Transcript
Okay, good morning. Good morning. I am so used to the פרשה שיעור parsha shiur being in the morning. Good evening. שבוע טוב Shavua tov, גוט וואך gut vach. Thank you for adjusting the schedule because I had to adjust my schedule. I see it brought some new blood, who could come in the evenings not in the morning, so maybe we should do it at night regularly, who knows? But thank you for coming. Okay, all right, everyone relax. But thank you for coming on this ride whenever we do. A huge thank you to our פרשה parsha series sponsors, Becky and Avi Katz and family in loving memory of Becky's father, David Grossman, לעילוי נשמת דוד בן מנחם מנשה Eilui nishmas David ben Menachem Manis. If you'd like to sponsor a פרשה שיעור parsha shiur, we always appreciate your support and generosity. We're on פרשת וירא Parshas Vayera, page 78 in the Artscroll Stone חומש Chumash and we are continuing the story of the birth of our people. And our people were born not as a people, our people were born first as a family. And the book of בראשית Bereishis is all about the introduction of a family. And a family, I say this all the time, you know what the definition of a dysfunctional family is? Any family with more than one person in it. And our people, our first family was dysfunctional. And ספר בראשית Sefer Bereishis is the journey of trying to find functionality, of trying to reconcile and build relationships, of trying to advance in eliminating some of the challenges of parenthood, in marriage, of sibling rivalry. All of these relationships are being worked out and they are for forboding, forbearing of the lives that we have. מעשה אבות סימן לבנים Maaseh avos siman l'banim, we are learning from those who came before us.So וירא אליו ה' Vayera elav Hashem. Last week we were introduced to אברהם אבינו Avraham Avinu. אברהם אבינו Avraham Avinu, our great patriarch, set the path for us of לך לך lech lecha. As we spoke about last week, what was the destination? Where were the coordinates? Where was he going? לך Lech, go. Where? לך Lecha, into yourself. Find yourself. We mentioned the Challenge. The מדרש Medrash tells us, מדרש רבה Midrash Rabbah, where did Avram discover God? Has Avram been successful by the way? If you look around the globe today, Islam is a monotheistic religion. The רמב\"ם Rambam paskins that it's not idolatry. It's monotheistic Islam. A Jew technically is allowed to enter a mosque. It is not a form of idolatry. Christianity more complicated, it is a form of idolatry, but it is based, is an advanced, the רמב\"ם Rambam writes, Christianity at least is an advancement over the paganism that existed. So if you look at the globe today, you look at the majority of the world population today between Christianity, Islam, and that small sliver you call the Jewish people, Avram had an enormous influence. When you consider the world were pagans, bowing down to idols and stones, worshipping the fire and the sun and the moon, and today there's a notion so much so that it would be an anathema. If you'd meet somebody and you'd say, what kind of religion are you religious? Yes. What religion are you? Oh, look at my I bow down to this little idol. I bow down to the sun, you would say, what? Who, where? What are you talking about? In Washington Heights where I went to Yeshiva, there were people who, I don't know, they slaughtered chickens, there was some kind of weird voodoo worship that was going on. But for the most part, for the most part, mainstream religion is some form of monotheism, certainly a lot closer to monotheism than what existed. Avram was enormously successful. Where did he discover it? Where did he find it? The מדרש Medrash says, מאצמו למד תורה me'atzmo lamad Torah, not בעצמו be'atzmo, not by himself, not all alone, which we would have understood. Avram didn't have a חברותא chavrusa, there was no study partner. He was alone in this quest, in this journey. I would have understood בעצמו be'atzmo by himself, but it's not what the מדרש Medrash says. What the מדרש Medrash says is מאצמו me'atzmo, from inside himself, he found the truth from inside himself. Because the truth is in us. We have that spark, we have that soul, we have that intuition of godliness, of the truth. And all too often, we look around and we're trying to find the answer elsewhere. If only I went to the right conference, if only I read the right book, if only I had the right seminar, if only I heard the right evidence and proofs for God's existence. If only I had the right רבי Rabbi who inspired me. If only I had the eighth grade teacher who would have set me on the right path. If only I had the right spouse or children, then I'd be living an inspired life. Avram didn't find excuses. He didn't have any role models or inspiration. מאצמו למד תורה Me'atzmo lamad Torah, he found the answer in himself and in that way, מגן אברהם Magen Avraham, God preserved the Avraham in us. We, we have all, I'm not saying do it on your own. We have a community, and we have classes, and we have incredible books, and we have scholars, and we have technology. We have amazing ways to learn and study and grow together. But stop waiting to find the answer outside yourself. The answer is in us, in us. Was it Picasso who said, inspiration exists, but it has to find you working. I think it was Picasso. Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working. You can't sit back on a recliner and wait. You're just gonna press play on some podcast and now, ooh, that changed my life. You have to work, מאצמו me'atzmo, לך לך lech lecha, go find ourselves within ourselves. So Avram Avinu, the ברית מילה bris milah, Avram Avinu, circumcision. Could spend a lot of time on it, we won't. What the idea, if you were going to make a covenant, if you were going to make a place on the human body to have a sign and a symbol of a special relationship and allegiance to God, it probably would be a different area. Maybe a tattoo on your forehead, maybe a piercing, an extra piercing in the ear, tattoo on the arm, you know, tattoo God's name on your neck. Why the ברית bris is where it is, is a whole story, is a whole very powerful and very motivational. But Avram gives a ברית bris to his son, gives a ברית bris, Yishmael, gives a ברית bris to himself. And now, the third day of his recovery, the story picks up. The next scene, the the curtain lifts, and Avram is sitting outside his tent, and it's the heat of the day, and the sun is powerfully baking, baking, so there are no guests. And Avram is the third day after surgery, third day after surgery, any doctor will tell you, well any doctor will just tell you, but anyone who had surgery will actually testify that the third day after surgery is the hardest and the worst, and that's the day Avram is sitting outside the tent. יושב פתח האהל כחום היום Yoshev pesach ha'ohel kechom hayom. וישא עיניו וירא Vayisa einav vayar, and he sees three seeming men, three angels in the guise of men, נצבים עליו nitzavim alav, they're standing over him. We examined these psukim last year, you could listen to what we said. וירא וירץ לקראתם Vayar vayaratz likrasam, he goes and he runs to greet them, מפתח האהל וישתחו ארצה mi'pesach ha'ohel vayishtachu artza and bows down, prostrates himself before them. ויאמר אדני אם נא מצאתי חן בעיניך אל נא תעבר מעל עבדך Vayomar, Adonai im na matzasi chen be'einecha al na sa'avor me'al avdecha. Avram, who's recovering, Avram who belongs in bed, is running after these guests, because Avram, the thought of not being hospitable, the thought of living only for himself and not for others is more painful than any surgery even without anesthetic. Avram is suffering, so God provides him these angels in the form of men so he could be hospitable, so he could be hospitable. And now he greets them, יקח נא מעט מים yukach na me'at mayim, and so on. What was Avram doing right before they arrived? What was he doing sitting outside that tent? Could have used an ice bath. What was he doing sitting outside that tent? There you go, it took exactly seven minutes and three seconds. What was he doing outside that tent? He was in a conversation with the Almighty, God was visiting him. God was doing ביקור חולים bikur cholim, God was modeling visiting the sick. And God, Avram says to God, could you just hold on one second? I've got some guests I've got to tend to. God Almighty, master of the universe, King of Kings, and Avram puts him on hold? Instead of telling the guests, wait there, sorry, I'm with God, or not even, I'm not even going to address you or acknowledge you, I am talking to God. We've spoken about this in the past, but to put it simply, God would rather us be like Him than talk to Him. In that moment, Avram had a choice. Imitate God, be Godlike, or talk to God. And God says, I would rather you be like me, imitate me than talk to me. Me, you could come back to anytime, but right now you have a chance to imitate me. You have a chance to be my my ambassador, my angel, to represent me. You have a chance to represent me. So three men come. Why are there three men? Because there are three angels. Why do we need three angels? Avram's angels, why do we need three angels? So רש\"י Rashi famously tells us, אחד לבשר את שרה echad l'vaser es Sarah, one to inform Sarah, she's going to have a child. אחד להפוך את סדום Echad l'hafoch es Sdom, one to destroy the evil, wicked city of Sdom. ואחד לרפאות את אברהם V'echad l'rapos es Avraham, and one who came to heal Avram. שאין מלאך אחד עושה שתי שליחות She'ein malach echad oseh shtei shlichus. One angel can't fulfill two missions. So even though these were three missions, you'd say bundle them, do it more efficiently, send one angel, they're angels after all. An angel is an extension and expression of God in this world. So let the angel just execute all three missions. Why three angels? So because we have a, we have a principle that one mission per angel. Says רב שמואל בירנבוים Rav Shmuel Barenbaum. He named him a... what is this principle? These angels are not human beings, they don't live with free will, they don't struggle in this world. They are expressions of God in this world. An angel is when God is winking or hugging, when something is not a coincidence but is choreographed, curated from above, that's an angel. That's our angel. That's the angel who was right where we needed them to be. That's an angel. What does it mean an angel can only do one mission? What's the message of that? It's not for the angels, but there's obviously a message and inspiration for us. Says רב שמואל בירנבוים Rav Shmuel Barenbaum, you know what the message is? אם מלאך אחד יעשה שתי שליחויות, נמצא שיש רק כמו חצי מלאך לכל שליחות ושליחות im malach echad yaaseh shtei shlichuyos, nimtza she'yesh rak k'mo chatzi malach l'chol shlichus v'shlichus. We live in a world that people think that they can easily, they're easily multitasking. But when you multitask, you're not paying attention to either task. If an angel is multitasking, they're neglecting both tasks, they're not accomplishing two at once. There's an attention deficit. If a person wants to accomplish, if a person wants to achieve, they have to be devoted, they have to be dedicated, they have to be mindful, they have to be focused, they have to be concentrated. That's the message that every angel can only have one mission because if that angel descended with multiple missions, which is it? וזה מוסר השכל גדול לנו על דבר מצוה, צריך לעשותו בכל כוחותיו V'zeh musar haskel gadol lanu al dvar mitzvah, tzarich la'asoso b'chol kochosav. A person has to do whatever they're doing with all their energy. וכן בלימוד התורה שהוא עיקר השליחות שלנו, צריך ללמוד בכל כוחותיו V'chein b'limud haTorah shehu ikar ha'shlichus shelanu, tzarich lilmod b'chol kochosav. A person has to be focused, devoted, learning that mitzvah, that interaction, that person with all of our energy. We are living in a generation of absent present, what sociologists, psychologists call absent present. What's absent present? Go to a restaurant and see two people who supposedly are dining together but they're both on their phone. Go to the park and see a mother, see a grandfather pushing a child on a swing but looking at their phone. That's absent present. Physically they're there, but you are wherever your mind is. If you think you're multitasking, you are, the בעל שם טוב Baal Shem Tov said, you are wherever your mind is. You are wherever your mind is. So if you're in shul and you're saying the words in the siddur, you're praying, but you're thinking about the stock market or your to-do list at work tomorrow, you're thinking about whatever it is, you're not really praying. You are wherever your mind is, absent presence. A מלאך malach, you want to be an angel, you want to accomplish, you want to be an ambassador, an emissary of the Almighty, focus, focus, directed, mindful, present in whatever it is what we're doing. We daven for this every day. ויחד לבבנו לאהבה וליראה את שמך V'yached l'vaveinu l'ahava u'l'yirah es shmecha. We say in אהבה רבה Ahavah Rabbah, ויחד לבבנו v'yached l'vaveinu, make our heart singular, make it focused, make it present, make it not be competing to love and to have awe of your name. Hashem, whatever task I'm meant to be doing, let me be fully engrossed and occupied in it at that moment. Whoever I'm talking to, I'm only with that person. Whatever activity I'm engaged in, that's what I'm meant to be doing in that moment, fully present in whatever I'm doing. A rav has to be like a מלאך ה' צבאות malach Hashem Tzvakos. The פסק in the נביא Novi, in the prophet מלאכי Malachi says, כי שפתי כהן ישמרו דעת ותורה יבקשו מפיהו כי מלאך ה' צבאות הוא ki sifsei kohen yishmeru daas v'sorah yevakshu mipihu ki malach Hashem Tzvakos hu. The פסק says, שפתי כהן ישמרו דעת sifsei kohen yishmeru daas, the lips of the kohen protect the knowledge. תורה Torah you should request from such a person, because such a teacher is like an angel, an angel of God. And the גמרא Gemara learns from here, the גמרא Gemara מועד קטן דף י\"ז Moed Katan daf yud zayin learns from here, אם דומה הרב למלאך ה' צבאות, תורה יבקשו מפיהו. אם לאו, אל יבקשו מפיהו Im domeh ha'rav l'malach Hashem Tzvakos, Torah yevakshu mipihu. Im lav, al yevakshu mipihu. If your teacher is angelic, then learn from them. If your teacher is not, don't learn from him. And there's a lot of ways of understanding this lesson. It means that your teacher can't just be conveying, transmitting information, they have to be practicing it. If you don't think that their outside and inside match, the person's not putting into practice what they preach, that shouldn't be your teacher. That's not our teacher. Torah is something that has to filter down. It's not from the neck up. It's not intellectual, academic. It has to filter down below the neck. It has to be something that we execute, we put into practice. דומה למלאך Domeh l'malach, we have to be like an angel. We have to be like an angel. Others understand and interpret it to mean, an angel, an angel doesn't walk, an angel is called an עומד omeid, stand still. A human being is a מהלך mahalach, walks. A human being is making progress, makes choices. The angel doesn't live with free will. That teacher has to be so dedicated to the students that they are willing to suspend their own personal growth, what's in their own interest, because they're so devoted to the student. Be much more convenient. They'd have much more time if you didn't teach, to learn to yourself, have a lot more time, but it doesn't matter. That's another interpretation. But of what רב שמואל בירנבוים Rav Shmuel Barenbaum is interpreting it is, הרב צריך להיות דומה למלאך שיש לו רק תפקיד אחד, שליחות אחת ha'rav tzarich l'hiyos domeh l'malach she'yesh lo rak tafkid echad, shlichus achas. That teacher, that Rebbe, that rav, that morah, that role model has to not be fractured, divided, can't be multitasking, has to be devoted and has to be focused, like an angel. An angel has one mission, that teacher has one mission, to inspire and transform and elevate and empower and enrich those students. That's why the teacher is compared to an angel. So the message says רב שמואל בירנבוים Rav Shmuel Barenbaum, that an angel can only have one שליחות shlichus is not about the angel, the message is for us. If we are to be angels towards one another, in the moment we're paying a shiva call, don't be on your phone, don't be talking to somebody else. You're paying the shiva call. You're visiting the sick, you're visiting the sick. Studying Torah, you're studying Torah. You're doing that mitzvah, you're doing that mitzvah. Whatever we're doing, to immerse ourselves entirely in that activity, to fulfill that mission of that moment, because if we're trying to complete multiple missions in any moment, we're not completing multiple, we're not completing any. We're not completing any. Avram reacts, he sees these angels and he runs. They're three because there's three missions and he runs and he goes to be able to provide. פרק י\"ח, פסוק ח'. ויקח חמאה וחלב ובן הבקר אשר עשה ויתן לפניהם והוא עומד עליהם תחת העץ ויאכלו Vayikach chem'ah v'chalav u'ven habakar asher asah v'yiten lifneihem v'hu omeid aleihem tachas ha'etz vayochelu. He stands over them and they and they eat. Says the לבוש Levush, says רב דרוק Rav Druck. What does it mean and they eat, ויאכלו vayochelu? The גמרא בבא מציעא Gemara Bava Metzia tells us the following. רש\"י Rashi. נראה כמו שאכלו Nir'eh k'moshe'achlu. These are angels. Do angels eat? Angels don't eat. Angels don't have an appetite, angels don't have a body. They're only in the form of a person. So נראה כמו שאכלו nir'eh k'moshe'achlu. They went through the motions to look like they were eating. שלא ישנה אדם מן המנהג Shelo yeshaneh adam min haminhag. We learn from here that follow whatever the local custom. You don't need to, it's not your thing, it's not your tradition. Whatever is the local custom, whatever the people do, that's what you should do. The גמרא בבא מציעא Gemara Bava Metzia learns this, אמר רב תחנא בר חנילאי לעולם אל ישנה אדם מן המנהג amar Rav Tanchum bar Chanilai l'olam al yeshaneh adam min haminhag. Never deviate from the local custom. שמשה עלה למרום ולא אכל לחם she'Moshe alah l'marom v'lo achal lechem, because Moshe ascended on the top of Mount Sinai to go receive the Torah, he didn't eat. And the מלאכים malachim came down and they ate. So you see, each one violated what they normally do. Moshe, the mere mortal, the human who normally eats, climbed the mountain and went 40 days without eating. The angels who ordinarily don't eat, they came down and they ate, they went through the motions, they look like they were eating. But it's a great question. I understand, says רב דרוק Rav Druck, the מלאכים malachim, they came down, but אברהם אבינו Avraham Avinu, how could you prevent anything from אברהם אבינו Avraham Avinu going up? My understanding, says רב דרוק Rav Druck, is that when Moshe went up, he had an option to eat. Nobody packed him a lunch box. He didn't bring a bagel and cream cheese with him. He was in the heavens, he wasn't eating. Where is an evidence from here, you see you should follow the local custom when Moshe went up he didn't eat, when the angels came down they did eat. I understand the lesson, the message from the angels, where do you see the lesson or message from Moshe? Says רב דרוק Rav Druck, When Moshe ascended on high, he was angelic. He didn't need to eat or drink. He was on the level of an angel. What happened though when he came down? Once he had tasted, pun intended, the option of not needing to eat or drink, he had expressed and realized the capacity to be an angel, not a mere mortal, to not depend on food, he could have continued to live that way when he came back, but he didn't. He didn't. Why? He wanted to demonstrate to all of us what I would say, why am I sharing this particular דבר תורה dvar Torah, it speaks to me because my רבי Rebbe, one of the reasons that רב שכטר Rav Schechter is my רבי Rebbe is, he teaches often that one of the principles of Judaism, of יידישקייט Yiddishkeit is be normal. Normal. If your Judaism is making you extreme, eccentric, out of the norm, stand out, that's not Judaism. Following הלכה halacha, Jewish law, living a Torah lifestyle, just be normal. Sometimes you'd ask, just be normal. Just be normal. Again, within הלכה halacha. Who's normal? What's normal? How do you define normal? You're not supposed to tell someone they're not normal. But whatever we define. And that's what Moshe Rabbeinu came back down. Now Moshe could have come back down, joined the camp, and now said I don't need to eat or drink anymore, I'm an angel, but he didn't. Why? Because he wanted to be normal. And if normal people need to eat and drink, Moshe who is the least normal of any human being ever, but nevertheless he wanted to follow the מנהג העולם minhag ha'olam. So the angels came down and ate, and even though Moshe went up and didn't need to eat, when he came back down, he went back to eating. Why? Because יידישקייט Yiddishkeit is meant, be normal. A יידישקייט Yiddishkeit of of being normal. Now the angels come and they have a message for Avram. Avram, how old is Avram now? He's 99. And Sarah? 90. And what's the message for them? Good news. Not till רב צבי קושילבסקי Rav Tzvi Kushelevsky this past year, we thought that this was all a crazy exaggeration, could never happen, but the great Rosh Yeshiva, רב צבי קושילבסקי Rav Tzvi Kushelevsky this past year, who waited and longed his entire life to have a child, had his first child this past year at the age, how old was he? 86? 83. He had his first child. He had his first child, and it's an amazing image seeing him pushing a stroller with a baby in it. It's an unbelievable image. And it brings to life פרשת וירא Parshas Vayera, Avram and Sarah. So the angel came in order to report this message. פרק י\"ח, פסוק י'. ויאמרו אליו איה שרה אשתך Vayomru eilav, ayeih Sarah ishtecha? Where's your wife Sarah? ויאמר הנה באהל Vayomer, hinei ba'ohel. And Avram says, \"Oh, my wife Sarah, she's in the tent.\" Now why is she in the tent? We've shared in the past, Rav Soloveitchik's insight, the modesty, the humility of Sarah. Sarah is a transformational figure. Sarah is so significant that when she passes away next week's parsha, we don't hear from Avram again. Avram lives some 30 more years without Sarah, but his impact on the world, his influence is no longer felt without his life partner. Sarah is singular, she is unique, she is the mother of our people, she is a powerhouse, but she has no problem being באהל ba'ohel in the tent, living modestly, understanding where's her influence, but on her modesty, not being a contradiction to it. ויאמרו אליו Vayomru eilav. רש\"י Rashi says, יודעים היו מלאכי השרת ששרה אמנו היכן היא yodim hayu malachei ha'shareis she'Sarah imeinu heichan hi. Now these are angels. Angels are an extension of the Almighty God. They've got X-ray vision. They know exactly where Sarah is. Why did they say to Avram, \"Nu, vi is Sarah?\" They spoke Yiddish probably. \"Where is your wife Sarah? Where is Sarah?\" Why? אלא, listen to רש\"י Rashi. כדי להודיע שהיא צנועה היתה, כדי לחבבה על בעלה Ella kedei l'hodia she'hi tznua hayta, kedei l'chav'vah al ba'alah. Because they wanted to inspire Avram, they wanted to make Avram fall in love with his wife all over again. So when they say where's your wife Sarah, and he says, oh she's in the tent, my wife is so modest and so humble, she doesn't need the spotlight, she doesn't need to be front and center, she's busy taking care, providing, cooking, caring, learning, teaching, but she's but wow. They reminded him about how special she is in order to make him fall in love with her all over again. So happens to be a very important mission these angels had. One of the most amazing things that you can do is compliment someone's spouse to them. If you tell someone, do you know your husband, your wife, what they did for me, how kind they were, how amazing, how much I look up to them, the difference they make in our community, it's very important. It's very important because the longer we live together, the longer we are one, the more we take for granted, the more stale, the more we just live. But when someone, an outsider comes and points out and says, the same way you get a נחת nachas note about your child, the teacher calls home or sends the email and says, your child did something that stood out, it meant something, it was beautiful. When it happens about a spouse, it's also very meaningful. But here's what רב וולבה Rav Volbe says in שיעורי חומש Shiurei Chumash, listen to this רב וולבה Rav Volbe. It's unbelievable, רב וולבה Rav Volbe. You stayed up late tonight, you missed early bird, just for this רב וולבה Rav Volbe. פרשה זו כולה באה ללמד הלכות חסד Parsha zu kulah ba'ah l'lamed hilchos chesed. This entire parsha comes to teach us how to do loving kindness. Avram is taking care of these nomads and Avram and Sarah and their love and hospitality. The guest, it's not only the host who has rules and regulations, not only the host has a protocol of how to do chesed, the guest also can do chesed. The malachim that asked heichan Sarah, they knew exactly where she was, but by asking they'd make him fall in love with her all over again. So when you're a guest and you compliment the host, the hostess, when you acknowledge and accentuate something special, you're causing the people who live in that home maybe who take it for granted, taka the challah is delicious. It's a big deal that mommy goes out of her way and bakes her own challah each week. Taka Abba gave a beautiful dvar Torah, it had a story and a beginning and an end and it was inspiring. Most importantly it was very short. Amazing. Amazing. When the guest compliments, we recently on Behind the Bima had Erica Brown who's going to be speaking here in a few weeks. Amazing person, amazing teacher. Amazing teacher of of academics, but amazing teacher of life. And one of the things she pointed out is the emphasis, the importance of הכרת הטוב hakaras hatov of gratitude. Real gratitude is not generic. Real gratitude is not generic. When you write a thank you card, thank you for the Bar Mitzvah gift, thank you for the wedding gift, thank you for the hosting me. But when you spell out after we had her on Behind the Bima, we had to be very careful with the thank you note we sent her. But when you spell out what it is specifically, thank you for having me. I love this and that and this part of the experience and this made me feel so comfortable and this thing was so amazing and that made me feel so at home, it's an altogether different expression of gratitude. When you specifically spell things out and acknowledge what you love, you change the gratitude. So we're used to thinking that we have protocol for how to host, but we also have a system for how to be a guest. How to be a gracious guest, a good guest, a grateful guest, and how to create and arouse love within the family as a guest. That's what the angels come and they do. That's not why I'm telling you this. Listen to this. This is what רב וולבה Rav Volbe says. אברהם אבינו היה אז בן תשעים ותשע שנה Avraham Avinu haya az ben tishim v'tesha shana. Avram is 99 years old. Now we know that Avram married Sarah. How old was he? 25. ואם כן, היה זה יותר משבעים שנה אחרי החתונה V'im kein, haya zeh yoser m'shivim shana acharei ha'chasna. How long are they married when these angels show up and are trying to make Avram fall in love with Sarah again? When they're trying to say something that will make Avram see the beauty and be attracted to Sarah all over again, how long have Avram and Sarah been married? They celebrated their 70th anniversary. 70 years, קיין עין הרע keinayna hara, הלוואי halevai. זה חידוש גדול כי לכאורה ענין חיבוב הבעלה שייך אצל חתן וכלה Ze chiddush gadol ki l'chorei inyan chibuv ha'baylah shayach eitzel chosson v'kallah. Now I would understand, I would understand you go up to the bride and the groom during their week of שבע ברכות sheva brachos, the week after the wedding, and you tell the groom, you know your bride is amazing, you know she did this thing. You go up to the bride and say, your groom, the dvar Torah he gave at the חתן טיש chosson tish, he's special. Why? They're in their first week of marriage, the first year of marriage, maybe the first decade of marriage, so you want to just point out to make them fall in love all over again. They're married 70 years. קיין עין הרע Keinayna hara, how long? 72 years. Unbelievable. So Rabbi Fox, Mrs. Fox is amazing. You should know how special she is. She's an incredible person. She's so generous and kind and her smile and her compliments, how easygoing she is. At 72 years of marriage, says Rav Volbe, what you see from here is that at 72 years of marriage, more than Avram and Sarah were at this point, you still need to work on marriage. 72 years of marriage, you still need to come home with flowers and write a nice card and outsiders have to point out to make people fall in love. ורחוקים מן החתונה, שייך עדיין חיבוב הבעלה V'roktem min ha'kallah v'chosson v'chibuv ha'baylah. Avram and Sarah, they really need romance? They're Avram and Sarah. These are the greatest spiritual giants of the generation. אלא אלו הן חיי נישואין תמיד צריך לחבב את אשתו על בעלה Ella, elu hen chayei nisuin, tamid tzarich l'chavev es ishto al ba'alah. In marriage, you constantly, consistently need to create love and romance and attraction and attention, even at 70 years, even at 72 years. קיין עין הרע Keinayna hara, כן ירבו kein yirbu. I never saw it inside but I heard someone quote that the Rambam writes somewhere, how do you say wife in Hebrew? אשה Isha. How do you say woman in Hebrew? We don't have a better word, another word for wife? We're using the same word. A woman is an אשה isha, and a wife is an אשה isha. A husband is a בעל baal, but a wife is an אשה isha. Why? Because a husband has to always think of her as the woman he's trying to court, as the woman he's trying to land, as the woman he's trying to agree to marry him. The moment she's a wife, now he's going to stop holding doors, now he's going to stop serving her first, now he thinks he no longer needs to to to put his socks in the hamper. He won her over, they're married, they're done. Their joint bank account, joint name on the house. It's too late, it's over, it is what it is, they're married. No, no. A wife is an אשה isha. She's always the woman you're trying to impress. She's always the woman you're trying to win over. She's always the woman that you're trying to land and to make yours and therefore she remains an אשה isha, there is no word for wife, it's the same word as woman because she always, that means always remains that woman that you're trying to impress. 70 years Avram and Sarah are married and the מלאך malach still says, I want to be מחבב אשה על בעלה m'chavev isha al ba'alah, I'm still trying to bring them and draw them together. פרק י\"ח פסוק י\"א Perek yud ches, pasuk yud alef. אברהם ושרה זקנים באים בימים, חדל להיות לשרה ארח כנשים V'Avraham v'Sarah zekeinim ba'im bayamim, chadal l'hiyos l'Sarah orach k'nashim. Avram and Sarah were old, they were well on in years. The manner of women had ceased to be with Sarah. Sarah was no longer experiencing her period, she was no longer fertile. רש\"י Rashi says even further, no longer fertile, she didn't even have a womb. She didn't have a uterus. She had a hysterectomy, she wasn't born with a uterus. It was scientifically impossible for her to mother a child. Only nothing is impossible when Hashem promises you. How does the פסק pasuk describe them? They are, they are זקנים באים בימים zekeinim ba'im bayamim. Says the גמרא בבא קמא Gemara Bava Kamma, איזה מטבע של אברהם אבינו, זקן וזקנה מצד אחד ובחור ובתולה מצד אחר eizeh matbe'a shel Avraham Avinu, zaken u'zkeina mitzad echad u'vachur u'vsula mitzad echer. The coin of Avram Avinu has a young man and woman on one side and a empty nester, senior. Is it okay if I say older, old, on the other side? This comment of the Gemara, of the Talmud, what's the idea? The fact that the coin was minted with the image of youth and also with seniority? זקן וזקנה מצד אחד, בחור ובתולה מצד אחר Zaken u'zkeina m'tzad echad, bachur u'betulah m'tzad acher. This is how אברהם אבינו Avraham Avinu minted his coin with that image. What's the significance of that image? ודאי טמון כאן מסר עצום שביקש אברהם אבינו להנחיל, להשריש בכל מקום Vaday tamun kan messer atzum she'bikesh Avraham Avinu l'hanchil, l'hashrish b'chol makom. If that's how you mint your coin, that's your message. If I said to you, if I said to you, right, Tim Ferriss in his Titans, Tools of Titans, when he interviews all these greats including Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, זכרונו לברכה zichrono livracha, he asks, if you could have a billboard on I-95, what would it say? If someone gave you a free billboard with a message, what would you want it to say? So what does Avram put on his coin, he mints on his coin, he puts on his billboard? A בחור bachur and a and a and a בתולה betulah. He puts a young image and an older image. Why? What's that real about? What's that about?So, המסר הנקב בו, יש לו כח לחלחל בתודעתו של אדם ומשכנע עלינו להבין מה רצה אברהם אבינו Ha'messer ha'nekev bo, yesh lo koach l'chalchel b'toda'ato shel adam u'meshachnea aleinu l'havin ma ratza Avraham Avinu. אבי מורי Avi mori says Rav Druk quoting from his father, the great, the great מגיד maggid, Rav Mordechai Druk. היה נוהג לומר בדרך מליצה, כי שונה תאוות ממון מכל תאוות. יש תאוות שמעסיקות רק את הצעירים, ויש תאוות שמעסיקות רק את הזקנים. מטבע שהוא כסף הוא תאווה השווה לכולם. Haya nohag lomar b'derech melitzah, ki shona ta'avat mamon mikol ta'avot. Yesh ta'avot she'ma'asikot rak et ha'tze'irim, v'yesh ta'avot she'ma'asikot rak et ha'zkeinim. Matbe'a shehu kesef hu ta'avah ha'shavah l'chulam. You know what Avram's message was? There are, there are temptations. There are drives and temptations that affect young, but they're not as powerful when you get older. There are drives that affect the old, but they don't yet exist when you're young. Money is a drive and a temptation that influences young and old alike. A person never graduates the temptation of money. And that was the message. מטבע שכולם תובעים בו Matbe'a shekulam tovim bo. It was a coin, a coinage, it was a mint, כולם kulam, everybody is longing for the money. On one side young, another side old, everyone equally has a drive, a temptation for money. Be guarded, be careful, be mindful of the influence of money. That's what his father said. However, Rav Druk himself, Rav Yisrael Meir Druk שליט\"א shlita, יתכן לבאר בזה באופן נוסף. כי המטבע של אברהם אבינו בא ללמדנו כיצד להסתכל על החיים. Yitachen l'va'er b'zeh b'ofen nosaf. Ki ha'matbe'a shel Avraham Avinu ba l'lamdeinu keitzad l'histakel al ha'chaim. This coin of Avram was coming to teach us how to look at life. שהרי אדם בצעירותו מרגיש כי נותר לו זמן רב Sheharei adam b'tze'iruto margish ki notar lo zman rav. When a person's young, they have their whole life ahead of them. When you're young, you think time is unlimited. Time will never catch up with me. I'll get to, I'll accomplish, I'll achieve, I'll go, I'll say, I'll do, I'll spend time. לכן חקוק על המטבע של אברהם זקן וזקנה מצד אחד, ובחור ובתולה מצד שני. כדי שנסתכל על הצד השני של המטבע ונראה כי הסוף מגיע ויבוא יום ונהיה זקנים. Lachen chakuk al ha'matbe'a shel Avraham zaken u'zkeina m'tzad echad, u'vachur u'betulah m'tzad sheini. Kedei she'nistakel al ha'tzad ha'sheini shel ha'matbe'a v'nireh ki ha'sof magia v'yavo yom v'nihyeh zkeinim. When you're young, look at the side of the coin that is the image of older people and know that time is going to affect all of us. We are all subject to מעשה הזמן ma'aseh ha'zman. It's going to affect all of us. And therefore, when you're young, appreciate and understand, time is the most precious commodity we have. Don't waste it, don't squander it. Killing time is an act of murder. You can't replenish it. You can always make more money, you can always get more things, you can always rebuild a home. But time you can never get back. Cherish it, use it to its fullest, because we're all going to run out of it. And the later in life and the less time we have left, the more precious that time is. So when a person is young and they feel time is endless and it's limitless and I'll get to it, look at the side of the coin, the image of the older people and be inspired and motivated to live life to the fullest now.But the opposite is also true. A person when they get older they think that's it, I'm done, I'm finished, I'm fixed, עובר ובטל over u'batel, I'm finished. Look at the side of youth. Age is just a number. If you're youthful, you could be over a hundred years old and still put on a suit and tie and come and give דברי תורה divrei Torah. You could be a hundred years old. Herman Wouk wrote his last book, he was a hundred years old. You understand he was a hundred years old and he said, \"I got another book I want to write.\" I'm not done, I'm not finished. He had a whole library. I have another book I want to write. Age is just a number. Youthfulness is a mentality, it is an attitude, it is an energy. Some in fact, only in their older years, when they no longer have to be preoccupied with their occupation, now have the time to apply their energy to be youthful, to what matters most, to what will be in fact eternal and immortal. So that's the message of the two sides of the coin. When you're young, look at the older people. When you're old, look at the younger people and live life with the two sides of that coin, knowing which side you need to look at. A very beautiful idea from Rav Druk. He continues this pasuk, ואברהם זקן בא בימים v'Avraham zaken ba ba'yamim. He was זקן בא בימים zaken ba ba'yamim. What does that mean? מנעה ומה יעלה על אברהם אבינו להטביע כן זה מטבע, להעביר מסר זה, אברהם זקן בא בימים, שכל ימיו מלאים בקדושה ובעבודת השם Mana'ah u'mah ya'aleh al Avraham Avinu l'hatbi'a ken zeh matbe'a, l'ha'avir messer zeh, Avraham zaken ba ba'yamim, she'kol yamav mel'eim b'kdusha u'v'avodat Hashem. He was a זקן zaken, he was older, בא בימים ba ba'yamim. How does ArtScroll translate these words? He was older. What pasuk was this? כ\"ה Kaf-hey? No. More than years. י\"ח, י\"א Yud-chet, yud-alef. What did he say? They were old, well on in years. בא בימים Ba ba'yamim. He came with days. Well on in years. Well on in years is not what בא בימים ba ba'yamim means. ימים yamim, unless you translate ימים yamim means years. He was on in years. He was on in years. It's an expression we use. Someone is on in years. He was old, and we got to double down and make him feel bad. He was old and on in years. But Rav Druk says that's not what it means. What it means is he was a זקן zaken. He was a זקן zaken. The calendar showed, his birth certificate showed, he was old. But בא בימים ba ba'yamim, he came with days that were so full, he had so much to show for it. You could be old, but you're young in your accomplishments, you have nothing to show. You could be young and you're old in your accomplishments, you have so much to show. בא בימים Ba ba'yamim. He came with all of these days. We see this with Sarah Imeinu also. ויהיו חיי שרה מאה שנה ועשרים שנה ושבע שנים, שני חיי שרה, כלן שווין לטובה Vayihyu chayei Sarah meah shanah v'esrim shanah v'sheva shanim, shnei chayei Sarah, kulan shavin l'tovah. This notion of living our days to its fullest. He doesn't quote in here, but one of the גערער רבי Gerer Rebbes passed away a young man. And his sons at the funeral, one turned to the other and he said, at least our father had אריכות ימים arichus yamim. So the other looked at him and said, אריכות ימים arichus yamim? He passed away a young man. How could you describe that at least he had a long life? He said, I didn't say he had אריכות שנים arichus shanim. He had many years. I said he had אריכות ימים arichus yamim. He had long days. When one lives their days to their fullest, they can live a full life even if they are denied the years, even if a person dies young. So אברהם זקן בא בימים Avraham zaken ba ba'yamim, he came with full days, he lived his days to its fullest. We live our days, those are the two sides of the coin. Time is not endless. The clock is ticking. Live and cherish every moment, live it to its fullest. פרק י\"ח, פסוק י\"ז Perek yud-chet, pasuk yud-zayin. ויאמר השם, המכסה אני מאברהם אשר אני עושה Vayomer Hashem, hamechaseh ani me'Avraham asher ani oseh. So now we move on. First we have the report, Sarah is going to have a baby. Avram laughs, he's not accountable. Sarah laughs, God is disappointed. Why is Hashem okay with Avram's laughter but disappointed with Sarah's laughter? We've spoken about it in the past. I'll give you a hint, you have to look at the תרגום Targum. Look at the Aramaic translation and you'll see the word צחקה tzachaka is translated differently with Avram and Sarah. The nature of their laughter is different. There could be a laughter which is a cynical laughter, there could be a laughter which is a joyous laughter. Laughter is not all the same, the nature of their laughter was different, but we've discussed that in the in the past. Now we have the report of Sedom. Hashem says to himself, ויאמר השם, המכסה אני מאברהם אשר אני עושה Vayomer Hashem, hamechaseh ani me'Avraham asher ani oseh. Am I going to deny, am I going to conceal from Avram what I plan to do? There's an evil, wicked city of Sedom, bad people, very bad people, morally corrupt, bankrupt, depraved people. And Hashem says this world is better without them. I need to eliminate and destroy them because their wickedness is contagious. It's going to spread, it's going to metastasize, and I've already dealt with a world that needed to be rebooted and reset once. I don't want to do it again. I'm going to cut out the cancer called Sedom before it will metastasize and influence others. And then Hashem says to himself, how can I not tell Avram? How can I not tell Avram? Why? ואברהם היו יהיה לגוי גדול ועצום ונברכו בו כל גויי הארץ V'Avraham hayo yihyeh l'goy gadol v'atzum v'nivrichu bo kol goyei ha'aretz. After all, Avram's going to surely become a great and mighty nation and all the nations of the earth are going to bless themselves through him. כי ידעתיו למען אשר יצווה את בניו ואת ביתו אחריו ושמרו דרך השם לעשות צדקה ומשפט, למען הביא השם על אברהם את אשר דבר עליו. Ki y'dativ l'ma'an asher y'tzaveh et banav v'et beito acharav v'shamru derech Hashem la'asot tzedakah u'mishpat, l'ma'an havi Hashem al Avraham et asher diber alav. Hashem says, can I not tell him? After all, I love him. And why does Hashem love Avram? This is such a fascinating pasuk. Why does Hashem love Avram? Because he's the smartest, the most pious, the most righteous, the most just, the most learned? Why does he love him? Because he's going to transmit to his children, because he's dedicated to the next generation, because he's invested in the future. In a world in which so many live for the here and now, Avram is all about investing in the future. למען אשר ידעתיו, אשר יצווה את בניו ואת ביתו אחריו L'ma'an asher y'dativ, asher y'tzaveh et banav v'et beito acharav. God says, כי ידעתיו ki y'dativ, I know that he cares about and he's teaching and modeling and influencing and transmitting this to the future, so I can't hold back. I've got to tell him. What can I tell you? I've got to tell him. I've got to tell him. So I want to share with you something amazing. Where did I put it? Something amazing. The לימודי ניסן Limudei Nissan, Rav Nissan Alpert has a fascinating interpretation of this and he says the following. הרושם שנוצר ממשמעות הלשון Ha'roshem she'notzar m'mashma'ut ha'lashon. Rav Nissan Alpert was a ראש ישיבה Rosh Yeshiva at Yeshiva University. He was a תלמיד מובהק talmid muvhak of Rav Moshe Feinstein. And the collection of his דברי תורה divrei Torah on פרשה parsha is called לימודי ניסן Limudei Nissan. And he says the following on this pasuk. He says, הרושם שנוצר ממשמעות הלשון, שהקדוש ברוך הוא מסופק ומתלבט אם לגלות לאברהם מה שעושה לסדום Ha'roshem she'notzar m'mashma'ut ha'lashon, she'Hakadosh Baruch Hu mesupak u'mitlabet im l'galot l'Avraham ma she'oseh l'Sedom. As if God's debating with the המכסה אני מאברהם hamechaseh ani me'Avraham, should I tell him, not tell him? Does he need to know, not need to know? Does he deserve knowing, not deserve to know? Talking about the omnipotent, infinite, perfect God. He has internal dialogue and debate? Hashem practices IFS with himself? He has parts, no bad parts, the self and the parts. Should I tell him? Should I not tell him? Which part of me wants to tell him? חס ושלום Chas v'shalom, he's omnipotent, infinite, perfect, he's God. What is this internal debate? ונכתב בסיגנון כזה, אף על פי שאין שינוי דעת בפני המקום V'nichtav b'signon kazeh, af al pi she'ein shinui da'at bifnei ha'Makom. God doesn't have an original thought and then he convinces himself and then he has a conclusion. God is omnipotent and perfect, he's not a human being. So why does the Torah present it as if God is having this entire internal dialogue and internal conversation? So listen to what he answers. Listen to what he says. מידתו של אברהם אבינו היא, מהי Midato shel Avraham Avinu hi, what is the quintessential character trait of Avram? Avram is all about? חסד chesed. תתן אמת ליעקב, חסד לאברהם Titen emet l'Yaakov, chesed l'Avraham. Avram is the paradigm of loving kindness, of generosity, of graciousness, of goodness, of help, of love, of support, of caring about other people. אי אפשר להתחסד עם הבריות אלא אם כן משוכנע בעל החסד בחשיבות וגדולת בני אדם, הכי שפלים, ומאשפות ירים אביון I efshar l'hischased im ha'briyot ela im ken meshuchna ba'al ha'chesed b'chashivus u'gedulat bnei adam, hachi shfelim, me'ashpot yarim evyon. Says Rav Nissan Alpert, the precondition to be a בעל חסד ba'al chesed, somebody who does חסד chesed, is to be absolutely convinced of the intrinsic greatness that is within each and every human being, including those who seem to be of the lowest status. מאשפות ירים אביון Me'ashpot yarim evyon, from the dumps I will raise the impoverished. You see, from the בעל חסד'ס ba'al chesed's perspective, says Rav Nissan, every individual must be seen as possessing a spark of Godliness from which could be kindled a great light. Otherwise, how could the בעל חסד ba'al chesed continue reaching out to those whose value is least apparent? You're going to interact with someone and you're going to conclude they're not deserving of my חסד chesed. This person got themselves into this problem on their own. This person's lowly and makes poor choices. This person deserves to be in prison. This person deserves to be hungry. The whole prerequisite to חסד chesed is that there's something redeemable, admirable, that there's a Godly spark and soul inside each person. And what draws us to want to do חסד chesed for the person is connecting to the spark and the goodness and the greatness in them. But writes Rav Nissan Alpert, I wouldn't have time, I'd love to read it to you in the Hebrew. Writes in his לימודי ניסן Limudei Nissan, writes Rav Nissan Alpert, what happens, what happens if you were shown in fact that there are people in the world who've lost their humanity? What if there are people who've lost their humanity and in fact, they are no longer... אם ידע לו שבזמנו קיימים בני אדם שהם כחיות רעות Im yodea lo she'b'zmano kayamim bnei adam she'hem k'chayot ra'ot. There are people who are wild animals. ואין בהם שום זיק של אנושיות V'ein bahem shum zik shel enoshiyut. They forfeited their humanity, they no longer have a Godly soul or spirit, they are a wild animal. בהכרח שידיעה זאת תקרר התלהבותו של עשיית חסד B'hechrech she'yediah zot t'karer hitlahavuto shel asiyat chesed. So now that person who's always running to do חסד chesed is going to give pause. Here they think that every human being is created in the image of God, every human being is deserving of loving kindness, you just have to find and seek the spark inside them. But now you're exposed to somebody who's an animal, חמאס Chamas, חיזבאללה Hezbollah, ימח שמם וזכרו yemach shmam v'zichro. And now if you learn that there are people who've driven out their humanity, they forfeited their soul, and all that's left is they're a wild animal, now you're not going to want to do חסד chesed because each person you're going to wonder, are they really worthy? Are they really a Godly spark or soul, or maybe they too are just an animal? And that's what Hashem was worried about. One might therefore reason it very well might have been best Hashem not tell Avram of the level of depravity had reached the people of Sedom. In fact, Hashem had given up hope for them. They were beyond returning to humanity. They had to be destroyed. It would have been best to conceal this from Avram, let him think Sedom was being destroyed as a dramatic warning. Or let him think they were not yet deserving of such punishment, but being allowed to die now like a rebellious son. These considerations all seem to be quite reasonable, but it's so only when we're dealing with private citizens. We need their idealism, even though it might somewhat be misplaced. Must they become jaded? Let them continue showing חסד chesed. Avram's case was different, however. As one who was destined to be the father of many nations, it would be his responsibility to guide future generations. His vision needed to be much more clear. He would be making fateful decisions that would affect great nations. He therefore had to be taught to acknowledge the bitter reality that predatory creatures with human forms inhabit society. There are terrorists, there are animals. They look like human beings. They look like us, they talk like us, they look like human beings, but there are people who are so evil, so wicked, they have driven the Godly soul from inside themselves and all that's left is an animal soul. They are an animal that walks on two legs. And Avram needed to know that, that the world is filled with such people, and that they are not deserving of loving kindness. And to be kind to the cruel is to be cruel to the kind. The only proper course for such people would be strict judgment and suitable, merciless punishment. And that is what meant, as we can see, Hashem is clearly stating his reason for telling Avram. Avram will be a father of a great nation, and that responsibility, especially directed toward instituting a system of צדקה ומשפט tzedakah u'mishpat, charity and justice. Since Avram will be responsible for צדקה ומשפט tzedakah u'mishpat, for justice, Avram needed to know that such people can exist, such people can exist. I gave a shiur earlier last year, and this was one source that I quoted. I thought I brought here the rest of some of these here. The rest of some of these sources that show that our enemies that we face, these beasts, these wild beasts, who beat up Jews in Amsterdam, and it bothers me so much that Israel is telling its fans don't go to Paris for the next game or Europe. I think the opposite. The French army and police should tell Jews, please come and we'll protect you. And if they won't, Israel should go with its own security, and anyone who stands up to starts with us, show them exactly what will happen. Our enemies don't respect when we're weak. Our enemies respect our strength. What we did with pagers and how we've taken out leaders, even in the depth of enemy territory, they respect our strength. We can't cower, we can't be afraid. We have to eliminate these חיות וילדות chayot vilde, they're animals, they're wild animals. The testimony of what we know happened on October 7th, the stories Eli Beer told just this past Shabbos here in our shul, of October 7th, what happened to children and women and the elderly, hostages that are still being held 400 days later. A mind-boggling 400 days later. These are animals, they're not human beings. And I don't mean to insult animals. Rav Yosef Chaim Zonnenfeld, who lived 1848 to 1932, we'll read in this parsha, ויאמר אברהם אל נעריו שבו לכם פה עם החמור Vayomer Avraham el na'arav shvu lachem po im ha'chamor. At the end of the parsha with the עקדה Akeidah, when Avram is going and he's walking with אליעזר Eliezer and ישמעאל Yishmael and יצחק Yitzchak to bind יצחק Yitzchak on the altar, but he stops at one point and he says, אליעזר Eliezer and ישמעאל Yishmael, stay here with the donkey. The גמרא יבמות Gemara Yevamos learns, עם הדומה לחמור am ha'domeh la'chamor. That ישמעאל Yishmael is the progenitor of a nation who are like donkeys. ר' יוסף חיים זוננפלד Rav Yosef Chaim Zonnenfeld, before he came to ארץ ישראל Eretz Yisrael, היה תמה עליו איך נמשל ישמעאל לחמור haya tama alav eich nimshal Yishmael la'chamor. How could you compare ישמעאל Yishmael to a donkey? הלא בן אדם נברא בצלם אלוקים Halo ben adam nivra b'tzelem Elokim. After all, ישמעאל Yishmael is a human being. He's created in God's image. How could you compare him to a חמור chamor, to a donkey? לאחר שבא לארץ ישראל l'achar sheba l'Eretz Yisrael, but after he spent some time, Rav Yosef Chaim Zonnenfeld in Israel, היה תמה עליו להפך haya tame'ah alav la'hefech, איך החמור נמשל לישמעאל eich ha'chamor nimshal l'Yishmael? After spending some time with the descendants of ישמעאל Yishmael in Israel, he came to the opposite conclusion. How could you insult the donkey to compare ישמעאל Yishmael to him? How could you be so insulting to the donkey? It appears in a sefer, Pardes Yosef, on Parshas Vayera. We saw it in last week's parsha, when ישמעאל Yishmael is born, he's described, הוא יהיה פרא אדם hu yihyeh pera adam. He's a פרא אדם pera adam. What's a פרא אדם pera adam? He's a wild man. ידו בכל ויד כל בו Yado ba'kol v'yad kol bo. His hand is in everything, trying to take over Europe and trying to terrorize the world. ויד כל בו V'yad kol bo, and every man's hand is against him, trying to preserve their freedom and their liberty and their safety and their security. ר' שמשון רפאל הירש Rav Shimshon Refael Hirsch makes a point. It should say, הוא יהיה אדם פרא hu yihyeh adam pera. To be a wild person, a wild uncontrollable person is אדם adam, first you have the noun and then פרא pera, the adjective. What is פרא אדם pera adam? Says Rav Hirsch, the reason it's פרא אדם pera adam, פרא pera is the noun. It is who he is. It is who they are. Not all, not all, there are innocent and there are wonderful, and we have illustrious parts of our history even in those lands, but there are many and too many descendants of ישמעאל Yishmael who continue that פרא אדם pera adam, not אדם פרא adam pera, but a פרא אדם pera adam. So you see from this from Nissan Alpert, you see from Rav Shimshon Refael Hirsch, Rav Yosef Chaim Zonnenfeld, you see from several other sources that I shared, and we gave this original shiur, that there are many, many sources, Rav Shlomo Kluger has, many sources that describe that a person can be so evil, so wicked, that they purge the Godly soul inside themselves, and all that's left is an animal. Those, those animals who did what they did October 7th, they're animals. They're animals. And that's what Hashem was worried, המכסה אני מאברהם Hamechaseh ani me'Avraham? I don't know, should I tell him? Maybe he won't be this incredible engine of חסד chesed. Maybe he won't give everyone the benefit of the doubt and want to do חסד chesed if he knows that there are people who are animals and they're no longer Godly souls. But he says, what can I do? If Avram is going to be the father of of ethical monotheism, if he's going to fight for צדק ומשפט tzedek u'mishpat, he needs to know that such people exist, that such people exist.What should we do?Rav Soloveitchik. Let's bring in Rav Soloveitchik. So, Avram is informed, God tells him, \"I'm destroying Sedom. I've had it.\" But Avram doesn't take it lying down. What does Avram do? He has a debate with God. I quote this often, particularly to people going through struggle or loss or challenging times, and I say, you know, if you challenge God, protest God, debate with God, tell God you're unhappy, that is not, that is not an act of heresy. That is an act of faith. And who set the precedent for us, who gave us license to argue with God? None other than Avram. Avram says, how could you destroy, what if there are 50 innocent people? 50 righteous people, 45, 40, starts to negotiate all the way down to 10. What if there are 10 decent people? How could you destroy? Now, when Avram doesn't get his way, ultimately he surrenders to Hashem. Ultimately, he accepts the will of Hashem. And that's what we have to do also. Whether it's Avram who fights with God over Sedom, whether it's Moshe who says to God, show me your face, why do bad things happen to good people? But we have a precedent for arguing or debating with God. So Avram says, maybe there are 50 righteous men. Rashi explains, there were five cities slated for destruction, five towns if you will. Avram requested these cities be saved if 50 righteous could be found. If 10 righteous would be found in each, subsequently Avram prayed for 40, 30, 20, 10, should save the inhabitants of four, three, two, or one of the cities respectively. Ibn Ezra elaborates, Avram, in Avram's entreaties were based on the supposition that a group of 10 righteous would pray on behalf of the inhabitants of each city. Avram's reasoning behind the request is based on the understanding that specific portions of public prayer in which God's name is invoked require a minyan. We need 10 men in order to say Kaddish, Kedusha, in order to have חזרת הש\"ץ chazarat ha'shatz, in order to read the Torah. You need a minyan in order to recite דבר שבקדושה davar she'b'kedusha. The 10 men constitute a minyan is derived from a verse taken from the narrative of the 10 spies who delivered a negative report concerning the land of Israel. The 10 spies are referred to as an עדה eidah, a congregation. And according to the Gemara, an עדה eidah constitutes the unit allowing for public prayer. What is the basis for connecting between the spies who sinned and the number of people who count in a minyan? So listen to what Rav Soloveitchik says. The message behind the scriptural derivation is that 10 people can have either a profound positive or negative influence on others. In the case of the spies, the entire people revolted against Moshe's leadership due to the report of 10 people. Caleb and Yehoshua, two righteous, were helpless against the influence of the עדה eidah. Conversely, an עדה eidah, 10 people dedicated to a worthy goal can accomplish great things. Avram argued that each group of 10 righteous individuals would positively influence the population of their respective cities and save the inhabitants from destruction. In this negotiation, Avram used the phrase, והיה כצדיק כרשע v'hayah ka'tzaddik ka'rasha, so that the righteous should be like the wicked. Avram argued if God would have destroyed a city that contains 10 righteous, there would be no opportunity for the 10 to influence the רשע rasha to become a צדיק tzaddik. That number 10 cuts both ways. Ten can bring down a whole people as it did with the spies, but 10 people with the right message, it's amazingly empowering. I find that so empowering. You could transform an entire community. 10 people, the nucleus of a community, 10 people with the right and righteous ideal, with the right role modeling, with the right influence. Ten of the wrong people with the wrong ideas can corrupt everyone. But 10 of the right voices, the right people, with the right ideas, can transform everyone. What an awesome opportunity and responsibility, a difference we can make even with so few people.We'll end with this. We'll end with one more idea. I can't believe even at night the time goes by so quickly. Who knew that time goes at the same rate at night and in the morning? פרק כ\"א, פסוק י\"ט Perek kaf-alef, pasuk yud-tet. We're skipping along a lot. Sedom is destroyed, Lot is saved, Lot begs, Lot's daughters, and the very unusual roots of Moab and Amon, Lot's daughters and Lot, fascinating story in its own right. Avram in Gerar, Sarah is abducted, Avimelech appeases Avram and Sarah, the birth of Yitzchak, Hashem becomes, Sarah becomes pregnant, what we read on Rosh Hashanah. Hagar and Yishmael are expelled, kicked out of the house. Yishmael is saved, the alliance with Avimelech, and then the Akeidah. So, פרק כ\"א, פסוק י\"ט Perek kaf-alef, pasuk yud-tet. The birth of Yitzchak, and when Yitzchak is born, now Yishmael is having a negative influence on little Yitzchak. So what does Sarah say? Good riddance. Get rid of Yishmael. It's a very, we don't usually learn this from the perspective of Avram. Avram's got a son, Yishmael. Does he love Yishmael? You know how much he loves Yishmael? When God comes to him and says, \"I want you to sacrifice your son,\" he says, \"Which son?\" He says, \"Your only son.\" My only son. Each one is the only son to that mother. God says, \"The one you love.\" He says, \"I love them both.\" He says, \"Fine, Yitzchak. If I have to spell it out.\" But until he spells it out, Yitzchak, Avram loves Yishmael. He loves Yishmael. And yet when Sarah tells him, he's out. He's a bad influence. כל אשר תאמר לך שרה, שמע בקולה Kol asher tomar l'cha Sarah, shma b'kolah. Avram has to listen to everything that Sarah says. So Yishmael is expelled. Yishmael is kicked out. What happens? What happens? Pasuk 19. Yishmael is on his own, parched, there's no water. God heard the cry of Yishmael, an angel called to Hagar from the heaven, \"What troubles you? Fear not, Hashem will watch.\" ויפקח אלוקים את עיניה Vayifkach Elokim et eineha. Top of page 98. God opened her eyes, ותרא באר מים vatere be'er mayim, and she perceived a well of water. ותלך ותמלא את החמת מים ותשק את הנער Vatelech vat'male et ha'chemet mayim vatashk et ha'na'ar. She went and she filled the skin with water, and she gave the young man, she gave her son Yishmael water to drink. Hagar turned away. And this is very different. a Jewish mother can't bear to turn away. You know when Yocheved gives up her son Moshe, he's floating in a basket in the river, Miriam is watching, Aharon is staring from behind the tree. They can't bear to not watch. A Jewish parent can't turn away. Hagar can't bear to watch. Hagar is looking away. She can't bear to see her son suffering. But Yishmael prays, Hagar davens, ויפקח אלוקים את עיניה vayifkach Elokim et eineha, Hashem opened her eyes and she saw there was a well. What does it mean he opened her eyes? So the Sforno writes, ויפקח אלוקים את עיניה, נתן לה בדעת להכיר מקום המים שהיה שם, כי לא היה אסור קודם לכן Vayifkach Elokim et eineha, natan lah ba'da'at l'hakir makom ha'mayim she'hayah sham, ki lo hayah asur kodem lachen. He opened her eyes to see that there was water. She hadn't noticed, right in front of her eyes, right under her nose was water. He opened her eyes to realize that the solution, the answer, the water source was right there all along. The Malbim has a different interpretation. He also says, הבאר היה שם, רק שלא שמה לב ha'be'er hayah sham rak shelo samah lev. It was there, she wasn't paying attention. She was so distraught, she was so anxious. Sometimes the solution is right there, but we're so frazzled, we don't even see it. Hashem brought a calm that enabled her to see the solution was right there. But the Radak says, ויפקח, אפשר שהבאר שם, והיה מכוסה בין השיחים, אז היה רחוק Vayifkach, efshar she'habe'er sham, v'hayah mechuseh bein ha'sichim, az hayah rachok. It was far away, it was concealed. Hashem removed whatever was blocking it. So maybe it was there all along, but now there was direct access for her to see it. The Midrash has another interpretation. ויפקח את עיניה, אמר ר' בנימין, הכל בחזקת סומין עד שהקדוש ברוך הוא מאיר את עיניהם Vayifkach et eineha, amar Rabbi Binyamin, ha'kol b'chezkat sumin ad she'Hakadosh Baruch Hu me'ir et eineihem. The Midrash says, \"All are presumed to be blind until Hashem opens their eyes.\" We walk around blind. We don't realize the blessings that are in front of us, the resources that are in front of us, the strength that is inside us, the solution to our problems that are right under our nose. We are blind until Hashem opens our eyes. The Chidushei HaRim says a beautiful Sfas Emes quotes the Chidushei HaRim, the Sfas Emes, מכאן שהכל בחזקת סומין עד שהקדוש ברוך הוא מאיר את עיניהם. ותמלא החמת מים, שהיה חסרה אמונה. Mikan she'hakol b'chezkat sumin ad she'Hakadosh Baruch Hu me'ir eineihem. Vat'male ha'chemet mayim, she'haytah chaserah emunah. The ואמר מורי זקני, החידושי הרי\"ם v'amar mori z'keni, ha'Chidushei HaRim, להוכיח מזה המדרש, כי הכל נצרך לאדם עומד לפניו, ורק שצריכים להיות פקוח עינים לראות. L'hochiach mizeh ha'Midrash, ki ha'kol nitzrach l'adam omed l'fanav, v'rak she'tzrichim lhiyot pkoach einayim lirot. Whatever a person needs is always in front of them. ורק שצריכים להיות פקוח עינים לראות V'rak she'tzrichim lhiyot pkoach einayim lirot. We have to just open our eyes to see it. HaKadosh Baruch Hu doesn't put us into a predicament, into a problem, unless there's a solution. The solution is always there. We have to open our eyes and find it and see it. על זה ביקש דוד המלך Al zeh bikesh David HaMelech. That's what David HaMelech said, גל עיני gal einai. ...דרך מה שכתוב, היא האמת והיא האמונה, בחינת תורה שבכתב, שהפסוק goes on and he elaborates. But רבי נחמן Rebbe Nachman has another teaching. That's what I want to end with and share with you. If Hashem opened her eyes, what does that suggest? You have to open your eyes when they were closed. Why were her eyes closed? Simple understanding is she couldn't bear to watch the suffering of her son. But says רבי נחמן Rebbe Nachman, you know why her eyes were closed? Because she was דאווענען davening. She cried out with her eyes shut as many people do when they דאווענען daven. Why when we דאווענען daven do we close our eyes? So maybe we close our eyes to concentrate. Block out, shut out, eliminate distractions. But רבי נחמן Rebbe Nachman says we close our eyes for another reason. You know, if a person wants to see something, you have to open your eyes. If you want to see something that's far off in the distance, you have to close your eyes halfway, you have to squint. And if you want to see something that's really far away that's greater than comprehension, then you have to close your eyes entirely. And you have to use your power of vision and אמונה emunah. You want to see something that's right in front of you? Open your eyes. When you want to see something in the distance, you squint, you close your eyes. And if you want to see something that's really far away that defies possibility, then you have to close your eyes. We close our eyes when we דאווענען daven, says רבי נחמן Rebbe Nachman, because we don't want to be limited by what's under our nose. על פי דרך הטבע Al pi derech hateva, in the normal natural order, what we need, what we're asking for, our problem, it's impossible. There is no solution. But we are not a people of nature or the natural order. אין מזל לישראל Ein mazal l'Yisrael. The Jewish people, we transcend nature. We make the impossible possible. God provides the solution. He allows the blind to see. And therefore when we דאווענען daven, we close our eyes. Rav Asher Weiss quotes in the name of his rebbe, the Klausenberger, that is why we cover our eyes when we say שמע Shema. Sometimes, how could you say שמע Shema, מקבל עול מלכות שמים mekabel ol malchus shamayim, קבלת עול מלכות שמים kabalas ol malchus shamayim. We're going to accept accept the yoke of Heaven. God, this is your world, you're in control. How could it be? We see injustice, we see suffering, we see things that don't make sense. So in order to be able to surrender and submit to Hashem, what do we have to do? We close, we cover our eyes. Sometimes we have to close our eyes when דאווענען davening so Hashem can open them up to see what's possible. We see more with our eyes closed than we see with them open. And that's what the פסוק pasuk means according to this teaching of רבי נחמן Rebbe Nachman. You can see more with your eyes closed than when they're open. Don't just rely on what we see in front of us. We see with that third eye. We talked about the four species. לולב Lulav, אתרוג esrog, הדסים hadassim, and ערבות aravos. The three הדסים hadassim that correspond with the eye, it makes sense. We have two eyes. Why are there three הדסים hadassim? Because there's the third eye. There's the what we see when our eyes are closed. What you see when your eyes are open, that's natural, that's nature. But what we can see when our eyes are closed, that's Hashem. We should see Hashem bringing us בשורות טובות, ישועות ונחמות besoros tovos, yeshuos v'nechamos. We said about a third, maybe a quarter of what we wanted to say today. So come back next year פרשת וירא Parshas Vayeira. We'll learn אם ירצה השם im yirtzeh Hashem together in ירושלים Yerushalayim. Thank you for coming tonight. Appreciate your coming out of schedule.
