Vayeira – Page 7 – Peninim on the Torah

כי ידעתיו למען אשר יצוה את בניו ואת ביתו אחריו ושמרו דרך ה'

For I have loved him, because he commands his children and his household after him that they keep the way of Hashem. (18:19)

The angels had just recently informed Avraham Avinu of the wonderful news that Sarah would have a child. Yet, the Torah writes that Hashem loved Avraham for his parenting skills in imparting the way of Hashem to his offspring. Was this not a bit premature? Avraham did not yet have any children. The Patriarch was not yet a parent. Horav Gamliel Rabinowitz, Shlita, derives from here that one’s focus on how he will raise his children begins prior to marriage. Everything depends upon one’s purpose in marriage, what it means to him. If one’s goal is to increase kavod Shomayim,…

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ויגש אברהם ויאמר האף תספה צדיק עם רשע

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Vayeira, 5773

Avraham came forward and said, “Will you also stamp out the righteous along with the wicked?” (18:23)

Unlike his predecessor, Noach, Avraham Avinu prayed for the wicked people of his generation. The Torah makes a point of relating the Patriarch’s dialogue with Hashem to spare the city of Sodom. This was a community inhabited primarily by evil degenerates whose narcissistic desires towered over any sense of humanity they might have had. They were totally evil. Yet, Avraham prayed for them. Likewise, Moshe Rabbeinu prayed on behalf of those Jews who had sinned with the eigel ha’zahav, Golden Calf. The prayer was for the sinners to repent and the sins to be forgiven. This is the area in…

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וימהר אברהם האהלה אל שרה...ואל הבקר רץ אברהם...ויתן אל הנער וימהר אתו

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Vayeira, 5773

So Avraham hastened to the tent of Sarah…Then Avraham ran to the cattle…and he gave it to the youth who hurried to prepare it. (18:6, 7)

There seems to be an unusual amount of “hurrying” and “running.” Also, did Avrham Avinu have to serve his guests personally? The Alshich HaKadosh writes: “Avraham teaches us two proper courses of action in carrying out mitzvos. First, zerizus, alacrity. Second, whatever one can do personally is preferred.” The Patriarch ran personally to serve his guests. Zerizus is one of the fundamental attributes listed by Rabbi Pinchas ben Yair as leading up to kedushah, holiness. Indeed, alacrity/enthusiasm is a fundamental step in mitzvah observance and toward leading a productive life. One who acts with zerizus does not defer to tomorrow…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Vayeira, 5772

“And the men arose from there, and they gazed toward Sodom.” (18:16)

The Torah seems to place an emphasis upon the word “mishom,” from there, as if the place from which the men left had a special significance. Also, Chazal teach us that the word, “vayashkifu,” and they gazed, has a negative connotation indicating the detriment of that which is being gazed upon. Why would “gazing” from Avraham’s home be the precursor of something bad? Sforno explains that in contrast to what they observed in Avraham Avinu’s home, the men viewed a negative picture from his home. Horav Sholom Shwadron, z.l., explains that the punishment one receives for transgression is commensurate…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Vayeira, 5772

“And she (Hagar) departed, and strayed in the desert of Be’er Sheva.” (21:14)

The Torah should have said, “She departed to/towards the desert of Be’er Sheva and she strayed,” for she did not stray immediately upon her entry into the desert. The sentence reads that “she departed and strayed,” implying that she did not stray only in the concrete sense: she strayed from the truth immediately upon her departure. In his commentary, Rashi suggests that Hagar shirked off the yoke of belief, exchanging it for a life of nomadic belief, straying farther and farther from the truth. We have yet to understand Rashi’s reason for saying that “straying” here does not only…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Vayeira, 5772

“And G-d tested Avraham…and He said, ‘Please take your son…bring him up there as an offering.’” (22:1,2)

Akeidas Yitzchak, the Binding of Yitzchak, was Avraham Avinu’s tenth trial. It is considered the zenith of his devotion to Hashem, the culmination of his spiritual journey, indicating his uncompromising conviction and faith. The first trial took place in Uhr Kasdim, when Avraham was thrown into a fiery furnace. Interestingly, the Torah does not mention this supreme act of self- sacrifice. The Torah, however, dedicates an entire parsha to telling the story of the Akeidah. Every generation of Avraham’s descendants conjure up the memory of Avraham’s and Yitzchak’s devotion, but nothing is even mentioned of Uhr Kasdim. Furthermore, at Uhr…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Vayeira, 5772

“While he was sitting at the entrance of the tent.” (18:1)

Rashi states that Avraham Avinu sat at the entrance of the tent in order to see an “oveir v’shav” – passersby, who might be going “back and forth.” Interestingly, Rashi bases his exegesis on the Midrash which uses the word, “orchim,” guests, in contrast to the phrase which Rashi selects, “oveir v’shav.” Does Rashi suggest a specific reason for deviating from the Midrashic text? Horav Mordechai HaKohen, z.l., renders his words homiletically. “Oveir” is the root of “aveirah,” sin, and “shav” is the root of “teshuvah,” repentance. Inclusive in the mitzvah of hachnasas orchim, hospitality to wayfarers, which addresses their…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Vayeira, 5771

“What if the fifty righteous people should lack five? Would You destroy the entire city because of the five?” And He said, “I will not destroy if I find there forty-five. (18:28)

Simchah, joy, plays a significant – almost critical role – in our avodas Hashem, service to the Almighty. Without simchah, we are unable to sustain a meaningful and enduring relationship. The ultimate goal of a Jew is to bond with Hashem. Without joy, this is impossible, since the Shechina cannot rest in a place of atzvus – loosely translated as sadness, but as the Baal HaTanya defines it, a total absence of feeling. A sad person has feelings. A person in atzvus is mute, without emotion. This is why simchah and sadness can coexist, such as on Tishah B’Av. They are…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Vayeira, 5771

“And Avraham will surely become a great and mighty nation… For I have loved him, because he commands his children and his household after him.” (18:18,19)

The pasuk seems to imply that Avraham Avinu’s z’chus was primarily due to the impact he would make on future generations – his adherence to the Mesorah, transmission of our heritage, throughout the generations. This is enigmatic. Is Avraham not worthy on his own account? After all, he was the first one to recognize Hashem; the individual who was willing to die in a fiery furnace for his convictions; the one who stood up against an entire pagan society to preach monotheism. Certainly, this is quite a résumé to consider! Is Avraham’s only merit the fact that he would pass it…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Vayeira, 5771

“Because the outcry of Sodom and Amorah has become great, and because their sin has been very grave.” (18:20)

The outcry of the victims of Sodom’s physical and mental abuse was too much. The tears of the oppressed seeking liberation from their misery had reached the Heavenly sphere. The Talmud Sanhedrin 109b cites a number of cases depicting the perverted sense of justice which characterized Sodom. One of the more infamous decrees was their approach to hospitality. In fact, the “Sodom bed” has become a catchword for describing a situation where something is made to fit – regardless of its size. The custom was that when a visitor came to Sodom, they would lay him down on a bed…

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כי ידעתיו למען אשר יצוה את בניו ואת ביתו אחריו ושמרו דרך ה'

For I have loved him, because he commands his children and his household after him that they keep the way of Hashem. (18:19)

ויגש אברהם ויאמר האף תספה צדיק עם רשע

Avraham came forward and said, “Will you also stamp out the righteous along with the wicked?” (18:23)

וימהר אברהם האהלה אל שרה...ואל הבקר רץ אברהם...ויתן אל הנער וימהר אתו

So Avraham hastened to the tent of Sarah…Then Avraham ran to the cattle…and he gave it to the youth who hurried to prepare it. (18:6, 7)

“And the men arose from there, and they gazed toward Sodom.” (18:16)

“And she (Hagar) departed, and strayed in the desert of Be’er Sheva.” (21:14)

“And G-d tested Avraham…and He said, ‘Please take your son…bring him up there as an offering.’” (22:1,2)

“While he was sitting at the entrance of the tent.” (18:1)

“What if the fifty righteous people should lack five? Would You destroy the entire city because of the five?” And He said, “I will not destroy if I find there forty-five. (18:28)

“And Avraham will surely become a great and mighty nation… For I have loved him, because he commands his children and his household after him.” (18:18,19)

“Because the outcry of Sodom and Amorah has become great, and because their sin has been very grave.” (18:20)

YEARS

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