Vayeira – Page 12 – Peninim on the Torah

“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, 5760

“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, 5760

“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, 5759

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

Even sin has limits. In order for Hashem to destroy an entire population, the evil must have stretched to its nadir. Indeed, we find only two places in the Torah which manifests destruction of such magnitude: the Mabul, flood; and the cities of Sodom and Amorah. True, other individuals sinned, but in these two incidents iniquity reached a milestone. What was there about these sins that was so baneful that the consequences for the sinners was total annihilation? As long as teshuvah, repentance, is an option, Hashem refrains from striking the final blow. Hashem’s disciplinary measures are not punitive. They…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Vayeira, 5759

What if there should be fifty righteous people in the midst of the city? (18:24)

If there had been tzaddikim, would they have made a difference? In reality, there were not even ten righteous people. If there would have been ten tzaddikim, however, the city would have been saved. Why? Will a few tzaddikim accomplish so much that their presence would save the city from disaster? The answer is yes, if these few righteous Jews do not isolate themselves from the community. The key phrase is, “b’soch ha’ir,” in the midst of the city. The fact that tzaddikim live in a community is not necessarily a guarantee that it will be spared. Hashem does not…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Vayeira, 5759

And Hashem remembered Avraham; so He sent Lot from amidst the upheaval. (19:29)

The Ran infers from this pasuk that Lot was spared only because of Avraham. Chazal question what did Lot do that granted him such merit that he was saved from the destruction that befell Sodom. They respond that when Avraham referred to Sarah as his “sister” in order to protect himself from the Egyptians, Lot did not utter a word in dispute. Since he was compassionate with Avraham, Hashem took pity and spared him. The various commentators ask if this was the only merit that Lot possessed. Surely, he must have performed acts of chesed and good deeds that would…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Vayeira, 5759

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

Rashi says that feast was “great” because the great men of that generation, Shem, Eiver and Avimelech attended it. In the Talmud Shabbos 130A, Tosfos contends that this feast took place on the day Yitzchak was circumcised, the eighth day after his birth. Rabbeinu Bachya feels that this unique feast took place on the day that Yitzchak began to study Torah. It is no wonder that Avraham “bypassed” the first “milestone” of Bris Milah. After all, he himself was three years old when he “realized” that there was a Creator Who ruled the world. Consequently, he felt that the most…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Vayeira, 5759

Hashem remembered Sarah as He had said…And she (Sarah) conceived. (21:1,2)

Rashi quotes Chazal, who explain the juxtaposition of Sarah’s conception upon Avraham’s prayer on behalf of Avimelech and his family. As punishment for Avimelech’s abduction of Sarah, he and his household were subjected to a complete cessation of their reproductive functions. Avraham prayed for them and, in turn, was himself blessed. The inference is that, if one prays for another, if he himself is in need of that same cure/help, his prayers will soon be answered. The Tiferes Shmuel interprets this statement with a slightly different twist, providing an important lesson. He reads the dictum in the following…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Vayeira, 5759

And He (Hashem) said, “Please take your son…and go to the land of Moriah.” (22:2)

The Torah dedicates two parshios to Avraham Avinu. The first one begins with Hashem’s command to Avraham, “Lech Lecha,” (12:1) Go forth, leave the land and reach out to the world. The second ends with another Lech Lecha. Here he is instructed to take his son, Yitzchak, and go to the land of Moriah. He begins his mission focusing on himself, his responsibilities. He ends his mission by taking his son to Har Hashem, exposing him to the Divine, ensuring that he will carry on his father’s legacy. Indeed, is that not what Yiddishkeit is all about? The father goes…

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Moshe Marcovich In Vayeira, 5758

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

Avraham’s love for all people is exemplified in its noblest form as he intercedes on behalf of the people of Sodom. Even the wicked inhabitants of Sodom were worthy of his sympathy. He prayed to Hashem to spare them from impending doom. Avraham Avinu’s most significant strength was his total devotion to Hashem. Representing the greatest aspect of his personality, this trait caused Hashem to say that during the ten generations from Noach until Avraham, He spoke to no one other than Avraham. Avraham’s commitment, to the point of self-sacrifice, was definitely the zenith of his life’s achievement. Chazal,…

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“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)

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

What if there should be fifty righteous people in the midst of the city? (18:24)

And Hashem remembered Avraham; so He sent Lot from amidst the upheaval. (19:29)

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

Hashem remembered Sarah as He had said…And she (Sarah) conceived. (21:1,2)

And He (Hashem) said, “Please take your son…and go to the land of Moriah.” (22:2)

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

YEARS

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