VAYERA 5784 The Tale of Two: The Sand and the Stars Rabbi Andrew Shaw Chief Executive, Mizrachi UK To paraphrase Charles Dickens:
It is the best of times, it is the worst of times. It is the best of times. Never in my life have I seen our people more united, more connected and more proud. I have seen so many videos of incredible scenes in Israel. The rescue of Ori Megidish, one of the hostages, was remarkable in itself, but to witness the scenes around her house in Bat Yam was something else. The house was filled with flags and balloons and people from every section of Israeli society. There were kippot, black hats, sheitals, tichels, hats and uncovered heads! Outside on the street there was a wonderful atmosphere dancing, singing, a sense of one nation celebrating the safe return of one of her children. Chassidim dancing hand in hand with Secular and Religious Zionist Jews – just Am Yisrael thanking Hashem for Ori’s homecoming. Across the world the prayers, the charity, the donations of everything – there is truly a sense of one family. So many remarkable stories, like the work of Shai Graucher and his team who formed ‘ B Yachad Nenatzeach’ built a logistic headquarters in 48 hrs which then stocked tens of thousands of fighting gear for the soldiers, clothing, toiletries, printed thousands of gemaras, hundreds of pairs of tefillin, ipads for hundreds of patients in 10 different hospitals, thousands of games for kids, tens of thousands of hot meals and bbq’s for soldiers, financial support for bereaved families and families of hostages, live performances for soldiers – it’s just incredible, the kindness, the unity, the generosity. One story that summed up the spirit we are seeing in Israel is the following: There was a soldier who is a combat medic in an infantry unit. He has been on the border of and in Gaza for weeks now, without showering or coming home. He wears contacts and got an eye infection. He was told to take a cab to Beer Sheva last week to see a doctor. The cab driver refused to let him pay. He then waited for him to finish his appointment, took him to his own home, fed him, let him shower, washed his uniform, told him to nap for an hour. Then he took him back to his base.
It truly is the best of times. Yet it is also the worst of times. ‘Hi, how are you’, comes the question. We may reply ‘ok’, but we are not, we are so not ok, I don’t know when we will ever be. We are still haunted by the horrendous slaughter. Paralyzed by the sheer number of hostages. And perpetually worried about the war in Gaza. And then there is the reaction of the rest of the world. The tremendous rise in anti semitism, the scary scenes on campuses all over the world, especially in the USA. In any fair world, Israel’s collective trauma (and her right to defend herself against Hamas’s officially declared mission to exterminate the Jews) would be the main theme. Yet tens of thousands of Britons have taken to the streets in support of Israel’s foes, some shouting “jihad!” or the genocidal chant, “From the river to the sea/Palestine will be free” or the equally chilling, “London to Gaza, intifada!” Truly the worst of times. The parsha itself mirrors the idea of the best of times and seemingly the worst of times. We begin Vayerah with Avraham recovering from his Brit Milah, but determined to show Hachansat Orchim to his guests.
And he lifted his eyes and saw, and behold, three men were standing beside him, and he saw and he ran toward them from the entrance of the tent, and he prostrated himself to the ground. And he said, "My lords, if only I have found favour in your eyes, please do not pass on from beside your servant. Please let a little water be taken, and bathe your feet, and recline under the tree. And I will take a morsel of bread, and sustain your hearts. (Bereishit 18:2-5) Mirroring this Hachansat Orchim, Mizrachi UK have launched ‘Eishet Chayal’ to provide Shabbat meals to families whose husband/father is serving in Tzahal. Already since we launched on Wednesday, hundreds of meals have already been donated. To be a part of the project please click here. While the heavenly guests are with Avraham, one of them promises a child for Avraham and Sarah. This is guaranteed by Hashem:
At the appointed time, I will return to you, at this time next year and Sarah will have a son. Bereishit 18:14. For Avraham and Sarah this was a fulfilment of a lifetime, finally their longing for a child and heir was going to happen. The next part of the Sedra is not so pleasant for Avraham and Sarah. The problem with Sodom, Sarah with Avimelech and the challenge of Hagar and Yishmael. Yet during these difficult episodes, Yitzchak is born, the future of the Jewish people. We end Chapter 21 with Avraham a successful man, devoted to his wife and son Yitzchak and looking forward to the future with hope and confidence. ‘ I will make you a great nation and bless you’ the promise from Hashem is becoming clearer.
It was the best of times. This all comes crashing down one fateful day.
And He said, "Please take your son, your only one, whom you love, yea, Isaac, and go away to the land of Moriah and bring him up there for a burnt offering on one of the mountains, of which I will tell you. Bereishit 22:2 One can only imagine the shock and horror that confronted Avraham. Everything he had built, the wealth, the honour, all meant nothing without his beloved Yitzchak, without the guarantee of a future for the Jewish nation.
It was the worst of times. Yet his response was unquestioning.
And Avraham arose early in the morning, and he saddled his donkey, and he took his two young men with him and Yitzchak his son; and he split wood for a burnt offering, and he arose and went to the place of which God had told him. Bereishit 22:3 The Rabbis point two things out from the pasuk. First that Avraham went to sleep after he heard the command from Hashem! Second, he got up early! There was enthusiasm to do the will of Hashem. We all know how the ordeal ends. It was a test from Hashem. Avraham does not sacrifice his son, the Jewish story will continue, Avraham’s darkest day, becomes one of his greatest, his tenth and final test which established him as Avraham Avinu. For his test of faith, for his devotion to Hashem, he is blessed with a very special blessing.
By Myself have I sworn, says the Lord, that because you have done this thing and you did not withhold your son, your only one. That I will surely bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand that is on the seashore. Bereishit 22:16-17 There are two beautiful ideas on the stars and the sand which speak volumes to us today in our current situation. Rav Naftali Zvi Berlin, explains that, like the stars, Avraham’s descendants will have a special power to illuminate the world, their contribution radiating across history and pointing the way forward for human progress. We have never been particularly numerous, but our contribution has been immense. Now with our own state, this ability to impact the world positively has grown exponentially. The Kli Yakar says the blessing that we will be like “the sand of the seashore” is a reference not to the future impact of the Jewish people, but to our endurance as a nation. The sand on the seashore is constantly subjected to the waves that come crashing down on it, threatening to wash it away – and yet, while its grains shift, the seashore remains, unmoved, unmovable. The analogy is clear. Throughout history, the Jewish people have faced enemy after enemy – Babylonians, Greeks, Romans, Crusaders, Cossacks, Communists, Nazis and now Hamas – yet we remain steadfastly in place, holding the line, not washed away. The Akeidah was not the worst of times. Originally it appeared so, but eventually the Akeidah became a crucial part of the creation story of Avraham and Yitzchak, a
moment in time which has reverberated for eternity. As we stand attacked from many sides, we must realise that we possess the blessing of Avraham of old. We are both the stars in the sky and the sand on the shore. We are both illuminating and eternal.
And through your children shall be blessed all the nations of the world, because you hearkened to My voice. Bereishit 22:18 We are Avraham’s children, we look to the world to realise the epic battle we are engaged in, between the forces of good and the forces of evil to make them realise where the blessing is. We must continue to hearken to the voice of Hashem and pray for victory against our enemies, for peace in Israel and a return of all the hostages to their families. And we long for the day when Hashem shall be King over all the earth. On that day the Lord shall be One and His name One. The best of times, for eternity Am Yisrael Chai Shabbat Shalom
Watch a Dvar Torah from Rabbi Benjy Rickman
Mizrachi UK is coordinating with local catering companies in Israel to send Shabbat meals to families whose husband/father have been called up to serve. Please donate £50 per family, to help remove the burden for these wives – the Eishet Chayal – to cook for Shabbat.
Sponsor a Shabbat Meal
Book Here
Purchase Tzurba M'Rabanan
View as Webpage
Mizrachi (UK) Israel Support Trust | 44a Albert Road, London, NW4 2SJ United Kingdom
Unsubscribe uk@mizrachi.org Update Profile |Our Privacy Policy |Constant Contact Data Notice Sent byuk@mizrachi.org