Parshat Hashavua Vayeira
This Devar Torah was written by Rabbi Henach Leibowitz, shlitah
Parashas Vayeira
I. Chesed and Kiddush Hashem
"And he (Avraham) sat at the door of the tent in the heat of the day.
(Bereishis 18:1)
It was a day that discouraged even the hardiest desert traveler. A
scorching sun beat down on Avraham Avinu as he waited anxiously at the door
of his tent to greet any passers-by. At the age of ninety-nine, and on the
third and most painful day after his circumcision, Avraham was more
distressed by the absence of travelers to accept his hospitality than by his
own physical pain. Finally, Avraham noticed three nomads approaching on the
horizon. Avraham gathered his strength and rushed to greet them and invite
them into his desert oasis for a meal, sparing no effort or expense. The
Torah describes Avraham's chesed – kindness – in elaborate detail,
highlighting its importance and Avraham's zeal to perform it. On the other
hand, nowhere in the written Torah is there any mention of a seemingly
greater act performed by Avraham Avinu: When forced by King Nimrod to
accept idol worship or be burned alive, Avraham chose death by fire and
refused to recant his beliefs.
Hashem enabled Avraham to miraculously emerge unharmed from the kivshan
ha-eish – the fiery furnace. Why didn't the Torah choose to emphasize this
episode, or at least mention it?
Rabbi Nosson Tzvi Finkel used this question to reveal a deeper understanding
of the concept of chesed. Hashem created the world with kindness and
constantly sustains it through chesed. As finite humans, we have no
understanding of Hashem's nature, only the way in which He conducts the
world, which is purely chesed. If we can define our limited comprehension
of Hashem's actions towards ourselves and the universe in a single word, it
is chesed. As an emulation of Hashem, Avraham's hospitality was the
expression of his profound belief and recognition of the Creator, gained
from observing His infinite kindness. When fulfilled with the devotion,
totality of spirit and energy of kiddush Hashem – even greater than giving
one's very life to sanctify Hashem. The Torah underscores the chesed of
Avraham to enlighten us to the power we are capable of harnessing by helping
one another.
A paintbrush and palette in the hands of a novice artist can do little more
than add blotches of color to the canvas. The same tools in the hands of a
skilled master can transform an empty canvas into a priceless masterpiece.
Similarly, chesed can be much more than mechanically dropping a quarter into
a pushka. If we immerse our entire beings into helping our fellow man
whenever the need arises, we can fashion out of that chesed a masterpiece
that Hashem considers priceless.
Throughout history, our people have sacrificed their lives to sanctify
Hashem's name. The Torah is telling us that not only by giving our lives,
but by giving ourselves to others, we also have the ability to rise to great
heights. Opportunites abound. Just look around and see how many people
need our assistance, be it monetarily or physically. How much would it mean
to that old man in shul if we visited him in the hospital? Or just gave him
a call? By following in Avraham's footsteps, we can also demonstrate that
recognition of Hashem and His chesed.
II. Avraham's Zrizus
"And behold, three men stood before him…(Bereishis 18:2)
The Torah is the most concise book of law ever written. Every word and
every letter was weighed and measured by the most perfect author, God
Himself. Volumes of law are derived by our Sages from a single "unnecessary
letter". Yet, when we read about the Patriarchs, the Torah goes to great
lengths recounting small details about the travels and trials of our
forefathers. Why?
The actions of the Avos – Patriarchs – give us invaluable insight into the
importance of mussar – ethics. From the emphasis given to these incidents,
it is evident that Hashem considers derech eretz just as important as the
other laws in the Torah. The requirements and details of derech eretz as it
applies to different generations and in varying situations cannot be
codified, as other laws are in the Shulchan Aruch. More effort and
perception are necessary to extract them from the Torah and to apply them to
our daily actions. (See Magid Mishnah, Hilchos Sh'cheinim chapt. 14).
A lesson in middos can be discovered by examining Avraham Avinu's zeal to
perform a chesed – kindness. The third day after Avraham's bris –
circumcision – was the most painful day in his recuperation; nevertheless,
Avraham was waiting in the scorching sun, ready to receive any guests. From
a distance, he saw what appeared to be a group of idol-worshipping
wayfarers. He ran to greet them. He entreated them repeatedly to stay with
him, relax, and enjoy a sumptuous meal. When they agreed, he ran home and
hurried to prepare a meal fit for the home of Avraham Avinu. The Torah
stresses, at every step, that Avraham hurried and even ran to perform this
mitzvah of hachnasas orchim – inviting guests. This z'rizus – fervor – was
not lessened by his pain, the heat, or even the fact that he was inviting a
group of idolaters into his house.
Many times the mitzvos we perform are difficult to observe. If we learn the
lesson of our father Avraham, to execute even the smallest mitzvah with the
utmost z'rizus, hopefully we will merit the blessings bestowed upon him.
III. Keeping the Peace
"And Sara laughed to herself…(Bereishis 18:12)
The guests who came to Avraham were actually angels, messengers from Hashem.
When Sara overheard them telling Avraham that a son was to be born to her,
she laughed, saying to herself that Avraham was too old. When Hashem told
Avraham about Sara's comment, the Torah says that she had laughed because
Sara felt that she was too old. Rashi states that the Torah changed the
wording of Sara's statement for the sake of shalom – peace – between Avraham
and Sara. Did the Torah have to make this change? Avraham and Sara had
been together for so long and loved each other so much. They each had
refined their middos to a great degree of perfection. Would her statement
have created any harsh feelings between her and Avraham?
The Torah is teaching us an invaluable lesson in how careful we have to be
when dealing with feelings of others. Avraham's hurt would have been
minute, or even nonexistent. Yet, the Torah went to great lengths, and even
changed its wording to avoid it. When dealing with our family and friends
we feel so close to them that we often ignore the fact that they become
insulted or angry. The Torah expects us to be conscientious and caring to
the utmost degree. This example, set by Hashem, of caring for our fellow
Jew, must be on our minds and follow us through all our daily activities.
IV. Strengthening a Happy Marriage
"And they (the angels) said to him "Where is your wife Sara? And he
(Avraham) said, "She is in the tent."…(Bereishis 18:9)
The Gemara (Bava Metzia 87A) tells us that, "The angels knew quite well that
Sara was in the tent. Why did they ask? To endear Sara to her husband."
Rashi (ibid.) elaborates: "To let him know that she is more modest than the
rest of her peers – she is not seen, but rather one has to ask about her."
This simple, well known Chazal has two very relevant lessons hidden between
its lines. Firstly, let us consider Avraham and Sara's relationship. Could
we imagine a more harmonious and blissful marriage? Avraham, the epitome of
chesed, who pleaded endlessly with Hashem to save the wicked, corrupt people
of Sodom from destruction; who was so distraught at his inability to shower
kindness on others that Hashem miraculously provided him with angels
disguised as travelers – was there a more caring, loving person than
Avraham? Still, it seems that even this most perfect of homes was able to
be enhanced by additional affection between Avraham and Sara.
Love and honor for one's wife has no bounds or limitations. As wonderful
and happy as any marriage may be, the Torah teaches us that it is a mitzvah
to increase a husband's love for his wife. This applies to outsiders, like
the angels, and certainly to the marriage partners themselves.
There is a second treasure hidden in the words of Chazal. We must stop to
contemplate how the angels accomplished their goal. Wasn't Avraham well
aware of his wife's noble virtue of tznius - modesty? After so many years
of marriage, someone of Avraham's stature must have had a clear
understanding of his wife's virtues. Yet by extracting the response, "She
is in the tent", the angels were able to drive home the point even further.
Even a well known fact can be perceived and felt on a deeper level by
consciously verbalizing the statement.
This concept is of great value in studying mussar. Basic ideas of reward
and punishment, of faith and trust in Hashem, that we already know on an
intellectual level, can be brought into our hearts with greater
understanding by repeating these facts clearly and with intense
concentration.
Even the most perfect marriage and the most virtuous person can always stand
some improvement. Repeating and appreciating basic concepts and exerting
ourselves to perform seemingly simple acts of kindness, can have a powerful
impact on our relationships and on ourselves as we continue to grow ever
higher in the service of Hashem.
V. The Satan's Most Powerful Weapon - Jealousy
"And Yitzchok said to Avraham, his father, 'Father, …where is the lamb for
the sacrifice? …(Bereishis 22:7)
Our forefather Avraham was subjected to the greatest challenge of his life
when Hashem commanded him to offer his son Yitzchak as a sacrifice. The
spiritual perfection demonstrated by Avraham in responding to the Divine
command with zeal and love is an eternal source of merit for our people,
which we invoke daily in our morning prayers, as well as during the Days of
Judgment. Yet, in Midrash Rabbah, we find that Yitzchak was not unwittingly
duped into accompanying his father; to the contrary, he was fully aware and
an equal partner with Avraham.
The Midrash (Bereishis Rabbah 56:4) relates how the Satan – the evil
inclination – cunningly attempted to dissuade the pair from their mission.
After failing with Avraham, he turned to Yitzchak and presented many cogent
arguments to deter him from his path. Nevertheless, Yitzchak remained
steadfast in his commitment. The Satan then pointed out to Yitzchak that,
following his death, all the prized possessions his mother had given him
would belong to Yishmael, his brother. It was this argument that caused
Yitzchak to pause for the slightest moment. Though he continued walking
beside Avraham, he now hesitatingly asked him, "Father…where is the lamb for
the sacrifice?"
What singular weapon in the Satan's arsenal could pierce Yitzchak's defenses
and bring about this hesitancy when all other tactics had failed? What
vulnerability had the Satan found in Yitzchak, our forefather who had
willingly stretched out his neck to be a pure and holy sacrifice to Hashem?
The thought of Yishmael usurping his inheritance allowed a small degree of
kinah – jealousy – to stir in Yitzchak. Even the kind, unselfish Yitzchak
was momentarily affected, ever so slightly, by the evil passion of jealousy.
How can we hope to battle our moments of kinah, the powerful force that
succeeded, to a degree, in causing even Yitzchak to stumble? In order to
guard against the influence of jealousy, we must concentrate on
strengthening our bitachon – faith in Hashem. There is no way we can feel
threatened by any situation or deprived of any object when we wholeheartedly
believe that Hashem is taking care of us and we are totally in His hands.
True bitachon must be unyielding. The Chazon Ish tells us that the
successful storekeeper who loudly proclaims his trust in Hashem when
business is good, only to become overwhelmed with anxiety when a competitor
opens a store down the block, does not have complete bitachon. When our
faith in Hashem is sincere, it will sustain in our bad times as well as our
good times. Reservoirs of faith constantly maintained will be able to
quench feelingsof jealousy aroused in times of travail. As Dovid HaMelech
said in his darkest hour, surrounded by his enemies, "I trust in your
kindness, my heart will exult in Your salvation." (Tehillim 13:6)
