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ברך עלינו את השנה הזאת

Bareich Aleinu es ha’shanah ha’zos.

The Zohar HaKadosh teaches that nitzotzos ha’kedushah, holy sparks, which contain the Divine Light, are imbedded all over the physical world within klipos, shells, of impurity. When one makes a brachah prior to food consumption, he releases these holy sparks which ultimately attach to him. If he does not make a blessing, or if the food lacks appropriate spiritual standards, the holiness disappears and the impurity of the klipos attach to the soul of the person who consumes this food. This ultimately causes him to wane in his service to Hashem, until he eventually completely turns his back on Hashem….

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ירק את חניכיו ילידי ביתו

He armed his disciples who had been born in his house. (14:14)

A war was to be waged in order to rescue Lot. Avraham Avinu wasted no time in gathering his students and setting out to the battlefield. Obviously, the Torah has a reason for relating this piece of history. Certainly, it is not to teach us about Avraham’s physical prowess and his skill as a soldier and as a general. Indeed, the image of our Patriarch that is presented in this parshah is blurred. On the one hand, Chazal teach that Avraham took hold of a hammer and smashed his father’s idols. He followed this up by arming himself and going…

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ויבא הפליט ויגד לאברם העברי

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

Avram haIvri, the conjunctive name, Avram the Ivri, is found only once in the Torah. It defines our Patriarch as being on one side, the other side, alone against the world. An individual whose moral, spiritual and ethical compass stood in stark contrast to that of the entire world – and continues to do so until this very day. Some people need to be popular, to receive public accolades, to be surrounded by the crowds, to be accepted by everyone. We understand that public appeal and acclaim can be dangerous snares that might devour a weak person. They are willing…

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וגם ללוט ההלך את אברם היה צאן ובקר ואהלים

Also Lot who went with Avram had Flocks, cattle and tents. (13:5)

The Torah relates that Lot, who was traveling with Avraham Avinu, was very wealthy. Since the Torah wastes no words, informing us of Lot’s wealth hardly seems significant. Why does the Torah mention it, and what are we to learn from it? Rashi explains that Lot’s affluence was caused by his traveling with Avraham. How did Rashi understand that this is implied by the pasuk? Horav Shlomo Wolbe, zl, explains that every physical entity is a manifestation of a spiritual source. If Lot were wealthy, it could be traced back to its spiritual source. Lot’s wealth was not created simply…

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ואת הנפש אשר עשו בחרן

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

Avraham Avinu was the amud ha’chesed, pillar of kindness. What was his greatest kindness? It was reaching out to people and teaching them about Hashem. To save a person from the clutches of idol worship and inculcate him with belief in monotheism is the greatest act of kindness, because this person has been saved – not only spiritually, but physically as well. We involve ourselves in all forms of chesed projects, but the most basic act of reaching out to our estranged brethren seems to elude us. This is especially true if the subject is in an environment that is…

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לך לך... ואעשך לגוי גדול

Go for yourself… and I will make of you a great nation. (12:1,2)

לך לך… ואעשך לגוי גדול Go for yourself… and I will make of you a great nation. (12:1,2) The term/class/status, minority, implies deficiency to a certain extent. Indeed, in contemporary society (and probably much earlier), the appellation, minority, relegates its members, or member, to an implied second-class status. This, of course, is dependent on the individual or individuals who fall under this status, either imposed by the members of the majority or self-imposed – due to a desire to segregate themselves from the majority. Having said this, we will analyze our People’s status – both vis-à-vis the world community and…

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