One Against the World by Rav Moshe Weinberger

From the Fire

Parshas Vayeira One Against the World

By Rav Moshe Weinberger Adapted for publication by Binyomin Wolf

After Avraham passes the most unspeakable test, the near-slaughter of his beloved son Yitzchak, Hashem told him (Bereishis 22:16-17), “By Myself I swore, says Hashem, that because you have done this thing, and you have not withheld your son, your only one, I will surely bless you and I will surely multiply your offspring like the stars of the Heavens and like the sand on the seashore, and your offspring will inherit the gates of their enemies.”

With these words, according to the Ramban, Hashem clearly and unequivocally promised Avraham that regardless of any sins the Jewish people may commit throughout the generations, exile will pass and they will eventually see the ultimate redemption.

If we look carefully at the words of these pesukim in light of the Ramban, however, we see two general paths toward redemption: one in which we are compared to “the stars of the Heavens,” and another in which we are compared to “the sand on the seashore.” What is the qualitative difference between these two paths?

Rav Ezriel Tauber, building upon a beautiful Kli Yakar, explains the significance of “the stars of the Heavens.”

Each star represents an individual power, unique in its ability to add light to the universe, as the pasuk says regarding the stars (Yeshayahu 40:26), “Who takes out their host by number, all of them He calls by name…” By giving each star a name, Hashem shows that each one contributes something unique and different from all other stars. But with

all of their individuality, the stars are called “the hosts of Heaven” (ibid. 34:4). The stars join together to form “hosts, armies.” They work together to fulfill a communal purpose. The stars also “work” with one another to form constellations to constitute part of the organized forces at work in the universe.

Stars, therefore, represent the ideal combination of individuality and communal responsibility in which each star’s individual identity shines in a completely unique way while, at the same time, it plays its part in a host or constellation to do its part in the big picture. This represents the ideal Jewish life as we march toward redemption – every Jew maximizing his or her own unique talents and strengths while also using the force multiplier of national unity to work together toward our collective goal of revealing G-dliness on earth.

The Gemara (Sanhedrin 98a), quoting the pasuk in Yeshayahu (60:22), says that Moshiach can come at the set time for redemption “in its time,” or earlier, “I will hasten it.” In the latter path toward redemption, we are compared to the stars in Heaven. When Moshiach comes this way, Hashem says (Daniel 7:13), “He was like a man coming on the clouds of Heaven.” That is what Hashem was referring to when he told Avraham after the Akeidah, “I will surely multiply your offspring like the stars of the Heavens.”

But there is another, more difficult, path to redemption – the way of “I will surely multiply your offspring like…the sand on the seashore.” Sand ostensibly lacks the characteristics of individuality and joining together for communal work. Grains of sand lack any discernable individual qualities. They all look identical. In addition, they do not gather together in anything comparable to constellations, teams, armies, or communities. Even in halacha (Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 321), one cannot violate the prohibition of kneading by mixing sand and water because sand physically cannot be formed into dough. A beach is just a collection of billions of individual grains of sand. They appear not to form any whole greater than the sum of their parts. But if this is the case, how is the promise that Hashem will make Avraham’s descendants like the sand on the seashore a blessing?

The Kli Yakar says that the sand has a vital purpose, as the pasuk (Yirmiyahu 5:22) says, “I have placed the sand as the boundary to the sea.” He says, “The nations rise up against the Jewish people to destroy them but they cannot overcome them. Similarly, the waves rise up as if they want to wash away the world. But when they reach the sand, they are immediately broken just like the nations of the world, as the pasuk (Tehillim 42:8) says, ‘All Your breakers and your waves passed over me.’” The sand is the border the sea cannot cross.

So, too, the Jewish people are the world’s last line of defense against the forces seeking to destroy it. On a physical level, the Western world seems poised to succumb to radical Islam, though it seeks to infiltrate and destroy everything. The Jewish people – personified by Israel – seems to be the only nation willing to unapologetically stand up against extremist Muslims.

So although each grain of sand seems not to be unique or to have a unified purpose, the Jewish people, who are compared to the sand on the seashore, do serve a vital purpose. They are the world’s last hope against the forces of chaos and destruction.

And even on the spiritual plane

as well, we remain the lone defenders of the health and normalcy of the world. The Gemara (Sanhedrin 98a) says that, in the way of redemption called “in its time,” the Navi (Zachariah 9:9) says that Moshiach will come like a poor man riding on a donkey, chamor, not on a cloud. The Maharal, zt”l, explains, based on the fact that the Hebrew word for physicality, chamariyos, shares the same root as the word for donkey, that Moshiach riding on a donkey means that he “rides” – exerts control over – physicality.

Rashi (on Shmos 4:20) says that Avraham rode the same donkey on which Moshiach will arrive. Avraham also exerted mastery over physicality when he separated himself from physicality by saying to Yishmael (Bereishis 22:5), “Stay here with the donkey.” Avraham was showing us that he would not be bowed by or subject to the waves of physicality that attempt to drown us.

It is not only the Muslim world that attempts to conquer the world. The infinite physicality, smallness, and decadence available on the internet threaten to wash away our humanity. And it is available on a phone that sits in a person’s pocket all the time, every day. It calls out to every single individual, whether great or small.

Each one of us, each grain of sand, stand together as a fortification against the onslaught of the physicality of the world that attempts to drown us. As each individual surfs the ocean-like web, he stares down the crest of each wave of “viral” videos, movies, and mindless entertainment over and over again. And just like the sand on the seashore acts as a line of defense preventing the ocean from overtaking the land, so too each of us must remain ever vigilant in keeping physicality in its place. We must use it while not being used by it. When we do that, we protect the whole world from being overtaken by mindless materialism.

It appears that it is not G-d’s will for us to live like “the stars of the Heavens” at this time. We simply do not have national, communal leaders with influence over the entire Jewish nation today. We therefore cannot fully fulfill a star-like role, to be overcome.

Because of all of the distractions feelings of closeness with G-d. But feels like a battle against the world when we cannot even strengthen him during a period in his life when dous encouragement in our strugthis week’s parshah, as follows the day…” (Bereishis 18:1). Sitting, Hashem appeared to him” (Bereishis 18:1), by sitting and waiting and stationing himself by the doorway of the tent of holiness for a long time. And even though during this time he en-

illuminating the world with our in- dures what he endures, and the heat ousness of the world cannot pass, we dividual light and working together of the day, meaning that all of the will merit “and Hashem appeared to as a team to accomplish national desires which burn him greatly, he him.” By disregarding the fact that goals. It seems that Hashem’s prov- never abandons his place, G-d forbid. the world seems to have abdicated idence has decreed that, for now, we Instead, he sits and waits by the door any sense of boundaries or self-react as a bulkhead, protecting the for a very long time, [like Avraham spect, we maintain our post, keeping watch by the doorway of the tent of holiness. In the merit of each act of vigilance and holiness by our people They are the world’s last hope against to maintain our guard against the the forces of chaos and destruction. waves of materialism that crash against us again and again, may Hashem reveal his anointed one. By holding off the waves of physicality, we exhibit our mastery over it and world’s shore from the progressive who] “was sitting at the entrance of on which he will come riding into invasion of a flood of impure imag- the tent in the heat of the day.” Yerushalayim, may he arrive soon es and sounds. If Hashem tasked Rebbe Nosson is teaching us that in our days! each of us with creating an oasis of he understands that it is hard to health, moderation, and normalcy maintain the fight against impurity Rav Moshe Weinberger, shlita, is the amidst the flood of insanity churning and guard our thoughts and eyes day founding Morah d’Asrah of Congrearound us, it must be He also gave us after day. But he also shows us that gation Aish Kodesh in Woodmere, NY, an inner reservoir of strength and re- if we hold the line, if we maintain a and serves as leader of the new mechina silience to enable us to succeed – not boundary beyond which the lascivi- Emek HaMelech.

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