Transcript
Good morning, welcome back to Parsha Perspectives for today. We begin as we always do with an attitude of gratitude. A big thank you to our series sponsors, our dear friends Becky and Avi Katz and family in memory of Becky's father. Our learning should be לעילוי נשמת le'ilui nishmas David Grossman, דוד בן מנחם מנש David ben Menachem Manes. This morning's שיעור shiur is sponsored by Amanda Lions, a thank you for the weekly learning, לרפואה שלמה li'refuah shleima, חיה לאה בת מרי Chaya Leah bas Mary, and for all those who are affected by the terrible attack in Manchester over יום כיפור Yom Kippur, we continue to דאווען daven they have a complete and speedy רפואה שלמה refuah shleima. And, sponsored this morning as well for a happy 50th birthday to our husband and father Martin Kander, who is a listener of our שיעור shiur. 50. 50 is the new 30, 50 is young. 50 is young. So happy 50th birthday, should be a year filled with ברכה bracha and with שמחה simcha. We have the privilege of learning this morning פרשת וירא Parshas Vayeira, page 78 in the Artscroll Stone חומש Chumash and we continue to learn about אברהם אבינו Avraham Avinu, to learn about his story, the story of the birth of our people and our people's impact on the entire world around us. וירא אליו ה' Vayeira eilav Hashem באלני ממרא b'eilonei Mamre והוא יושב פתח האהל כחם היום v'hu yosheiv pesach ha'ohel k'chom hayom. Hashem appeared to Avram in the plains of Mamre. Avram is sitting at the entrance of his tent and it is the heat of the day. This is a storyline that of course we're all familiar with. We know the פרשה parsha and we know these stories. Following the end of last week's פרשה parsha, Avram at an advanced age underwent a serious surgical procedure. He performed the circumcision, the ברית מילה bris milah on himself, he's on the recovery. Avram is sitting outside of his tent, and more painful, worse than the physical recovery is that feeling of loneliness and the feeling of lacking purpose. He wants to be helping, he wants to be doing, he wants to be hosting. And Hashem had thought he was protecting Avram by making it so hot outside nobody would be passing by. Avram for once would not have to host, but it turns out it was more painful for Avram to be alone than even to host others. Avram is in the middle of a conversation, ostensibly, we'll come back in a moment with the Almighty, when he interrupts because וישא עיניו וירא vayisa einav vayar, he raises his eyes and he sees, והנה שלשה אנשים נצבים עליו v'hinei shlosha anashim nitzavim alav. There are three men who are standing over him. And so he runs to greet them, runs. Runs while in recovery, in pain. But again, he doesn't feel the pain, he feels more pain not helping than he does running to assist. He runs in order to greet them. And Rashi, Rashi quotes the great rabbis who conclude from here, גדולה הכנסת אורחים gedola hachnasas orchim מקבלת פני השכינה mikabalas pnei haShechina. It is greater, greater to receive guests than even to have a conversation with Hashem because after all, Avram is in the middle of a dialogue with the Almighty. Hashem has come to visit him. And he says to Hashem, I used to give the example when saying this ווארט vort of call waiting. I don't think there's call waiting anymore. But he says to Hashem, could you hold on I'm getting another call? Would you mind holding on, there's someone else trying to get me? Hashem, I'll tell you what. We'll finish this later. I'll find you later. I've got to take care of these three men. It's very counterintuitive. This should smack of blasphemy, of disrespect, of dishonoring Hashem, to put Hashem on hold? To tell the Almighty he'll come back to him later to greet mere mortals, to greet mere men? So I wrote in the article that was a הספד hesped for my dear friend Rabbi Hauer, זכרונו לברכה zichrono livracha, a huge loss for כלל ישראל Klal Yisrael, a huge loss for me personally of a friend and a mentor. He was very fond of saying the following insight, that he might have heard, someone else told me he might have heard from Rav Yaakov Weinberg, from his Rebbe. And the insight was, you see that Hashem doesn't reprimand, Hashem doesn't express disappointment. It's not wrong to put Hashem on hold to help others. Why? Because given the choice, Hashem says, I'd rather you be like Me, imitate Me, than continue to talk to Me. If given a choice to be like God or to talk to God, Hashem says by all means put me on hold and take care of your brothers and sisters. To me, if you're talking to one of your children and they say, I'm getting a call from a sibling, they need me, you don't say how disrespectful, call them back later, continue to talk to me. You say nothing gives me greater joy or happiness in the world than the loyalty between my children. Absolutely, call me later. Your sibling, another one of my children, needs your help and you want to go run and help them, you want to demonstrate loyalty to them, by all means put me on hold. That was Rabbi Hauer's life. Not only talking to Hashem and listening to Hashem talk to him, but imitating and emulating, being like Hashem, and caring for each and every Jew with a tremendous אהבת השם ahavas Hashem. What a great loss. But the commentators point out, let's go to the opening three words of our פסוק pasuk. וירא אליו ה' Vayeira eilav Hashem. Who's אליו eilav? God appeared to him. Our פרשה parsha begins with a pronoun. God appeared to him. Who's him? The simple understanding is the him is אברם Avram. So why not name him? If this were an English essay you handed it in to your teacher and you began the opening sentence of the opening paragraph of this new chapter and God appeared to him, your teacher would hand it back and say, God appeared to whom? To who? List, say the name. Why a pronoun, אליו eilav? So we'll come back and answer that in a moment. First Rabbi Sacks's introduction to our פרשה parsha.השם Hashem appears to אברם Avram. Three strangers pass by. אברם Avram engages in a momentous dialogue about justice. Lot, with his wife and two of his daughters, is rescued from the destruction of סדום Sdom. Eventually, the promised child יצחק Yitzchak is born to Sarah, and the פרשה parsha ends with the great test of the עקדה Akeida. In one paragraph, a few sentences, Rabbi Sacks has summarized this entire incredible פרשה parsha. In לך לך Lech Lecha, we saw אברם Avram accept personal and moral responsibility. Now, we see him accept collective responsibility. He דאווען'ס davens for the inhabitants of סדום Sdom, even though he knows they're sinful, on the grounds that they may be innocent, righteous people among them. They're not his kin, not part of his specific covenant with השם Hashem, but they're human beings. And אברם Avram feels the imperative of praying, even arguing with God, on their behalf.אברם Avram דאווענ'ד davened for the people of סדום Sdom. He could have written them off. They're evil, they're wicked, the world would be better off without them. But he uses the power of prayer even to דאווען daven for them. I wrote an article last week. I've gotten a lot of feedback, more negative than usual, where I spoke about what the polls show today, where we should all דאווען daven very hard, might be anywhere from 20 to 30, even 38% of Jews of New York voting for that person.And what should our attitude be? I should have clarified more carefully in the article. I wasn't talking about leaders and leadership, and I wasn't talking about a segment of our תורה Torah community who should know better, who it turns out was a rogue spokesperson who didn't speak on behalf, by far, of the סאטמאר Satmar community who've endorsed Cuomo. But my article was, they're fellow Jews and you have to love them. Don't write them off as the 80% who stayed in Egypt. Love them and take our position and fight as anything and advocate and lobby and encourage to make sure the wrong person doesn't get elected. But even those who vote for him, you have to love his fellow Jews. Don't write them off. And I think it's a lesson we learn here from אברם Avram. אברם Avram stands even for the people, and I'm not likening, but even for the people of סדום Sdom. They're not hopeless and helpless. אברם Avram tries to redeem them and advocate for them and believes he can still turn them around. In contrast to the builders, back to Rabbi Sacks. In contrast to the builders of בבל Bavel, he also demonstrates ontological responsibility, the duty of human beings to respond to the otherness and the command of השם Hashem. This is the basis of the greatest of his trials, his willingness to sacrifice even his son, if השם Hashem so commands. אברם Avram knows that we are but dust and ashes and in the face of the infinite. His task is to obey the will of heaven on earth, encapsulated in the words, to keep the way of השם Hashem by doing what is right and what is just. So Rabbi Sacks sees in our פרשה parsha from בראשית Breishis, where קין Kayin, אדם Adam and חוה Chava shirked responsibility, they passed the buck. קין Kayin shirks responsibility. He blames others, and he wants to try to remain blameless. And the stories go on of the generation of the flood and the generation of the tower, and they're always the victim. And they always play the victim card, and they never stand up and take responsibility. And what attracts השם Hashem to אברם Avram, what makes אברם Avram the founding father of our people, what differentiates him is his willingness and his courage to take responsibility. Last week, personal responsibility, and this week, collective moral responsibility. And then ontological responsibility, which is a fancy way of saying to the command of God, a moral and ethical responsibility to not make the rules the way we see fit, but to surrender and submit to השם Hashem and his world and the way that he created things. So let's go back to the question I alluded to. אליו Eilav. אליו Eilav is a pronoun. וירא אליו השם Vayera eilav Hashem appeared to him. Who is the him that השם Hashem appeared to?So there's a beautiful book was put out by my friend, Rabbi Aaron Goldscheider, called תורה Torah United. And he goes through the פרשה parsha. Every פרשה parsha he quotes an insight from רב קוק Rav Kook, רב סולובייצ'יק Rav Soloveitchik, and then from diverse חסידיק Chasidic masters. And what I love is he doesn't just write the essay in English with their idea, he then attaches their text so you could see and learn it yourself. Again, I get no royalties. This is OU Press כתב ktav, תורה Torah United. Rabbi Goldscheider, he has a wonderful הגדה Haggadah as well. Really a beautiful contribution. So here in his חסידיק Chasidic masters section in our פרשה parsha, he begins אליו eilav. If the reference is to אברם Avram, why is his name concealed? So רב אברהם Rav Avraham Rav Avram Dov of Avrutsk was a hasidic רבי Rebbe in Europe. He refused to publish his novellae on the תורה Torah, בת עין Bas Ayin, until after his עליה aliyah to, where'd the בת עין Bas Ayin live, anyone know? צפת Tzvas, to צפת Tzvat. He ventured an answer rooted in חסידות Hasidus, while noting that he was preceded by other monumental commentaries in tackling this question. But let's start first with the כלי יקר Kli Yakar. Who's the כלי יקר Kli Yakar? רב שלמה אפרים לונטשיץ Rav Shlomo Ephraim Luntschitz, was the רב Rav in Prague. When did he live? Early 17th century. It's important to know when we quote people, the commentary takes on much more meaning. We know their name, you know where and when they lived, you know the context in which they were commenting. So the כלי יקר Kli Yakar accounted for the unusual usage of אליו elav as an emphasis on humility's dearness to השם Hashem. אברם Avram's name signifies his God-given status as אב המון גוים Av Hamon Goyim. But at his core, he's nothing but humble. So there's the אברם Avram. אברם Avram is known by his one name. אברם Avram is, as we saw last week, God makes a promise ואגדלה שמך va'agadla shmecha, I'll make your name great. And indeed he did. He's a household name across the globe, the Abrahamic Accords, the Abraham Accords. אברם Avram, Abraham, is a household name. השם Hashem fulfilled it. But with the popularity and prominence, with אברם Avram's status as an influencer, you might think it went to his head. You might think אברם Avram thought he was all that. So the תורה Torah specifically says the כלי יקר Kli Yakar begins this פרשה parsha that השם Hashem, בכבודו ובעצמו be'chvodo u've'atzmo, the Almighty himself came down from the heavens to visit, not the אברהם Avraham the influencer, not the אברהם Avraham the famous, but אליו elav, the humble, the modest, he who doesn't even need his name, he who is not defined by the popularity of his name. Lest people assume that השם Hashem appears to the movers and shakers of the world, the leaders wielding power and authority, the Avrams in name, the תורה Torah writes that השם Hashem appeared to him, to אברם Avram's innermost essence of humility. השם Hashem is near to those who are humble. It's a beautiful כלי יקר Kli Yakar. Don't think whom does השם Hashem have an audience with? He comes down and appears and he visits the most prominent, the most popular, the most powerful, the most influential, those with the greatest fortune or fame. השם Hashem appears אליו elav, to the humble and to the modest. It's a commentary both on אברם Avram, that it didn't go to his head, and of course to השם Hashem and how he visits and loves each and every one of us. That's the insight, that's the answer of the כלי יקר Kli Yakar. The הייליגע heilege האלשיך הקדוש Alshich ha'kadosh, the holy Alshich, who lived where? צפת Tzvas, in צפת Tzvat as well. He was a student of and a תלמיד חבר talmid chaver of the great Kabbalists, רב יוסף קארו Rav Yosef Karo, the author of the שולחן ערוך Shulchan Aruch. He suggests אברם Avram's name is missing because the significance lies not in his new name, but in his new person. The beginning of פרשת וירא Parshas Vayeira is the continuation of the previous one. What happened at the end of last week's פרשה parsha? At 99 years of age, אברם Avram undergoes a transformation signified by what? His ברית מילה bris milah. He has a circumcision and he's transformed. Beforehand he's an ערל arel, he's uncircumcised. And through the circumcision he becomes a new man. If every מצוה mitzvah elevates a person and imbues them with holiness, then all the more so for ברית מילה bris milah that truly transforms his entire being, is aligned now with השם Hashem's will, which allows him to receive this process this prophecy, and therefore, instead of using the name, his old name, we just ambiguously describe אליו elav. This is the all new, brand new אברם Avram, the post-ברית מילה bris milah אברם Avram. But now he quotes the בת עין Bas Ayin. The holy בת עין Bas Ayin writes the following. למה העלים הכתוב שמו של אברם Lama helim ha'kasuv shmo shel Avram, כמו שהוקשה קושיא זו בכמה ספרי צדיקים k'mo she'huksha kushya zu b'kama sifrei tzadikim. Why is אברם Avram's name concealed, as has been asked by many of our holy commentaries? ונוכל לומר V'nuchal lomar, and we can suggest, שזהו שאברהם היה בבחינת תפיסת מקום she'zehu she'Avraham haya b'vchinas tfisas makom. הרגשת גופו ומקומו של אדם בליבו יש פשיטות מחומריות Hargashas gufo u'm'komo shel adam b'libo yesh pashtus mei'chomriyus, קודם שנימול אברהם אבינו kodem she'nimol Avraham Avinu, ולא היה יכול להיות בבחינת התפשטות בכל איבר מחמת שלא נשברו החומריות v'lo hayah yachol lihiyos b'vchinas hispashtus b'chol eiver machmas she'lo nishberu ha'chomriyus. לכך לא היה יכול להיות בבחינת קדושה L'chach lo hayah yachol lihiyos b'vchinas kedusha. אבל אחר כך כשנימול, והיה נמשך בבחינת קדושה על כל רמ\"ח איבריו ושס\"ה גידיו Aval acher kach k'she'nimol, v'hayah nimshach b'chinas kedusha al kol ramach eivarav v'shasa gidav, היה בבחינת התפשטות מלכותו בכל איבריו hayah b'vchinas hispashtus malchuso b'chol eivarav, ואז היה בלתי תפיסת מקום כלל v'az hayah bilti tfisas makom klal. אברם Avram post the ברית מילה bris milah is an אברם Avram whose individuality takes up no space. אברם Avram is now a chariot of השם Hashem. He is a mission, he's a messenger, he's an agent, he's an ambassador. His entire life is devoted to being a mirror, namely a reflection of השם Hashem here on earth. For many of us, we mix in both our identity as agents, ambassadors, we feel we're here on a mission. But we also have some of our own self-interest. We have our own identity. We have our own lives and lifestyle. And therefore, our own cravings. But in אברהם אבינו Avraham Avinu, who is purely and only a mirror of השם Hashem, a reflection of השם Hashem, therefore says the בת עין Bat Ayin, listen to this incredible insight. Says the בת עין Bat Ayin, וירא אליו השם Vayera eilav Hashem. השם Hashem appeared to himself. To the himself in אברהם אבינו Avraham Avinu. Since אברהם Avram was successfully the embodiment and the mirror and the prism of השם Hashem here on earth, when השם Hashem appears to him, who's the him? Unlike, unlike the כלי יקר Kli Yakar and the אלשיך Alshich who say the him is אברהם Avram and come up with an explanation of why his name is not used, the בת עין Bat Ayin says who's the him? None other than השם Hashem. ונוכל לומר שלכך כתוב אליו כביכול לעצמו V'nuchal lomar she'l'kach kasuv eilav k'viyachol l'atzmo. לעצמו L'atzmo. קודם שמל לא יכול להתבטל מציאותו לגמרי עבור שהיה בו עדיין הרגשת הגוף Kodem she'mal lo yachol l'hitbatel m'tziuso l'gamrei avur she'haya bo adayin hargashas ha'guf. Before the ברית bris, before אברהם Avram was complete, he still maintained and felt a sense of individuality. But after the ברית bris, אברהם Avram practices what's called ביטול bittul. He totally surrenders his ego. There is no ego, like we spoke on שבת שובה Shabbos Shuva, ego versus אלוקות Elokus. He surrenders the ego. All there is is this chariot, this conduit of אלוקות Elokus. And therefore when God comes down and visits him, who is God visiting? וירא אליו Vayera eilav. The אליו eilav, says the בת עין Bat Ayin, is none other than השם Hashem himself. השם Hashem himself.I got a beautiful, relatively new ספר sefer, אדירי התורה Adirei HaTorah. אדירי התורה Adirei HaTorah was written by my second cousin, רב אריה גנז Rav Aryeh Ganz, who lives in Lakewood. He previously wrote another ספר sefer, ארזי התורה Arzei HaTorah, which we quoted. And because we quoted, he was kind enough to actually mention me in the introduction to his new ספר sefer that he sent. So he has the following on this opening פסוק pasuk. וירא אליו השם Vayera eilav Hashem. Listen, he quotes from the, the עזר מקודש Ezer Mikudash, authored by the אשל אברהם Eishel Avrom. על ידי עמדת החופה שיהיה כצורת הפתח מארבע רוחות העולם Al yedei amadas hachuppah she'yihiyeh k'tzuras ha'pesach mei'arba ruchos ha'olam. Why is it when a חתן וכלה chassan v'kallah, when a bride and groom stand under a canopy to get married, why do they stand under a חופה chuppah that's open on four sides? Why stand under a חופה chuppah? So the עזר מקודש Ezer Mikudash writes, יש בו גם כן רמז זכרון טוב ויקר לביתו של אברהם אבינו Yesh bo gam kein remez zikaron tov v'yakar l'beiso shel Avraham Avinu. Every bride and groom when they walk down that aisle and when they will be wed, the bond they will form, two halves becoming a whole specifically under that structure, it is so that they know that they are continuing the tradition. They are in the home of אברהם אבינו Avraham Avinu, שהיה פתוח לארבע רוחות העולם she'haya pasuach l'arba ruchos ha'olam. אברהם's Avram's tent was open on four sides. Why? Because אברהם Avram was always on the lookout. Where are guests? Where are people in need? How can I help? How can I be of service? What can I do to make the world a better place? ומזכיר שיקבלו עליהם שיהיה ביתם פתוח לרווחה מביתו של אברהם אבינו לאהוב גמילות חסדים U'mazkir she'yikablu aleihem she'yihiyeh beisam pasuach l'revacha mi'beiso shel Avraham Avinu le'ehov gemilus chasadim. Yes, young couple. Yes, young couple. You are becoming one. And yes, you're about to enter a period of שנה ראשונה shana rishona. You're gonna isolate and insulate. והיו לבשר אחד V'hayu l'vasar echad, you're going to combine to be one. And the prerequisite to that, though some today are struggling with accomplishing it, before the two halves become a whole, before the חתן וכלה chassan v'kallah wed to become one, they're supposed to על כן יעזוב איש את אביו ואת אמו al kein ya'azov ish es aviv v'es imo. You're no longer primarily or essentially just a child. You're not a child being cared for by others. You've now become an adult. You're now building a home. You've now gained a sense of independence. You're not dependent, but you're independent. Of course you can still get the help and support and love of your parents, but you should see yourself in a position of growing to independence. יעזוב איש את אביו ואת אמו Ya'azov ish es aviv v'es imo. It's time to, not abandon is the wrong word יעזוב ya'azov, but it's time to identify with independence, no longer cling to and rely on your mother and father. So on the one hand, you're a new entity, two halves becoming a whole, forging your own future. And and it's שנה ראשונה shana rishona. Often not hosting or being hosted, really spending intense time together. And yet, the message to this new couple is, in this milestone moment, what are you standing under? You're in the tent of אברהם אבינו Avraham Avinu. The home that you're making, you better be open on four sides. You better call the שול shul and say, are there guests who need a place to sleep or need a meal? How can we have service? How can we be of help? How can we volunteer? What can we do? How can we join membership? But what can we do? What can we do? There's several things that we're failing to transmit to the next generation, and we need a series, man up. Like, how do you check the oil in your car? How do you change a flat tire? How do you make sure that you have life insurance and disability insurance? How do you properly grill? How is the proper way to barbecue? These are basic manly activities. How are these are basic things that a person needs to know? How could you get married and not know them? And one of them that we're failing to do is say, when you're married, you move to a community, even if you're not married, and you benefit and enjoy and eat at the קידוש kiddush and ask שאלות shaylos and attend the שיעור shiur and enjoy the air conditioning, don't forget to join membership at whatever price you can pay. But that's it for my little editorial comment. Back to the פרשה parsha. So he writes, ועיקר הכנסת אורחים על ידי האישה v'ikar hachnasas orchim al yidei ha'isha, the זוהר Zohar says, the שונמית shunamis, and so on. In this wedding, under this חופה chuppah, אברהם אבינו Avraham Avinu, שרה אמנו Sarah Imeinu, the tent opened on four sides, and this is an illusion to that. And then he has another one, quotes from the פרישה Prisha.That we learn from here, why did Hashem appear to Avraham? דרשו בפסוק וירא אליו ה' באלוני ממרא darshu b'pasuk vayera eilav Hashem b'elonei Mamre. The טור Tur here on יורה דעה סימן ש\"ל\"ה Yoreh Deah siman shin lamed hei writes, מלמד melamed, it teaches, שבא אליו לבקר חולה sheba eilav l'vaker choleh. Why is God here? He's visiting the sick. God came, there's a great virtue and merit in visiting people who are sick. Of course, there's all kinds of הלכות halachos there in יורה דעה סימן ש\"ל\"ה Yoreh Deah siman shin lamed hei. We visit the sick for the benefit of the sick, not for ourselves to feel good. So you call in advance, you confirm it's a good time, you don't overstay your welcome, you make sure you're honoring their dignity. You can't leave without offering a תפילה tefillah, a prayer. שולחן ערוך Shulchan Aruch records, if you visit the sick and you didn't say, “Hashem, please give a רפואה שלמה refuah shleimah, speedy, painless recovery, please give comfort,” then you haven't fulfilled the מצווה mitzvah to visit the sick. Can you visit the sick even on the telephone? רב משה Rav Moshe has a תשובה teshuvah. Can you visit the sick through FaceTime or a WhatsApp video call? Fascinating questions, not for now. But the טור Tur says, why was Hashem here? He came to visit Avraham, to visit the sick. How do you know that? Maybe this is a moment of prophecy. How did the טור Tur know? How did חז\"ל Chazal know that Avraham, that Hashem here is visiting the sick? So the פרישה Prisha, one of the commentaries on the טור Tur writes, הא למדנו מדלא כתב בתריה מה דבר אליו ha lamadnu midlo k'sav basrei ma dibber eilav. Because if you look inside, Hashem appears to Avraham in אלוני ממרא Elonei Mamre. Avraham's sitting outside the tent, Avraham raises his eyes and sees these men. It never says that Hashem spoke. It doesn't tell us that Hashem communicated. So clearly he wasn't there to transmit a message, he was there simply to be מבקר חולה mevaker choleh. And sometimes the ביקור חולים bikur cholim happens how? Just through our presence. You don't always have to talk, you don't always have to speak. You could sometimes just sit. Just to not feel alone. We know that when people in pain, their pain is compounded by a feeling of loneliness. Whether it's a sick person in a hospital or alone, whether it's a person who's mourning and grieving, whether it's people in life who are struggling in whatever way, just feeling alone compounds the other pain. And often we can't take away or mitigate their pain, but we can take away a feeling of loneliness. And who are we emulating when we do that? None other than the Almighty Himself. The ריבונו של עולם Ribbono Shel Olam comes, ביקור חולים bikur cholim. What did he say? What did he say? I want to know what to say when I visit the sick. What did Hashem say? We don't know. His company alone is what offered comfort to אברהם אבינו Avraham Avinu. פרק י\"ח פסוק ח' Perek Yud Ches Pasuk Ches. ויקח חמאה וחלב Vayikach chem'ah v'chalav. So Avraham jumps up, by the way, these men that are standing over him, ניצבים עליו nitzavim alav. These men are standing over him, they're ניצבים עליו nitzavim alav, and he jumps up in order to go and to run and to help and to take care of them. 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 vayiten lifneihem v'hu omed aleihem tachas ha'etz vayocheilu. He took cream and milk and a calf which he had prepared. He placed these before them. Avraham stands over them beneath the tree, and, and they ate. Rabbi Sacks points out, very interesting, and I don't see Rabbi Sacks do this that often, but here he quotes רב שלום מבעלז Rav Shalom mi'Belz. The great Rabbi Sacks is quoting the בעלזער רב Belzer Rebbe. רב שלום מבעלז Rav Shalom mi'Belz notes that back in פסוק ב' pasuk beis, the visitors are spoken of as ניצבים עליו nitzavim alav. First we're introduced that these three men are standing over Avraham. And now Avraham is described as, he's עומד עליהם omed aleihem. So are they ניצבים עליו nitzavim alav, or is he עומד עליהם omed aleihem? Are they standing over him, or is he standing over them? At first glance, the visitors were higher than Avraham. They were angels. He was a mere human being. But when he gave them food and drink and shelter, when he practiced חסד chesed, he stood even higher than the angels. A beautiful insight by the בעלזער Belzer, by רב שלום מבעלז Rav Shalom mi'Belz. It began, the angels higher than us. But when we do חסד chesed, when we show loving kindness, when we show care and concern for others, then we're even higher than the angels. So it begins that they stand over us, but by the time that we show love and kindness, then we in fact stand over them. Reminds me of another insight we've shared in the past, I won't get into it, and I won't elaborate at length, but that language, that these angels, these men were ניצבים עליו nitzavim alav, they were standing over Avram. And this is a repeat from our Torah, I know we've said it before. But what does it mean? Could have just said that Avram saw them. What does it mean that they're ניצבים nitzavim? They're standing over him. So the Ramban says that they were standing over, means that they're standing, Avram's sitting, it's just communicating the posture, the position they were in. If you want to have a picture and an image of what we're talking about, they're standing, Avram's sitting, now you can paint the picture. Rashi says, they weren't standing over Avram, but in front of him. עליו alav is an expression of respect to the מלאכים malachim who are in a sense superior. They weren't standing over him, ניצבים עליו nitzavim alav means that they are greater than Avram. The Radak and the Sforno, that the angels stood still, they were looking and waiting for instructions. They're standing there, נו nu, what should we do? We're here. We've arrived. What's next? They're waiting for instructions. But what I really want to tell you is the שבת אפרים Shevet Ephraim, Rav Ephraim Volved of Satmar, who said the following, you know what ניצבים nitzavim means? ניצבים nitzavim means that Avram feels the weight of these men standing over him. It means that rather than what's called the diffusion of responsibility, or what other sociologists called the bystander effect. The bystander effect is when I say, who here can chair the committee? Who here can, we're looking for volunteers? Who here could host? And everybody, you know, looks down and shies away, pretends they're not here. The bystander effect is, someone else will step in, someone else will take care of it, someone else will call 911, someone else will pick up this garbage, someone else will. That's the bystander effect of the diffusion of responsibility. אברהם אבינו Avraham Avinu lives a life and he feels ניצבים עליו nitzavim alav. This is standing over me. This is weighing on me. This is my responsibility. He's sitting פתח האהל pesach ha'ohel. He's sitting at the entrance of the tent and he feels the weight of the world standing over him. What's my next assignment? What's my next mission? Where am I next needed? What do I do? What do I do next? The bystander effect, you could either keep moving or you could take care of it. I was in New York on Sunday for a wedding, so when I go, I try if there's time, you won't believe how close it's 15 minutes from JFK. I try to go to the אוהל Ohel, to דאווען daven at the רבי Rebbe, there's so much to דאווען daven for. So at the אוהל Ohel, there's a case where you could light a candle. When I went to light a candle, a bunch of the candles had caught fire together and there was a fire in that case. You know how many people lit their candle or went on to the אוהל Ohel to דאווען daven and walked right by that fire? Who stopped to go find one of the workers there? Who stopped themselves to try to put out that fire? The bystander effect said, not my problem. I'm here to go דאווען daven. I'm here for the cookies and the coffee, excellent by the way at the אוהל Ohel. I'm here for other reasons. You keep walking by that fire, not my problem. But an אברהם אבינו Avraham Avinu feels ניצבים עליו nitzavim alav. There's a fire, got to do something about it. There's a garbage on the floor, it's ניצבים nitzavim, it's my responsibility to pick it up. Someone's looking for a place to sleep or a meal, that's on me. That's on me. That's the sense of אחריות achrayus that an אברהם אבינו Avraham Avinu took, and that's what we also inherit from him. The Avram in us should be not a bystander effect, not a diffusion of responsibility, but if we see something, don't just say something, do something. It's on us to take responsibility to do something. פרק יח פסוק כא Perek yud ches pasuk chaf alef. So, we know three angels, these three men were really three angels. Each angel came for another assignment, revealed to Sarah she's going to have a child, Avram learns about the impending destruction for Sodom, and that's on page 82. ארדה נא ואראה הכצעקתה הבאה אלי עשו כלה ואם לא אדעה Eirda na v'ereh hak'tza'akatah haba'ah eilai asu kalah, v'im lo eid'ah. The פסוק pasuk tells us that השם Hashem says, because of the outcry of Sodom and Gemorrah has become great, because their sin has become grave, I'll descend and see if they act in accordance with its outcry which has come to me, then destruction, and if not, I will know. ארדה נא Eirda na, I'm coming down to check it out. I'm coming down to look. What's this language ארדה נא eirda na? I'm coming down to look. ארדה נא eirda na, I'm coming down to see. So says Rashi, ארדה נא eirda na, I'm coming down to look. Again, this is פסוק כא pasuk chaf alef. I got to start bringing my glasses. למד לדיינים שלא יפסקו דיני נפשות אלא בראיה Lamad l'dayanim shelo yifsku dinei nefashos elah b're'iyah. That a person should not, this is a message to judges. Go examine it closely for yourself. Don't rely on hearsay, don't rely on secondhand, don't rely on innuendo or rumor. Judges have to examine closely. And by judges, I don't only mean in a courtroom and sitting on the bench. I mean we, when we're using our judgment, which we use each and every day, when we're using our judgment about a situation, don't come to a conclusion, don't have a judgment without looking at the evidence yourself. Because השם Hashem doesn't just sit from the heavens, where by the way he sees perfectly. and knows everything. He doesn't just sit in the heavens and come to his conclusions. ארדה נא Erda na, I'm coming down to give a look. I'm gonna check it out myself. I won't come to a conclusion or judgment without seeing myself. And then Rashi says, as alluded to, כמו שפירשתי k'mosheh peirashti בפרשת הפלגה b'parshas haflaga. Because when it came to the tower, Hashem there says as well, ארדה נא Erda na, I'm coming down לסוף מעשיהם l'sof ma'aseihem. I'm coming down to see.And indeed back in פרשת נח parshas Noach, Torah tells us, וירד השם לראות את העיר Vayered Hashem liros es ha'ir, Hashem came down to see the city and the place. Why does it say, why does it say Hashem says I'm coming down? So back with the הפלגה haflaga, וירד השם vayered Hashem, he came down. Now, ארדה נא ואראה erda na v'ereh, let me come down and let me see. And Rashi according to the מדרש תנחומא Midrash Tanchuma gives that same explanation we just read in both places. בא ללמד דיינים שלא יפסקו דין עד שיראו ויבינו Ba l'lamed dayanim shelo yifseku din ad sheyir'u v'yavinu. Don't find someone or something guilty, don't come to a conclusion until you examine the evidence for yourself, until you look and see and look closely.But Rav Schwab explains differently. The great Rav Schwab says, listen to this. What a lesson for life. Says Rav Schwab, Hashem, as we know, lives, lives above all creation. While the world is finite and imperfect, Hashem is infinite and omnipotent. For Hashem there's no errors, there's no indiscretions, there's no mistakes, there's no failings. We, human beings, we make mistakes, we have shortcomings, we don't always see the whole picture. From Hashem's divine perspective of justice, we should be accountable for absolutely everything we do wrong. From Hashem's perfect system of justice, any slip-up, any mistake, any failure, we should be absolutely accountable. So how is it, how is it that we are still here? How is it? Why is it he hasn't wiped us out?Says Rav Schwab, for compassion to occur, listen carefully, for compassion to occur, Hashem has to descend down to his world. A compassionate and accurate assessment, both for Hashem and for us, requires the recognition, the acceptance, and the tolerance of imperfection. If you sit high on your horse, you sit on your perch, you sit in your ivory tower and you look down at judgment of others, you'll be unforgiving. You'll be very strict and exacting. But when you come down to the level of where people are at, when you understand the temptation and the struggle that they're going through, now you'll have more compassion. For all of us it's tempting to say, you'd never catch me doing that. No one in my family would ever. I simply don't understand, how could they? Well maybe there's a lot you don't know. But if you come down to examine and to learn and to understand their life, their background, their makeup, their struggle, then maybe, then maybe you'll have a little bit more compassion. That's what we invoke from Hashem. We say, Hashem, from up there, I shouldn't even be here. I don't deserve a second chance. But come down. You created me, and you built this world, and you created my impulse and my temptation, and you gave me my my challenges and my struggles. So come down and look from my perspective, see through my eyes, understand my struggle and have some compassion. Says Rav Schwab, it's not a coincidence that when we invoke the י\"ג מדות של רחמים Yud Gimmel Midos shel Rachamim, when we invoke the 13 attributes of compassion as we did throughout סליחות Slichos and יום כיפור Yom Kippur, on every fast day, what do we recite over and over again? וירד השם בענן Vayered Hashem b'anan. וירד Vayered. Hashem come down here. Come down. Don't judge from high up there. Don't judge from the place of perfection. Come down here from the place of imperfection. Because if we want you to be forgiving and compassionate, come down here from the place where people are, where people are imperfect and have some compassion on us.There's a גבאי gabbai of the סקולען רבי Skulener Rebbe, Reb Eliezer Zusha Portugal, who once related among the many people whom the Rebbe rescued from Europe was a woman who had informed the Romanian government of his religious activities, and that led to his arrest and imprisonment. Why go to such effort and expense to save a person of her ilk? he was asked. How could you help somebody who herself was involved in your imprisonment? So the Rebbe said with tears in his eyes, you have no idea how much she suffered beforehand and how the authorities made it so tempting for her to inform. I don't hold it against her at all. וירד Vayered. He went down to her level. He saw through her eyes. He lived her experience to better understand her perspective, her perspective. And that's what we ask Hashem to do, and that's what we're obligated to do, is to go down, וירד vayered, ארדה נא ואראה Erda na v'ereh, וירד השם בענן Vayered Hashem b'anan, to go down to see from the perspective of others and that will bring us to a greater sense of compassion. The תפארת ישראל Tiferes Yisroel, Rav Shmuel Berenbaum, quotes Rashi. Rashi says, ארד נא ואראה Erda na ve'er'eh, let me go down and see, הצעקתה הבאה אלי haktza'akasah haba'ah elai, this cry that came to me. זאגט רש\"י Zogt Rashi, רבותינו דרשוה כצעקתה זו של ריבה אחת Raboseinu darshuha k'tza'akasah zu shel rivah achas, שהרגוה במיתה משונה sheharguha b'misah meshunah, שנתנה מזון לעני shenasnah mazon l'ani. What happened? In Sdom, Sdom there were laws. In Sdom it was illegal to be kind. Being compassionate was a crime. הכנסת אורחים Hachnasas orchim, hospitality, came with the death penalty. We see it soon with the story of Lot. So Rashi tells us, it's a גמרא Gemara in סנהדרין דף ק\"ט Sanhedrin Daf Kuf Tes, that there was a woman who lived in Sdom who once offered a meal to one poor person. And she was killed, a מיתה משונה misah meshunah. She was killed, they drowned her in a vat of honey and the bees came and ate her alive, a horrific, horrific death. A horrific death. And her cries, they reached up to the heavens, they reached up to Hashem.Asks the תפארת שמואל Tiferes Shmuel, דברים מפליאים d'varim mafli'im, צעקתה וכיאבה של נערה אחת tza'akasah veke'eivah shel na'arah achas, גרמו שיחרץ גזר דינם לרוע על כל סדום ועמורה gormu sheyichrotz gzar dinam lera'ah al kol Sdom va'Amorah? Those cries must have pierced the heavens. Those cries must have been unbelievably powerful. But the cries of one woman caused the downfall and destruction of the entire סדום ועמורה Sdom va'Amorah? והביאור בזה, כי גדר צעקה כשיוצאה מתוך פנימיות הלב Vehabe'ur bezeh, ki geder tza'akah k'sheyotzah mitoch pnimius halev, וכאן הכאיבו אנשי סדום כל כך vechan hich'ivu anshei Sdom kol kach, עד שצעקה מתוך עומק לבה ad shetza'akah mitoch omek libah. צעקה כזאת בכוחה להרעיש עולם ומלואו Tza'akah kazos bechochah lehar'ish olam umlo'o. You see that when you cry out to God, authentically, when it's real, when it's sincere, when it's raw, when you cry out to Hashem from the depth of your being, that cry, even of one person, can have such an enormous impact. Rav Shmuel Berenbaum points out that the opposite is then also true, כי מרובה מדה טובה ממדת פורענות חמש מאות פעמים ki merubah midah tovah mimidus puraniyus chamesh me'os pe'amim. That the positive is five times greater than the negative. So therefore קל וחומר kal vachomer, if such a cry, a negative despair, such a cry of pain could have such an impact, then imagine a cry of a דבר תורה dvar Torah, a cry of kindness, a cry of caring. Imagine the impact, the transformational impact that that can have, all the more, all the more so.פרק י\"ח פסוק כ\"ד Perek yud ches, pasuk kaf daled. So Avram enters this negotiation with the Almighty, this negotiation with Hashem. And he says, if there are צדיקים tzaddikim, אולי יש חמישים צדיקים בתוך העיר ulai yesh chamishim tzaddikim besoch ha'ir. Maybe there are fifty righteous men in the city. האף תספה ולא תשא למקום למען חמישים הצדיקים אשר בקרבה ha'af tispeh velo sisa lamakom lema'an chamishim hatzaddikim asher bekirbah? Will you, will you save the city on behalf of the fifty righteous? I got it Hashem. I got it. These are pretty hopeless places. I got it. Just like on the whole world you did a reboot and reset, on this city, in a microcosm, you want to do a reboot and a reset. I get it. But is that really just and right? Is that really fair? If there are fifty righteous people, you have to spare the whole city.This is a precedent, by the way. I wrote my article yesterday about this incredible email I got before ראש השנה Rosh Hashanah, an anonymous email which was a letter to God, and the response I gave to it. The person argues they're going to walk away from God, but I told them they're walking much closer to him than many people I know. This notion of being angry, disappointed, frustrated, protesting to Hashem. Sometimes some people beat themselves up over it. They're going through a hard, difficult, or painful time and they wonder, where are you, and how could you? And then they say, no, no, but I'm supposed to just believe in Hashem, everything's for the best, love him, be grateful for whatever hardship I'm going through. And certainly there is no virtue, there's no goal or ambition in being angry at Hashem. We're not encouraging it, but there's also no shame or guilt in feeling it. Because Avram here is a precedent. Avram protests the Almighty. Avram protests to Hashem. Avram protests to Hashem. And he sets the precedent for us, and he's not the only one. איוב Iyov does, and ירמיהו Yirmiyahu does, and many do. Hashem, where are you and how could you? But they use those questions to come closer, not to draw further away. And you could see the article we expand a lot more on it here. But Rabbi Sacks points out something fantastic that I never noticed in these words. Rabbi Sacks points out, when Avram's making the argument about the righteous, he doesn't just say, רבונו של עולם Ribbono shel Olam, in a בית מדרש Beis Midrash somewhere in the five cities, the five towns of סדום ועמורה Sdom va'Amorah, in the בית מדרש Beis Midrash somewhere, there's got to be fifty righteous people. Somewhere, in the corner of their home hiding, there's got to be fifty righteous תהילים זאגערס Tehillim zugers. In the basement they've got the אמן Amen group. God, you have to forgive. How does he formulate it? So Rabbi Sacks quotes from Rav Shimshon Raphael Hirsch, who once asked whom Avram might have had in mind when he asked God to spare Sdom, if it contained ten righteous people. What would it have been like to to be righteous in such a corrupt civilization. He answered, such a person would not be one who keeps to his own four walls, he would be one who is to be found בתוך העיר besoch ha'ir, in the midst of the city, in lively connection with everything and everybody. It's not, Avraham doesn't advocate there must be 50 righteous people hiding in the corner, sitting in שטייגען shteiging, זאגינג תהילים zogging Tehillim. How will you know if they're 50 righteous people? What is the sign of righteousness? Where are they? בתוך העיר besoch ha'ir. They are among and amidst the people, to be found in the city, in connection with everything and everybody. Even in Sdom to be righteous is not to be segregated. It's to be a participant in society, challenging it where it needs to be challenged, but not abandoning it. The definition of צדיקים tzadikim is how are you צדיקים tzadikim? בתוך העיר besoch ha'ir. A Torah that's על מנת לעשות al menas la'asos, not learning only for our learning but a learning to live, to take the timeless Torah and to bring it to the world, to transform the world, to make a difference in the world, to make an impact on the world. That's the point and that's the purpose of our sacred and our holy Torah. What a beautiful insight. I never noticed that before, that the definition of צדיקים tzadikim is that they're living where and how? בתוך העיר besoch ha'ir, בתוך העיר besoch ha'ir, part of the world, part of the world. Going back a פסוק pasuk. It says ויתפלל אברהם אל האלקים vayispallel Avraham el ha'Elokim. Avraham דאווען daven to God. Rav Shor, Rav Avraham Shor שליט\"א shlita in his brand new ספר sefer נזר הפרשה Nezer HaParsha. Fantastic. Again, no royalties. I, I, I love these ספרים sfarim and I gain so much from them in getting to share them with you and in what they mean to me. So when I encourage you, it's not because I have any stake in them, partnership or royalties from them, it's because I want you to have access to what I love so much. So מורי ורבותי morai v'rabosai, Rav Shor in his נזר הפרשה Nezer HaParsha, brand new ספר sefer, fantastic, points out: היא הפעם הראשונה שנזכר בתורה לשון תפילה hi ha'paam ha'rishona she'nizkar ba'Torah lashon tefillah. This is the first time in the Torah that the language of prayer is used. ויתפלל אברהם אלוקים Vayispallel Avraham Elokim. God, Avraham דאווען daven to God. ויש לומר v'yesh lomar כי הוא רמז שעיקר התפילה אינו שמתפלל עבור עצמו ki hu remez she'ikar ha'tefillah eino she'mispallel avur atzmo, כי התפילה הראשונה הכתובה בשביל אחרים ki ha'tefillah ha'rishona ha'ksuva bishvil acheirim. The first time prayer is mentioned is not a person who's praying for himself. The first time prayer is mentioned is Avraham is praying for others. He's praying and advocating and fighting for סדום Sdom. And you see the purpose of prayer is primarily not for ourselves, but to care and to advocate for others. You know in אלול Elul, one year before ראש השנה Rosh Hashanah, a תלמיד talmid, a student at the מיר Mir, asked the great, asked the great ראש ישיבה Rosh Yeshiva, who, what, what he should think about, what he should דאווען daven for. ימים נוראים Yamim Noraim are coming, ראש השנה Rosh Hashanah is coming. Rav Nosson Tzvi, he asked Rav Nosson Tzvi, what should I דאווען daven for? And Rav Nosson Tzvi, the ראש ישיבה Rosh Yeshiva answered, two words. What should you דאווען daven for? Somebody else. Somebody else. דאווען daven for somebody else. He didn't say it, but maybe Rav Nosson Tzvi got it from this fact. The first time תפילה tefillah is used is in our פרשה parsha, and it's not someone praying for himself, it's דאווענען davening for others. הנה נא הואלתי לדבר אל אדני ואנכי עפר ואפר Hinei na ho'alti l'daber el Adonai v'anochi afar va'efer. And how does Avraham formulate his תפילה tefillah? פרק י\"ח פסוק כ\"ז Perek yud ches pasuk kaf zayin. Avraham says, הנה נא הואלתי לדבר אל אדני ואנכי עפר ואפר hinei na ho'alti l'daber el Adonai v'anochi afar va'efer. Avraham responded, \"I desire to speak to Hashem although I'm but dust and ash.\" What is the word הואלתי ho'alti? Artscroll translates it as 'I desired'. What is the word הואלתי ho'alti? So רש\"י Rashi says רציתי ratzisi. This is what I want. This is what I desired. הואלתי Ho'alti. So רש\"י Rashi elsewhere says it means רציתי ratzisi. But here רש\"י Rashi doesn't say anything. And the מפרשים mefarshim on the time על פי הפשט al pi ha'pshat, כאן כוונתו בהואלתי התחלתי kan kavanoso b'ho'alti hischalti. I began to speak. What does it mean? So Rav Shor quotes the new ספר sefer that we've been quoting. אך פרי תבואה Ach Pri Tevuah. אך פרי תבואה Ach Pri Tevuah, who wrote it? The ליסקא רב Liska Rav, the רב Rebbe of ר' ישעיה'לה מקרעסטיר Reb Shayeleh Kerestir. So the ליסקא רב Liska Rav of the אך פרי תבואה Ach Pri Tevuah writes, Rav Tzvi Hirsch, מפרש את עצם הדבר מה כוונתו הואלתי בלשון רציתי mefareish es etzem ha'davar mah kavanoso ho'alti b'lashon ratzisi, למה אמר זה כלל אברהם אבינו lamma amar zeh klal Avraham Avinu. So he quotes from תהילים Tehillim, רצון יראיו יעשה retzon yerei'av ya'aseh. We said in אשרי Ashrei this morning twice. We'll say it again at מנחה Mincha. רצון יראיו יעשה retzon yerei'av ya'aseh. The will of those who fear you, you will do. כי מצד האמת אין ליראים אמיתיים שום רצון ki mitzad ha'emes ein l'yerei'im amiti'im shum ratzon. The truth is, truly God-fearing people have no personal need or want. Hashem whatever you give me is what I deserve and need. And what's my mission? What's my next assignment? But I have no wants. A truly God-fearing God-fearing person has no personal wants, has no רצון ratzon. Because הקדוש ברוך הוא מבקש בתקנת עולמו יותר ממה שהם מבקשים Hakadosh Baruch Hu mevakesh b'takanat olamo yoter m'mah shehem mevakshim. Why? Because הקדוש ברוך הוא מתאווה לתפילתן של צדיקים Hakadosh Baruch Hu misaveh l'tfilasan shel tzaddikim. השם Hashem nevertheless instills within even the righteous, even the God-fearing, a want and a desire. Why? Where does prayer come from? A feeling I need, I lack, I want. So therefore I come to ask. And הקדוש ברוך הוא Hakadosh Baruch Hu craves our תפילה tefillah, he craves the relationship, he craves the communication. לכן עושה רצון יראיו כדי שיתפללו לפניו ויעשו בקשתם Lachein oseh retzon yerei'av kedei sheyispalelu lefanav v'ya'asu vakashasam. And that's the פשט pshat, רצון יראיו יעשה retzon yerei'av ya'aseh. It's gonna I wish I knew this for חסידות Chassidus night back in אשרה Ashrei.Listen to this. רצון יראיו יעשה Retzon yerei'av ya'aseh doesn't mean He fulfills the will of those who fear him. יעשה Ya'aseh means He makes רצון ratzon for יראיו yerei'av. He gives those who fear him a desire, ושועתם ישמע ויושיעם v'shav'asam yishma v'yoshi'em so they'll come דאווען daven and He can answer. The truly God-fearing who are happy with what they have in life would never be motivated to דאווען daven to ask because they don't need, they don't lack. So השם Hashem creates a sense of need and lack so that we דאווען daven, so that He can answer. רצון יראיו Retzon yerei'av, יעשה ya'aseh. What He makes is רצון ratzon, and then so that שועתם ישמע ויושיעם shav'asam yishma v'yoshi'em. And that's what's going on over here as well. הואלתי Ho'alti, התם שהם מתפללים מטעם שנשלח מן שמים הרצון hatam shehem mispalelim mita'am shenishlach min shamayim haratzon. רצון יראיו יעשה Retzon yerei'av ya'aseh. The הואלתי רציצי ho'alti ratzisi is השם Hashem created this whole scenario so אברהם Avraham would feel there's something I need to fight for. He'd feel I lack, so he'd come and he'd advocate and he'd fight for the Jewish people. רב שרור Rav Shrur has a lot more. It's worth learning the entire thing. But a beautiful insight that the first time prayer is mentioned, it's not about a person praying for himself, it's praying דוקא davka for, praying דוקא davka for others.The אברהם שב Avraham shav. And then it ends, פרק יח פסוק לג Perek yud ches pasuk lamed gimmel. This negotiation, which אברהם Avraham is successful, וילך השם כאשר כלה לדבר אל אברהם ואברהם שב למקומו Vayelech Hashem ka'asher kilah ledaber el Avraham v'Avraham shav limkomo. God, השם Hashem departed when He finished speaking to אברהם Avraham, and אברהם Avraham returned to his place. Okay. What is this פסוק pasuk teaching? They parted ways. Yeah, they finished the conversation. God went back to God, אברהם Avraham went back to his place. What's the alternative? Why do I need to be told that? Where else are they going? What does this פסוק pasuk mean? What is this פסוק pasuk adding? So רש\"י Rashi. רש\"י Rashi also was bothered, asked these questions. And רש\"י Rashi on פסוק לג pasuk lamed gimmel, the letters are getting smaller and smaller. What is going on over here? רש\"י Rashi says, כיוון שנשתתק הסניגור הלך לו הדין keivan shenishtatek hasaneigor halach lo hadayan. Since the negotiation's over, case closed, court adjourned, the judge is going home. אברהם שב למקומו, נסתלק הדיין, נסתלק הסניגור, הקטיגור מקטרג Avraham shav limkomo, nistalek hadayan, nistalek hasaneigor, hakateigor m'katreig. לפיכך ויבואו שני המלאכים סדומה lefichach vayavou shnei hamalachim Sedomah, and so on. Fine. But רשב\"ם Rashbam in the תפארת שמואל Tiferes Shmuel has a very, very important comment on this that I want to share with you this fine morning.אברהם Avraham went. יש לדקדק מה קא משמע לן קרא כתב בזה Yesh l'dakdek mai ka mashma lan kra kasav b'zeh. אברהם Avraham went back to his place, השם Hashem went back to His place. ויש לברר V'yesh l'vareir. And he says let me explain based on an episode that once happened with רב חיים Rav Chaim. רב חיים מבריסק Rav Chaim m'Brisk, רב חיים סולובייצ'יק Rav Chaim Soloveitchik. What happened? One time, בא רב אחד אל מרן ba rav echad el maran, one time a rabbi came to רב חיים מבריסק Rav Chaim m'Brisk, והתלונן לפניו כי עול הרבנות קשה לו v'hislonen lefanav ki ol harabbanus kasha lo. He started kvetching and complaining, I can't take it. The congregants, I can't take it, the בעלי בתים baalei batim. They're miserable, they're impossible, they're difficult. My schedule, I have no time to learn. I'm so busy constantly. הוא תמיד צריך לעזור Hu tamid tzarich la'azor. I'm constantly helping, constantly meetings, I'm constantly involved in raising money. I can't learn, I don't have time for myself. So רב חיים Rav Chaim answered him: רב המניח את הגמרא פתוחה בשעה שהציבור צריכים לו, נחשב כמו שהגמרא סתומה לפניו Rav hamaniach es hagemara pesucha b'sha'ah shehatzibur tzrichim lo, nechshav k'mo shehagemara stumah lefanav. A rabbi who leaves the גמרא Gemara open when he goes to help, it's as if the גמרא Gemara is closed. And a person who closes the גמרא Gemara to go help, it's as if the גמרא Gemara is open. What did that mysterious comment mean? The rabbi who leaves the גמרא Gemara open when he goes to help, it's like the גמרא Gemara is closed. And the rabbi who closes the גמרא Gemara when he goes to help is as if the גמרא Gemara is open. ידוע שכך חי הגאון רב חיים בעצמו Yadua shekach chai ha'gaon Rav Chaim b'atzmo. רב חיים Rav Chaim lived this way himself. רב חיים Rav Chaim thought that the most important, there's a very different מסורות mesoros. It's a very different question. I once heard רב אשר וייס Rav Asher Weiss spoke to us, a group of rabbis about this. Different גדולי ישראל gedolei Yisrael answered the question differently: what's the primary job of a רב rov? Some said it's to be a teacher of Torah. Others, to be a פוסק posek, פסקן pasken, answer הלכה halachic questions. רב חיים Rav Chaim, the primary job of a רב rov is to do חסד chesed. The privilege of loving kindness, חסד chesed, helping others. That's how learned. It's how learned. You know, there's a story of walking and there was a young boy crying, crouching next to a tree. And said, what's going on, why are you crying? And the young boy said, I was playing hide and seek. This is not the hide and seek story. Sorry, it's a different story. They were riding on each other's back and they were playing horse, and all the kids went off to eat and he didn't get his turn. So got down on all fours and let the kid ride on his back so the kid could have his turn because he felt left out. That was, aside from the love and the חסד chesed and the care and concern he showed to each and every Jew.I'm in the גמרא Gemara, so what did mean? He meant if you leave the גמרא Gemara open when you go to help, signaling, where do I really want to be? Still learning. And you're interrupting me, but I want to go back, then it's as if you closed your גמרא Gemara. But if you close the גמרא Gemara to signal, this is where I meant to be, this is what I want to be doing, then you left the גמרא Gemara open to be taking your learning to go do what you're meant to be doing. Isn't that such a beautiful image? If you leave the גמרא Gemara open, what you're saying is, can we end this conversation? Can we finish this up? I just want to get back to the גמרא Gemara. But if you close the גמרא Gemara, what you're saying is, I'm with you. This is where I meant to be, this is where I want to be, and that's when you've left, truly left the גמרא Gemara open, when you've left the גמרא Gemara open. That's ואברהם שב למקומו v'Avraham shav l'mkomo. שמיד אחר שהתפלל על אנשי סדום וזעם מאוד בתפילה Shemiyad achar she'hitpalel al anshei Sdom v'za'am me'od b'tfila. Avraham went right back to his place after he advocated for the people of Sdom, after he intervened and interceded, after he tried to help. What did he do? He went right back to his learning. The Rambam in הילכות תלמוד תורה hilchos Talmud Torah, a famous Rambam, the third פרק perek of הילכות תלמוד תורה hilchos Talmud Torah, the Rambam writes: היה לפניו עשיית מצות תלמוד תורה Hayah l'fanav asiyas mitzvas Talmud Torah. How do you, we spoke about this in the ערב שבת כולל Erev Shabbos Kollel, we gave several שיעורים shiurim on this question. Every מצוה mitzva has a measure. What's the definition of a סוכה sukkah? How long does the תקיעת שופר tekias shofar have to be? How much wine do you need in your glass for קידוש kiddush? How do you fulfill the מצוה mitzva of תלמוד תורה Talmud Torah? I came to the פרשה שיעור parsha shiur this morning. Done? Finished for the day? The week? The month? How do you measure the מצוה mitzva of תלמוד תורה Talmud Torah? When are you done with the מצוה mitzva to learn תורה Torah? So the Rambam writes, היו לפניו עשיית מצוה ותלמוד תורה Hayu l'fanav asiyas mitzva v'Talmud Torah, you have before you performance of a מצוה mitzva and learning תורה Torah. אם אפשר למצוה לעשות על ידי אחרים Im efshar la'mitzva la'asos al yedei acheirim, if other people could do that מצוה mitzva, keep learning. אם לאו Im lav, if no one else can do it, יעשה המצוה ya'aseh ha'mitzva, do the מצוה mitzva, ויחזור לתלמודו v'yachzor l'talmudo, and return to your learning. What did the Rambam mean ויחזור לתלמודו v'yachzor l'talmudo? ממילא M'meila, מענין שאחר גמר מצוה הוא מחויב שוב בתלמוד תורה me'inyan she'achar gmar mitzva hu mechuyav shuv b'Talmud Torah. Maybe it sounds like when you're done interrupting to do the מצוה mitzva, go right back to learning. Says רב שמואל בירנבוים Rav Shmuel Berenbaum, no. כל מצוה שעושה צריך להיות חלק מעצמותו. ושאינו אונס עצמו ללכת לעשות מצוה כנגד טבעו, וגם שאין רוגש שצריך אחר כך לנוח ממנו. אדרבה, לימוד התורה וקיום מצוה שהוא מחויב לעשות אפילו בשעת לימודו צריכים להיות משולבים יחד Kol mitzva she'oseh tzricha lihiyot chelek me'atzmuso. V'she'eino ones atzmo lalechet la'asos mitzva k'neged tiv'o, v'gam she'ein rogeish she'tzarich achar kach lanuach mimeno. Adraba, limud haTorah v'kiyum mitzva she'hu mechuyav la'asos afilu b'sha'as limudo tzrichim lihiyot meshulavim yachad. יחזור לתלמודו Yachzor l'talmudo means that the מצוה mitzva you did was an extension, was a continuation, was the fulfillment, was the execution of the learning that you were doing. Go back to the learning that you were doing, so leave your גמרא Gemara open. Close your גמרא Gemara, but leave it open through the מצוה mitzva that you're going to do. That too is part of of what's happening, of what's happening here.Avraham goes. וישכם אברהם Vayashkem Avraham. פרק י\"ט פסוק כ\"ז Perek yud tes pasuk chaf zayin. Avraham gets up to, Lot is saved, Sedom is a disaster. Avraham wakes up פרק י\"ט פסוק כ\"ז Perek yud tes pasuk chaf zayin. ויהי בשחת אלקים את ערי הכיכר ויזכור אלקים את אברהם U'v'hay b'shaches Elokim es arei hakikar vayizkor Elokim es Avraham, Hashem is destroying Sdom, God remembers Avraham, וישלח את לוט מתוך ההפכה בהפוך את הערים אשר ישב בהן לוט vayishlach es Lot mitoch hahafecha bahafoch es he'arim asher yashav bahen Lot, and he leaves Lot. That is not the פסוק pasuk, כ\"ז chaf zayin, sorry. וישכם אברהם בבוקר אל המקום אשר עמד שם את פני ה' Vayashkem Avraham baboker el hamakom asher amad sham es pnei Hashem. Avraham had negotiated with Hashem. It's time to destroy Sdom, rescue Lot. And the Torah says Avraham woke up early that morning, and he went אל המקום el hamakom to the place that he had previously stood to do what? To, what did he go there to do? To דאווענען daven. Rashi says he went back to the same place. You see from here the idea of a מקום קבוע makom kavua. He went to דאווענען daven.The Rabbis learn in the גמרא בברכות Gemara b'Brachos, למדין מפסוק זה שאברהם תיקן תפילת שחרית lomdim mi'pasuk zeh she'Avraham tiken tfilas Shacharis. Avraham established the prayer of שחרית Shacharis here. אברהם שחרית Avraham Shacharis, יצחק מנחה Yitzchak Mincha, יעקב מעריב Yaakov Maariv. קשה Kasha. This is from the אמרות טהורות Amros Tehoros of the רחמסטריווקא רב Rachmastrivka Rav, רחמסטריווקא רבי Rachmastrivka Rebbe. Listen to this, listen to this very carefully. היקשה Hiksheh, איך למדין מחיוב תפילת שחרית מתפילה זו eich lomdim me'chiyuv tfilas Shacharis mi'tfila zu? We learn, we learn the entire institution of דאווענען davening every morning from this prayer? הלא תפילה זו לא נתקבלה כלל Halo tfila zu lo nitkabla klal. This is the prayer. It didn't work. This is the prayer that wasn't answered. This is the prayer that got a big fat no. Avram asked for Sdom to be spared. Avram asked for a רפואה שלמה refuah shleimah. Avram asked for a שידוך shidduch, Avram asked for the birth of children, Avram asked for peace and security. Avram asked for a prayer, and he got a big fat no. Hashem rejected the תפילה tefilah. Sdom was destroyed. And that's the place from which we learn the entire institution of תפילת שחרית tefilas Shacharis? That's where we learn to דאַווענען daven every morning from a big no? What a powerful question. What a question. ומבואר בפשטות אדרבה U'mevoar b'pshitos adraba, שזה מלמד את האדם דעת התפילה כשלא נתקבלה התפילה shezeh melamed es ha'adam daas ha'tefilah k'shelo niskabla ha'tefilah, צריכים להמשיך להתפלל לפני השם tzrichim l'hamshich l'hispallel lifnei Hashem, ויוכלו להתפלל בלי יאוש v'yuchlu l'hispallel bli yeush, כי אין אנו יודעים מה שפועל התפילות ki ein anu yodim ma she'poel ha'tefilos. That's exactly where we learn it from. You know why? Because we need to know that even when it feels like our prayer wasn't answered, הקדוש ברוך הוא HaKadosh Baruch Hu heard it. He deposited it, he banked it. And we have no idea the cosmic impact it has. Don't look back and feel that we got a no. There's a yes. Maybe it's a deferred yes, maybe it's a yes that we never know. Maybe it's a yes that won't come for a long time. There is absolutely no such thing as a wasted prayer. Every heartfelt prayer that's offered is deposited. וזהו שתיקן אברהם תפילת שחרית V'zehu she'tiken Avraham tefilas Shacharis, שתיקן שלא יתייאש האדם מלהתפלל she'tiken shelo yisya'eish ha'adam milehispallel. And that's exactly what Avram established, that even when it feels like you got a no, don't stop praying. Don't stop דאַווענען davening. Don't stop asking. On that issue, it felt like a no, but you have no idea where all those תפילות tefilos will turn into a yes, will turn into a yes. We all know the story when Esther Waxman, Nachshon Waxman, was an IDF soldier who was kidnapped and held, and the entire Israel country lit candles, even those who hadn't. His parents went on TV in Israel and said, light candles and offer a prayer on his behalf. And in an attempted rescue operation, he was killed. And his parents, heroically, Esther Waxman, made an effort to specifically go back on TV and tell the Israeli public and Jews everywhere, don't think that you got a no. It was Hashem answered a yes to something else. Don't think Hashem didn't answer our prayer. Sometimes the answer is a no which is a yes to something else. And that's what it means. Listen to this. ואברהם עודנו עומד לפני השם V'Avraham odenu omed lifnei Hashem. That's what it says. Avram woke up early. וישכם אברהם בבקר אל המקום Vayashkem Avraham baboker el hamakom, עודנו עומד odenu omed. Pasuk later says he's still standing. What does it mean? It means even when it feels like we got a no, to stay still standing and keep asking. We don't know. We don't know Hashem's divine matrix. We don't know Hashem's divine spreadsheet. We don't know how he has his account of prayers that were deposited through the millennia and the ages and when he's taking out a yes. You know, the blessings in our life today are Hashem answering the prayers of our grandparents and great-grandparents of a long time ago. And our grandchildren and great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren of tomorrow are depending and relying on the deposits of our prayers today. We have no idea how his system works. And even when we דאַווען daven so hard for something that seems like it didn't happen, or we know that it feels like it was a no, those תפילות tefilos, those prayers weren't wasted. And we have that, we've received that from אברהם אבינו Avraham Avinu. That's what it means. He's established the Avram in us is the capacity to continue to דאַווען daven even or especially when it feels like we got a no. To דאַווען daven nonetheless and to keep going. Avram has a מקום קבוע makom kavua. He has a set place that he offers this prayer. Right, in this מקום makom. And we learn from here how important it is to have a מקום קבוע makom kavua. Not to kick someone out of your seat, מקום קבוע makom kavua. Draw a circle around your מקום קבוע makom kavua, your set place in שול shul, draw a circle. It's not me, the משנה ברורה Mishnah Berurah, ד׳ אמות daled amos, six feet in every direction if you find a chair there, you're still in your מקום קבוע makom kavua and you are good to go. The גמרא בברכות דף ו׳ Gemara in Brachos daf vav learns from here, כל הקובע מקום לתפילתו אלקי אברהם בעזרו kol hakovea makom l'tfilaso, Elokei Avraham b'ezro. Whoever says a set place to דאַווען daven, the God of Avram will will help them. And they'll say about you when you die, what a humble person, what a righteous person, a student of אברהם אבינו Avraham Avinu. Why? וישכם אברהם בבקר Vayashkem Avraham baboker because Avram had a מקום קבוע makom kavua. All that because you have a מקום קבוע makom kavua? Where is this מקום קבוע makom kavua? רבינו יונה Rabbeinu Yonah writes, the מקום קבוע makom kavua is not in שול shul. The מקום קבוע makom kavua is in your house. The entire שול shul is a מקום קבוע makom kavua. When the גמרא Gemara lauds and praises a person who has a מקום קבוע makom kavua, it's not talking about in the שול shul, it's talking about in your home. Don't דאַווען daven while you're putting away the dishes and cleaning the dining room table and getting the laundry in the hamper and you're mumbling the דאַווענען davening. Don't דאַווען daven sometimes in this corner. corner and sometimes in that room and sometimes in the backyard. A person should have in their home a set place. Get a שטענדער shtender, get a מזרח mizrach sign on the wall, have a bookcase with the סידורים siddurim and תהילים tehillim. Should be a set place, a set place in the home, a feeling of a מקום קבוע makom kavua in shul. So a שם משמואל Shem MiShmuel wonders, what's this value and virtue? You're a student of אברהם אבינו Avraham Avinu just because you have a מקום קבוע makom kavua? ענין קביעות מקום מה שמרגיש אדם שמקום התפילה אינו רק אמצעי לתפילתו, אלא הוא מרגיש שעיקר מקומו ורצונו להיות קבוע במקום התפילה Inyan kviut makom ma shemargish adam shemakom hatfila eino rak emtzai l'tfilato, elu hu margish she'ikar mekomo v'rtzono l'hiyot kavua b'makom hatfila. A a מקום קבוע התפילה makom kavua hatfila doesn't just mean physically standing in the same place. It means that a person feels my מקום makom is קבוע לתפילה kavua l'tfila. My place in the world is an ongoing conversation with השם Hashem. That the entire day is one long conversation with God. So yes, מקום קבוע makom kavua can mean a set place to דאווען daven, whether it's in shul or at home, but what it also means, מקום קבוע makom kavua is, my place is in דאווענען davening. My life is one long conversation. We've shared so many times in this שיעור shiur living with אמונה emunah, walking into the boardroom, the operating room, walking into every room is a conversation with השם Hashem. That's what דוד המלך David Hamelech said, אחת שאלתי achat sha'alti, my one request is, שבתי בבית השם shivti b'veit Hashem. He didn't mean that I can sit in the house of השם Hashem all the time. What he meant was, wherever I go, I transformed it into a בית השם Beit Hashem. Work, the supermarket, the gym, the subway, my home, I'm constantly in conversation with השם Hashem, a מקום קבוע makom kavua, my place is constant conversation. One last one, sorry. One last one, let's go back. פרק יט פסוק יט ז Perek Yud Tes pasuk Yud Tes Zayin. One last idea. ויתמהמה vayitmahmah. He hesitated. Sorry, let's go back. Lot and his wife and his family are being destroyed. There was an ambivalence. He hesitated. He hesitated. Who's he? פרק יט פסוק יוד, פסוק יט ז Perek Yud Tes pasuk Yud, pasuk Yud Tes Zayin. As dawn was breaking, the angels hurried Lot, \"Get up, take your wife, two daughters and get out.\" But he hesitated, ויתמהמה vayitmahmah. Torah does not have a word for ambivalence, writes Rabbi Sacks. It does, however, have a tune for it. This is a rare note known as, what's the טראפ trop over the word ויתמהמה vayitmahmah? שלשלת Shalshelet. It's an unusual note, going up and down, up and down, as if unable to move forward to the next note. The 16th century commentator, רבי יוסף אבן כספי Rav Yosef ibn Kaspi, best to find what it's meant to convey, a psychological state of uncertainty and indecision. The nature of Lot's indecision, the graphic notation of the שלשלת shalshelet looks like a streak of lightning, a zigzag movement, a mark that goes repeatedly backward and forward, conveys a frozen motion. Lot is a prime example of what Leon Festinger called cognitive dissonance. According to Festinger, the need to avoid dissonance and the unbearable tension it creates is fundamental to human beings. It is this tension that Lot cannot resolve and which is signaled by the שלשלת shalshelet over he hesitated. Festinger's theory also explains the behavior of Lot's wife, who looked back and was turned into a pillar of salt. He called this syndrome post-decision dissonance. He predicted the more important the issue, the longer the person delays a decision, the harder it is to reverse, the more he or she will agonize over whether they've made the right choice. They have second thoughts, they need reassurance, they try to look back. But if you look back, if you live your life looking back, you live your life with regret and remorse, if you live your life second guessing, you get stuck. Like salt preserves Lot's wife, we get stuck looking back. So that ויתמהמה vayitmahmah, שלשלת shalshelet, the zigzag is indecision, back and forth and back and forth. We דאווען daven we shouldn't have dissonance, we should have clarity and confidence in the decisions that we make and be able to move forward. Should be a day of בשורות טובות besoros tovos.
