Lech Lecha – Peninim on the Torah

אל תירא אברם אנכי מגן לך. שכרך הרבה מאד.

Fear not, Avram, I am a shield for you. Your reward shall be very great. (15:1)

The words, “Your reward shall be very great,” imply that not only is a reward waiting for Avraham Avinu, but the reward that had normally been stored away on his behalf was not diminished as a result of the miracles which were wrought for him. Why is this? Yaakov Avinu feared that his z’chusim, merits, would be diminished as a result of Hashem’s saving him from Eisav’s reach. Why should Avraham be different? Indeed, is this not what reward is all about? Horav Yisrael Salanter, zl, quoted by Horav Boruch Dov Povarsky, Shlita, compares this world to an upscale restaurant…

Home -> 5780 -> Lech Lecha

אם מחוט ועד שרוך נעל ואם אקח מכל אשר לך ולא תאמר אני העשרתי את אברם.

Sruly Schnair In Lech Lecha, 5780

I will not take so much as a thread or a sandal strap of what is yours; you shall not say, “It is I who made Avram rich.” (14:23)

Avraham Avinu refused to accept any material gifts from the king of Sodom. He was not interested in the pagan patting himself on the back knowing that he had increased Avraham’s wealth. Yet, we do not find this same attitude when Pharaoh offered gifts. Avraham readily accepted them. Furthermore, when Avraham had an incident with Avimelech, in which the king sought to assuage his guilt, he, too, gave Avraham gifts, which the Patriarch also accepted. Why did he refuse the gifts from the Sodomite king, yet accept the gifts proffered by Pharaoh and Avimelech? Horav Baruch Dov Povarsky, Shlita, explains…

Home -> 5780 -> Lech Lecha

ויבא הפליט ויגד לאברם העברי

Sruly Schnair In Lech Lecha, 5780

Then there came the fugitive and told Avram, the Ivri. (14:13)

Avraham Avinu was not the first righteous person to believe in and follow Hashem. He was the first one whom Hashem chose to be the progenitor of His great nation, Klal Yisrael. Shem ben Noach is referred to as a Kohen l’Keil Elyon, Priest to the G-d on High. That seems to be a distinguished reference. Yet, Hashem passed him over for Avraham. Why? Shem was always righteous. He assisted his father in building the Teivah, Ark, and devoted his life to solitude, removing himself from society. The problem is that after witnessing the destruction of humanity and spending an…

Home -> 5780 -> Lech Lecha

הפרד נא מעלי

Sruly Schnair In Lech Lecha, 5780

Let us separate. (13:9)

The question is well-known. Avraham Avinu reached out to an entire pagan world in order to teach the people the verities of monotheism. He converted many. His nephew and close disciple, Lot, was one of these many souls whom Avraham brought closer to Hashem. Yet, when Lot manifested an attitude that was inappropriate; when his ethical standards came into opposition with those of Avraham, the Patriarch bid him, “Good day,” and separated himself from him. Why did Avraham have patience for everyone (certainly his pagan candidates left much to be desired), but not Lot? Why was Avraham so firm in…

Home -> 5780 -> Lech Lecha

ואת הנפש אשר עשו בחרן

Sruly Schnair In Lech Lecha, 5780

And the souls they made in Charan. (12:5)

Our Patriarch spent his entire adult life devoted to outreach. Wherever they traveled, and when they finally settled, Avraham and Sarah were fountains of chesed and lovingkindness in a world beset with paganism and hedonism. Avraham Avinu is referred to as the amud hachesed, pillar of kindness, and rightfully so, having spent his entire life reaching out to a pagan world, both materially and spiritually. Chesed is a wonderful and vital character trait. Our world functions on chesed, both in the religious and secular communities. It is the one character trait upon which everyone seems to agree. We have all…

Home -> 5779 -> Lech Lecha

זאת בריתי אשר תשמרו ביני וביניכם ובין זרעך אחריך המול לכם כל זכר

Sruly Schnair In Lech Lecha, 5779

This is My Covenant which you shall keep between Me and you and your descendants after you. Every male among you shall be circumcised. (17:10)

In addressing the mitzvah of Bris Milah, the Sefer HaChinuch writes: “One root reason for this precept is that Hashem wished to affix in the people that He set apart to be called by His Name a permanent sign on their bodies to distinguish them physically from the other nations. Just as they are differentiated in their spiritual form, their purpose and way in the world not being the same, their physical differentiation sets them apart as it constitutes the perfection of their physical form. Hashem Yisborach desired to refine the physical character of His chosen people, and He wanted…

Home -> 5779 -> Lech Lecha

ויאמר אליו אני ד' אשר הוצאתיך מאור כשדים

Sruly Schnair In Lech Lecha, 5779

And He (Hashem) said to him, “I am G-d Who brought you out of Uhr Kasdim.” (15:7)

The fact that the Torah does not mention the miracle of Avraham Avinu being spared from death in Uhr Kasdim, except in passing, begs elucidation. Hashem just says, “I am G-d Who brought you out of Uhr Kasdim” – nothing at all about saving him from certain death. Apparently, as far as our Patriarch was concerned, Uhr Kasdim was not much of a nisayon, test, for him. Why? Horav Yaakov Moshe Charlop, zl, explains that Avraham Avinu lived his life on the ultimate spiritual plateau of V’chai bahem, “By which he shall live” (Vayikra 18:5). This teaches that one’s entire…

Home -> 5779 -> Lech Lecha

ויאמר אברם אל לוט אל נא תהי מריבה ביני ובינך... כי אנשים אחים אנחנו... הפרד נא מעלי

Sruly Schnair In Lech Lecha, 5779

And Avram said to Lot, “Please let there be no discord, please, between me and you… for we are kinsmen (men who are brothers)… Please separate from me.” (13:8,9)

It appears that the reason for them to separate from one another was their kinship. If they were not kinsmen, would discord have been more acceptable? Strife is strife – discord devastates – controversy destroys. Does it make a difference if the fight is between brothers or two unrelated individuals? Chazal (cited by Rashi) teach that Avraham Avinu and Lot had similar countenances. Does it make a difference whether or not they looked alike? The simple explanation is that Avraham was concerned with the fact that he and Lot looked the same. Imagine, one day Avraham is seen in the…

Home -> 5779 -> Lech Lecha

ויאמר אברם אל לוט אל נא תהי מריבה ביני ובינך...

Sruly Schnair In Lech Lecha, 5779

And Avram said to Lot, “Let there be no discord, please, between me and you….” (13:8)

Horav S.R. Hirsch, zl, teaches an important lesson concerning the grammatical syntax of the above pasuk. He explains that the word beineinu, between us, is used when the separation or union is not necessarily mutual. However, when the Torah repeats the bein, between, such as here, beini u’beinecha, between me and you, the union or separation is mutual. It is as if Avraham Avinu was intimating to Lot: “If we have discord, there can be no relationship between us. Our quarrel is mutual. There are things about you which do not please me, and I am certain that there are…

Home -> 5779 -> Lech Lecha

ואת הנפש אשר עשו בחרן

Sruly Schnair In Lech Lecha, 5779

And the souls they made in Charan. (12:5)

Avraham Avinu made souls – so did Sarah Imeinu – each focusing on members of his or her own specific gender. Developing the spiritual qualities of their students and leading them to belief in the Almighty was much more than spiritual refinement. It was a process by which Avraham and Sarah transformed their students, actually made them anew. They developed the potential of each student, bringing it to the surface. They accomplished this through the medium of mitzvah performance, which teaches us that every act of mitzvah performance is transformative, capable of altering a Jew’s overall essence. In Pirkei Avos…

You have Successfully Subscribed!

Back to Home -> Lech Lecha ->

אל תירא אברם אנכי מגן לך. שכרך הרבה מאד.

Fear not, Avram, I am a shield for you. Your reward shall be very great. (15:1)

אם מחוט ועד שרוך נעל ואם אקח מכל אשר לך ולא תאמר אני העשרתי את אברם.

I will not take so much as a thread or a sandal strap of what is yours; you shall not say, “It is I who made Avram rich.” (14:23)

ויבא הפליט ויגד לאברם העברי

Then there came the fugitive and told Avram, the Ivri. (14:13)

הפרד נא מעלי

Let us separate. (13:9)

ואת הנפש אשר עשו בחרן

And the souls they made in Charan. (12:5)

זאת בריתי אשר תשמרו ביני וביניכם ובין זרעך אחריך המול לכם כל זכר

This is My Covenant which you shall keep between Me and you and your descendants after you. Every male among you shall be circumcised. (17:10)

ויאמר אליו אני ד' אשר הוצאתיך מאור כשדים

And He (Hashem) said to him, “I am G-d Who brought you out of Uhr Kasdim.” (15:7)

ויאמר אברם אל לוט אל נא תהי מריבה ביני ובינך... כי אנשים אחים אנחנו... הפרד נא מעלי

And Avram said to Lot, “Please let there be no discord, please, between me and you… for we are kinsmen (men who are brothers)… Please separate from me.” (13:8,9)

ויאמר אברם אל לוט אל נא תהי מריבה ביני ובינך...

And Avram said to Lot, “Let there be no discord, please, between me and you….” (13:8)

ואת הנפש אשר עשו בחרן

And the souls they made in Charan. (12:5)

YEARS

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

You have Successfully Subscribed!