LECH LECHA PARDES - Sarai to Sarah

Sunday, October 26, 2014 · Posted in , , ,


The Hebrew letter י (yud), whose gematria (numerical value) is 10, HKB"H took from the name of the Matriarch Sarah was divided. Half, i.e. one ה (heh), whose value is 5, was given to Sarah when her name was changed from שָרַי (Sarai) to שָרָה (Sarah), and half, the other ה (heh) to Avraham when his name was changed from אַבְרָם (Avram) to אַבְרָהָם (Avraham). (Yerushalmi Sahedrin 2:6)

There were four beautiful women in the world, Sarah, Rachav, Avigayil, and Ester (Megillah 15a).  Yiskah (Bereishit 11:29) is also Sarah. Why was she called יִסְכָּה (Yiskah). This was because she was so beautiful that everyone would gaze סָכָה (sachah) at her beauty. (Rashi; Taanit; Bava Metzia). There was another reason that she was called Yiskah; she was a prophetess, and with divine inspiration she could gaze (sachah) into the future. 

Since the name signifies a person's essence, the fact that Sarah has two major names teaches us that she has a dual nature. As Avraham's wife performing the will of her husband, she is called Sarah; as the prophetess who sees with prophetic spirit, she is called Yiskah.

Yiskah is a childhood name, which changes when the young woman understands tzniut (modesty) and she no longer allows people to admire her. The name she chooses for herself is Sarai. Interestingly, Rashi writes that “alternatively, Yiskah is an expression denoting princedom (n’sichut) just as Sarah is an expression of dominion (s’rara) [from Talmud, Megillah 14a].”


Bereishit 12:11
הִנֵּה-נָא יָדַעְתִּי כִּי אִשָּׁה יְפַת-מַרְאֶה אָתְּ
hineh-na yadati ki ishah yefat-mar'eh at
Behold, I am well aware  that you are a woman of beautiful appearance.

The word הנה (hineh) usually appears as an introduction to something new as in Bereishit 19:20 where Lot introduces his request to spare the town of Tzo'ar by saying, "behold, after all, is this city which is nearby." Another example of a new subject being introduced with the word "hineh" appears in Bereishit 22:6 when Yitzchak prefaces his inquiry about where the lamb for the sacrifice is with the word "hineh."

On the other hand, the word נא (na) is usually an expression introducing a request which appeals to the goodwill of the other party as that particular request cannot be justified legally. The person making the request uses the word נא to put his opposite number in a forgiving mood, a state of mind in which it is easier to grant the request about to be made of him. When Avram wanted to get Sarai's approval to tell a white lie he prefaced his request by complimenting her physical attractiveness. According to Bereishit Rabbah 40:4 what Avram meant was that although under normal circumstances travel and the strains experienced on a journey detract from a woman's beauty, at least temporarily, he found that Sarai's beauty had not only not been diminished but appeared to have been enhanced further by that experience. This proved to be an unexpected source of danger to his life; hence he made this request that she should tell a white lie.

Tanchuma on Lech Lecha 5 claims that Avraham had never looked at Sarai in a way that made him notice her beauty as he had made a promise to his eyes not to use them in a manner which would arouse his desire for physical gratification. A reference to such conduct is found in Iyov 31:1, I have covenanted with my eyes not to gaze at a maiden." It is not unusual to find that the righteous enter into such "covenants" with a number of their organs in order to ensure that these organs would not cause them any harm. This is similar to someone make a treaty with a former enemy that he would not harm him. The Torah urges us, "do not make a treaty with them or their god" (Shemot 23:32) - the Gentile nations resident in the land of Kenaan. Chazal in Bava Batra 16 commented on this that there is no ememy who causes as much harm to another person as do his own deeds.  Chazal on the same folio comment, "earth in his mouth." They ridiculed what appeared to be Iyov's superior piety by saying, "granted Iyov had undertaken not to look at other maidens but he had not denied himself the pleasure of admiring the beauty of his own wife." Avram, however, had not even looked at the beauty of his own wife prior to his arrival at the border of Egypt.

The simple meaning of the verse is ‘the time has come when we must be concerned about your beauty. I have known already for a long time that you are of fair appearance, but now we are coming among the brothers of Kushim, and they are not accustomed to a [fair and] beautiful woman.’


Bereishit 17
וַיֹּאמֶר אלוקים אֶל-אַבְרָהָם שָׂרַי אִשְׁתְּךָ לֹא-תִקְרָא אֶת-שְׁמָהּ שָׂרָי כִּי שָׂרָה שְׁמָהּ
Vayomer ELOKIM el-Avraham Sarai ishtecha lo-tikra et-shemah Sarai ki Sarah shemah
G-d said to Avraham, "Sarai your wife, do not call her by the name Sarai, for Sarah is her name.

The name change is connected with their ability to have children. The Hebrew words for man and woman are ish and isha. The letters that distinguish them are yud and heh. Kli Yakar explains that Hashem exchanged the masculine letter  י (yud) of Sarai’s name with the letter ה (heh), in order to empower her with feminine energy and enable her to give birth. Hashem created the world with the letter ה  (heh). Therefore this letter is endowed with the power of procreation (See Rashi on Bereishit 2:4).

“The  י (yud) has the numerical value of ten whereas the ה (heh) is equal to five. Thus the  י (yud) in Sarai’s name equals the sum of both the ה (heh) for which it was exchanged and the ה (heh) that was added to Avram’s name. The heh with its birthing power was added to Avram’s name from the י (yud) of Sarai to indicate that it was Sarah’s merit that caused both of them to give birth to the progenitor of the Jewish people.”

While Avraham was the father of many nations, Sarah alone was selected to be the mother of the Jewish people. From this we learn that Jewish descent follows the mother.Chava is the prototype of all women, Sarah is the prototype of all Jewish women. 

At her death, Sarah is not given the title of “The wife of Avraham.” She is simply mentioned in her own right, as the verse reads, “Sarah died in Kiriat Arba” (Bereishit 23:2). When she left this world, having fulfilled her life, she did not need to stand in the shadow of her husband; her individual perfection and merit stood alone. This is Yiskah, the true Jewish princess. From her, we learn that every Jewish woman, aside from being her husband's right hand, must develop her own spiritual connection with Hashem. This level of holiness enables her to become “a woman of valor [who] is a crown to her husband” (Mishlei 12:4).

May HASHEM continue to enlighten us with the Light of His Torah.

- Chazal

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LECH LECHA PARDES - Go Away from Your Land

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Avraham was born in the year 1948 from Creation during the reign of Nimrod, who ruled over almost all of civilization. (Pirkei D'Rabbi Eliezer 11) Avraham's father Terach was one of Nimrod's nobelmen. Avraham grew up in a society where everyone, including Avraham himself worshiped idols. (Maimonidies, Mishneh Torah, Laws of Idolatry 1:3)

As a mere child of three (Nedarim 32a), Avraham began to think incessantly about the nature of the world, its origins and what power was behind it all (Mishneh Torah, ibid). Avraham continued his search throughout his early years, gradually distancing himself from the idolatrous practices of his generation, as he began to formulate a pure monotheism (Mishneh Torah, ibid., regarding the different stages of his philosophical development).

At age 25 (Tana D'vei Eliyahu Rabbah 18; Yalkut Shimoni 78) he married his niece (Sanhedrin 69b) Yiskah also known as Sarai, and later named Sarah. This happened around the time that Nimrod began building the Tower of Bavel. Avraham, who, according to some, participated in building the tower in its initial stages (Rabbi Avraham Ibn Ezra to Bereishit 11:1) but turned vehemently against the project. He took it upon himself to repeatedly rebuke those involved (Pirkei D'Rabbi Eliezer ibid).

When Avraham was 48 years old, in the year 1996, G-d gazed upon the great tower that was still under construction. Turning to the seventy angels that surround His Throne (meant metaphorically), He said, "They are one people, and they all have one language...Let us go down, and there confound their language, that they will become seventy nations with seventy languages" (Bereishit 11:6-7; Midrash)

The Midrash then tells how G-d and the seventy angels cast lots to see which angel would be charged with which language and nation. When G-d's lot was Avraham, He proclaimed, "Portions have fallen to Me in pleasant places; seen the lot pleases Me" (Tehillim 16:6)

This is the earliest instance of Avraham's life in which he is described as being "chosen" by G-d.

Later, Avraham returns to his father's house, he destroys his father's idols, and is arrested for heresy. According to Seder Hadorot, Avraham was 50 years old at this time. Holding steadfast to his faith even in the face of death, he is thrown into a fiery furnace, but G-d performs a miracle and he survives.

Everything up to this point is recorded in Talmudic and Midrashic sources. Now we finally meet Avraham in the Torah, when G-d commands him to...


Bereishit 12:1
וַיֹּאמֶר הי אֶל-אַבְרָם לֶךְ-לְךָ מֵאַרְצְךָ וּמִמּוֹלַדְתְּךָ וּמִבֵּית אָבִיךָ אֶל-הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר אַרְאֶךָּ
Vayomer HASHEM el-Avram lech lecha me'artzecha umimoladetecha umibeit avicha el-ha'aretz asher ar'eka
HASHEM said to Avram, "Go away from your land, from your birthplace, and from your father's house, to the land that I will show you."

When Avraham was told to "go away from your land," he became distinguished by that mission from all others of his time. Avraham devoted his who life to spreading the truth to a completely pagan world about the One True G-d (Nedarim 32a).

"He who walks with scholars will become wise; he who keeps company with fools will come to grief" (Mishlei 13:20)

Basically, this verse in Mishlei describes the damage which results from keeping company with fools and the advantage which accrues to a person from the company of scholars.  It is  fact that while someone who mingles with the scholars will benefit by such an association, the scholar will not suffer by it at all. this is the reason the Torah has been compared by David to  a light (candle), seeing that an unlimited number of people can get light from this candle without light of the candle becoming dimmed. This is the meaning of Tehillim 119:108 "Your word is a lamp at my feet, a light for my path."

Chazal, in Yalkut Shimoni comment on this verse in Mishlei that the matter may be compared to someone who enters a perfumery store. His clothing will absorb some of the fragrances in that store although he did not make a purchase of any of the products that are for sale there. In other words, the owner of that store provided a service for the browser without making a sale. Similarly, the mere fact that one is in the presence of scholars results in something rubbing off on those who make a point of being in such company. Shlomo describes that the opposite is true when one frequents the haunts of fools. Not only is their presence not beneficial, but it is even harmful to those who are not of their ilk.

Avraham faced the dilemma of keeping away from wicked people, people who were the cause of truly free choice of worship having become impossible. Once you have become a true heretic (Maimonides Hilchot Teshuvah) you are not given a chance to repent. This is why G-d tole him to move away from such people so that he would not become infected by them. G-d sent him away fraom his land, his birthplace to a land which He was going to show him once he had set out to leave his home. 

G-d said to Avraham, "remove yourself from them and do not become dirtied by them." This is the meaning of the words לך לך (lech lecha), i.e. "it is time that you...by yourself." The repetition of the letters לך לך allude to the word לכלך (lichluch), dirt. G-d did not want him to become dirtied by his surroundings.

The commandment of which the Torah speaks here at the beginning of Chapter 12 was issued while Avraham was in Charan as this was his country and his birthplace. Concerning that place Avraham said later, when he instructed Eliezer to get a wife for Yitzchak, "but go only to my country and to my birthplace!" (23:2). It was certainly a great trial for him to leave his country and the place he had been born and raised in, the place where he had dwelled with his whole family, and to go to an entirely unknown country. This was the first of ten trials Avraham had to undergo and he successfully coped with all of them.


12:2
וְאֶעֶשְׂךָ לְגוֹי גָּדוֹל
Ve'e'escha legoy gadol
I will make you into a great nation.

Chazal (Bereishit Rabbah 39:15) explain that being a traveler, a nomad, brings in its wake three negative phenomena. It results:

1) in a decrease of one's fertility
2) a decrease of one's financial resources
3) and in a decrease of one's standing among one's peers.

G-d promised Avraham that he would not suffer from these negative phenomena. By saying, "I will make you into a great nation," G-d told Avraham that his ability to procreate would not only not suffer but would be enhanced. By adding, "I will bless you," G-d hinted that Avraham would prosper financially. But further adding, "I will make your name great," He countered Avraham's concern that his standing among his peers would decline due to his becoming a nomad.

The deeper meaning of the words "legoi gadol," "to a great nation," is a reference to the Jewish nation which is described in Devarim 4:8 as, "and who else is a great nation which has righteous decrees and ordinances?" The words, "I will make you into a great nation," are alluded to when we refer to G-d as the G-d of Avraham," the words "I will bless you," are alluded to when we refer to G-d as "the G-d of Yitzchak;" the words "and I will make your name great," are alluded to when we speak of G-d as "the G-d of Yaakov." 

★ The words והיה ברכה (veheyeh berachah) "and be a blessing," prompted Chazal when they formulated the first benediction in the principal Amidah prayer to conclude with reference to Avraham only when we say מגן אברהם (magen Avraham), "the shield of Avraham" at the conclusion of that benediction.

The deeper meaning of these words והיה ברכה (vheyeh berachah) "and be a blessing," is that G-d had said, "up until now when I created My universe and it needed My blessing in order to endure I blessed Adam and Chavah as we read (1:28), 'G-d blessed them.'" This was repeated when Noach and his family required G-d's blessing after the deluge in order to rebuild mankind. At that point (9:1) the Torah wrote, "G-d blessed Noach and his sons, etc." From here on is the power to bless was entrusted to Avraham who could use it to bless whomever he saw fit to qualify for a blessing.


12:3
וַאֲבָרְכָה מְבָרְכֶיךָ וּמְקַלֶּלְךָ אָאֹר
Va'avarechah mevarachecha umekalelecha a'or 
I will bless those who bless you, and he who curses you, I will curse.

This implies that the people of Ur Kasdim were cursing Avraham and that had prompted G-d to tell him to move to a land He would show him. There he would become a source of blessing instead of the recipient of curses. G-d would henceforth curse those who cursed Avraham, be they individuals or groups of people. This is Nachmanides' interpretation of the verse. He adds that the Torah did not want to elaborate on the causes why Avraham was so disliked, just as it had not spent many words on describing the religious arguments which went on during the time of Enosh.

G-d added, "and I will bless those who bless you, and he who curses you, I will curse" to underline that only G-d Himself is the source of BOTH blessings and curses. The only power in the universe which is able to influence events in our lives in either direction is the Creator Himself who has created the other forces to act as His agents. This is what the prophet meant when he said, "not like this is the portion of Yaakov; for it is He who formed all things" (Yirmeyahu 10:16). He meant that both good and evil emanate only from Him. This is also why Yeshayahu said, "I HASHEM do all these things" (45:7).

An homiletical approach (Tanchuma Lech Lecha) sees in the words, "and I will bless those who bless you," a reference to the Kohanim who extend G-d's blessing to the Benei Yisrael seeing that after the Torah commanded the Kohanim to bless the Benei Yisrael, the Torah concludes with the words, "let them place My Name upon the Benei Yisrael, and I shall bless them" (BaMidbar 6:27). This is equivalent to G-d saying, "I will bless this tribe." G-d said, "in this world the Tribe of Levi will bless you, whereas in the World to Come I will bless you directly." This is also more directly alluded to in Yirmeyahu 31:23, "HASHEM bless you, abode of righteousness O holy mountain."

Midrashic interpretation (Bereishit Rabbah 39:19) of these words, "the dew and the rain will be due to your merit." The words וְנִבְרְכוּ בְךָ (venivrechu vecha), "THROUGH YOU WILL BE BLESSED all the families of the earth," were first fulfilled when Yaakov blessed Pharaoh and the famine ended. They were fulfilled when Yosef revealed the meaning of his dream to Pharaoh, enabling him to take measures to insulate his people against the devastating effect of seven years of famine. Similarly, Dani'el interpreted Nevuchadnetzar's dream with beneficial effects for him whenever the Gentile nations experience troubles they will turn to the Jews for advice and blessings and we will reveal to them what to do.

A Kabbalistic approach sees in the words וְנִבְרְכוּ בְךָ (venivrechu vecha) a message that the blessing will filter down from above, seeing that Avraham represents the highest emanation, so that he will be the first one to receive it from G-d, and he will channel it through the lower emanations. All blessings the Gentile nations receive will come to them only via Avraham. This is also why David said (Tehillim 117:1-2) "praise Him, all you peoples,... for great is His steadfast love for us and His faithfulness endures forever." The structure of these two verses indicates that Jews and their relationship to G-d are the only reason that G-d suffers the existence of the other nations at all. (Bamidbar Rabbah 1)

May HASHEM continue to enlighten us with the Light of His Torah.

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NOACH PARDES - The Tower of Bavel

Sunday, October 19, 2014 · Posted in , , , , ,


Bereishit 11:4
וְנַעֲשֶׂה-לָּנוּ שֵׁם
vena'aseh-lanu shem
so that we can make a name for ourselves.

According to the peshat (plain meaning) of the text, all these people wanted was to settle in one single location on earth in order to stay together. However, they did not find a location other thant he valley of Shinor in which to do this. This is why they wanted to build a city and a tower which could accommondate all of them. The purpose of the tower was to serve as a beacon so thaat people all over the earth would be able to see it and to orient themselves by means of it. They themselves would all live in a single city. This is the reason the Torah quoted them as saying "lest we will scatter. This is why G-d punished them by scattering them to teach them that they had contravened His commandment to fill the earth with their presence (v9:1). Yeshayahu 45:18 pointed out that G-d had made the earth in order for it to be settled by mankind.

From an homiletical point of view the operative clause in the verse are the words "let us make a name for 'ourselves.'" This is an oblique reference to idolatry. The word שם (shem) "name here and the same word in Shemot 23:13 "and you must not mention the name (שם) of any other deity," mean the same thing. We also have a Midraschic comment in Midrash Tehillim 1, that the word הבה (havah), introduces an evil thought, an evil intention as it does in Shoftim 20:7 "come up with a plan here and now!" Furthermore, we have a tradition that the word עיר "city" is reference to a deity as we find in Dani'el 4:10 that the words עיר וקדיש (ir vekadish) refer to a destructive angel (ha-satan or similar). According to one Midrash on the Ten Commandments, these people proposed to take spades planning to invade heaven to flood it and drain it in order to ensure that another deluge could not originate from that source. They wanted to take large chunks of heaven and to engage in war with the King of the heavens. The Tower had seventy steps in an easterly direction and seventhy steps in a westerly direction on its opposite side. G-d descended those seventy steps accompanied by seventy angels and He confused their language and their dialects. Thus far that Midrash.

In Bereishit Rabbah 38:6 it writes that these people said, "we do not agree that G-d should have exlusive right to heaven whereas we have only been assigned earth. Let us make war against Him."

Looking at this story from a rational point of view, the words "and let us make a name for ourselves," must be understood as follows: The people of that generation were very advanced in matters of philosophy and even technology. However, they used their intelligence in a sinful manner. They constructed the city and Tower to protect themselves against a deluge of fire (seeing tht G-d had promosed not to again bring a deluge of water). This is what the word "war" in the Midrash refers to. They prepared to contend with the heavenly forces, such as angels, against the will of HASHEM. They tried to isolate and tame the power of fire in order to neutralise its deadly effect so that it could not engulf their city.

There was another reason which motivated them. They had been witness to the fact that G-d had decreed death on Adam, while they perceived themseles as physically powerful and enjoying a much longer life span than the 120 years G-d appeared to have decreed. They thought that they were all powerful (G-d Himself in v6 questioned whether their power should not be curtailed). They planned to scale heaven wie alive and well in order to overcome the impediment to this imposed pon them by their mortality. Their principal aim was to overcome the decree issued against Adam which made all of them mortal also. all of their planning in building the Tower was designed to achieve immmortality. The reaon G-d had to scatter them was because they planned to nullify His world order. The Torah has worded its report in such a way that it did not spell out these people's evil intent in detail. Whereas the Torah revealed the sin of the generation of the deluge, it did not spell out the sin of the generation of the Tower.

The Torah did want us to know that basically, their sin was of the same category as that of the first man. This is why the Torah refers to the people in this paragraph as בני האדם (ben ha'Adam) "Adam's sons", to hint that what they did paralleled what Adam had done.  The extra letter ה (heh) before the word אדם (adam) stresses that they behaved not like ordinary human beings but like the first human being, Adam (as opposed to 5:1 where the Torah describes "this is the Book of the generations of man," without the letter ה in front of the word אדם.

The words "ben ha'Adam" are a hint that these people were like the first human being and the Torah had indicated that the people of the deluge had sinned by denying that there is something higher than the emanation "Keter", which had led to their destruction in the "lower universe." The word שם (shem - name) in this instance is reference to the highest emanation "Keter". They were under the mistaken impression that that emanation is the absolute highest level of heaven, i.e. celestial force which exists. The Attribute of Justice, even when in a dominant role, is always accompanied by some aspect of the Attribute of Mercy as represented by שם the Ineffable Name YKVK. In the case of the deluge, the principle of midah keneged midah (measure for measure) operated in such a away that as punishment for that generation's refusal to recognize anything beyond the emanation שם=כתר, they experienced the full impact of the unrelieved Attribute of Justice so that even the earth they had lived on was destroyed. The earth had been the creation of the Attribute of Justice, i.e. אלוקים (ELOKIM). The Attribute of Mercy, i.e. השם (HASHEM), had been "co-opted" only at the time when the Torah reported the creation of Adam (2:4) as a functioning human being.

Basically, man had tried to separate the role of the Attribute of אלוקים from the role of the Attribute of שם, or YKVK. G-d demonstrated to them that such an attempt if successful spells disaster both for them and for the earth they lived on. They had wanted only "nature," as represented by the Attribute of אלוקים.

It is quite possible that prior to the deluge such considerations had not had a philosophical basis, had been mostly based on an emotional resentment of authority from an extra-terrestrial force. At this time, it had been developed to a philosophy by highly intelligent people, people who had already learned of the value of co-operation, unity, working towards a common goal. This was why their newly developed approach was so dangerous.

G-d scattered them, i.e. separated them from their unity all over the globe as retaliation for their attempt to "scatter," i.e. separate His Attributes from one another. They had calculated the precise number of steps needed to ascend to heaven - 70. According to Pirke de Rabbi Eliezer, the number reflects 70 miles, a mile per step. The number may also allude to the 70 representatives of the 70 nations in the celestial spheres. According to tradition, Nevuchadnetzar, who was also from Bavel (though it was renamed Babylon) introduced the golden image of Baal into the remnants of the Holy Temple to symbolize that this philosophy had triumphed. In Yirmeyahu 51:44 the prophet predicts the eventual humiliation of that idol and that of the people who worshiped it. Dani'el 3:1 speaks of a huge gold image Nevuchadnetzar had put up in the valley of Dura in the land of Babylon. this valley may be identical with the valley described here in this chapter where the Torah described these people as וימצאו בקעה (vayimtzeu vik'ah), "they found a valley." All of this is part of the aforementioned hints the Torah provided concerning the sins of that generation.

May HASHEM protect us from committing similar errors.

The confusing of their languages was an example of the principle of the punishment fitting the crime, midah keneged midah (measure for measure). Their sin consisted of the words they spoke, i.e. "they said, 'Let us build a city for ourselves...'" Seeing they had put the power of speech to improper use, their power of speech now became impaired so that they no longer could understand each other.

The descendants of Noach who had numbered seventy at that time, were now divided into seventy nations, each with a distinctive language.

★ There are seventy "princes," i.e. representatives in the celestial spheres who represent these seventy nations before the throne of G-d. They correspond to the respective kings or heads of these nations here on earth. Each one of these seventy celestial "princes" is a part of the nation he represents, unlike Yaakov (Yirmeyahu 10:16) of whom the prophet said "unlike these is the portion of Yaakov, for it is He Who forms all things." Just as the Jewish people do not need intermediaries before G-d but have direct access to Him, so the Hebrew tongue is superior to all the other languages in the world. It is G-d's own language and as such it is as superior to other languages as is G-d Himself to any of the agents He has appointed in this world to do His bidding. It is the duty of Jews to draw the help from celestial sources by means of the Holy Tongue, Hebrew. Unless they are capable of praying in Hebrew their prayer loses in effectiveness.

May HASHEM continue to enlighten us with the Light of His Torah.

-Bachya; Chazal

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