father and spiritual guide to great nations. Once again Avraham is promised "countless" progeny.

SH'VII SEVENTH ALIYA 21 P'SUKIM - 17:7-27 G-d promises that a special relationship will always exist between Himself and Avraham's descendants,

and repeats the promise of the Land. G-d reveals the form that the "Covenant" is to take - the circum[ cision of all males [2, A215 17:10].

MITZVAWATCH This mitzva is the first "non-natural" commandment. Until this point, the 7 categories of Noahide mitzvot are all logical, rational, reasonable, commonsense laws. This 8th mitzva, for the 8th day, represents the challenge to the Jew to rise above nature and complete his spiritual form just as he is being commanded to complete his physical form. The mitzva is ideally performed on the 8th day, counting the day on which the baby was born - even if he was born minutes before sunset. Mila may not take place at night. Only an 8th day Mila (as opposed to a Brit that was postponed because of health reasons, for example) can be done on Shabbat. A baby delivered by C-section on Shabbat, will have his Brit on the following day, Sunday (the baby's 9th day). In other words - due to a technicality based on the analysis of the text in Tazri'a, only an 8th day Brit of a natural birth can take place on Shabbat. The mitzva of Mila is "repeated" in Parshat Tazri'a. Its specific wording there, teaches us some details. With the two texts dealing with BRIT, it is noteworthy that most mitzva- counters count MILA from LECH L'CHA rather than TAZRI'A. Lech L'cha's context is OU ISRAEL CENTER

the story of Avraham Avinu. In Tazri'a we have a straightforward command Speak to the people of Israel... on the 8th day, you SHALL circum- cise... Most significant in the matter of Brit Mila is this: The physical removal of the foreskin is only part of the mitzva of Mila. This can be seen by looking at the brachot that are said for the Brit. The first bracha is AL HAMILA. This bracha is immediately followed by a second Birkat HaMitzva (very unusual to say two mitzva-brachot for the performance of one mitzva), "to enter him into the covenant of Avraham". This is not just a HINENI MUCHAN U'MEZU- MAN type of introduction to a mitzva, not a peripheral concept, but an integral part of the mitzva. The challenge of raising the child to be a good Jew and a good person is an obligation of the parents which is part of MILA (we can say) and THE part of the mitzva that takes much more time and energy than "the cut". The context of Lech L'cha says it all. Its choice as the "official source" of Mila helps us understand this important mitzva. 14

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Note too that when a Mohel does the Mila at the behest of the father, the Mohel says the Mila bracha, but the father nonetheless retains the second bracha (and Shehecheyanu). Parents can use an agent to perform the MILA part of BRIT MILA, but the BRIT part remains theirs. â&#x20AC;˘ Note that the gimatriya of the word B'RIT is 612. Add the one mitzva of MILA for a total of 613. We can say that the mitzva of circumcision combines the single mitzva of MILA with a commitment to educate and bring the child up to know, love, and observe all the other 612 mitzvot, for a grand total that represents the complete Torah. This echoes the idea that G-d asked Avraham to become complete before Him, and that Mila is the sign of that completeness. [S> 17:15 (13)] G-d then changes Sarai's name to Sarah. Name changes represent changes in character, role, and destiny. G-d promises that Sarah will bear the true heir of Avraham. Avraham laughs with joy upon hearing that he will be a father at 100, and Sarah a mother at 90. He thought that Yishmael was the son that G-d had repeatedly promised

him, but G-d assures him that it will be Yitzchak who will fill that role. Yishmael will also be blessed and give rise to great nations, but the Covenant will be passed down through Yitzchak. Avraham cir- cumcises himself (at age 99), Yishmael (at age 13), and other male members of his household, in fulfillment of G-d's command.

HAFTARA 21 P'SUKIM YESHAYAHU 40:27-41:16 This passage is the national counterpart of some of the personal experiences of Avraham. Just as G-d made promises to Avraham Avinu, so He makes promises to the Children of Israel. Just as Avraham tenaciously clings to faith in G-d, so too do his descendants. Endurance, confidence, victory, selfperfection - these qualities are shared by THE ancestor and his descendants, us. We can see in the sedra-haftara pair, Maasei Avot Siman L'banim, the deeds of the ancestors set the patterns for the their descendants.

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RABBI DR. TZVI HERSH WEINREB THE PERSON BY OU Executive Vice President, Emeritus IN THE PARSHA

Walking With & Walking Before

hen I was still a pulpit rabbi back in Baltimore, I would meet with a group of teenagers from time to time. The agenda was openended, and my goal was to encourage the group to share their feelings and attitudes freely. One of the favorite topics chosen by the kids was their school curriculum and what they found wrong with it. I learned many things from this group of adolescents, whose critique of the curricula of the schools they attended was sharp and accurate. I particularly remember the outburst of one exceptionally creative young man. Let us call him Josh. He was a student in a very academically oriented high school which put its major emphasis upon textual study. “What am I supposed to do with my creativity”, he asked. “Where is there room in the school for me to express my artistic talents?” I was hard-pressed to come up with an answer for Josh’s pained query. All 16

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I could say was that he was personally experiencing a tension which pervades the history of our religious faith. It is the tension between conformity to the rules and regulations of our sacred texts versus the natural and powerful human need for creative expression and innovation. Our religion reveres tradition and continuity. Attempts to question tradition and to stake out new spiritual turf have been typically viewed in our history as heresy and rebellion. Is there no room for creative novelty in our faith? I think that there is room for such creativity, and I think that it is none other than Abraham himself who is the first example in the Torah of innovative ingenuity, within the context of religious service. In this week’s Torah portion, Lech Lecha, we find God Himself describing Abraham as one who “walks before Me”, “hit’halech lefanai...” (Genesis 17:1). Our sages contrast this description of Abraham with an earlier description of Noah, to be found in last week’s Torah portion. There we read, “Noah walked with God”, “et haElokim” (Genesis 6:9). Noah walked with God, whereas Abraham walked before Him. Noah walked with God and required

Divine support to live his religious life. He was not able to walk before God. He could not take the initiative and strike out on his own. He needed to be certain of God’s will before he could act. Abraham, on the other hand, walked before God. He stepped out on his own and risked acting independently and creatively. He was confident in his own religious judgment and did not require God’s prior approval for all of his actions. Indeed, he dared to challenge God’s own judgment. Thus, we never find Noah speaking out in defense of his generation, nor does he pray for their salvation. Abraham, on the contrary, forcefully defends sinful Sodom and Gomorrah and prays even for his adversaries. Of Moses too, it can be said that he walked before God. He broke the tablets on his own initiative, and, according to our sages, added a day to God’s own timetable for giving the Torah. In both cases, we are told that the Lord congratulated him for his bold creative actions. I remember reading an anecdote about Rav Kook, the first chief Rabbi of the Holy Land, which illustrates his preference for the creative genius over the person who just conforms. Rav Kook once had to decide a halachic issue by resolving a disagreement between two great Talmudic authorities. The dispute was between the author of Darchei Teshuvah, a monumental anthology of halachic dicta, and the Maharsham, who authored many volumes in response to questions OU ISRAEL CENTER

arising from the circumstances of new technological inventions. Rav Kook decided in favor of the Maharsham over the Darchei Teshuva. He argued that whereas the latter was a gaon me’asef, a genius at recording the opinions of others, the former was a gaon yotzer, an inventive genius. The creative authority trumped the expert anthologist. One of the areas of psychology which has always fascinated me has been the research on the phenomenon of human creativity. One line of that research suggests that there are two modes of thought of which we are all capable, although some of us are better at one and some are better at the other. There are those of us who are convergent thinkers. Our ideas connect and ultimately merge with the ideas of our predecessors and peers. Others think divergently, and their ideas veer from earlier norms and carve out new paths and different solutions. The contrast between Abraham and Noah suggests that although Abraham was the model of ultimate obedience to God’s will, he nevertheless was capable

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of divergent thinking. He was able to walk before God. Noah, however, could only think convergently and, figuratively speaking, needed to hold God’s hand.

It is important that we realize that creativity is not at odds with spirituality and with faithful adherence to meticulous religious observance. We must not be afraid of our own powers of creative thinking. The realization that there is a place for creativity in the worship of the Almighty is especially essential for those who are responsible for the curricula of our educational institutions. They must be on guard never to stifle the wonderful creative impulses which typify youth. They must cultivate those impulses and allow for their expression within our tradition. And we must allow for the development of contemporary Abrahams, and not be satisfied to raise a generation of mere Noahs.

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on the Weekly Parsha from COVENANT & Thoughts RABBI LORD JONATHAN SACKS Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew CONVERSATION Former Congregations of the Commonwealth

‫לעילוי נשמות‬ ‫פנחס בן יעקב אשר וגולדה בת ישראל דוד אייז ע״ה‬ ‫עזריאל בן אריה לייב ומעניה בת יצחק שרטר ע״ה‬

A Palace in Flames

hy Abraham? That is the question that haunts us when we read the opening of this week’s parsha. Here is the key figure in the story of our faith, the father of our nation, the hero of monotheism, held holy not only by Jews but by Christians and Muslims also. Yet there seems to be nothing in the Torah’s description of his early life to give us a hint as to why he was singled out to be the person to whom God said, “I will make you into a great nation … and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” This is surpassingly strange. The Torah leaves us in no doubt as to why God chose Noah: “Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generations; Noah walked with God.” It also gives us a clear indication as to why God chose Moses. We see him as a young man, both in Egypt and Midian, intervening whenever he saw injustice, whoever perpetrated it and whoever it was perpetrated against. God told the prophet Jeremiah, “Before I formed you 20

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in the womb I knew you; before you were born I set you apart; I have appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” These were obviously extraordinary people. There is no such intimation in the case of Abraham. So the Sages, commentators and philosophers through the ages were forced to speculate, to fill in the glaring gap in the narrative, offering their own suggestions as to what made Abraham different. There are three primary explanations. The first is Abraham the iconoclast, the breaker of idols. This is based on a speech by Moses’ successor, Joshua, towards the end of the book that bears his name. It is a passage given prominence in the Haggadah on Seder night: “Long ago your ancestors, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the Euphrates River and worshipped other gods” (Josh. 24:2). Abraham’s father Terah was an idol worshipper. According to the Midrash, he made and sold idols. One day Abraham smashed all the idols and left, leaving the stick with which he did so in the hand of the biggest idol. When his father returned and demanded to know who had broken his gods, Abraham blamed the biggest idol. “Are you making fun of me?” demanded his father. “Idols cannot do anything.” “In that case,” asked the young Abraham, “why do you worship them?” On this view, Abraham was the first

person to challenge the idols of the age. There is something profound about this insight. Jews, believers or otherwise, have often been iconoclasts. Some of the most revolutionary thinkers – certainly in the modern age – have been Jews. They had the courage to challenge the received wisdom, think new thoughts and see the world in unprecedented ways, from Einstein in physics to Freud in psychoanalysis to Schoenberg in music, to Marx in economics, and Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman in behavioural economics. It is as if, deep in our cultural intellectual DNA, we had internalised what the Sages said about Abraham ha-Ivri, “the Hebrew,” that it meant he was on one side and all the rest of the world on the other.1 The second view is set out by Maimonides in the Mishnah Torah: Abraham the philosopher. In an age when people had lapsed from humanity’s original faith in one God into idolatry, one person stood out against the trend, the young Abraham, still a child: “As soon as this mighty man was weaned he began to busy his mind … He wondered: How is it possible that this planet should continuously be in motion and have no mover? … He had no teacher, no one to instruct him … until he attained the way of truth … and knew that there is One God … When Abraham was forty years old he recognised his Creator.”2 According to this, Abraham was the first Aristotelian, the first metaphysician, the first person to think his way through to God as the force 1 Bereishit Rabbah (Vilna), 42:8. 2 Mishneh Torah, Laws of Idolatry, chapter 1. OU ISRAEL CENTER

that moves the sun and all the stars. This is strange, given the fact that there is very little philosophy in Tanach, with the exception of wisdom books like Proverbs, Kohelet and Job. Maimonides’ Abraham can sometimes look more like Maimonides than Abraham. Yet of all people, Friedrich Nietzsche, who did not like Judaism very much, wrote the following: Europe owes the Jews no small thanks for making people think more logically and for establishing cleanlier intellectual habits… Wherever Jews have won influence they have taught men to make finer distinctions, more rigorous inferences, and to write in a more luminous and cleanly fashion; their task was ever to bring a people “to listen to raison.”3 The explanation he gave is fascinating. He said that only in the arena of reason did Jews face a level playing-field. Everywhere else, they encountered race and class prejudice. “Nothing,” he wrote, “is more democratic than logic.” So Jews became logicians, and according to Maimonides, it began with Abraham. However there is a third view, set out in the Midrash on the opening verse of our parsha: “The Lord said to Abram: Leave your land, your birthplace and your father’s house . . .” To what may this be compared? To a man who was travelling from place to place when he saw a palace in flames. He 3 Friedrich Nietzsche, The Gay Science, translated with commentary by Walter Kaufmann, New York, Vintage, 1974, 291. 22

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wondered, “Is it possible that the palace lacks an owner?” The owner of the palace looked out and said, “I am the owner of the palace.” So Abraham our father said, “Is it possible that the world lacks a ruler?” The Holy One, blessed be He, looked out and said to him, “I am the ruler, the Sovereign of the universe.” This is an enigmatic Midrash. It is far from obvious what it means. In my book A Letter in the Scroll (published in Britain as Radical Then, Radical Now) I argued that Abraham was struck by the contradiction between the order of the universe – the palace – and the disorder of humanity – the flames. How, in a world created by a good God, could there be so much evil? If someone takes the trouble to build a palace, do they leave it to the flames? If someone takes the trouble to create a universe, does He leave it to be disfigured by His own creations? On this reading, what moved Abraham was not philosophical harmony but moral discord. For Abraham, faith began in cognitive dissonance. There is only one way of resolving this dissonance: by protesting evil and fighting it. That is the poignant meaning of the Midrash when it says that the owner of the palace looked out and said, “I am the owner of the palace.” It is as if God were saying to Abraham: I need you to help Me to put out the flames. How could that possibly be so? God is all-powerful. Human beings are all too powerless. How could God is saying to Abraham, I need you to help Me put out the flames?

The answer is that evil exists because God gave humans the gift of freedom. Without freedom, we would not disobey God’s laws. But at the same time, we would be no more than robots, programmed to do whatever our Creator designed us to do. Freedom and its misuse are the theme of Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, and the generation of the Flood. Why did God not intervene? Why did He not stop the first humans eating the forbidden fruit, or prevent Cain from killing Abel? Why did the owner of the palace not put out the flames? Because, by giving us freedom, He bound Himself from intervening in the human situation. If He stopped us every time we were about to do wrong, we would have no freedom. We would never mature, never learn from our errors, never become God’s image. We exist as free agents only because of God’s tzimtzum, His self-limitation. That is why, within the terms with which He created humankind, He cannot put out the flames of human evil. He needs our help. That is why He chose Abraham. Abraham was the first person in recorded history to protest the injustice of the world in the name of God, rather than accept it in the name of God. Abraham was the man who said: “Shall the Judge of all the earth not do justly?” Where Noah accepted, Abraham did not. Abraham is the man of whom God said, “I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just.” Abraham was the father of a nation, OU ISRAEL CENTER

a faith, a civilisation, marked throughout the ages by what Albert Einstein called “an almost fanatical love of justice.” I believe that Abraham is the father of faith, not as acceptance but as protest – protest at the flames that threaten the palace, the evil that threatens God’s gracious world. We fight those flames by acts of justice and compassion that deny evil its victory and bring the world that is a little closer to the world that ought to be. Shabbat Shalom Covenant and Conversation 5780 is kindly supported by the Maurice Wohl Charitable Foundation in memory of Maurice and Vivienne Wohl z”l. These weekly teachings from Rabbi Sacks are part of the ‘Covenant & Conversation’ series on the weekly Torah reading. Read more on www.rabbisacks.org.

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RABBI NACHMAN (NEIL) WINKLER PROBING BY Faculty, OU Israel Center THE PROPHETS l

he fortieth perek of Sefer Yishayahu is one that is widely recognized as it begins with the opening words: “Nachamu. Nachamu Ami,” the call that Hashem cries out to His prophets, demanding that they comfort the grieving nation of Israel who mourn the loss of their Bet Mikdash, their holy land and their very independence. Our familiarity with the chapter is, of course, based upon the fact that it is read on the Shabbat following Tish’a B’av and its opening word became the designation of the Shabbat itself, Shabbt Nachamu. But that is only part the story-because that haftarah is only part of the fortieth perek. The last few psukim of Yishayahu’s prophecy are read this week for parashat Lech Lecha and introduce a theme quite different from the earlier verses that make up the bulk of the chapter. The message of consolation that begins the navi’s words is one replete with praises to the Mighty One Who is capable of accomplishing all. Aiming to rebuild the faith of the people and implant within the nation hope for their future, Yishayahu shares his vision of the powerful G-d Who will gather them from the exile and return them to their land. Describing the wonders wrought by Hashem, the prophet explains how even the most powerful of nations are deemed 26

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completely insignificant in comparison to the Al-mighty. But the nevu’ah is purposely addressed to the nation as a whole with little to do with the individual or with G-d’s relationship with one. That is the purpose of the second nevu’ah. Although this prophetic message also reminds us of G-d’s great power & His abilities, it focuses upon His relationship with individuals-specifically, the founders of our nation. And for good reason. G-d desired the creation of a morally perfect world and therefore created the first human, “perfect” human, giving humankind His basic laws and challenging them to carry out that mission. But humankind failed. That is the story of Parashat Breishit. He then turned to a righteous family, saving them from annihilation and instructing them in a moral code through which he could build a new, more moral society, in the hope that the new, improved society would create the future world that Hashem desired. But that too failed. And that is the story of Parashat No’ach. And so, in this parasha, Hashem chooses but one person and challenges him to teach his children alone and, through them, to build a morally sensitive family who would create a morally upstanding nation who would receive a complete

moral code and, through that, inspire and be an example to the world, thereby carrying out the divine mission. The connection to this haftarah, therefore, is more than the simple mention being made of Avraham Avinu, or even the fact that he is described as G-dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s servant whom Hashem had chosen. It rather teaches us that the seemingly unreachable divine power, He Who creates worlds, is also the loving G-d Who cares about individuals & Who builds relationships with them. Our opening parshiyot present G-d as the Creator of the universe, and then as the Judge of mankind and, finally, in this parsha, he is presented as the Father of all. Chazal chose this selection because they saw in our haftarah this important message: Hashem is not only Malkeinu-He is also Avinu.

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RABBI SHALOM Kehilla, Nofei HaShemesh ROSNER Rav Maggid Shiur, Daf Yomi, OU.org

The Fifth Shulchan Aruch

e read in the parsha about the episode where Avraham is victorious in a battle over several kings in order to free his nephew Lot from captivity. Rav Yaacov Kaminetsky asks a fascinating question. If Avraham would have asked a “halachic authority” whether or not he would be obligated to place his own life at risk in order to save Lot, to enter onto the battlefield of these mighty kings, the answer would have been no. Your life comes first. So why did Avraham do it anyway? Rav Yaacov answers (in Emes L’Yaakov) that though on technical grounds, Avraham would not be obligated to endanger his life to save Lot, he did so, because, as the Gemara in Avoda Zara (25a) states, the Avos are referred to as Yesharim - literally – they

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were straight. The Avos were righteous and conducted themselves in accordance with the highest moral standards. Even though it was not required, Avraham felt that it was the right thing to do, to seek to save the life of his nephew. As Chazal tell us (Vayikra Raba 9:3) Derech Eretz Kadma L’Torah – the Avos acted with derech eretz prior to matan torah. We see this idea alluded to at the moment of maamad har sinai itself. At the end of Parshas Mishpatim (Shemos 24: 12) there is a reference to being given “Luchos Ha’even, Hatorah, V’hamizva.” Luchos Ha’even refers to Aseres Hadibros. Hamitzva- refers to the commandments. What then is the connotation of the term Torah? The word Torah is derived from the word “Hora’ah” which means to guide. The stories about what transpired with the Avos guide us as to how to act in different situations, absent a specific biblical command. Perhaps this can also help complete the picture painted by the first Rashi in Bereshis. Rashi famously asks why the Torah begins with the creation of the world rather than with the first mitzva given

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to Am Yisrael. The midrash answers to “teach” the nations of the world that God is in charge of the entire universe, including Eretz Yisrael, and He can grant land as He sees fit. This explanation suffices with respect to why the Torah started with creation, but why do we need the rest of sefer Bereshis? Why not skip from Parshas Bereshis to Shemos? Perhaps it is so that we can learn valuable lessons in how to act like a mench from the conduct of our Avos. How do act as parents, a spouse, child, sibling, messenger and other daily encounters depicted throughout Sefer Bereshis. The Ramban (Devarim 6:18) offers a similar explanation with respect to the Torah’s command of “v’asisa hayashar v’hatov”. The Torah cannot specify how to act in every situation one may encounter and so it has this “catch all” phrase – that one should conduct himself in what would be perceived as being proper, absent a specific biblical command. Rav Asher Weiss often refers to this conduct as “ratzon hashem”. Acting in the way which would seem proper in God’s eyes. One can simply ask himself – “what would my Rebbe do in this situation” to arrive at the proper conclusion. This is known as the fifth Shulchan Aruch – the unwritten word. It is best transmitted from teacher to student and from parent to child. May we be able to conduct ourselves at all times in a way that would exemplify to the next generation and the people around us our high moral standards, and constantly behave in a way that is mekadesh shem shamayim! 30

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REBBETZIN SHIRA SMILES Faculty, OU Israel Center

wo words. The very first two words that the first Jew received. Two words that echo for all time, for every Jew to live their lives by. Two words that need to echo in our ears on a consistent basis. What is the secret of the words “lech lecha’? Slominer Rebbe in Netivos Shalom explains that these words are a directive to each person to work towards fulfilling their mission and purpose in this world. One needs to go into oneself, to discover one’s uniqueness and build towards that goal. No two people from beginning of time until the end of time is similar, and have identical paths to traverse. All of our life circumstances, are tailor made to enable us to be successful on this journey. Our positive qualities, as well as our negative ones all play a role in our ability to succeed in this endeavor of becoming the best we can be. Rav Pincus in Tiferet Shimshon notes that this development of self is the deeper understanding of the quality of chesed that Avraham Avinu personified. Chazal note that real chesed is one done

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to Hashem. How can one do Chesed to Hashem? Giving Him something that He, as if, can’t give us, and that is developing ourselves to our fullest potential. If Hashem would make us perfect, we would be robots, or angels. At the initial time of creation Hashem said “let us make man”. Hashem as if, told the lump of clay, “I will give you the raw material, however, you need to make yourself, and develop yourself. This is the mandate, of ‘lech lecha’; self - development. What is the secret of success? How does one know in what areas to work on? The answer, notes the Netivos Shalom, is found, in the word, ‘lech’ to go. Life is about constant movement forward. One needs to focus each day on spiritual growth, and utilizing opportunities for self - improvement. If one is not constantly working on trying to develop and change, one is regressing backwards. At times, one thinks that selfdevelopment is working on major challenges in life. One envisions a major goal to accomplish, and is only focused on that goal. The Lubavatcher Rebbe,

teaches, that one needs to be attuned to every detail in life. The very next thing we do, no matter how small, will affect the rest of our day, which will ultimately affect the rest of our lives. Our mindset needs to be one of constant awareness, and the by product will be one of constant growth and change. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Lech lechaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is the call of movement towards self- growth and development. The call of the purpose of our lives. Life is meant to be a living laboratory to give Hashem the greatest gift; the developed self.

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RABBI JUDAH OU-NCSY MISCHEL Mashpiah, Executive Director, Camp HASC Dedicated L'Iluy Nishmas HaChaver Shlomo Michael ben Meir z'l

Lech Lecha: A (Really) Freilicheh Week!

wo Jews in a train station were waiting on the platform for their scheduled journey. A “Maskil” stood reading the daily newspaper, while his fellow traveler, a Chasidishe Yid was engrossed in a Sefer. The two exchanged respectful pleasantries, and began to chat. “You haven’t looked up from your book for the whole while we have been here!” said the Maskil. “What are you reading?” “I’m studying Chumash, the Five Books of Moses.” “Really, why? That’s thousands of years old! Too bad you waste so much time on things that have no relevance to what’s going on in the world. Here, take my newspaper, please. See this? There’s such a thing as current events, and politics, economics, fashion, the arts! This is 34

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what’s actually happening.” “Ah, shkoach, thank you,” sighed the Chasid. “But why do you think I’m not upto-date on what is happening? I’m Maavir Sedrah — I review the Torah portion each week, and so I’m completely current! What you’re reading in the news today will be soon be old and stale, and tomorrow your paper will be used to wrap fresh fish. What I’m learning is eternally relevant, and will always be current events!” ~ In his 1890 discourse for Shabbos Parshat Lech L’cha, the Rebbe Rashab, R’ Sholom Dov Ber of Lubavitch, related that Reb Shneur Zalman, the Alter Rebbe zy’a, declared that it is incumbent upon each of us to “live with the times”: Men b’Darf Leben Mit Der Tzeit. Beyond Leining the weekly portion together in Shul and learning the parsha throughout the week, the Alter Rebbe encourages us to draw life and inspiration, guidance and insight for our personal journey from the weekly Sedra — to live with the Parsha. Our goal is to attach ourselves to the life force of the Torah that is being revealed each moment, and to live with the particular Parsha of the day, in such a way that our inner world is shaped by the spiritual lessons, blessings and challenges that unfold in the current narrative.

The Rebbe Rashab continued: “Bereishis is a Freilicheh (happy) Parshah, even though its conclusion is not so Geshmak (sweet, pleasant). [Last week, in Parshas] Noach [we contemplated the sobering narrative of] the Flood, but the end of the week is Freilich: our Patriarch Avraham Avinu is born. [But] the truly joyful week, the ‘Emes Freilicheh Vuch’, is Parshas Lech Lecha. Throughout this entire week, from start to finish, we are living with Avraham, who was the first to completely devote his life to proclaiming G‑d’s existence in the world. And he bequeaths this self-sacrifice to us, as a gift and inheritance to all Jews.” (Based on Sefer HaYom Yom, From the writings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe zy’a).

during the weeks of these foundational Parshios of Sefer Bereishis: our birth as Jewish family, our emunah, relationships, the model of our Fathers and Mothers, the Avos & Imahos. Our Sedra, Lech Lecha literally, “Go to Yourself”, is the beginning of our personal and National journey, our unfolding story. May we be blessed to delve into this week’s Parsha, and “live with the times” of our internal narrative. May we, as Rebbe Nachman of Breslov says, get in touch with haNekudah haShayach leLibo b’Eit haZos, “the point in the Torah that is relevant to the heart right now”... our spiritual and personal current events, and be guided and inspired by the timeless relevance of the Torah.

In an era in which we are rarely disconnected from a barrage of news, opinions, editorials and social media posts, we are trained to expect and feel we need to be informed of everything that is happening everywhere in the world at every minute. While it is important to know to some extent what is happening ‘out there’, and in the news, it is essential to be up-to-date ‘in here’, in the realm of the soul. There is so much to contemplate

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SIMCHAT SHMUEL

BY RABBI SAM SHOR

Program Director, OU Israel Center

arshat Lech Lecha begins with the instruction to Avram to leave behind all that is familiar to him and go to the Land that Hashem will show him. The expression Lech Lecha-”You shall go, you “seems at first glance to be redundant. Rashi, in a well known comment explains this seeming redundancy: lech lecha- you shall go for yourself- lehanatcha uletovatcha -for your own satisfaction and good. It is there that you will become a great nation; here you will not merit to have children, and only there will your true nature become revealed in the world. In explaining Rashi’s words, the Tiferet Shlomo, the Rebbe of Radomsk asks the question, seemingly Avraham had wealth and material success, so what exactly is Rashi pointing out to us? What does it mean that he must leave behind all that is familiar to him in order to go the Land, which will ultimately be for his own benefit and good? The Rebbe explains that even beyond having his own biological children which he will merit only upon entering Eretz Yisrael, Avraham Avinu’s nature and essence is to do chesed, to show compassion and consideration for others. In his own birthplace, surrounded by the culture of Avoda Zara, his ability to spread his legacy of kindness and love, would be 46

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limited by the push back of the idolatrous ways of those around him. However, upon entering the Land of Israel, his legacy of kindness, and his ability to transform others would blossom and spread. Rabbi Yaakov Friedman,zy’a, the Rebbe of Hosiyatin, who made aliya to Tel Aviv in the late 1930’s and lived through the formative years of the establishment of the State of Israel, during the turbulent times of both the days leading up to the Declaration of Independence, the subsequent war, and the earliest days of our fledgling state. He was a powerful voice for the importance of the return of the Jewish People to the Land first promised to Avraham Avinu.

The Jewish people have the opportunity to renew our connection to Hashem In a powerful teaching about Teshuva, and how the Torah promises that the Jewish people have the opportunity to renew our connection to Hashem and his Torah, the Rebbe points to our Rashi as well. The Rebbe wrote that true renewal and transformation will not come from within America, England, or from any other country (the Rebbe’s words!). Rather, just as Hashem promised to Avraham Avinu when coming to Israel,

that he will become the progenitor of a great nation and that he will indeed prosper and achieve his full potential and impact the entire world, so too the Jewish People, upon our return to Eretz Yisrael will also begin to make manifest our full potential and impact the entire world. Baruch Hashem, today nearly seventy years since the Rebbe first uttered these words, we see our small State taking a leadership role in many fields; from technology to morality and ethics. We are impacting, protecting, and transforming the entire world. Yehi Ratzon, that we may continue to merit to lead the entire world to an era of unity, tranquility and spiritual clarity, bimheira byameinu, amen.

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RABBI AARON Editor, Torah Tidbits GOLDSCHEIDER

Joining Avraham’s Journey

pon hearing the call from the Almighty, Avraham immediately embarks on his remarkable and historic journey. He leaves his home for an unknown destination. The famous Chassidic Rebbe, Yehudah Leib Alter zt”l, (1847-1905) spiritual leader of Ger and best known by the title of his main work, Sfat Emet, finds profound meaning in the name of the Parsha: Lech Lecha. 1. )‫ פירוש לבחינה המיוחדת לך" (תרל"ז ד"ה והנה‬,‫"לך לך‬ The Rebbe says that beyond the simple meaning of the phrase Lech Lecha, the phrase can be translated literally to mean: “Go to yourself”. In this sense, God charges Avraham to identify his own purpose and calling in life. With these two words the Holy One intimates to the very first Jew: ‘Consider why you have been placed here on earth. Why at this time and this place? What is uniquely yours to achieve?”

2. ‫ וצריך לעולם‬,‫ כי האדם נקרא מהלך‬- ‫“לך לך מארצך‬ 48

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"‫ ולצאת מן ההרגל והטבע‬,‫לילך ממדריגה למדריגה‬ )‫(תרנ"ו ד"ה לך‬ The Sfat Emet finds the term lech, ‘walk’, to also be significant in this context. The term suggests motion or movement. This is a call to Avraham, and every Jew for that matter, not remain stationary. Our spiritual lives must not be monotonous or merely mechanical. Angels are called omdim, ‘standing’ (Yishayahu 6:2). Holy they may be, but they remain static. Angels do not set new goals or have dreams. Man, on the other hand, is termed a ‘holech’, ‘walker’ (Zecharia 3:7). Interestingly, Jewish law is called halacha. This term, from the word lech, suggests that we fashion our daily routine in a way which leads towards personal growth and achievement. God’s first message to Avraham is that a Jew must propel himself forward. 3. ‫ לצאת מלבוש גשמי להתדבק בצורה‬- '‫"וזה 'לך לך‬ )‫(של) הפנמיות" (תרס"ב ד"ה לך‬ Offering a third insight on the words Lech Lecha, the Rebbe suggested that it refers to ‘turning inward’ or ‘going towards the essence.’ One must be leary of becoming entrenched in physicality or mired in the material world which surrounds us. We ennoble our lives by perceiving the inner dimension and revealing the sanctity present in this world. Lech lecha is a call to discover truth and meaning.

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The Sfat Emet cites the following parable from the midrash: ‘A man traveling on the road sees a palace with lights. The man remarked, “Is it possible that this palace not have a master?” The owner of the palace appeared through a small opening and said, “I am the Master of this home.” In the same way Avraham said. “Could it be that there is not a Master of the World?” God appeared and said, “I am the Master of the World.’ (Bereshit Rabah 39:1). Avraham refuses to engage with the world superficially. He contemplates its meaning. In his steadfast search he perceives wonder and marvel. He senses ‘light’ which emanates from behind the surface. In other words, Avraham discovers the Creator. Avraham’s discovery of God and dedication to His word is captured beautifully in the following Chassidic insight: Disciples asked the maggid, Yichiel Michal of Zlotchov (1721-1786): In the Talmud we read that our Father Abraham kept all the laws. How could this be, since they had not yet been given to him? “All that is needed,” he said, “is to love God. If you are about to do something and you think it might lessen your love, then you will know it is a sin. If you are about to do something and think it will increase your love, you will know that your will is in keeping with the will of God. That is was Avraham did.” (‘Tales of Hasidim’, Book 1, Martin Buber p. 149). In the year 1872 the Sfat Emet addressed the very question raised 50

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by Rashi centuries earlier: Why did God choose not reveal to Avraham the destination of his journey? ‘Lech Lecha...el ha’aretz asher are’ecka’, ‘Go to...the land that I will show you’ (Bereshit 12:1). We begin with Rashi. In his commentary he offers two answers: (1) “In order to make it precious in his eyes.” Like a gift that is wrapped and the receiver does not yet know the content, there is added excitement when one anticipates the content of the box. By not revealing to Avraham the destination, he experiences added joy when receiving the gift of Eretz YIsrael. (2) “In order to reward Avraham for every step in the process.” Not knowing his final destination would make each step in the process a test and therefore grant Avraham even more merit (Rashi, Genesis 12:1). Sfat Emet, in his very first recorded Torah lesson on Parshat Lech Lecha, presents a penetrating answer. The Rebbe suggested that God did not reveal the destination because the very essence of Eretz Yisrael represents the Jew’s unconditional devotion to God and submission to His will. Israel is not merely a geographic location on the map, but epitomizes a Jew’s willingness to nullify his own will for the sake of God’s will. Avraham was willing to abide by God’s command irrespective of knowing the outcome or end results. When one fully submits to God and His instructions, one achieves the highest measure of devotion and closeness with the Creator. This is the level of service personified and actualized

most powerfully in the Land of Israel .)‫(תרל”ב ד”ה ברש”י‬ The students of the Sfat Emet were known to say that their Rebbe wrote his holy book in order that the reader find themselves in his words. This message resonates deeply especially when learning the Rebbe’s insights regarding our father Avraham. A striking theme weaves its way through his commentary. Namely, in order to reach one’s full potential a Jew must focus on his/ her spiritual aspirations. We must strive to rise above the materialistic influences that often weigh us down. The call of ‘lech lecha’ enjoins us to make ‘strides’ toward achieving wholehearted commitment; a commitment which places God and reverence for His will at the center of our lives. The holy Rebbe is urging each of us to join Avraham in our own Jewish journey.

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DIVREI MENACHEM

BY MENACHEM PERSOFF

Special Projects Consultant, OU Israel Center mpersoff@ou.org

arshat Lech Lecha teaches us much about our ancestor Avraham. Because Avraham was the progenitor of Judaism, not surprisingly, in his introduction to the Parsha, Harav Shlomo Aviner notifies us, citing the Navi Yeshayahu, that it is a pertinent Mitzva to inquire after the nature of our forefathers, “the rock from whom you were hewn,” in order to understand our very essence as Jews. Indeed, Ramban established in his commentary the well-known adage that “Ma’aseh Avot Siman LeBanim” – ‘The deeds of fathers are signposts for the children.’ For the Rav, this implies more than the genetic code or actions picked up by children from parents. The Rav indicates that the ancestral Avot left an imprint upon all future generations, a spiritual legacy transmitted as an educational and moral paradigm in one long, extended chain throughout our long history. This imprint is sometimes revealed, sometimes dormant – yet it is embedded in our Jewish lifeblood. However, we have yet to understand the meaning of the Passuk: “He [G-d] visits the sins of the fathers up to the third and fourth generations” (cf. Shemot 20:5). At first glance this seems unjust and contradictory to our impression of Hashem as the G-d of Mercy. Why should the innocent suffer for 52

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the iniquities of their parents? The Rav reminds us that the above tenet is validated only when children replicate the evil ways of their parents and are considered among “those who hate me” (ibid). What counts is that Hashem visits the good deeds of our ancestors for thousands of generations “for those who love me and keep my commandments!” (ibid 20:6). True, we pick up both good and bad from our immediate forebears, but over the generations we have all benefited from the progress of civilization, in general, and the good deeds of our forefathers, in particular. No wonder that we begin the Tefillat Amidah every day by recalling our three forefathers, Avraham, Yitzchak, and Ya’akov. Shabbat Shalom!

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FROM THE VIRTUAL DESK OF THE

OU VEBBE REBBE RAV DANIEL MANN

Who Should Pay a Ticket? Question: My friend picked up a trempist (hitchhiker) who did not put on his seatbelt. Police pulled the car over and gave a ticket to the driver (not the passenger) for driving with someone not buckled. Should the passenger reimburse my friend? Answer: This is not a ruling about a specific case but a discussion of the general scenario. We start with the question of a halachic requirement to pay. This is an example of a person causing damage without doing something that is direct damage (nezek). It is difficult to consider not buckling direct damage one person does (adam hamazik) or to compare it to one of the other Torahdescribed categories of damage (i.e., damages done by one’s animal, fire, and pit, or matters derived from them – see ch. #1 of Bava Kama). There are another two categories of one causing damage to another. One, called garmi, can be described as semi-direct damage; we pasken that the causer is obligated to pay (Shulchan Aruch, Choshen Mishpat 386:1). The other, gerama, is less direct 54

TORAH TIDBITS / NOACH 5780

causation. There is no enforceable compensation for gerama (Bava Kama 60a), but it is prohibited to cause loss in that way (Bava Batra 22b), and there is often a moral obligation to pay (see ibid. 55b). How to determine what is gerama and what is garmi is one of the most complicated questions in Halacha. Factors that may play a role include: whether he did so purposely or accidentally (see Shach, CM 386:6), especially when the damage came from an external source (see Pitchei Choshen, Nezikin 4:(23)); how likely it is that the action will cause damage (Rosh, Bava Kama 9:13); how immediate was the damage (see Sha’ar Mishpat 386:1).

The authorities are interested in teaching both a lesson – BUCKLE UP to save lives or pay money. In this case, many factors favor the passenger if the situation was in a “normal” (although we strongly urge wearing seatbelts) manner. He did not intend to cause damage. The chances of getting caught are small. The damage probably happened well after he got in the car (one can argue that every moment of not putting on the belt is a

The Orthodox Union - via its website - fields questions of all types in areas of kashrut, Jewish law and values. Some of them are answered by Eretz Hemdah, the Institute for Advanced Jewish Studies, Jerusalem, headed by Rav Yosef Carmel and Rav Moshe Ehrenreich, founded by HaRav Shaul Yisraeli zt”l, to prepare rabbanim and dayanim to serve the National Religious community in Israel and abroad. Ask the Rabbi is a joint venture of the OU, Yerushalayim Network, Eretz Hemdah... and OU Israel’s Torah Tidbits.

new affront and view being caught as immediate). However, there is a stronger reason to exempt the passenger from outright obligation. There are two traffic violations involved here; the policeman could have given two tickets! One (#6706) is by the passenger for not putting on the seatbelt; another (#6705) is by the driver for driving when someone is not buckled in. The “damage” comes based on the “law of the land,” which enables authorities to fine those whom they want to deter from dangerous activities that hurt society. Two people did something illegal – the passenger and the driver. The authorities are interested in teaching both a lesson – BUCKLE UP to save lives or pay money. Your friend directly failed in doing what the law demands of drivers – demanding that people put on their belts. If so, the passenger did not cause the damage, as defined by the law. In some ways, it is like someone getting a ticket for tailgating an improperly slow driver. It is hard to claim that the slow driver is legally responsible for the tailgater dealing with the situation in the wrong way. Here too, the driver could have and did not demand to buckle up. If the driver did make the demand and the passenger deceived him, he

purposely and immorally (as a guest in someone else’s property) endangered the driver. In such a case, if the police knew what happened, they would presumably have penalized only the passenger. It might still not be certain that this is garmi, but many a dayan would obligate the passenger, based on his behavior, and the driver could make that demand. Now to the ethics of the matter. We would hope a trempist’s attitude is as follows. “It is enough that the driver pays the car expenses, stopped for me, and might otherwise be inconvenienced by my presence. I am getting ‘a free ride.’ I certainly should not be even an indirect cause of any real loss.” Therefore, I would urge a passenger to offer to pay. In such a matter of general ethics, if the driver is well off and the passenger is poor, we might applaud if the driver turned down the offer.

Having a dispute? For a Din Torah in English or Hebrew contact ‘Eretz Hemdah - Gazit’ Rabbinical Court: 077215-8-215 • fax: (02) 537-9626 beitdin@eretzhemdah.org OU ISRAEL CENTER

TORAH VEHA'ARETZ RABBI MOSHE BLOOM INSTITUTE BY www.toraland.org.il/en

Garden Barrels and Kilei Zera’im Question: Garden barrels (a.k.a. vertical composting garden towers) are large containers full of soil, with pockets. It is possible to grow 70 plants using the floor surface of merely half a meter. One plant grows in each pocket. Generally, these containers are used for home gardening or in educational institutions and can be used to cultivate organic vegetables for home consumption, at a low cost and with relatively little water use. Can we use garden barrels without transgressing the prohibition of kilei zera’iam (interplanting)? Answer: There should be 1.5 tefachim (12 or 15 cm) between different types of plants, horizontally. Vertically: Some hold that all plants in the same column need to be the same species, since a difference in height is not considered a heker. Rabbi Yehuda Amichay, head of the Torah VeHa’aretz Institute’s halachic department, though, 56

TORAH TIDBITS / NOACH 5780

permits planting different species 1.5 tefachim from one another, vertically. If there are less than 1.5 tefachim between plants horizontally, one can erect a partition 10 tefachim tall (80 cm) by 4 tefachim (32 cm). However, this would detract from the beauty of the barrel. Creating a partition inside the barrel doesn’t help. The problem with kilei zera’im is marit ayin, that the seeds and leaves appear to be mixed and too close together. There is no problem that the roots intertwine. If there is less than 1.5 tefachim between pockets, it is possible to skip a pocket or plant different varieties of the same species: cherry tomatoes and regular tomatoes; peppers of different colors, etc. This does not constitute kilei zera’im. If the pockets are not on top of one another, measure from one plant to the next, not between rows. Conclusion: There should be a separation of 1.5 tefachim both horizontally and vertically between different types of plants.

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RABBI BEREL WEIN Rav, Beit Knesset Hanassi, Jerusalem

t is interesting to note that the Torah, in its opening chapters, deals with the lives of individuals on a seemingly very narrow focus. It is true that it portrayed general society for us and told us of the events that led up to the cataclysmic flood that destroyed most of the human race, but even then the Torah focuses on the lives of an individual, Noah, and his family. This pattern continues in this week’s reading as well, as the story of human civilization is condensed, and seen through the prism of the life of an individual, Abraham, and his wife Sarah, and their challenges and travails. Unlike most history books which always take the general perspective and the overview of the story, the Torah emphasizes to us that history and great events spring forth from the actions of individuals, and even though Heaven preordained events and trends, they only occur when individuals actually implement them by their very own choice, making them real. The

TORAH TIDBITS / NOACH 5780

prophet Isaiah described Abraham as “one” – unique, alone, individualistic, and, therefore, important and influential. We often think that an individual really doesn’t make much of a difference in the world of billions of human beings. However, all of history teaches us that individuals are the ones that shape all events, both good and better, in the story of humankind. For every individual contains within him and her the seeds of potential, of future generations, and of the events not yet visible or even foretold. The greatness of Abraham is revealed to us in the Torah through his personality of strong and abiding faith. We are taught that his faith in God never wavered, and that the Lord, therefore, reckoned that trait of faith as being the righteousness that transformed him into being the father of all nations. However, faith in God carries with it the corollary of faith in one’s self and one’s purpose in life. There

is a great deal of difference between the poison of arrogance and hubris, and the blessing of self-confidence and self-worth. Abraham is able to describe himself as being nothing more than dust and ashes. Yet as a sole individual standing against kings, armies, societies and their accepted mores, nevertheless, Abraham is confident in the success of his mission and in calling out, for all of the human race to hear over the long millennia, the name and sovereignty of the Lord. It is this sense of mission within us that drives all of our creativity and accomplishments in all spheres of our existence. The journey of the Jewish people through the ages of history and the countries of this planet parallel the journeys of our father Abraham and our mother Sarah during their lifetimes. Both sets of journeys are driven by this overriding sense of mission and purpose, and of the importance and worth of every individual who shares that sense of mission and purposeful existence. This, I believe, is one of the most important lessons that this Torah reading teaches us. Shabbat shalom, Rabbi Berel Wein

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MEDINA & RABBI SHIMSHON HAKOHEN NADEL HALACHA BY Mara D'atra, Kehilat Zichron Yosef, Har Nof

Rending One’s Garment When Visiting Jerusalem

he Talmud (Mo’ed Katan 26a) instructs one to rend his garment upon seeing the cities of Judah, Jerusalem, and the site of the Holy Temple in a state of destruction (Churban): “One who sees the Cities of Judah in their destruction says, ‘Your holy cities have become a wilderness,’ and rends. [One who sees] Jerusalem in its destruction says, ‘Zion has become a wilderness; Jerusalem a wasteland,’ and rends. [One who sees] the Holy Temple in its destruction says, ‘The Temple of Your holiness and our splendor, where our fathers praised You, has become a fiery conflagration, and all that we desired has become a ruin,’ and rends.” But today Jerusalem is not laid in ruin! With over 500,000 Jewish residents, Jerusalem is teeming with life; her skies lined with new buildings, as the city continues to grow by leaps and bounds. One cannot help but feel that he is witnessing the fruition of Zechariah’s 60

TORAH TIDBITS / NOACH 5780

prophecy: “Old men and women will once again sit in the streets of Jerusalem… and boys and girls will play in her streets” (Zech. 8:4-5), before his very eyes. In fact, following the miraculous birth of the State of Israel, and the dramatic reclamation of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount, the question of rending one’s garment for the Churban became the subject of much discussion and debate. At the heart of the controversy is the question of how Churban is defined, and how the political reality impacts on the Halacha. In his work on the laws and geography of the Land of Israel, Ishtori Ha-Parchi defines Churban as the absence of Jewish settlement (Kaftor Va-Ferach, Chap. 5). Should an area be settled, one would be exempt from rending his garment. The Beit Yosef at first accepts this definition, but concludes instead by defining Churban as subjugation under foreign rule (OC 561, s.v. haro’eh). It is Jewish sovereignty, which determines whether an area is considered to be in a state of Churban, and whether one must rend his garment. Most authorities accept this latter definition of Churban (See Bach, OC 561, s.v. Haro’eh; Magen Avraham and Taz, OC 561:1; Pe’at Ha-Shulchan, Hilchot Eretz Yisrael 3:1; Mishnah Berurah, OC 561:2; Kaf Ha-Chayim, OC 561:4).

Following the miraculous birth of the State of Israel, a number of authorities ruled that one is no longer obligated to rend his garment when seeing the Cities of Judah (See, for example, Rav Reuven Katz, Sha’ar Reuven, p. 32; Rav Shlomo Yosef Zevin, HaMo’adim Ba-Halacha, Vol. 2, p. 442). Some, however, questioned whether a secular State, not governed by Jewish Law, should be considered a true Jewish Sovereignty. This controversy would remain dormant for another nineteen years, as Judea was captured and remained under Jordanian control until 1967. But after the dramatic events of June 1967, many authorities, including Rav Moshe Feinstein, Rav Ovadiah Yosef, Rav Eliezer Waldenberg, Rav Chaim David Halevi, Rav Ovadiah Hedaya, and Rav Shlomo Goren ruled it no longer necessary to rend one’s garment upon seeing the Cities of Judah and Jerusalem, as they now were under Jewish Sovereignty. Rav Moshe Feinstein wrote: “Because of the kindnesses of Hashem, the Nations do not rule over the Cities of Judah and Jerusalem, and additionally they are settled, it is a great reason not to rend. Even though the Redemption has not come through the King Messiah, and we still fear the Nations, [one should] not rend [his garment]” (Igrot Moshe, OC 5:37:1). Some authorities ruled that one need not rend when seeing the Temple Mount, as now it is under Jewish Sovereignty. In a moving description, Rav Mordechai Fogelman, who served as Rabbi of Kiryat Motskin and was a member of the council of OU ISRAEL CENTER

the Chief Rabbinate, captured the euphoria of post-Six Day War in a responsum: “On the 7th of Sivan 5727, following a conference of rabbis at Heikhal Shlomo in Jerusalem, I visited the liberated Western Wall together with a number of rabbis. Whoever did not see the joy at the Kotel, has not seen joy in all his days. Thousands flocked to the Kotel and their faces shone with joy and delight. They prayed with fervor and joy and thanksgiving to Hashem. Among those celebrating, there were many who had rent their garments… When I saw this, I turned to those with me and said, ‘Now, after the victory against our enemies… and after the liberation of the Old City of Jerusalem, and with it the Maqom ha-Miqdash and the Western Wall, we should no longer rend when visiting rather, we should recite the Blessing of Shehechiyanu, Be’Shem U’Malchut…’” (Beit Mordechai 1:33). Rav Fogelman continues and justifies his ruling, arguing that Jewish Sovereignty obviates the need to rend and that Keriah is an expression of mourning, inappropriate considering the great salvation Hashem has bestowed on the Jewish Nation. Rav Tzvi Yehudah Kook and Rav Shlomo Goren issued similar rulings concerning the Temple Mount in the Religious Zionist newspaper Ha-Tzofeh. However, the initial euphoria of those days in June would ultimately fade and give way to a starker reality. Rav Goren would later retract his ruling when it became clear that the Temple Mount was not under true Jewish Sovereignty, as administration over the 62

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site was given to the Islamic Waqf (Meishiv Milchamah, Vol. 3, p. 333. Cf. Torat HaMedinah, p. 108). But questions of sovereignty and control aside, many authorities rule that one is indeed obligated to rend his garment upon seeing the Temple Mount today, as the Holy Temple is not standing, and therefore in a state of Churban (Igrot Moshe, OC 5:37:1; Igrot Moshe, OC 4:70:11. See also Be’ikvei Ha-Tzon, p. 106, and Nefesh HaRav, p. 79; Makor Chayim Ha-Shalem, pp. 207-209; Chazon Ovadiah, Arbah Ta’aniot, p. 438). As mentioned above, it is the Beit Yosef’s definition of Churban as a lack of Jewish Sovereignty that becomes adopted by later authorities. However, upon careful inspection of the text itself, the Beit Yosef defines Churban vis-à-vis the Cities of Judah, and not explicitly the Temple Mount. In addition, while the Beraitta (Mo’ed Katan 26a) instructs one to rend upon seeing the site where the Temple stood (Makom Ha-Mikdash), the Talmud instructs “[one who sees] the Holy Temple in its destruction” to rend, suggesting that it is indeed the state of the Holy Temple itself that is the determining factor, and not control over the site.

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RABBI EPHRAIM SPRECHER Faculty, OU Israel Center

Sarah’s Home – The ORIGINAL Mikdash! “They shall make for Me a MIKDASH and I will dwell in THEM.” (Shemot 25:8) The Ramban explains that Hashem is asking each of us to build for Him a replica of our Mother Sarah’s Home. Sarah was the classic Jewish mother and one of the seven prophetesses named in Holy Scripture. Her home was no ordinary tent. It had extraordinary qualities: a cloud of holiness, doors which symbolically proclaimed their openness to all passersby, a blessing in her dough, and a Sabbath lamp that remained lit all week long. These miracles were NOT in Abraham’s merit, because they all ceased with Sarah’s death. Rashi informs us that Sarah was an even greater prophet than Abraham. There was a special significance in these blessings in Sarah’s tent. They paralleled exactly the miracles of the Mishkan in the wilderness and of the Temple in Jerusalem. The cloud represented G-d’s 64

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Own Presence, (SHECHINA) the same Gdly Presence which rested on the Mishkan. Only one other human being had a comparable sign of ultimate holiness hovering over his private residence Moshe (Shemot 33:9). Sarah’s open doors symbolized the Temple which was a repository of holiness beckoning every Jew to come and draw closer to G-d through its agency. There was a blessing in Sarah’s dough; her guests ate and then went away with lingering feelings of satisfaction that kept hunger away for a long time. In the Sanctuary of the Temple, loaves of Panim-Bread, ‫לחם הפנים‬, were placed on the sacred Table every Sabbath. All week long these loaves remained miraculously as warm and fresh as they were when they were first set on the sacred Table a week earlier. The Talmud teaches that the Show-Bread of the

Temple was the source of prosperity for the entire nation. Because it was blessed it never became stale, unlike material things which begin to deteriorate from the moment they come into existence. The same miraculous blessing was also found in Sarah’s dough, a blessing that protected it from the elements and helped all who ate it to absorb its holiness within themselves. The western lamp, the ‫נר מערבי‬, of the Temple Menorah burned longer than all the others. It was the first lit, and the last to go out, its flame burning bright until the moment of the next day’s lighting. This symbolized a principle of spiritual growth yesterday’s greatness need not fade away, it should become the starting point for today’s further spiritual development.

flames of holiness survive the six days of banality and material striving? Sarah’s Shabbat flames did! Her Sabbath lamp, like the western lamp of the Menorah, endured and shed a spiritual glow that lit the darkness of the entire week. When the next Sabbath came, she brought new holiness into her home not replacing its predecessor, but enhancing it. Thus Gd’s Heavenly Cloud that hovered over Sarah’s Tent like that which adorned the MIKDASH was Gd’s testimony to what went on within. Because Gd’s Presence was in Sarah’s tent, on her table, and upon her Sabbath Lamps, Gd set His SHECHINA atop her dwelling, demonstrating that every Jewish home can become a miniature Holy Temple, if we emulate our Mother Sarah.

But of course, when one abandons the world of spirituality and plunges into the material here and now, his earlier spiritual achievements and attainments become diminished. Because holiness is not static, it cannot be stored away for future use. Thus Jacob, Sarah’s grandson, was shown a ladder in his prophetic dream, symbolizing that in this world we are all on a spiritual ladder, either climbing up or climbing down. No one takes a coffee break on a ladder! Sarah’s Sabbath candles ushered in a day of contentment and holiness, ‫ יום מנוחה וקדושה‬,G-d’s precious gift to Israel, and so to do our own Sabbath candles. The key question is what happens when Sabbath is over do the Sabbath OU ISRAEL CENTER

THE DAILY BY SIVAN RAHAV-MEIR PORTION

Going Against the Norm ‫ׁשקי ִה ְת ַה ֵּל ְך ְל ָפנַי‬ ַ ‫ּאמר ֵא ָליו אֲנִ י קל‬ ֶ ֹ‫ַוֵי ָּרא ה׳ ֶאל ַא ְב ָרם ַוי‬ .‫ֶהיֵה ָת ִמים‬ ְ‫ו‬ And God appeared to Abram, and He said to him, “I am the Almighty God; walk before Me and be perfect.” (Gen. 17:1) I once heard a young man dressed in the latest fashion ask another young man who was wearing traditional hasidic garb: “Do you really think that our forefather Abraham dressed like you in black and white and wore a hat like yours?” The Hasid replied: “I am absolutely certain that he didn’t dress like me. And I am sure that he looked around to see the latest fashion trends in his day and then chose to wear the exact opposite.” We are not commanded to wear outdated, unfashionable clothes. However, in his time, Abraham was considered to be an outsider and a fighter for his beliefs, even though we now look up to him as a model for inspiration. In his commentary on the various episodes narrated in this parasha, Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch notes that Abraham is meant to instill within us the strength to stand as an alternative to the dominant culture and not be absorbed by it. This goes for both 66

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worldwide culture and for norms among the Jewish people: The isolation imposed upon Abraham in his day placed him in total opposition to the prevailing zeitgeist. His values were the polar opposite of those of his day. No person is permitted to declare “I am righteous and honest” according to currently acceptable standards. Everyone is responsible for himself toward God. If you have to do something, and the way the majority do so is not true, then you must serve God, even if it places you in the minority. Had we not inherited from Abraham the courage to be in the minority, how would we have been able to exist in the past and continue to do so in the present? Some people promote a “Judaism that keeps up with the spirit of the times.” The strongest opposition to this idea comes from the first commandment given to Abraham to “Go forth.” We can be sure that Abraham’s first appearance on the world’s stage did not fit into the spirit of the times in Babylon, Assyria, Sidon, or Egypt. Just like Abraham, we are required to be courageous and have complete faith in our inner truth. Sivan Rahav-Meir is an Israeli journalist, currently on shlichut of World Mizrahi movement to the US. She is the author of #Parasha. To receive her daily insight on the portion of the week, text your name to: 972-58-679-9000

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Arrow from the birthday stuff into Eretz Yisrael is Lech L'cha... from your birthplace <:> Arrows from Eretz Yisrael to the south-west and back again is the round trip to & from Egypt <:> Compass on the map of Israel is for G-d's instructions to Avraham to walk the Land, its length and breadth, and in all directions <:> Arrows branching in opposite directions was Avraham's offered choice to Lot when they separated from each other <:> Avra- ham's oath before the king of S'dom, that he would not even take a thread or a shoelace (considered a remez to the threads of Tzitzit and the straps of T'filin) <:> Telescope and stars for G-d's taking Avraham outside to see the stars and to promise that his descendants will be as countless as the stars <:> Father with his baby son is for Brit Mila <:> Tent that Avraham pitched a few times in the sedra <:> Brit Bein HaB'tarim, with each split animal accom- panied by a triangle, standing for the adjective M'SHULASH or M'SHULESHET (which has different meanings among commentators) <:> The bird above the "split" animals was not cut <:> Liver, as in KAVEID (in Hebrew), a word meaning "heavy" and applied in Lech L'cha to the famine as well as to Avraham's wealth when he left Egypt <:> Anvil, hammer, nails are from the 68

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haftara <:> CBS logo, an EYE as in the city AI, mentioned many times in the book of Yehoshua, but once in LECH LECHA as well <:> Hagar the Horrible, for HAGAR <:> Superman, played by the late actor Christopher Reeve, as in the RIV between the shepherds of Avraham and those of Lot <:> The leaves are from the European nettle tree, a.k.a. Lote tree <:> Alarm clock with the time 3:18, for Avraham's rising early in the morning, and for the number of people Avraham took with him to fight to save Lot. Or just Eliezer, gimatriya 318 <:> Seder plate reminds us of the prophecy of going down to Egypt <:> CDs are for EIMEK HA-SIDIM <:> ESHKOL (cluster of grapes), A NEIR (a candle), and a MEMRAY are for Avraham's three allies <:> upper-right are letters R & W. The W in that particular font looks like the Hebrew letter SHIN, giving - right to left - SHINAR <:> blue-ribbon winning lamb, which can be called an A-LAM, for the kingdom of K'DARLA'OMER, one of the four kings <:> Winston Churchill who was a famous BRIT, goes with the picture below it of the musical notes. Those notes are E and the A above it, also known as MI and LA. Putting it all together to get BRIT MILA <:> Three doors crossed out and an arrow pointing to the DOR R'VI'I, the fourth generation that is mentioned in the Covenant between the Pieces, the generation that will return to the land, following the exile in Egypt <:> S'FIRAT HAOMER calendar in the lowerright, which is set to 24-200. 24 is KAFDALET. 200 is REISH. This is KAF-DALETREISH LA'OMER i.e. K'DARLAOMER, one of the four kings who did battle against the five kings and made the mistake

of capturing Avraham's nephew. Big mistake! Thanks to the PALIT (OG) for the intel <:> Of the bird, the Torah says V'ET HATZIPOR LO BATAR, the bird he did not cut. In Ashkenazic pronunciation, the bird LO BASAR, sounds like the bird is not meat. Parve? <:> The checkerboard is obvious - battle between the four kings and the five <:> And the side by side list of names also represents the battle of the four kings (four of the current kings in the world) and the five kings - Jewish comedian Alan King a"h, Sky King (who flew his plane, the Songbird), author Stephen King, King Kong, and interviewer Larry King. <:> There are another 4 kings test your children and Shabbat guests. Note to parents and grandparents. After you familiarize yourselves with these PPexplanations, think about which ones would be most appropriate for your children or grandchildren. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do them all unless you know they can handle it. Sometimes, it is best to choose one or two PP elements and use them as a springboard to reviewing the sedra. Choose wisely. Keep it light and you will have a good sedra-reviewing session and quality time to boot.

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THE NEW OLD PATH BY RABBI BENJI LEVY CEO Of Mosaic United

Gaining Perspective ‘God said to Abram, “Go for yourself from your land, your birthplace and your father’s house, to the land that I will show you.”’ These words are among the most consequential in the history of humanity. With this summoning of one man, Judaism, Christianity and Islam were set in motion. In return for his journey into the unknown and his allegiance to the one God, Abram is promised fame, fortune and the blessing of becoming the father of a great nation with many descendants. With such guarantees from God Himself, ‘Abram went as God had commanded him…’ However, immediately upon arrival, ‘there was a famine in the land’ and he is forced to descend to Egypt. As the story unfolds,

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Abraham encounters challenges with his wife Sarah, his cousin Lot, and he despairs at his lack of progeny. What happened to all the good that God promised? Some people who choose to follow religion are in search of instant benefit, expecting that if they do their part, then God will reciprocate. People are attracted by the religious charisma of spiritual satisfaction or communal cohesion or a sense of purpose. Seeing others who appear to have attained these gems, they believe that in return for rejuvenating their religious practice, they too will merit, and all that is good will unfold before them in an instant. In reality, this is rarely achieved. Abraham too must have been excited by the allure of God’s blessings. Yet as the first initiate into monotheism and the prototype for the future, his trials and tribulations cause him to become seemingly sceptical, ‘What can you

give me seeing that I am childless?’ At this, God: ‘took him outside and said, “gaze towards the heavens and count the stars…”’ Since the Torah does not mention that Abraham was previously inside, and since the word for gazing suggests viewing from above, the Midrash posits that God takes Abraham out of the world in order to gaze upon the stars. When Abraham complains at the lack of fulfilment of God’s promise, God implies that he should figuratively step out of his immediate reality and gain some perspective. Just as the world seems almost insignificantly small from space, one’s immediate situation can be viewed in a similar light, revealing that there is more to life than what is represented in any given moment or place.

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Immediately following this lesson in perspective, Abraham again asks, ‘how shall I know that I am to inherit it [the land]?’ It seems that Abraham is worrying about his descendants and how they will inherit the land. In response, God asks him to perform a strange religious ritual, through which He forges a covenant and provides a prophecy of Egyptian servitude and subsequent freedom for Abraham’s descendants. Essentially, through this covenant, God is promising Abraham that the Jewish people will go through troubles and triumphs, but their relationship as a people, as a nation greater than the sum of its individuals, is not contractual; rather, it is covenantal. Whereas a human contract can be revoked if one party does not uphold its side, the biblical covenant between God and Abraham’s descendants, is irrevocable and eternal. God was extending the lesson of perspective beyond the immediate perspective of space, to the historical perspective of time. With the incredible advancement of technology, we live in a ‘microwave generation’ where at the click of a button, within seconds we can gain access to or create many things that in the past would have taken extended periods of time. This instant gratification has opened many doors of convenience and opportunity,

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but has simultaneously closed traditional doors of patience and perspective. As Abraham takes his first religious step forward, he too may be expecting the automatic delivery of all that God has promised. Yet God is teaching him and all of his descendants that real and longlasting gain must take time. Armed with this perspective, we can approach each of life’s challenges by seeking out a fresh point of view – one that sheds new insights beyond those readily available in the immediate context. This approach, taught by God to Abraham in his inaugural moments as the leader of monotheism, presents a healthy approach to religion, as rather than generating disappointment, it allows religion to infuse meaning, hope and value into the lives of its adherents.

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TORAH 4 TEENS BY TEENS Rabbi Yosef Ginsberg Wayne Gretzky, arguably the greatest hockey player of all time, famously said, “You miss 100% of the shots you do not take.” The wisdom he offered is that every missed opportunity is a wasted opportunity. This week’s Parasha begins with the well-known commandment from Hashem to Avraham: ‫ֿמ ַא ְר ְצך ו ִּמ ּֽמו ַֹל ְד ְּתך ו ִּמ ֵּבית‬ ֵ ‫־ל ָך‬ ְ ‫ל־א ְב ָרם ֶל ְך‬ ַ ‫ֹּאמר ה' ֶא‬ ֶ ‫“ַוי‬ “ ‫ׁשר ַא ְר ֶֽא ָּך׃‬ ֶ ‫ל־ה ָא ֶרץ ֲא‬ ָ ‫יך ֶא‬ ָ ‫ָא ִב‬ “Leave your native land and your father’s house for the land that I will show you.” Why doesn’t the Torah simply say ‫מארצך‬ ‫לך‬, “go out of your land”? Why does the Torah add the word ‫לך‬, meaning “for yourself,” as part of the commandment? The Ohr Hachaim, a renowned 18th century commentator on the Torah and resident of Yerushalayim’s Old City, teaches us that as creatures of Hashem we have a spark of Hashem inside of us; thereby granting us truly unlimited potential. Like Avraham, many of us left our comfortable “native” lands. How did Avraham deal with the difficult challenge 74

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of leaving his “home” for a new, unknown homeland? Hashem tells him to tap into his ‫לך‬, his inner self, into the true potential he was given by Hashem. The challenges of being away from our ‘comfortable places’, including our languages, our families, and the culture we were raised in, can be daunting, to say the least. However, just as Avraham did, when we tap into inner selves and realize what we can offer, we begin to understand what the “Land will show us.” We are challenged to tap into the unlimited potential Hashem has given us. We should ask ourselves: “What do we have to offer in this Holy Land?” It may be more than we know! Let us embrace the opportunity to make our Land our true home.

Lech Lecha- Our Children, Our Stars By: Yael Marcus 11th Grade, Chasmonaim In ‫פרשת לך לך‬, preceding the ‫ברית בין הבתרים‬ ‘Hashem’s covenant with the Jewish people’, Hashem addressed Avraham in a vision telling him not to fear because he will receive much reward.

‫“ אחר הדברים האלה היה דבר ה’ אל אברם במחזה‬

”.‫לאמר אל תירא אברם אנכי מגן לך שכרך הרבה מאוד‬ Avraham responds and says to Hashem: What can you give me when I remain childless, and will my servant Eliezer have to be my successor? ‫ני אלוקים מה תתן לי ואנכי הולך‬-‫“ויאמר אברם אד‬ ”.‫ערירי ובן משק ביתי הוא דמשק אליעזר‬ This is a seemingly strange response. Why would Avraham ask for children in this context once more? He already made this request earlier on, and Hashem had already promised that he would be blessed with children. Rabbi Zalman Sorotzkin answers this question: Earlier when Avraham met with Shem, the other great Tzaddik of his time, he saw that Shem would have one day have descendants who would be ‫רשעים‬ wicked people. With this knowledge, Avraham turns to Hashem saying that he would rather be childless than have wicked offspring. Hashem then reassures Avraham and tells him to look up at the stars. These stars light up the night sky. “Those are like your children and descendants,’’ They will be “righteous and illuminate the earth with the glow of their holiness.” That is what NCSY Israel’s mission is: Helping teenagers throughout Israel discover that holy spark inside of them, to inspire them and instill in them a passion for Judaism; helping them reach their full potential. Each of us has the ability to light up the world and NCSY Israel is here to ignite our spark!

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TAL UMATAR (T&M) REVIEW (partial) - If you are unclear about anything, ask your Rav LO© § r lM̈ l©re§ ,Epi«¥lr̈ d`Ä ¨ d© z`ŸGd© dp̈Ẍd© `d¥ Y§ W¤ ,Epi«zFa£̀ ¥ idŸl'`¥ ¥ e EpidŸl'¡ «¥ ` 'd ,Li«¤pẗ§Nn¦ oFvẍ id§ ¦i § m`¦ dn̈EW§bE d¨lElh§ dp̈Ẅ ...l ¥̀ ẍU§ § i zi¥A k"eia lecbd odk zlitzn ...dp̈EgW From Monday night, the eve of the 7th of Marcheshvan, (November 4th, this year), until Pesach, we (in Eretz Yisrael) ask for rain in the BAREICH ALEINU bracha of every weekday Amida, with the words V'tein Tal U'matar Livracha [T&M]. A weekday Amida without T&M (from 7 Marcheshvan until 14 Nissan) is invalid and must be repeated. This means that if you finish an Amida and realize that you forgot T&M, you must say the Amida again. This means that if any time after you finish an Amida - even hours later - you realize that you omitted T&M (you are sure it was omitted), then the Amida is invalid and must be repeated. If you are still in the time-frame of that davening, then you can say the Amida. If it is during the next davening timeslot that you remember your omission, then you wait until the next davening and say the Amida twice - the second one being TASHLUMIN (make-up) for the one you blew. If you catch your omission when you are still in the Amida, the following rules apply: If one is still in the BAREICH ALEINU bracha (not having yet said G-d's name at the end), then back up and say V'TEIN TAL U'MATAR LIVRACHA, and continue from there. If you already said G-d's name of M'VAREICH HASHANIM, then continue (without going back) and when you get to the SH'MA KOLEINU bracha, say T&M before KI ATA SHOMEI'A... Because Sh'ma Koleinu is an appropriate b'racha for additional requests, saying T&M here is preferable to repeating (and thereby nullifying) one or more b'rachot, which is what would happen if we had to go back to BAREICH ALEINU. If you pass the point of insertion in Sh'ma Koleinu, but haven't said G-d's name in the end of the bracha, then say T&M and continue with KI ATA SHOMEI'A... If you finish Sh'ma Koleinu but haven't said the word R'TZEI yet, you can say T&M after SHOMEI'A T'FILA and before R'TZEI. Since you have not yet begun R'TZEI, it is still considered being in the "brachot of request" section of the Amida, and T&M fits. Once you say the word R'TZEI (and you haven't asked for T&M yet), you must go back to BAREICH ALEINU (not just SH'MA KOLEINU) and say the Amida straight from there. Although this involves repeating brachot you have already said, this is what must be done. This rule applies from R'TZEI until you finish the Amida. That point is either when you 76

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finish YIHU L'RATZON... or when you begin taking your first step back. If it is only then that you realize that you have not said T&M, then you must say the entire Amida from the beginning. If one is unsure whether he said T&M or not, the halacha goes by probability based on habit. If T&M has not been said 90 times, we assume a habit has not yet formed and consider T&M not to have been said. After 90 times, we may assume it was said (unless you are certain it was omitted). Furthermore, one must deal with a doubt only if it enters his mind immediately, not "sometime later". That kind of doubt that nags at you later can be ignored. There's more - that's why we called this a partial review. Visitors and students from abroad should consult a knowledgable Rav as to what they do in Israel and when they return. When they came here is a factor, as well. How long their stay... Please do not see all of the above as bothersome details. They are all there to convey a very important idea. RAIN IS A SERIOUS BUSINESS. And so is our power of prayer. Omitting just two words - TAL and MATAR - still leaves us with a request for G-d's blessing. But Chazal deemed that insufficient. We must recognize that rainfall is not a random event merely based on hot fronts and cold fronts and a bunch of other meteorological factors. HaShem is the BOREI OLAM and the ADON KOL. Our starting times for Geshem and T&M (Tal uMatar) can only approximate the rainy season schedule, since our calendar is based on the Moon and seasons are connected to the Solar calendar. Shmini Atzeret, for example, ranges from September 26 to October 25 (roughly). Different weather conditions can be expected. And rain doesn't always start falling on a fixed day on any calendar.

"‫"ותן טל ומטר לברכה על פני האדמה‬

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