5785 – Peninim on the Torah

והאמין בד' ויחשבה לו צדקה

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

On a recent trip to an area, which was completely foreign to me, I was forced to rely totally on my GPS to guide me, literally every step of the way. I did not know when a turn was coming up, when I should just go straight. I was at the mercy of my GPS. As Jews, we, too, have a GPS system that guides us through life. It is called emunah, faith. Without emunah, we do not function; we are unable to function. It is our lodestar, our beacon of light, our guide which takes us by the hand…

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ויהי ריב בין רעי מקנה אברם ובין רעי מקנה לוט ויאמר אברם אל לוט אל נא תהי מריבה ביני וביניך ובין רעי ובין רעיך

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Lech Lecha, 5777

And there was quarreling between the herdsmen of Avram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock… so Avram said to Lot, “Please let there be no strife between me and you, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen.” (13:7, 8)

Some people love to quarrel. It gives them something to do. Decent people, however, understand that strife is destructive, regardless of the motivation. If one is in a community, no matter the size, and a quarrel begins to ensue, he should distance himself from there as if from a contagious plague – because that is what quarrels lead to. At first, the Torah writes that a riv, quarrel, commenced between Avram’s herdsmen and those of Lot. When Avram spoke to Lot, he referred to the quarrel as a merivah. Why the change in spelling? The Shlah Hakadosh explains that this…

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וילך למסעיו

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Lech Lecha, 5777

He proceeded on his journeys. (13:3)

L’masaav, on his journeys, implies that Avraham Avinu took a specific, planned itinerary. It was not a haphazard trip. Chazal teach that our Patriarch lodged in the same places that hosted him on his original trip to Egypt. Our sages derive a lesson in mentchlichkeit, human decency, proper etiquette, from this idea. One should stick to his usual lodgings. There is no reason, –nor is it appropriate – to switch from one’s customary lodgings unless he has suffered harassment and anguish there. Otherwise, he inadvertently gives the impression that he was displeased with his lodgings, which could cause a financial…

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ויאמר ד' אל אברם לך לך מארצך וממולדתך ומבית אביך

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Lech Lecha, 5777

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

Although the Torah relates the birth of Avraham Avinu at the end of Parashas Noach, we are introduced to the Patriarch in Parashas Lech Lecha. In Derech Hashem, the Maharal explains that originally the plan of Creation was that all human beings would share equally in fulfilling the Divine mission and that the Torah would be given to all mankind. Twenty generations of failure from Adam to Noach to Avraham precluded this reality from occurring. Thus, the title of Hashem’s Chosen People was given to the nation that earned it: Avraham, followed by his progeny. They would receive the Torah;…

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והאמין בד' ויחשבה לו צדקה

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

ויהי ריב בין רעי מקנה אברם ובין רעי מקנה לוט ויאמר אברם אל לוט אל נא תהי מריבה ביני וביניך ובין רעי ובין רעיך

And there was quarreling between the herdsmen of Avram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock… so Avram said to Lot, “Please let there be no strife between me and you, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen.” (13:7, 8)

וילך למסעיו

He proceeded on his journeys. (13:3)

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 home. (12:1)

YEARS

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