Sruly Schnair

ויאמר ד' אל אברם לך לך מארצך וממולדתך ומבית אביך

Hashem said to Avram, “Go for yourself from your land, from your relatives, and from your father’s house.” (12:1)

This is our introduction to Avraham Avinu: no biography; no family lineage; no prior history. Whatever we know about the first Patriarch is from Chazal. Even Moshe Rabbeinu’s birth and genealogy are recorded. Why not that of the father of our nation? Avraham’s father was Terach, an idolater, who was so committed to his pagan beliefs that he informed on his son to the evil Nimrod. Had Hashem not provided a miracle for Avraham, he would have been immolated in a fiery cauldron. Avraham’s wife, Sarah Imeinu, was Terach’s granddaughter, whom he had raised after the untimely death of her…

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ויבא הפליט ויגד לאברם העברי

Sruly Schnair In Lech Lecha, 5783

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

The term Ivri (translated as Hebrew, or “to one side”) is applied only to Avraham Avinu. It is written concerning him only once in the Torah, with regard to the fugitive whom Rashi teaches was none other than Og, the future king of Bashan, enemy of the Jewish People. Og hoped (or assumed) that nothing would stand in the way of Avraham rescuing Lot, who had been taken captive. Thus, he would be killed in the war. Once Avraham was out of the picture, Og would be free to marry his widow, Sarah Imeinu. Two questions are glaring. Why does…

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אל תירא אברם אנכי מגן לך

Sruly Schnair In Lech Lecha, 5783

Fear not, Avram, I am a shield for you. (15:1)

We are referred to as Bnei Avraham Avinu, children of the Patriarch Avraham, because we inherited from the father of our people a national character trait. The Chiddushei HaRim writes that the term Magen Avraham, shield of Avraham, is a guarantee from Hashem that the nekudah, characteristic, which defined Avraham would be bequeathed to each and every one of his descendants. The Patriarch was referred to as Avraham HaIvri, because he stood his ground on one eiver, side, while the rest of the world was on the other side. This applies to Avraham’s ability to withstand societal coercion, family pressure…

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והאמין בד' ויחשביה לו לצדקה

Sruly Schnair In Lech Lecha, 5783

And he trusted in Hashem, and He reckoned it to him as righteousness. (15:6)

Avraham Avinu was rishon v’rosh l’maaminim, first and foremost of the believers in Hashem. Discovering on his own that this world did not just happen and that every moment of its existence – and the existence of every creation – is providentially guided by Hashem, he devoted his life to spreading this concept to a world to whom this idea was foreign. His descendants, the Jewish People, have maintained his teachings with emunah in Hashem, the pre-emanate foundation of our dogma. Throughout (what presented themselves as) the worst moments in our tumultuous history, we have continued and maintained our faith…

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ותאמר שרי אל אברם חמסי עליך

Sruly Schnair In Lech Lecha, 5783

Sarai said to Avram, “The outrage against me is due to You!” (16:5)

A perfunctory reading of the pesukim, which details Sarah Imeinu’s relinquishing her maidservant, Hagar, to Avraham Avinu for the purpose of establishing posterity, followed by her dismissing Hagar from her home, when her insolence became too much to overlook, is misguiding. So much depth is contained in these parshiyos, with every action of the Avos and Imahos, Patriarchs and Matriarchs, steeped in the highest esoteric meanings and secrets, that one is impelled to study every word, every lesson, every nuance, in order to simply scratch the surface of the narrative. Let us focus on one lesson as seen through the…

Home -> 5783 -> Noach

אלה תולדות נח נח איש צדיק תמים היה בדורותיו

Sruly Schnair In Noach, 5783

These are the offspring of Noach – Noach was a righteous man, perfect in his generation. (6:9)

A well-known debate exists among the sages concerning the term “generations” as it relates to Noach: Was he righteous only in the context of his generation, which was evil? Or, alternatively, even in his evil generation surrounded by moral corruption, he was able to remain righteous. Certainly, in the generation of Avraham Avinu, he would have been righteous. In other words, how would Noach have fared in Avraham’s generation, which was on a much higher plateau? The question is obvious: What provoked the sages, who viewed Noach in a less-than-favorable manner, to state: “Had he lived in the generation of…

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ואתה קח לך מכל מאכל אשר יאכל ואספת אליך

Sruly Schnair In Noach, 5783

And as for you, take yourself of every food that is eaten and gather it into yourself. (6:21)

If the animals walked into the Ark on their own without having to be herded in, why could their food not, likewise, arrive on its own? Why did Noach have to go out and gather food for all the animals – enough to last them a year? The Brisker Rav, zl, explains that Noach required a special command to gather food, for, otherwise, he may very well have thought that just as the animals came of their own volition, their food should have “arrived” in the same manner. Thus, Hashem informed Noach that the animals would come on their own;…

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ויאמר אלקים אל נח זאת אות הברית אשר הקמתי ביני ובין כל בשר על הארץ

Sruly Schnair In Noach, 5783

And Hashem said to Noach, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have confirmed between Me and all flesh that is upon the earth.” (9:17)

Sforno comments that the bow is a sign for the righteous Jews to commence praying for the generation. The mere fact that the bow appears is a Heavenly message that something is amiss. The people have subverted their spiritual dimension, with punishment being the Heavenly response – unless the righteous pray for Heavenly compassion. The rainbow is the sign of the covenant which Hashem made with mankind: “It is incumbent upon you (Noach), and those like you, to bestir yourselves when you see it, to rouse the people to repent and understand that they must better themselves.” (Sforno) The rainbow…

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בראשית ברא אלקים את השמים ואת הארץ

Sruly Schnair In Bereishis, 5783

In the beginning of G-d’s creating the heavens and the earth. (1:1)

Rashi comments, “All the potentials of heaven and earth were created on Day One, but Hashem commanded each to actualize on a designated day. The heavens had been created on the first day, but they were still in a state of flux. On the second day, when Hashem said, ‘Let there be a rakia, firmament,’ the heavens solidified, thereby creating a separation between the waters above (clouds) and the waters below.” We wonder why there had to be a process whereby the heavens required a day to congeal. Also, Hashem created light on the first day, but He did not…

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ויאמר אלקים נעשה אדם בצלמנו כדמותנו

Sruly Schnair In Bereishis, 5783

And Elokim said, “Let us make Man in Our image, after Our likeness.” (1:26)

Chazal (Midrash) teach, “When Moshe Rabbeinu wrote the Torah (as dictated to him by Hashem), he came to this pasuk, “Let Us make…” which is written in the plural, thus implying the notion that there might chas v’shalom, Heaven forbid, be more than one Creator. Ribbono Shel Olam! Why did You give the heretics a pretext to suggest a plural of divinities?” Hashem replied, “Write… whoever wishes to err will do so regardless. Rather, let them learn from their Creator, Who (although He) created all, still consulted with the Ministering Angels.” Thus, Hashem taught us that, regardless of one’s greatness,…

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Back to Home -> Lech Lecha ->

ויאמר ד' אל אברם לך לך מארצך וממולדתך ומבית אביך

Hashem said to Avram, “Go for yourself from your land, from your relatives, and from your father’s house.” (12:1)

ויבא הפליט ויגד לאברם העברי

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

אל תירא אברם אנכי מגן לך

Fear not, Avram, I am a shield for you. (15:1)

והאמין בד' ויחשביה לו לצדקה

And he trusted in Hashem, and He reckoned it to him as righteousness. (15:6)

ותאמר שרי אל אברם חמסי עליך

Sarai said to Avram, “The outrage against me is due to You!” (16:5)

אלה תולדות נח נח איש צדיק תמים היה בדורותיו

These are the offspring of Noach – Noach was a righteous man, perfect in his generation. (6:9)

ואתה קח לך מכל מאכל אשר יאכל ואספת אליך

And as for you, take yourself of every food that is eaten and gather it into yourself. (6:21)

ויאמר אלקים אל נח זאת אות הברית אשר הקמתי ביני ובין כל בשר על הארץ

And Hashem said to Noach, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have confirmed between Me and all flesh that is upon the earth.” (9:17)

בראשית ברא אלקים את השמים ואת הארץ

In the beginning of G-d’s creating the heavens and the earth. (1:1)

ויאמר אלקים נעשה אדם בצלמנו כדמותנו

And Elokim said, “Let us make Man in Our image, after Our likeness.” (1:26)

YEARS

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