Vayeira – Page 7 – Peninim on the Torah

“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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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Vayeira, 5771

The child grew and was weaned, and Avraham made a great feast on the day Yitzchak was weaned. (21:8)

Rabbeinu Bachya writes that the world custom is to celebrate the day of child’s birth with a seudah, festive meal, or do the same on the day of a son’s Bris Milah. However, Avraham Avinu waited until Yitzchak was weaned. Why? He suggests that it was at this point that the Patriarch felt the time had come for his son to commence his Torah studies. This was the day of true joy. Pikudei Hashem yesharim mesamchei lev, “The orders of Hashem are upright, gladdening the heart” (Tehillim 19:9). Avraham celebrated his son’s birth and his entrance into the Covenant of…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Vayeira, 5771

And it happened after these things/words that G-d tested Avraham. (22:1)

The nisayon, trial, of Akeidas Yitzchak, the Binding of Yitzchak, was the greatest of the ten trials which our Patriarch, Avraham Avinu, underwent. His triumph over the various challenges to his faith and his emotions, both as a father and as the first Jew, serves as a paradigm for – and major intercessor on behalf of – his descendants. The Akeidah epitomizes the Jew’s determination to serve Hashem, despite his difficult circumstances. Pesikta Rabbasi teaches that the Akeidah took place on Rosh Hashanah. For this reason, it serves as the Torah reading for the second day of Rosh Hashanah. That, together…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Vayeira, 5771

G-d tested Avraham. (22:1)

Chazal tell us that Avraham Avinu was tested ten times by Hashem. It seems strange that the Patriarch had to prove himself so many times. One test should have sufficed. If he passed, it indicated that he believed and was committed. What more is necessary? Indeed, Chazal teach us that the Akeidas Yitzchak, Binding of Yitzchak, was the most difficult test, and it was through this test that Avraham successfully completed his trial period. He was “in.” If the Akeidah was the turning point, if it was the final indication, why did Hashem not just test Avraham with the Akeidah?…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Vayeira, 5770

“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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“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)

The child grew and was weaned, and Avraham made a great feast on the day Yitzchak was weaned. (21:8)

And it happened after these things/words that G-d tested Avraham. (22:1)

G-d tested Avraham. (22:1)

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

YEARS

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