Transcript
Good morning בוקר טוב Boker Tov. I want to thank our sponsors this morning, Bernie and Sherry Perlowitz in honor of their grandson's Levy Perlowitz and Yosef Shmuel's בר מצווה Bar Mitzvah. מזל טוב Mazel Tov, you should have a lot of נחת nachas בעזרת השם im yirtzeh Hashem. אמן Amen. As always, we're going to do an overview of the פרשה parsha and then we're going to delve into specific פסוקים psukim. I was happy this morning to find I had left myself a note where we left off last year. So we can we can pick up exactly from that פסוק pasuk. So first an overview of the פרשה parsha, פרשת וירא Parshas Vayeira, page 78 in the Artscroll Stone חומש Chumash. Our פרשה parsha begins where last week's פרשה parsha left off, and that is אברהם אבינו Avraham Avinu has given himself a ברית מילה bris milah, he's circumcised himself at an advanced age. It's the third day, most painful day after surgery and yet, for אברהם Avraham, even more painful than recovering from surgery with no anesthetic and no sterile environment and no other doctor to do it for him. We ended last week by talking about who did this ברית bris. Either אברהם Avraham did it on himself with השם Hashem holding his hand, guiding it, the magnificent image the מדרש Midrash paints, השם Hashem holding אברהם's Avraham's hand as it shakes for him to do that ברית bris, the partnership together. Or, we said שם בן נח Shem ben Noach was the one who did it. I guess he took a break from giving שיעור shiur in his ישיבה yeshiva, ישיבת שם ועבר Yeshivas Shem v'Ever. And now אברהם Avraham is recovering. But more painful from אברהם Avraham than the thought of recovering is the thought of being inhospitable. That there are people who need him, that he can give, he can provide, he can care for others and he's neglecting them. The idea of neglecting others is more painful for him even than recovering from surgery. It's a magnificent legacy that we've inherited from our great great great זײדע zeideh, from אברהם אבינו Avraham Avinu. אברהם's Avraham's legacy of course is monotheism. Of course is promoting the uniqueness, the oneness of the רבונו של עולם Ribono shel Olam in this world, but his legacy is also of חסד chesed. Is the idea that neglecting somebody who's in need should be a source of pain, at least the same amount as a physical pain, if not more.So אברהם Avraham is sitting outside his tent, it's the heat of the day. He sees what he thinks are three wandering Arab, three strangers, nomads, and of course he welcomes them into his tent. Now, what does he interrupt in order to do so? We've shared this before, he's in the middle of a conversation with השם Hashem. השם Hashem is also a role model for us. השם Hashem doesn't only tell us what to do, but he is an example of what to do. Here השם Hashem is exemplifying ביקור חולים bikur cholim. He's visiting אברהם אבינו Avraham Avinu. And השם Hashem says to, אברהם Avraham says to השם Hashem rather, \"Could you give me a minute? I just somebody's knocking on the door. It's some people here, I just want to offer them a cold drink. Is it okay if I get back to you in a second?\" I don't want to spend time on it because we've talked about it in the past, it's very perplexing. One would think that כבוד שמים kvod Shamayim, that honoring God supersedes honoring three strangers. Let them go to the next tent. Let them wait a minute while you finish up that conversation with השם Hashem. But אברהם Avraham takes the call waiting, so to say. אברהם Avraham takes them in and says to השם Hashem, \"You know what, I'm getting another call. Can I just put you on hold for one second?\" You'd think השם Hashem would hang up. I don't know, I hang up when someone puts me on hold and 10 seconds, 30 seconds, a minute, two minutes, I say, obviously the other conversation became more intriguing. I, when they want to, they'll call me back. Not with anger, just for efficiency. They'll call me back. השם Hashem takes it. He says, yeah, no problem. I can wait. What's going on here? And clearly, the message is, השם's, אברהם Avraham says to himself, what's greater, talking to השם Hashem or being like השם Hashem? What's greater? Having a conversation with the רבונו של עולם Ribono shel Olam or emulating and imitating the רבונו של עולם Ribono shel Olam? And what would השם Hashem want more? And אברהם Avraham concludes, and in fact, he teaches us that more important to imitate and emulate השם Hashem than even to talk with him. This is the idea behind the הלכה halacha that you're in the middle of קריאת שמע krias shma, and depends between paragraphs, the middle of a paragraph, initiating, responding, but all the different circumstances, you interrupt because כבוד הבריות kavod habrios, בין אדם לחבירו bein adam l'chaveiro. How are you מקבל עול מלכות שמים mekabel ol malchus shamayim and עול מצוות ol mitzvos? The themes of שמע shma are honoring the dominion of השם Hashem and accepting his providence, our responsibility, the yoke of מצוות mitzvos. So one is not interrupting those things to talk to someone else. One is fulfilling קבלת עול מלכות שמים kabalas ol malchus shamayim by imitating שמים Shamayim. If it would be rude, if it would be considered discourteous, then you interrupt. Then you interrupt. Not because you're neglecting השם Hashem at that moment, you're honoring השם Hashem by being like him. That's what אברהם אבינו Avraham Avinu does. Rabbi if we were in the middle of שמע Shma and somebody comes over and talks to you, שמע Shma? Yeah. Well פוסקים poskim point out that today in a typical שול shul, the guy's in שול shul with you every single day, he's just being you're not supposed to answer. disrespectful to שמע Shma, so then nah, don't answer. But we're talking about, you know, מלך melech, the the king checks בשלומו bishlomo, checking on your well-being. With whom you're allowed to initiate, with whom you're allowed to respond. Somebody who doesn't know better comes over to you, then you do respond. That's the strict הלכה halacha. That's the strict הלכה halacha.Three angels came, these were angels in the guise of men. Each had a unique mission and a unique purpose. This is פסח Pesach time, אברהם Avraham is observing פסח Pesach, and he sends to go offer hospitality, sends everybody else on their mission to do so. The first angel comes to bring the promise to שרה אמנו Sarah Imeinu who's waited long enough that in fact, she's going to have a son. How does שרה Sarah respond? ותצחק שרה בקרבה לאמר Vatitzchak Sarah b'kirba leimor. We're not going to talk about this now, we've discussed it in the past, you can listen online. שרה Sarah is מצחק mitzachek, she laughs. Yet אברהם Avraham has the same reaction later, he's not criticized. And not only is שרה Sarah criticized and אברהם's Avraham's not, what ultimately is that child named? יצחק Yitzchak. So is the laughter, the laughter of disbelief? Is that, are we critical of it? Was it understandable? Why would we memorialize it and capture it in designating it as יצחק's Yitzchak's actual name? We've talked about it in the past, but if you look, the clue is to look at אונקלוס Onkelos. אונקלוס Onkelos translates that word מצחק mitzachek, צחקה tzachaka different in every place. With שרה Sarah it was a laughter of cynicism, of sarcasm, of disbelief, of give me a break, it's impossible, never going to happen. Who are you kidding? What will they say? versus the laughter of joy, of happiness, of the disbelief of, \"Wow, השם Hashem is so good to me, I can't believe this is going to happen.\" And that, if you look at אונקלוס Onkelos, you'll see the hint to that name.אברהם Avraham now learns about the destruction, one of the angels came in order to destroy סדום Sedom. And השם Hashem introduces the section where he's going to clue אברהם Avraham in about the destruction of סדום Sedom by saying, \"I love אברהם Avraham. How can I hold this back from him?\" In fact, what do I love about אברהם Avraham? Now, if I would have asked you, what does השם Hashem love about אברהם Avraham? Based on last week's פרשה parsha, based on the מדרשים midrashim we know already about him, what do you think השם Hashem loves about אברהם Avraham? What makes אברהם Avraham appealing, lovable to the רבונו של עולם Ribono shel Olam? I would have said, הנפש אשר עשו בחרן hanefesh asher asu b'Charan. אברהם Avraham מגייר את האנשים megayer es ha'anashim, שרה Sarah מגיירת את הנשים megayeres es hanashim. אברהם Avraham and שרה Sarah are the first outreach professionals. They're the first outreach volunteers. They're transforming the world. Ethical monotheism, a world that is consumed by paganism and idolatry, אברהם Avraham comes to the conclusion, maybe even at three years old, there's only one God. A world that's consumed by lust, jealousy, honor, קנאה תאוה וכבוד kinah, taavah v'kavod, אברהם Avraham says הכנסת אורחים hachnasas orchim. A tent open on all sides, caring about other people. I would have thought what makes אברהם Avraham so beloved to השם Hashem? He's radically transforming the world, but that's not it. What does the פסוק pasuk say? What is our core responsibility? כי ידעתיו Ki yidativ. You know why I love אברהם Avraham? Because I know למען אשר יצוה את בניו ואת ביתו אחריו ושמרו דרך השם לעשות צדקה ומשפט l'maan asher yetzaveh es banav v'es beiso acharov v'shamru derech Hashem la'asos tzedaka u'mishpat. You know why I love אברהם Avraham? Because of the way he's raising his children. Because of the way he's raising his children now and will raise his children. Because he's transmitting the value system to the next generation. I love אברהם Avraham because of the continuity he's created. And what are those values that he's transmitting to the next generation? לעשות צדקה ומשפט La'asos tzedaka u'mishpat. Justice and righteousness. Right? Not the חומרות chumros, not the, again, not to in any way diminish הלכה halacha. אברהם Avraham observed הלכה halacha even before it was given. And הלכה halacha is the backbone of our lives. הלכה Halacha is the expectation, the demand השם Hashem has of us. But the הלכה halacha is a platform to pursue an agenda of צדקה ומשפט tzedaka u'mishpat. You can't observe הלכה halacha while neglecting צדקה ומשפט tzedaka u'mishpat. The system of הלכה halacha is to be able to promote in השם's Hashem's world his vision for צדקה ומשפט tzedaka u'mishpat, for justice and righteousness. So it's very instructive that when השם Hashem reveals what he loves about אברהם Avraham, what is it? It's that he's, not that he's changing the world outside, it's what he's doing for his family, that he's showing up, that he's present, that he's successful in transmitting these values to his children. That's A. And what are those values? צדקה ומשפט Tzedaka u'mishpat. He tells אברהם Avraham, look, I can't hold it back from you. You're my confidant. You are the one through whom I want to change the world. How can I hold it back from you? You need to know I'm destroying סדום Sedom. And the part that we're going to come back and look at more carefully is the negotiation, the protest that אברהם Avraham enters into with השם Hashem on behalf of סדום Sedom. Spoiler alert, אברהם Avraham loses the negotiation. Got to go to the next section. Spoiler alert, אברהם Avraham loses. השם Hashem is determined to destroy סדום Sedom and in fact he destroys סדום Sedom, but he saves לוט Lot. אברהם Avraham continues to show that personal responsibility for לוט Lot whom he calls... לוט Lot until now is called the בן אחיו ben achiv, he's his nephew. But when he's going to intercede on behalf of לוט Lot, in last week's פרשה parsha in the war of the four and five kings, in this week's פרשה parsha, he calls לוט Lot my brother. Now אברהם Avraham didn't get confused between his nephew and his brother. He knew the difference in the family tree. When אברהם Avraham says my brother, what he means is, he's the first to take responsibility for another. The דור המבול dor hamabul, the דור הפלגה dor haflaga, קין והבל Kayin v'Hevel, even אדם וחווה Adam v'Chava. השם Hashem confronts each one of them and says, \"Hey, what's going on over here?\" And each one says, \"It's their fault.\" Each one says, \"I didn't do it.\" השומר אחי אנכי Hashomer achi anochi? Am I my brother's keeper? Everyone shirks responsibility. Everyone passes the buck. Everyone passes the blame. אברהם's Avraham's the first one to say, \"You know what? I'm going to take care of my brother. I'm going to stand up for someone else. I'm taking responsibility.\" We spoke about this on maybe יום כיפור Yom Kippur? ראש השנה Rosh Hashanah? Sometime the last month. We spoke about, Stephen Covey says the word responsibility is response-ability. It's the ability to respond. You want to pass the buck? You want to make excuses? You see this right now. I spoke about it a month ago, who would know what would happen in the next month. Every politician, celebrity, athlete, who it's come out, you know, intellectual, editor of major journals, everyone who it's come out, former presidents, who it's come out that they behave terribly at some point in their life towards women, towards others, towards little boys. So their apologies are the, literally they're the textbook example of how not to apologize. They're the textbook example of not taking responsibility. It's unbelievable. The core, that's when we spoke about, we spoke about ראש השנה Rosh Hashanah. The core of an apology is taking responsibility. It's the ability to respond. It's taking care of your brother. It's stepping up and not passing the buck. That's what אברהם אבינו Avraham Avinu does.לוט Lot has two daughters, we know the cerific story, we've studied this in the past as well. You could read online, you could listen online. Why משיח Mashiach descends from such a uh, I don't know, what could you say? Checkered, tainted background. Through לוט Lot and his daughters, יהודה ותמר Yehuda v'Tamar, דוד ובת שבע Dovid u'Bas Sheva, all the lineage of משיח Mashiach. משיח's Mashiach's resume, if you ask to list his יחוס yichus, right? No one's dating משיח Mashiach. No one's letting their daughter date משיח Mashiach if you look at the resume. Reveals a tremendous flaw of the resume, but let's leave that aside for a moment. Means your daughter could lose the שידוך shidduch with משיח Mashiach because you're focusing too much on on the יחוס yichus. But in any case, such a checkered יחוס yichus, what's really going on in the story here of לוט Lot and his daughters? And just to give you an insight, we spoke about this, Reb Moshe, Reb Moshe Feinstein זצ\"ל zatzal, talks about in Europe, this individual had this dream, לוט's Lot's daughters come to him. He had spoken negatively about them based on the פרשה parsha and they explain, Reb Moshe writes this. This is not some בבא מעשה baba maisa, this is Reb Moshe Feinstein. He says, they came in this dream to this man that that Reb Moshe was at his deathbed, and they say to him, \"Look, we thought that this was like after נוח Noach. השם Hashem had when he destroyed סדום Sedom, we thought he once again destroyed the whole world. And we thought we had a responsibility like the generation of נוח Noach to repopulate the world. We're not licentious, immoral, corrupt, having this uh, this incestuous relationship with our father. We thought we were repopulating the world. There was a noble intent.\" And you see in the in the names themselves of these these uh countries that come, but in the reward, רות המואביה Rus haMoavia is born from מואב Moav, which results from this union. And of course from there comes משיח Mashiach.שרה Sarah is abducted. אברהם Avraham gets her back. יצחק Yitzchak is born. הגר וישמעאל Hagar v'Yishmael are expelled from the house. And here too we have something unbelievable. שרה אמנו Sarah Imeinu determines that ישמעאל Yishmael is a bad influence on on her precious יצחק Yitzchak with for whom she's waited so long. Also worthy of discussion another time, when do we say there's room for everyone because everyone belongs, even a ישמעאל Yishmael, and when to protect and preserve your יצחק Yitzchak, do you have to say it's time for ישמעאל Yishmael to find somewhere else? Another school, another camp, another neighborhood. I'm not giving an answer on that. It's a very complex, it's a very difficult question. Usually the answer determines, if you're ישמעאל's Yishmael's mother, father, you have to give them another chance. If you're יצחק's Yitzchak's mother or father, how could you dare expose my יצחק Yitzchak to these other influences that are going to bring him down? So who what's the real truth? You need some third party objective to be able to determine what's right. But anyway, when שרה Sarah tells אברהם Avraham this, what does השם Hashem say to אברהם Avraham? The eternal wisdom that men of Jewish men are supposed to be following ever since, \"Whatever your wife tells you, תשמע בקולה tishma b'kolah, listen to her voice. Whatever she says, when she says jump, you say how high.\" So אברהם Avraham in fact expels הגר Hagar, his first son ישמעאל Yishmael. Does אברהם Avraham love ישמעאל Yishmael? Yes. How do we know אברהם Avraham loves ישמעאל Yishmael? How do you know אברהם Avraham loves ישמעאל Yishmael? Because at the end of the פרשה parsha, when השם Hashem says momentarily we'll get to it, קח נא את בנך kach na es bincha. אברהם Avraham, take your son. What does אברהם Avraham say? I have two sons, which son? את יחידך Es yechid'cha. Come on אברהם Avraham, your only son. My only son? Each one is an only son to their mother. אשר אהבת Asher ahavta. אברהם Avraham, enough playing around, the one you love. Says השם Hashem, I love both of them. השם Hashem says, you know what אברהם Avraham, you're incorrigible. את יצחק Es Yitzchak. Take יצחק Yitzchak, go on the mountain and slaughter him. השם Hashem goes through this whole process, maybe just to reveal to us that אברהם Avraham considers ישמעאל Yishmael also his only son and also the son that he loves. אשר אהבת Asher ahavta, oh, אשר אהבת asher ahavta, my יצחק Yitzchak. No. אשר אהבת Asher ahavta, which one? I love יצחק Yitzchak and I love ישמעאל Yishmael. Very telling about his relationship with ישמעאל Yishmael, despite the disappointment in ישמעאל Yishmael. There's an incredible מדרש midrash, again we've spoken about in the past, and I don't want to take the time. ישמעאל Yishmael shows up when אברהם Avraham dies. ישמעאל Yishmael shows up for the funeral. And the פסוק pasuk says that next week's פרשה parsha, that ישמעאל Yishmael and יצחק Yitzchak stand side by side and give the הספד hesped for their father. What? ישמעאל Yishmael who's been expelled from the house, cut out from the legacy, he shows up. You could picture ישמעאל Yishmael showing up on his on his motorcycle and he's got tattoos and he's got piercings. He's wearing his leather vest. He makes his way to the front of the room. There's יצחק Yitzchak. He's got a long beard and פאות peios and, יצחק Yitzchak and ישמעאל Yishmael stand side by side and they give a הספד hesped. How? There's a beautiful מדרש midrash which we don't have time for now. But I'll tell you a hint, aside from that מדרש midrash. Maybe it's the אשר אהבת asher ahavta. If אברהם Avraham could tell השם Hashem, look, you tell me the son I love, I love both equally. You don't think ישמעאל Yishmael felt that? Even when he was expelled from the house, even when אברהם Avraham practiced tough love. And sometimes parents need to practice tough love. But the key is that the child, even when they're expelled from the house because of the tough love, they have to know אשר אהבת asher ahavta. This is not as a punishment, it's not punitive. This is out of love for you. אשר אהבת Asher ahavta. If השם Hashem knew it, אברהם Avraham could tell השם Hashem אשר אהבת asher ahavta, then מסתמא mistama ישמעאל Yishmael also knew it and maybe that's why he doesn't ever stray too far and at the end he comes back in order to honor his father.So despite his love for ישמעאל Yishmael, when it's time to expel him, tough love, he does. הגר וישמעאל Hagar v'Yishmael go, they have nothing to eat, they have nowhere to go. ישמעאל Yishmael is about to die, they run out of water. And what happens? What's הגר Hagar doing? כי אמרה אל אראה במות הילד Ki amra al ereh b'mos hayeled. She walks away. And why does she walk away? The פסוק pasuk says, \"She can't bear to stand to watch her little ישמעאל Yishmael die.\" Who is הגר Hagar making it about? Herself. What do you mean you can't stand to bear to watch? This is your son. This is your flesh and blood. Hold him in your lap, stroke his hair, put your hand on his cheek. Give him whatever חזוק chizuk you can. But הגר Hagar makes it about herself. She withdraws because as the פסוק pasuk testifies, she can't stand to bear to watch him suffer. הגר Hagar is not our matriarch. That's not our legacy. We spoke about on שמחת תורה Simchas Torah in the שיעור shiur for women about empathy, that the Jewish legacy is not of הגר Hagar, \"I can't stand to bear to watch you suffer.\" It's empathy. I am נושא בעול עם חבירו noseh b'ol im chaveiro. I'm suffering with you side by side. I'm carrying your burden with you to lighten your load a little bit for you. And we spoke about the contrast between הגר Hagar and אהרן Aharon, והנה נער בוכה v'hinei na'ar bocheh. When little משה Moshe is in the basket, and it says the lad is crying. משה Moshe has just been described as a תינוק tinok, as a baby. Which is he? Is he a baby or a נער na'ar? Comes along the בעל הטורים Baal HaTurim and says, \"The נער na'ar is crying.\" That's not משה Moshe in the basket, that's אהרן Aharon. He was hiding behind the tree, behind the bush. He was watching what will be with משה Moshe and he's crying because of the empathy he feels. He's part of this journey. When when השם Hashem appears to משה Moshe in a bush, it's a thorn bush. Says רש\"י Rashi, why not a fancy, magnificent, beautiful, ornate tree, bush, landscape? Why this thorn bush? Because השם Hashem is saying, עמו אנכי בצרה imo anochi b'tzara. I'm suffering with you. Empathy. Our legacy is not of הגר Hagar who says, \"I can't bear to watch you suffer\" because it's about me. Our legacy is about empathy. And in that שיעור shiur, we talked about and we quoted a number of excellent sources including Sheryl Sandberg's recent book Option B, that talk about the difference when your friend is in crisis, the difference between being a הגר Hagar, making it all about me, \"Oh, I can't stand to watch you suffer. It was so hard for me to see your husband looking like that.\" That's the worst thing you could say, that's terrible, that's being a הגר Hagar. It's making it about you versus making it about the person. We quoted the great therapist whose name escapes me about the circle, the ring theory of of comfort, of being a friend. Dump in, comfort in and dump out. Not the opposite direction. Anyway, that was all another time. But the contrast of הגר Hagar and our legacy of משה Moshe, אהרן Aharon, and the רבונו של עולם Ribono shel Olam.Okay, and then of course the פרשה parsha ends with the 10th trial. Artscroll-Paskins it's the 10th trial. רבינו יונה Rabbeinu Yonah disagrees, but we'll leave that for another time. If you look on page 101, the Stone חומש Chumash, Paskins, the 10th trial. But it's a big debate what the 10th trial is. רבינו יונה Rabbeinu Yonah says the 10th trial comes at the beginning of next week's פרשה parsha. When אברהם Avraham has to negotiate with that low-life עפרון החתי Efron Hachiti, that's the 10th trial, says רבינו יונה Rabbeinu Yonah. Anyway, Artscroll-Paskins, this is the 10th trial. What's the 10th trial? The עקידה akeida. עקידת יצחק Akeidas Yitzchak. So I say something interesting about עקידת יצחק Akeidas Yitzchak. Something new I saw this year. Of course, the עקידה akeida is the most perplexing, maybe passage in the entire תנ\"ך Tanach. How השם Hashem could demand it, how אברהם Avraham felt the strength to do it. You have to understand, to put this trial in context. This is not just, hey אברהם Avraham do something unimaginable. This is, hey אברהם Avraham, you know how you've spent your whole life building this reputation. You've taken out ads on radio, TV, newspaper, you've written op-eds, you stand on a soapbox everywhere you go, and you tell anyone who will listen, stop sacrificing your children. It's paganism, it's idolatry, it's corrupt, it's immoral. There's one God and he wants us to be kind. And you've been preaching the vision for the world. So you know אברהם Avraham, you've been telling anyone who will listen, you are the poster child for not killing your child. I have something I need you to do. Oh, and also remember how you waited all these years to have that child through whom this legacy you've built will continue and there'll be some continuity? Yeah, I have something I need you to do. I want you to take the child you waited so long for and I want you for the world to see to kill him. And why are you sacrificing him? Because God told you to do so. Could you imagine that trial? Go against everything you've been preaching, everything you've been living, everything you stand for, everything you've built, everything you worked for. And what does אברהם Avraham say? Okay. Now אברהם Avraham doesn't say okay. Again, this is not the section we're studying today, but there's an incredible מדרש midrash which describes, the מדרש תנחומא Midrash Tanchuma, ויקם וילך vayakam vayeilech. אברהם Avraham got up and he went. But when he went, it took him three days, and the מדרש midrash describes over those three days, the שטן satan accosted him and appeared in the guise of an old man, and the שטן satan appeared then as the river that kept rising on his neck, and the שטן satan kept coming after him and trying to convince him not to do it, and he persevered. But נחמה ליבוביץ זכרונה לברכה Nechama Leibowitz zichrona livracha in her book, in her ספר sefer has a beautiful interpretation of the מדרש midrash, that the שטן satan was not some external influence. Who was that שטן satan? It was the voice in אברהם's Avraham's own head. The voice of doubt, the voice of uncertainty. The voice of confusion. And she describes how each of the guises that the שטן satan took represents another legitimate hesitation אברהם Avraham had. How could you do it because of this? How could you do it because of that? And the legacy we have from אברהם Avraham is that he put one foot in front of the other until ויהי ביום השלישי vayehi bayom hashlishi, it became the third day, וירא את המקום מרחוק vayera es hamakom meirachok and he arrived at the destination. Despite the reluctance, despite the hesitancy, despite the doubt, despite the reasons not to, the legacy of אברהם Avraham is he persevered, he endured, he put one foot in front of another until he found himself in the place and he had passed the trial, he was ready.But anyway, when he gets close, אברהם Avraham turns to אליעזר וישמעאל Eliezer v'Yishmael, ויאמר אברהם אל נעריו שבו לכם פה עם החמור Vayomer Avraham el n'arav shvu lachem poh im hachamor. He says actually to אליעזר Eliezer, \"Wait here with the donkey.\" Now he's not calling ישמעאל Yishmael who we just described as one of his loved of his life, a donkey. חז\"ל Chazal understand עם החמור im hachamor as עם הדומה לחמור am hadomeh l'chamor. This is the father of a nation who will be a nation of donkeys. I'm tempted to use the other word for donkey, but I won't. שבו לכם פה עם החמור Shvu lachem poh im hachamor. עם הדומה לחמור Am hadomeh l'chamor. ואני והנער Va'ani v'hana'ar, the the radicals among them, חלילה chalila, I'm not suggesting the whole nation. ואני והנער נלכה עד כה Va'ani v'hana'ar neilcha ad ko. And the lad and I, who's the lad? יצחק Yitzchak and I. יצחק's not a נער naar. How old is יצחק Yitzchak? 37. יצחק's not a young man. We're going to keep going and what will we do? ונשתחוה ונשובה אליכם v'nishtachaveh v'nashuva aleichem. We're going to bow down and we'll be right back. So stay here. אליעזר Eliezer, you watch this guy and we're going to just go bow down. We're going to go pray. We'll be right back. Asks the סלונים רבה Slonimer Rebbe, you know, they get to the destination. And what do they do? They gather firewood, and they have the altar, and ultimately אברהם Avraham raises his hand with the knife, and the angel says stop. He offers a ram in its place and they come back. What don't they do? Bow down. What happened to the השתחווה hishtachava? What happened to ונשתחוה ונשובה v'nishtachaveh v'nashuva? Is אברהם Avraham a liar? There was never the intention of bowing down, nor did he ever bow down. And when he comes back, He also didn't intend to both come back. That's true. But where's the השתחווה hishtachava? Where's the ונשתחוה v'nishtachaveh? Moreover, asks the סלונים רבה Slonimer Rebbe, quotes the מדרש בראשית רבה Midrash Bereishis Rabbah on this פסוק pasuk, ונשתחוה ונשובה אליכם v'nishtachaveh v'nashuva aleichem, הכל בזכות השתחוויה hakol bizchus hishtachaviya. It was all in the merit of bowing down, that's why they both returned. In the merit of something he didn't do? What do you mean the reason they both returned safely including יצחק Yitzchak is in the merit of the bowing down? He never actually bowed down. And moreover, the מדרש midrash says it's in the merit of bowing down that we were redeemed from Egypt. שנאמר ויקדו וישתחוו sh'ne'emar vayikdu vayishtachavu. The Torah was only given at הר סיני Har Sinai in the merit of bowing down, והשתחויתם מרחוק v'hishtachavisem meirachok. We'll only be redeemed from our exile וישתחוו להשם בהר הקודש v'hishtachavu la'Hashem b'har hakodesh. We'll only be redeemed from this horrible exile in the merit of bowing down. What's with the bowing down? What's with the השתחווה hishtachava? So אברהם Avraham says we're going to do this thing he never intended on doing it. The מדרש midrash says it all went well why? In the merit they bowed down. They never bowed down. Bowing down is why all these good things happened to us. What's with the bowing down? In the סלונים רבה Slonimer Rebbe develops a beautiful idea, I encourage you to read it inside in his נתיבות שלום Nesivos Shalom. השתחווה Hishtachava is another way of saying ביטול bittul, being מבטל mevatel. What is the idea of השתחווה hishtachava? It's taking a knee. We only take a knee not to protest. We don't take a knee against an anthem, we don't take a knee against the flag. We take a knee, לך תכרע כל ברך l'cha tichra kol berech. ואנחנו כורעים ומשתחווים V'anachnu kor'im u'mishtachavim every day. Are we משתחווים mishtachavim? We don't get on the ground and prostrate ourselves with our hands and legs. We don't do that. And yet we're describing by ואנחנו כורעים ומשתחווים v'anachnu kor'im u'mishtachavim. Says the סלונים רבה Slonimer Rebbe, what's משתחווים mishtachavim is ביטול bittul. When we're willing to concede, submit to השם Hashem, when we're willing to forfeit our understanding of his world. When we recognize all we have comes from him and all we need will come from him. When we understand that we can't comprehend his ways, when we submit to his dominion, his omnipotence, his providence in the world. That's ביטול bittul. We're nullifying ourselves to him, and that's השתחווה hishtachava. And the סלונים רבה Slonimer Rebbe develops this idea and proves it from פסוקים psukim that you can bow down even while you're standing up. Bowing down is not just a physical posture. Bowing down is a state of being. ביטול Bittul, דביקות בהשם dveikus b'Hashem. So אברהם Avraham says we're going to bow down, he doesn't mean when I get to the top of the mountain I'm going to lie on the floor. What he means is, I'm only going to the mountain because I'm bowing down to השם Hashem. I'm being מבטל mevatel myself to השם Hashem. And it was in the merit of אברהם's Avraham's willingness to submit and forfeit his understanding of everything, to go back and violate all he had dedicated his life to. It was only in that merit that they come back safely. The same is true with each of these major milestones, significant phases, and that's another component of the עקידה akeida and its test. And that's another legacy אברהם Avraham leaves for us is the capacity to let go and let God. The capacity to be מבטל mevatel ourselves to השם Hashem. When there's a conflict between how he's running the world and how we want him to run the world. When there's a conflict between our comprehension, there's a conflict between our want and what he's giving, to be able to have that that power to be מבטל mevatel ourselves.Okay, let's go back now and look at these פסוקים psukim. We're going to study פרק י\"ח פסוק כ\"ב Perek Yud Ches, Pasuk Chaf Beis. It's exactly where we left off last year. Chapter 18, verse 22, page 82 in the Artscroll Stone חומש Chumash. And here we are right after השם Hashem has told אברהם Avraham, \"אברהם Avraham, I love you. Why do I love you? Because you stand for justice and righteousness and you're transmitting it to your children. And because I love you, I can't help but let you in. I have to tell you a secret. I gotta tell you a secret. Can I confide in you?\" You know what the Jewish notion of a secret is? The Jewish definition of a secret is something you tell people one by one. When השם Hashem tells a secret, it's really a secret. secret. And Hashem says to Avram, I got to tell you something. פסוק (Pasuk), we're up to פסוק כב (pasuk chaf beis). Again, that's where we left off last year. I'll just last year, we ended off on the previous פסוק (pasuk), וארדה נא ואראה הכצעקתה הבאה אלי עשו כלה (ve'erda na ve'er'eh haketza'akatah haba'ah elai asu kalah). Hashem says, I hear the cries of Sdom, I'm coming down to check it out. Does Hashem have to come down to check it out? We always find that Hashem comes down. Where else do we find it? With the עגל (eigel) we find it. We find it, what do we say for סליחות (slichos)? It's already out of your memory, אלול (Elul), ראש השנה (Rosh Hashanah), יום כיפור (Yom Kippur), נעילה (Neilah), but what do we say? What do we say? וירד השם (Vayarad Hashem). Hashem comes down. וירד השם (Vayarad Hashem). ארדה נא (Erda na). With מגדל בבל (Migdal Bavel), he comes down to check it out. With Sdom, he's coming down to check it out. Later, the חטא העגל (cheit ha'eigel) he comes down to check it out. Why the image of Hashem, who's omnipotent, knows everything, can see it from anywhere, he doesn't exist in space? Why, what message is he trying to convey with the notion of ארדה (erda)? So last year, we quoted Rav Schwab זצ\"ל (zatzal). Rav Shimon Schwab in his ספר (sefer) has a beautiful פשט (pshat) in ארדה (erda). Go online and listen. פסוק כב (Pasuk chaf beis), ויפנו משם האנשים וילכו סדומה ואברהם עודנו עומד לפני השם (vayifnu misham ha'anashim vayelchu Sdomah, ve'Avraham odenu omed lifnei Hashem). The men had turned from there and they went to Sdom, while Avram was still standing before Hashem. Says who are these men? These are still the angels in the guise of men. Says Rashi, ויפנו משם (vayifnu misham), ממקום שאברהם לוום שם (mimakom she'Avraham livam sham). From the place that Avram had escorted them to. Avram's got a limp. Avram is in the worst day of recovery from an adult circumcision. Nevertheless is still so committed to hospitality that he's escorting his guests out. ואברהם עודנו עומד לפני השם (Ve'Avraham odenu omed lifnei Hashem), says Rashi, והלא לא הלך לעמוד לפניו (vehalo lo halach la'amod lefanav)? אלא הקדוש ברוך הוא בא אצלו (Ela Hakadosh Baruch Hu ba etzlo). Why is the pasuk describing that Avram's still standing in front of Hashem? Wasn't it Hashem who went to visit Avram? Not the opposite way around. Who went to whom? Hashem went to visit Avram. Not Avram going to Hashem. והיה לו לכתוב והשם עודנו עומד על אברהם (vehayah lo lichtov ve'Hashem odenu omed al Avraham). It should have described Hashem as still being in front of Avram. אלא תיקון סופרים הוא זה (Ela tikkun sofrim hu zeh). Wow. What does Rashi mean? תיקון סופרים הוא זה (Tikkun sofrim hu zeh). Is it a misprint? Does our sacred Torah have a misprint? Open up any ספר תורה (sefer Torah) in a שול (shul), you're not going to find it written differently. השם עודנו עומד לפני אברהם (Hashem odenu omed lifnei Avraham). It says universally, אברהם עודנו עומד לפני השם (Avraham odenu omed lifnei Hashem). Is this a misprint of דברי סופרים (divrei sofrim)? So if you look at the שפתי חכמים (Sifsei Chachamim), he explains what דברי סופרים (divrei sofrim). אינה הכוונה חלילה שהוסיפו או שחסרו ממה שכתוב בתורה (Einah hakavanah chalilah shehosifu o shechasru mimah shekasuv baTorah). אפילו אות אחת חלילה (Afilu ot achat chalilah). God forbid, we're not suggesting editors, printers actually changed or manipulated the text of the Torah. What does it mean? The שפתי חכמים (Sifsei Chachamim) explains. I don't want to take our time. The ספורנו (Sforno) has a different interpretation. Look at the ספורנו (Sforno). ואברהם עודנו עומד (Ve'Avraham odenu omed). Says Rabbi Ovadia Sforno, אף על פי שהמלאכים אשר שלח להשחית כבר הגיעו לסדום (af al pi shehamalachim asher shalach lehashchis kvar higi'u le'Sdom). The angels have already arrived in Sdom. The three come to Avram, he gives them a good meal with מצה (matzah). He gives them a good as good a meal you could have with מצה (matzah). And he escorts them out. They're on their way. The angel is designated to destroy Sdom has already arrived there. That's what it means. ואברהם עודנו עומד (Ve'Avraham odenu omed). ממקומו לא זז, אברהם עודנו עומד לבקש רחמים וללמד זכות (Mimkomo lo zaz, Avraham odenu omed levakesh rachamim ulelamed zchus). Despite their having arrived for their mission, Avram, even in the last minute, is not giving up. כאמרם ז\"ל (K'amram zal), as our rabbi said, אפילו חרב חדה מונחת על צווארו של אדם, אל ימנע עצמו מן הרחמים (afilu cherev chadah munachat al tzavaro shel adam, al yimna atzmo min harachamim). The גמרא בברכות (Gemara b'Brachos) tells us, even if a sharp sword is resting on your neck, never, ever give up hope. There is no situation. If you're a Jew who has faith, if you're a believing person, there's no hopeless situation. Now, we have to be realists, right? Part of the empathy we spoke about earlier. Somebody's been diagnosed with a terminal illness, you can't say, I have faith, it's going to work out, it's all going to be good. That's among also the worst things that you could say, even with the best intentions. You have no right to say that, you have no knowledge it will work out well. It likely won't. So I'm not suggesting you should say to someone, oh, I know you have terminal illness, you're on your deathbed, but חרב חדה מונחת על צווארו (cherev chadah munachat al tzavaro), even a sword resting on your neck, you have to have hope. This is the attitude that we ourselves have to bring. It's not an attitude that we ever suggest or impose on other people. I'll tell you something interesting. Jeff Hillowitz, one of our members, told me a story right before we went on our Poland trip in June, and I told the story in Poland to our participants on the trip. His father was in a concentration camp and for no reason, one of the guards who walked by, for no reason other than his own, he was on a whim, sentenced Jeff's father to be hanged in the camp. And they set up the gallow, they set up the rope, and they set up the stand, and he stood on it. He had a thought of being the end of his life. And they kicked away the box and he hung and the rope snapped. He fell. And the guard, so angry, so frustrated, took out his pistol and went to shot, to shoot the man, and his pistol jammed. And he took someone else's pistol and he's increasingly grew in his frustration. He's trying to kill this Jew. And the second pistol jammed. And so infuriated and frustrated, he said, damn Jew, get out of my face, go back to your barrack. And Jeff's father survived. Survived the war. Obviously, that's how Jeff is here. That to me is the most story of the חרב חדה מונחת על צווארו (cherev chadah munachat al tzavaro). Imagine having your rope around your neck, waiting to be hung, you survive that. A pistol in your face, you think this is it, you're going to be shot, survive that. A second pistol, you survive that. חרב חדה מונחת על צווארו (Cherev chadah munachat al tzavaro). It's not something we could bank on. It's not something we could tell someone, oh, you have a terminal disease. Oh, let me tell you a story I heard in Goldberg's parsha class about a guy. It's not something we impose on anyone else. It's a feeling we have for ourselves. So Avram, עודנו עומד (odenu omed), even though the angel of destruction is there to to eliminate Sdom, it's the last moment, it's a hopeless situation, Avram has not given up hope. He continues to advocate for the people of Sdom. And that's exactly what he does in פסוק כג (pasuk kaf gimmel). ויגש אברהם ויאמר האף תספה צדיק עם רשע (Vayigash Avraham vayomar, ha'af tispeh tzaddik im rasha). Pasuk chaf gimmel, Avram approaches, Avram approaches Sdom, and and approaches Hashem and he says, Are you going to destroy the righteous with the wicked? What, are you kidding me? Now, this is an extraordinary passage in the Torah. This is extraordinary. It's particularly extraordinary when you compare it and contrast it to two weeks ago's פרשה (parsha). Because what happened two weeks ago? Hashem similarly tells נח (Noach), I'm destroying the world. They haven't lived up to my expectations, doing a hard reset on the world, not working out, I got a virus in the system. And what does Noach say? What does Noach say? Okay. Now, I had this discussion with another parsha group I learn with. A great debate ensued. I have a פרשה שיעור (parsha shiur) on Wednesday nights, I give 7:45 to 8:30 in the בית מדרש (beis medrash). For men, it's a more דברי תורה (divrei Torah), וורט (vortlach), but it's things to say at your table. And every דבר תורה (dvar Torah) I give, I describe in a way that you can begin a conversation at your Shabbos table with this דבר תורה (dvar Torah). That's the whole goal of a דבר תורה (dvar Torah). It's not to quote a גימטריא (gematria) or say some, you know, highfalutin fancy, the goal is to transform the Shabbos table to be a מקום תורה (makom Torah). So, on פרשת נח (Parshas Noach), I suggested this debate, and the debate didn't wait 'til Shabbos, it happened in the shiur itself. Right, half the people, do you blame Noach? When Noach says to Hashem, okay. Hashem says, look, I'm omnipotent, I'm perfect, I'm, I created the world and this is how the world's failing me and here's my plan. I'm going to destroy them, I'm going to continue it through you. And Noach says, okay. Do you blame Noach? So half the group said, of course not. Noach did the right thing. He's Hashem. Who are you to tell Hashem do it differently? Hashem, creator of the universe says this is my plan, you say, okay. That's our job. The other half said, no, what do you mean? Look at Avram, two weeks later. Avram says, look Hashem, in the end of the day, you're Hashem, whatever you choose. But I have to protest. You have to give me a chance to protest. From my finite position, from the way in which you created me to understand the world, I have to protest. I have to object. So, it's debatable. It's arguable that Noach did the right thing. One could look at the section and say Avram is an enormous חצוף (chutzuf). Avram's a heretic. חלילה (Chalilah), but one could say Avram's a heretic. If you accept and believe in Hashem, you don't challenge him. You accept passively what he says. Who is he to protest? אלא מאי (Ela mai), what do we see? Noach, צדיק בדורותיו (tzaddik bedorosav). In the end of the day, Noach's indifference, his lack of protest, makes the נביא ישעיהו (Navi Yeshayahu) call those waters מי נח (mei Noach). Had Noach protested, maybe the flood wouldn't have happened. They're called by his name, מי נח (mei Noach). Whereas Avram has this legacy. Avram is the man who objects and who protests. So, it's not an expression of heresy or of חצפה (chutzpah). It is a model for us. And it's a model for us when we see things. I would I like to say that this is the first model of דאווענען (davening). What is דאווענען (davening) if not protesting and objecting to Hashem? Hashem, my beloved friend is sick, I protest. It's unjust. I don't accept it. Hashem, Israel's being targeted. Israel, my brothers and sisters in Israel have 15,000 rockets and tunnels being dug. I'm protesting, I'm objecting. Hashem, injustice, inequality, what is דאווענען (davening) if not protesting, objecting to something about the way Hashem is running his world. And what gives us license to do it? אברהם אבינו (Avraham Avinu). משה רבנו (Moshe Rabbeinu) later, they are the ones who give us license. Now, it's shocking that Avram does it. Not only shocking for the reason we just said about Hashem, it's shocking for another reason. And here, this is not in the Rabbi Soloveitchik חומש (Chumash), which I forgot in my office. But this appears in a great volume called \"Abraham's Journey,\" which is the Torah of the רב (Rov) on ספר בראשית (Sefer Bereishis). And I want to read to you from there, where the Rov writes the following. As long as Sdom prospered, Avram's doctrine, sermonizing, and preaching meant nothing. One cannot preach goodness and kindness if מלכות הרשעה (malchus harisha), the kingdom of evil, is rich and powerful. What can one cannot gain converts for an idea if its opponents, no matter how bad they are, prosper. An angel came to announce the birth of יצחק (Yitzchak). In other words, the continuation of Avram's heritage. But Sdom's existence contradicts everything Avram has said. Avram preaches equality, kindness, charity, hospitality. Sdom laughs and scoffs at these ideas. And here the Torah tells us something important about Avram. If we had been in his place, we would simply have prostrated ourselves and thanked God for destroying the kingdom of evil so that our task would be simplified. Sdom is Avram's competition. Sdom is exactly what Avram is dedicated to eliminate. Their message, their values, who they are. When Hashem comes to Avram and says, look, I can't hold back, I got to tell you, I'm destroying Sdom. You'd think Avram would give Hashem the greatest ישר כח (yasher koach). Wow! Thank you. You just took away my competition. You gave me a monopoly on the world to teach your values. But that's not what happens. He was ready to accept defeat in order to give Sdom an opportunity to reform and restore itself. Avram dropped his hatred for Sdom and his love for his mission. He was ready to sacrifice his life and have his new Torah appear to be a total failure. He was prepared to forego his hopes and his vision for the future, just so that Sdom would not be destroyed. This is חסד (chesed) in the full sense of the word. Says the Rov, this is the highest form of חסד (chesed) to put our own interests aside to try to relieve the suffering of another. Even if that suffering serves you. But nevertheless, to be so incapable of neglecting suffering that we set aside our own interests to care for others. This is the highest form of חסד (chesed), says the Rov, and it is truly remarkable when you think about it in this way. Right? Hashem doesn't say to Avram, there's some tribe in in Africa that I'm going to destroy. You don't really know anything about them. You know, they're kind of neutral, they have no impact on you, and and Avram steps up and says, no, you can't do that. This is Avram's arch enemy. This is Avram's greatest competition, who are holding him back from achieving his goals. And despite that, he sets that aside to advocate on their behalf. Wow, what that teaches about חסד (chesed) is absolutely extraordinary. So ויגש אברהם ויאמר (vayigash Avraham vayomar). So Avram approaches Hashem and he says, האף תספה צדיק עם רשע (ha'af tispeh tzaddik im rasha)? Now I have to tell you something I've told you a thousand times, and I'm going to tell it a thousand more, because it transforms my דאווענען (davening) and I hope it will transform yours. You'll forgive me because you've heard it from me a thousand times. How does it describe Avram approaching Hashem? With what word? ויגש (Vayigash). That word ויגש (vayigash) appears how many other times? Two other times. Where does it appear? Elsewhere in ספר בראשית (Sefer Bereishis) later. It's the name of a פרשה (parsha). I'll give you a hint. About whom does it does it appear? ויגש אליו יהודה (Vayigash eilav Yehudah). יהודה (Yehudah) approaches יוסף (Yosef). And what's the third time? אליהו הנביא (Eliyahu haNavi). When אליהו הנביא (Eliyahu haNavi) challenges the false prophets of בעל (Baal), it says, ויגש אליהו הנביא ויאמר השם אלקי אברהם יצחק וישראל היום יודע כי אתה אלקים בישראל (vayigash Eliyahu haNavi vayomar Hashem Elokei Avraham Yitzchak veYisrael hayom yivada ki ata Elokim beYisrael). Three times the word ויגש (vayigash) is used. ויגש אברהם (Vayigash Avraham), ויגש אליו יהודה (vayigash eilav Yehudah), ויגש אליהו הנביא ויאמר (vayigash Eliyahu haNavi vayomar). What do the three episodes have in common? Why is that word ויגש (vayigash) used for the three of them? The answer is, each of them describes an incident involving a crisis, an urgent situation. And this relates to what we said before. While everyone else scattered, looked the other way, passed the buck, in these three instances, these three individuals, ויגש (vayigash), they stepped up. They stepped in. They stepped forward. ויגש (Vayigash). They were surrounded with complacency. They were immersed in apathy. Their environment was indifference. And yet, Avram, Yehuda and Eliyahu, they're different. ויגש (Vayigash), they step forward. They emerge out of the crowd. They differentiate themselves. And through a combination of prayer and effort, they make a difference and they have an impact. How do they each have their impact or on behalf of whom do they each have the impact? So we just said, who is Avram stepping forward for? It's not his best friend. It's not his nephew. It's not Hashem. Who's he stepping forward for? He's the enemy. For רשעים (reshaim). Even for the wicked, he's stepping forward. Yehuda, who's he stepping forward for? For his brother, for family. כל ישראל ערבים זה בזה (Kol Yisrael areivim zeh bazeh). And who is, who is אליהו הנביא (Eliyahu haNavi) stepping forward for? For God himself. To protect and to stand for כבוד שמים (kvod Shamayim), the honor of Hashem. The רמ\"א (Rama) in שולחן ערוך (Shulchan Aruch), Rav Moshe Isserles quotes from the רקיח (Rokeach), a midrashic commentary, that these three times the word ויגש (vayigash) is used is the origin and source for something we do every day three times a day. You know what it is? How do we begin the עמידה (Amidah)? I take three steps forward. Why do I take three steps forward? I leave the place I once was. Now I'm עומד לפני המלך (omed lifnei haMelech). It's the עמידה (Amidah). But the רמ\"א (Rama) quotes the רקיח (Rokeach) who says, the רקיח (Rokeach) says, these three steps correspond with the three ויגש (vayigash). I take one step and I even advocate for the רשעים (reshaim), the low lives in the world, and I say, Hashem, have mercy on them. My second step, I advocate for my brother. I'm willing to come out of the crowd to fight on behalf of my brother. And the third step, I say, Hashem, people are trampling all over your vision for the world. I'm here to stand for you. The three steps we take for the עמידה (Amidah) correspond with the three ויגש (vayigash), a willingness to step out of the crowd and advocate for even רשעים (reshaim), for our brothers for כלל ישראל (Klal Yisrael), and to also for and also for Hashem. The ט\"ז (Taz), who has a commentary on שולחן ערוך (Shulchan Aruch), has a ספר (sefer) on חומש (Chumash) called דברי דוד (Divrei David). And the ט\"ז (Taz) writes there, who is Avram advocating for? The צדיקים (tzaddikim) or the רשעים (reshaim)? So if you read the simple text, it sounds like Avram is advocating for the צדיקים (tzaddikim). God, how could you do this? Okay, Sdom are a bunch of low lives, corrupt, unethical, immoral, morally depraved, decadent rejects. I got it. Destroy him. But האף תספה צדיק עם רשע (ha'af tispeh tzaddik im rasha)? How could you do it? Don't the צדיקים (tzaddikim), don't the righteous? Comes along the ט\"ז (Taz), the דברי דוד (Divrei David), he says, no. צדיקים (Tzaddikim), Avram doesn't need to daven for them. They, through justice, deserve to live. What he's advocating is that in the merit of the righteous, don't destroy even the wicked. Let the whole city prosper. Why? Don't you have faith and belief that the righteous can impact the wicked? Don't you believe that the צדיקים (tzaddikim) yet can still transform the רשעים (reshaim)? So he says Avram's תפילה (tefillah) here, it's again very different than what we're used to thinking. Avram's תפילה (tefillah) is not for the צדיקים (tzaddikim). That's a given. His his תפילה (tefillah) is for the רשעים (reshaim). That's not the simple way of understanding. So let's see, who should we see? Let's see the רמב\"ן (Ramban). Says the רמב\"ן (Ramban), ויגש אברהם ויאמר האף תספה צדיק עם רשע (vayigash Avraham vayomar, ha'af tispeh tzaddik im rasha). אף על פי שהקדוש ברוך הוא מדת דינו (Af al pi sheHakadosh Baruch Hu midas dino), וחשב אברהם שיספה צדיק עם רשע (vechashav Avraham sheyispeh tzaddik im rasha). לא ידע מה שהשם שהחישיב עליהם רחמיו כאשר פירשתי (Lo yadah mah shehashem shehichishiv aleihem rachamav ka'asher peirashti). ולכן אמר כי הגון וטוב הוא שישא למקום למען חמשים הצדיקים (Velachen amar ki hagun vetov hu sheyisa lamakom lema'an chamishim hatzaddikim). אבל לא יתכן גם במדת הדין להמית צדיק עם רשע (Aval lo yitachen gam bemidas hadin lehamis tzaddik im rasha). שאם כן יהיה כצדיק כרשע (She'im kein yihyeh katzaddik karasha). The Ramban says, God, you are a God of justice. And as a God of justice, how could you possibly eliminate and kill the righteous with the wicked? What's going to happen, God, in your world, if people assume that you're a God of righteousness, of justice, and despite being a God of justice, what will they see you do? Kill the righteous unjustly. What will it lead them to? ויאמרו שוא עבוד אלקים (Veyomru shav avod Elokim). It's pointless to worship God. Why is it pointless to worship God? Because even if I'm righteous, even if I'm a צדיק (tzaddik), I'm going to go down with the רשעים (reshaim). So says the Ramban, Avram's strategy was to say to Hashem, Hashem, if you want people to be motivated, if you want to create an incentive to be righteous, then you can't kill the righteous with the wicked, because what reward there is there then for being righteous? That's not only unjust, it's counterproductive for your mission of creating a world of righteous people. That's how the Ramban understands it. If you look at the כלי יקר (Kli Yakar), it's in the middle of a comment of the כלי יקר (Kli Yakar), but he writes, מהיכן למד אברהם זה (meheichan lamad Avram zeh)? Where did Avram learn this from? Where did Avram learn to advocate for the righteous or according to the Taz, to advocate for the wicked. אלא משהבין ממאמר זעקת סדום כי רבה, עיקר הזעקה היא זנות (Ela mishe'hevin mima'amar za'akas Sdom ki rabbah, ikar haza'aka hi znus). What was the downfall of Sdom? Says the Kli Yakar. What was their Achilles' heel? What was the reason Hashem was moved to destroy them? זנות (Znus). What's זנות (znus)? Promiscuity, licentiousness, sexual immorality. וכל מקום שאתה מוצא זנות, אנדרלמוסיא בא לעולם והורגת טובים ורעים (Vechol makom she'ata motzeh znus, andralmusia ba la'olam vehoreges tovim vera'im). Yerushalmi in Sotah says that most abhorrent to the Almighty is when there's moral decay that leads to this licentiousness and promiscuousness, sexual depravity and immorality. And when that happens, the righteous go down with the wicked. Why? What did the righteous do wrong? Are the righteous on those websites? Are the righteous engaging in that behavior? Are the righteous paying for those services? Are the righteous walking around immodestly? Why do the righteous go down? שהיה להם לצדיקים לצאת מתוך מקום הטמא ההוא (Shehayah lahem latzaddikim latzeis mitoch makom hatamei hahu). כי אין לך דבר המטמא גם הארץ כמו הזנות (Ki ein lecha davar hametamei gam ha'aretz kemo haznus). Because the righteous failed to disengage. They failed to separate themselves. They failed to object and to reject that growing moral decay. Because nothing contaminates the earth like this sexual moral decay. כי אפילו עבודה זרה אינו מטמא הארץ (Ki afilu avodah zarah eino metamei ha'aretz). כי ארץ עולם אינו נאסרת כי לא הערי אלוהיהם (ki eretz olam eino ne'eseres ki lo ha'arei eloheihem). Even idolatry doesn't have that contaminating impact on a culture, on a world, the way that znus does. ואשר לא יצאו הצדיקים מתוך מקום טמא זה דינו שייענשו עמהם (Ve'asher lo yatzu hatzaddikim mitoch makom tamei zeh dino sheye'anshu imahem). So why is God wanting to destroy Sdom and why is God even prepared to take down the righteous with the wicked? Because the righteous didn't disengage. They didn't leave. They didn't protest. They didn't object. כי בכל מקום שיש גדר ערוה שם אתה מוצא קדושה (Ki vechol makom sheyeish geder ervah sham ata motzei kedushah). There can only be holiness where there are boundaries. There can only be holiness where there are boundaries. You know, is it a coincidence... I don't know if I should even say this. You can't even say anything today. You get in trouble. Alright, I'll get in trouble. Listen, if I lose my job, I've always wanted to make Aliyah. So... Maybe I shouldn't say this. I'm not chalilah, people have gotten in trouble. You can't blame any victims. Perpetrators need to be locked up, criticized, condemned, they're horrible, they need to be called out. We need to create infrastructure going forward that protects the vulnerable, women, children. I believe, I agree, I work every day for those values. That said, that importantly said, it's not a coincidence that in this morally depraved culture we live, where there's no sense of modesty, no sense of boundary, no sense of identity, no sense of appropriateness, is it a coincidence that it's against that backdrop that we're suffering from all of these other consequences of people having those negative experiences. That was Sdom. That was Sdom when you're driven by the lust and the passion, by the openness, by no boundaries. Again, no one's blaming a victim. What I'm advocating is, to ensure we have no future victims, because we care about the victim and never blame them, we need to have a return to modesty. That's the name of a book by Wendy Shalit, who's coming actually to speak soon in shul. Didn't make it into the brochure, but she's coming. And and that's that's what the Kli Yakar is describing. Sdom was an absolutely morally depraved, corrupt, boundary-less, immodest society. Anything goes anywhere, anyhow, any way you want to dress, any way you want to conduct yourself, anything you want to post, anything you want to access, any way you want to behave, demanding that the world respect that, accept that, see it as legitimate. And it's against that backdrop. A culture, we live in a world where marketing and PR, I mean, we can't have it both ways. The entire marketing industry is leveraged on turning women into sex objects. And then, now there's backlash, how could people possibly ever see women in that way? So, we have to readjust the way that we see the world, run the world. Again, chalilah, never blaming a victim, advocating and protecting victims, but it's exactly what the Kli Yakar says. בכל מקום שיש גדר ערוה שם אתה מוצא קדושה (B'chol makom sheyeish geder ervah sham ata motzei kedushah). Only when there are healthy boundaries of modesty can you have holiness. So a Sdom which lacked it couldn't have holiness. So if they were so righteous, the righteous, and they really craved holiness, they should have left. The Kli Yakar continues... I understand God if you're sending a emissary, they can't distinguish between the righteous and the wicked. And the righteous are also accountable for staying. But God, you said you're coming down yourself to see. You God know the difference between the righteous and the and the corrupt. So therefore the Kli Yakar says that's what's going on here in this in this conversation. We have a lot more, we did two psukim. Not bad. I can make my note now and know exactly where to pick up next year, pasuk chaf daled. Two psukim. Okay, we made our way. But we'll pick up from here, im yirtzeh Hashem.
