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Parshat
Lech Lecha
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Parshat
Lech Lecha
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A Student Publication of the Torah Academy of Bergen County
Parshat Lech Lecha
13 Cheshvan 5763 October 19,
2002
Vol.12 No.3
In This Issue:
Rabbi Moshe Stavsky
Andy
Feuerstein-Rudin
Akiva Weiss
Simcha Yagod
Food For Thought
Rabbi Howard Jachter
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This week’s issue of
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A Uniting Force
by Rabbi Moshe Stavsky
Parshat Lech Lecha relates to us the life and times of Avraham Avinu, the first
of the Avot. Much can be learned from a study of the origins of Avraham, his
recognition of the Almighty, and his Avodat Hashem which can serve to instruct
us in our endeavor to follow in his footsteps.
I would like to examine Avraham’s life in the context of people who were his
contemporaries as well as of world events that took place before his coming on
the scene.
At the end of Parshat Noach we read of the Dor Haflaga, who, although they
displayed unity of purpose, were nevertheless misguided in their goal and were
dispersed to the corners of the earth. Thus while the punishment of the Dor
Hamabul was obliteration, that of their Dor was dispersion. Avraham’s life work,
bringing people to Avodat Hashem, can then be seen as an endeavor to heal the
separations that were created as a result of the Dor Haflaga. The Medrash at
the beginning of our Parsha asserts that the Pasuk in Shir Hashirim “Achot Lanu
Ketana…” is referring to Avraham Avinu. The Medrash goes on to explain that this
is because he was “Meacheh,” joined, [a play on words of “Achot”], the
divisions which existed in the world. Additionally, the Rambam, at the
beginning of Hilchot Avodat Hakochavim writes that through his teachings,
Avraham was “Mekabetz,” gathered people from city to city to unite mankind in
the service of Hashem. But this was a unity which was predicated on Avodat
Hashem as opposed to the “Venaaseh Lanu Shem” of the Dor Haflaga.
Avraham served to unite, but on the other hand his coming on the scene could be
viewed as a threat to the prevalent Mesora at the time. The aforementioned
Rambam relates that there were individuals throughout the generations such as
Chanoch, Metushelach, Noach, Shem, and Eiver who preserved the Mesora and taught
it to individuals in each subsequent generation. The Medrash Rabbah in Parshat
Vayera describes a possible conflict in the perceptions of Avraham and Shem.
Hashem was faced, Kaviyachol, with a dilemma in naming Yerushalayim. Shem ben
Noach is referred to as the king of “Shalem.” Avraham on the other hand referred
to the city as “Yireh.” Since calling the city either name would offend one
Tzaddik, Hashem made a compromise and named the city Yerushalayim incorporating
both ideas into the name. A number of explanations are offered explaining the
differing perspectives which guided the choice of the names “Shalem” and “Yireh.”
Given their unique roles in the Mesora, perhaps we can suggest that Shem, whose
teachings were based upon the Mesora of previous generations saw his Avoda and
role to perfect or be “Mashlim” that which he was given. He was the Master
Craftsman who would polish and complete his creation.
By contrast Avraham Avinu was a revolutionary bursting through the idolatrous
beliefs with which he was raised and blazing a new trail. He was a self made man
who had the vision (Yireh) to lead people and unite them in their Avodat Hashem.
It is instructive to note that it is precisely this ability to discover and
change direction which enables Avraham Avinu to bring people back to a
recognition of the Ribbono Shel Olam and a commitment to his service.
Standing Idol
by Andy Feuerstein-Rudin
In this week’s Haftara it says in
ספר ישעיהו פרק מ"א פסוק ה
,
ראו איים וייראו קצות הארץ
יחרדו קרבו ויאתיון,“See island dwellers, what a
miracle I performed and be afraid!” The
פסוק
tells us that even those who live at the ends of the Earth should be shaking
when they hear about Avraham’s miraculous victory over the four kings.
After the war, the King of Sedom went to Avraham to beg him for favors, and
Avraham’s response to the King of Sedom’s request was “Give me back all your
prisoners and take all of your spoils.”
The Navi calls on all the nations, even those that live far away on islands, and
tells them to abandon their idols. Avraham’s reason to the nations why they had
to get rid of their idols was that Avraham’s story proves to us that Hashem
gives success to those who serve him.
In פרק מ"א פסוק ז,
two פסוקים
later, the Navi continues and says,
ויחזק חרש את צירף מחליק
פטיש את הולם פעם אמר לדבק טוב הוא ויחזקיהו במסמכים לא ימוט,
The carpenter who carves out the wooden idols encourages the smith (the one who
overlays them with gold and silver) to work faster; The one who smoothes the
image with a hammer encourages the one who strikes at the anvil to beat the idol
to shape. When he bonds the metal to the wooden image with glue the worker says
about the bonding ‘It is a good job!’”
ישעיהו
mocks the idol worshippers who were more eager then ever to make idols, even
after hearing the words of history. The Midrash then continues and says that
the Pasuk that was just stated hints to the fact that
שם
is like a carpenter since he helped his father build the ark. Avraham should be
called a smith because he tried to get rid of the idol worshipping and tried to
bring them under the wings of Hashem’s
שכינה.
Avraham should also be considered a hammer, due to the fact that he debated the
truth with his fellow man, “hammering away” at them, until they were on the
straight path.
When the “carpenter” and the “smith” met after the battle against the four
kings, they encouraged each other. Avraham ”strengthened
שם with nails.” When we say that Avraham
strengthened שם we mean Avraham strengthened
him in Mitzvot and Midot Tovot.
Supernatural Gifts
by Akiva Wiess
In the beginning of
פרשת לך לך Hashem instructs
אברהם
to leave his birthplace to go to a land that Hashem will show him. In return
for following this arduous task Hashem promises
יהיה ברכה.
The יהודי הקדוש
מפשיסתא comments: what is the
difference between
הצלחה and
ברכה?
He answers that
הצלחה results from a natural phenomenon, whereas
ברכה
results from a supernatural phenomenon.
חוץ לארץ
is unfortunate to have only
הצלחה,
events that could be explained by logic and reason, but
ארץ ישראל
is fortunate enough to have
ברכה
also, events that are above the restrictions of nature. This is the meaning of
the פסוק
(תהילים קכח :ה)
יברכך ה' מציון,
“It is from (ארץ
ישראל)
ציון
that Hashem delivers to gift of
ברכה.”
This is why Hashem said to אברהם,
לך לך מארצך וממולדך... אל הארץ אשר אראך. In
חוץ לארץ, אברהם
could not merit to have children because he is so old. However in
ארץ ישראל Hashem can give him the
ברכה of בנים.
Go
by Simcha Yagod
For what purpose does Hashem write Lech Lecha, according to Rashi, who explains
that לך,
“Go,” means “go for your good and for your benefit?” Does Avram doubt that his
command is in his best interest? Even if that command gives him trouble would
Avram not still fulfill his duty as he demonstrated by renouncing idol worship
in an idolatrous society? Hashem wrote Lech Lecha to teach us to only give
advice to people if our advice serves only their interests. None of our
interests may be intertwined with our advice regarding other people. It is
possible Hashem writes this because the Gemara teaches us “Just like Hashem is
merciful and compassionate one should also be merciful and passionate.”
Therefore Hashem lets us know, by inserting,
לך
that advice can only benefit the one who receives it.
Food For Thought
by Jerry M. Karp
1) Why is
כדרלעמרnot
mentioned before the other kings in 14:1?
2) Look at Bereishit 14:5 and Devarim 2:11. Why in
Bereishit are the
אמים
considered separate from the category of
רפאים,
but in Devarim, they are part of the category of
רפאים?
(Rashi and שפתי
חכמים on the word
זוזים
and Devarim 2:20 reinforce this question.)
If you have a response to these questions, please contact us at
koltorah@koltorah.org
Responses may be published on agreement of the provider.
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