RABBI DAVID ETENGOFF: PARASHAT HASHAVUAH
  • Blog: Rabbi David Etengoff: Parashat HaShavuah
  • Sefer Bereishit 5784&5785
  • Sefer Shemot 5784&5785
  • Sefer Vayikra 5784&5785
  • Sefer Bamidbar 5784 &5785
  • Sefer Devarim 5784&5785
  • Sefer Bereishit 5782&5783
  • Sefer Shemot 5782&5783
  • Sefer Vayikra 5782&5783
  • Sefer Bamidbar 5782&5783
  • Sefer Devarim 5782&5783
  • Sefer Bereishit 5780& 5781
  • Sefer Shemot 5780&5781
  • Sefer Vayikra 5780&5781
  • Sefer Bamidbar 578&5781
  • Sefer Devarim 578&5781
  • Sefer Bereishit 5778&5779
  • Sefer Shemot 5778&5779
  • Sefer Vayikra 5778&5779
  • Sefer Bamidbar 5778&5779
  • Sefer Devarim 5778&5779
  • Sefer Bereishit 5776&5777
  • Sefer Bereishit 5774&5775
  • Sefer Bereishit 5772&5773
  • Sefer Bereishit 5771&5770
  • Sefer Shemot 5776&5777
  • Sefer Shemot 5774&5775
  • Sefer Shemot 5772&5773
  • Sefer Shemot 5771&5770
  • Sefer Vayikra 5776&5777
  • Sefer Vayikra 5774&5775
  • Sefer Vayikra 5772&5773
  • Sefer Vayikra 5771&5770
  • Sefer Bamidbar 5776&5777
  • Sefer Bamidbar 5774&5775
  • Sefer Bamidbar 5772&5773
  • Sefer Bamidbar 5771&5770
  • Sefer Devarim 5776&5777
  • Sefer Devarim 5774&5775
  • Sefer Devarim 5772&5773
  • Sefer Devarim 5771&5770

11/12/2016

Parashat Vayera 5777, 2016: "Dare To Be Like Avraham!"

0 Comments

Read Now
 
Picture
Rabbi David Etengoff

Dedicated to the sacred memories of my mother, Miriam Tovah bat Aharon Hakohen, father-in-law, Levi ben Yitzhak, sister-in-law, Ruchama Rivka Sondra bat Yechiel, sister, Shulamit bat Menachem, Chaim Mordechai Hakohen ben Natan Yitzchak, Yehonatan Binyamin ben Mordechai Meir Halevi, Avraham Yechezkel ben Yaakov Halevy, HaRav Yosef Shemuel ben HaRav Reuven Aharon, David ben Elazar Yehoshua, the refuah shlaimah of Devorah bat Chana, Yitzhak Akiva ben Malka and Leah bat Shifra, and the safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.
 
There are two times in Sefer Bereishit wherein we encounter the phrase, “Va’ye’he acharei hadevarim ha’aleh” (“And it came to pass after these matters”), toward the conclusion of our parasha and, later, in Parashat Vayechi:

And it came to pass after these matters, that it was told to Abraham saying: “Behold Milcah, she also bore sons to Nahor your brother.” (22:20)
And it came to pass after these matters that [someone] said to Joseph, “Behold, your father is ill.” So he took his two sons with him, Manasseh and Ephraim. (48:1, all Tanach and Rashi translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)
 
Each pasuk (verse) portends a significant turning point in Jewish history. The first is the prologue to, “And Bethuel fathered Rebecca,” announcing the birth of the future wife of Isaac, and mother of Jacob and Eisav; the second pasuk foreshadows the passing of Ya’akov Avinu (our Father Ya’akov), the transition from the Age of the Patriarchs to the Age of the Jewish Nation, and the ultimate creation of the covenantal community following Kabbalat Hatorah (the Receiving of the Torah).

Rashi (1040-1105) analyzes the meaning of “va’ye’he acharei hadevarim ha’aleh” as it pertains to our parasha in the following fashion:

And it came to pass after these matters: When he returned from Mount Moriah, Abraham was thinking and saying, “Had my son been slaughtered, he would have died without children. I should have married him to a woman of the daughters of Aner, Eshkol, or Mamre.” The Holy One, blessed be He, announced to him that Rebecca, his mate, had been born, and that is the meaning of “after these matters,” i.e., after the thoughts of the matter that came about as a result of the Akeidah (the Binding of Isaac).
 
Rashi’s midrashically-inspired comment focuses upon three major points. Firstly, he explains that “after these matters” refers to Abraham’s thoughts and anxieties subsequent to the Akeidah. This clarification is necessary, as confusion could result from the intervening verse between the end of the Akeidah and the words, “and it came to pass after these matters.” Secondly, Rashi’s gloss reveals Abraham’s remorse concerning his failure to find a wife for Isaac prior to the Akeidah since, theoretically, this omission could have resulted in Isaac dying without issue, signaling the end of monotheism, the most spiritually transformative movement in world history. Lastly, Rashi notes, “the Holy One blessed be He, announced to him [Abraham] that Rebecca, his [Isaac’s] mate, had been born.”

The second Sochatchover rebbe, Rav Shmuel Bornsztain zatzal (1855-1926), raises a penetrating question regarding Rashi’s explanation of our phrase, “and it came to pass after these matters.” He asks, “Why did it matter to him [Abraham] what had happened in the past [when he had not found a wife for Isaac], since Isaac had not been slaughtered [at the time of the Akeidah]?”(Sefer Shem Mishmuel, Parashat Chayeh Sarah, 1911, this and the following translations and brackets my own) In other words, why did Abraham have such depth-level angst concerning the past, when, after all, Isaac was alive and potentially able to begin a family? I believe Rav Bornsztain’s deeply insightful answer to this question captures the very essence of Abraham’s persona:

This matter [of Abraham’s consummate anxiety regarding the past] is based on the underlying notion that Abraham thought he was the reason as to why Isaac was not slaughtered [at the Akeidah]; since he had not found Isaac a wife and he had not fathered children. As such, it was impossible for the Holy One blessed be He’s words, “Please look heavenward and count the stars, if you are able to count them…So will be your seed” (15:5) to be fulfilled. This [i.e. the outcome of the Akeidah as we know it], however, would not have been the case, in Abraham’s view, if Isaac had already fathered children, for, then the Holy One blessed be He would have chosen Isaac for a korban olah (a completely consumed burnt offering). This, then, is the reason for Abraham’s consternation [after the Akeidah,] since he felt he had diminished his service to the Holy One blessed be He by not having found Isaac a wife.
 
In sum, we can now begin to appreciate the degree of devotion that Abraham had for Hashem. True, he certainly must have rejoiced that Isaac was alive; yet, he nonetheless was pained to the depth of his being that “he had diminished his service to the Holy One blessed be He by not having found Isaac a wife.” As Rav Bornsztain so aptly notes, “When one carefully examines the subject [of the Akeidah and Abraham’s ensuing reaction,] we can see the [spiritual] heights that he achieved and his [overwhelming] love for the Holy One blessed be He…” (Sefer Shem Mishmuel, Parashat Vayera, 1913)

Based upon the second Sochatchover rebbe’s keen analysis, we now know that Abraham’s life was the embodiment of the second verse of the Shema: “And you shall love the L-rd, your G-d, with all your heart and with all your soul, and with all your means.” (Sefer Devarim 6:5) According to Rashi, these three terms convey the following meaning:

With all your heart: … Another explanation; “with all your heart,” is that your heart should not be divided [i.e., at variance] with the Omnipresent (Midrash Sifrei).
And with all your soul: Even if He takes your soul (Midrash Sifrei; Talmud Bavli, Berachot 54a, 61a).
And with all your means: … Another explanation of this is: You shall love G-d with whatever measure He metes out to you, whether it be the measure of good or the measure of retribution.
 
With the Almighty’s help, may we strive to emulate Abraham’s profound love and devotion to Hashem, with all our hearts, and with all our souls and with all our means. V’chane yihi ratzon.

Shabbat Shalom
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
They may also be found on YUTorah.org using the search criteria of Etengoff and the parasha’s name.

The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always happy to add more members to the list. If you have family or friends you would like to have added, please do not hesitate to contact me via email mailto:[email protected].

*** My audio shiurim for Women on “Tefilah: Haskafah and Analysis,” may be found at: http://tinyurl.com/8hsdpyd

*** I have posted 164 of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s English language audio shiurim (MP3 format) spanning the years 1958-1984. Please click on the highlighted link.
 

Share

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

Details

    Archives

    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012

    Author

    Talmid of Rabbi Soloveitchik zatzal

    Categories

    All
    Parashat Hashavuah

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Blog: Rabbi David Etengoff: Parashat HaShavuah
  • Sefer Bereishit 5784&5785
  • Sefer Shemot 5784&5785
  • Sefer Vayikra 5784&5785
  • Sefer Bamidbar 5784 &5785
  • Sefer Devarim 5784&5785
  • Sefer Bereishit 5782&5783
  • Sefer Shemot 5782&5783
  • Sefer Vayikra 5782&5783
  • Sefer Bamidbar 5782&5783
  • Sefer Devarim 5782&5783
  • Sefer Bereishit 5780& 5781
  • Sefer Shemot 5780&5781
  • Sefer Vayikra 5780&5781
  • Sefer Bamidbar 578&5781
  • Sefer Devarim 578&5781
  • Sefer Bereishit 5778&5779
  • Sefer Shemot 5778&5779
  • Sefer Vayikra 5778&5779
  • Sefer Bamidbar 5778&5779
  • Sefer Devarim 5778&5779
  • Sefer Bereishit 5776&5777
  • Sefer Bereishit 5774&5775
  • Sefer Bereishit 5772&5773
  • Sefer Bereishit 5771&5770
  • Sefer Shemot 5776&5777
  • Sefer Shemot 5774&5775
  • Sefer Shemot 5772&5773
  • Sefer Shemot 5771&5770
  • Sefer Vayikra 5776&5777
  • Sefer Vayikra 5774&5775
  • Sefer Vayikra 5772&5773
  • Sefer Vayikra 5771&5770
  • Sefer Bamidbar 5776&5777
  • Sefer Bamidbar 5774&5775
  • Sefer Bamidbar 5772&5773
  • Sefer Bamidbar 5771&5770
  • Sefer Devarim 5776&5777
  • Sefer Devarim 5774&5775
  • Sefer Devarim 5772&5773
  • Sefer Devarim 5771&5770