Parshas Lech Lecha

It Is The Ultimate!

“Hashem said to Avram, ‘Go from your land, from your birthplace, and from your father’s house, [and go] to the land that I will show you.’” (Bereishis 12:1)

Often a speaker at a bar mitzva will tell the bar mitzva boy that he is now obligated to do mitzvos. Most of us probably assumed that this meant that now that the young man has turned 13, he has a Torah obligation to do mitzvos. Birkat Asher quotes the Rebbe of Stropkov who explained this message to a boy at his bar mitzva. He told the bar mitzva boy that until this day, he performed mitzvos and good deeds because that was how he was brought up by his parents and grandparents. Now that he became bar mitzva, he is able to do mitzvos solely because that is what Hashem commanded.

Hashem tested our forefather Avraham 10 times. One test was when Hashem told Avraham to leave his country, his birthplace and his family. (Bereishis 12:1) Rashi says that Avraham’s leaving would be for his pleasure and his benefit. Hashem told Avraham that He would make him into a great nation, as well as giving him other blessings. Sfas Emes says (quoted in Iturei Torah by Aharon Yaakov Greenberg) that it is not difficult to follow Hashem’s directive when Hashem promises great benefits for listening.  So why was this considered one of Avraham’s tests? Sfas Emes answers that the very fact that Avraham would benefit made the test difficult. How would Avraham respond? Would Avraham listen to Hashem, keeping in mind that this was also beneficial to him? Or would Avraham listen solely because he was following the will of Hashem? The Torah testifies, “Avram went as Hashem had told him…” (Bereishis 12:4). Avraham followed Hashem’s command totally because Hashem had commanded him, without any thought whatsoever of the benefits that he would receive.

The Talmud (Kedushin 31A) brings Rabbi Chanina who says, “Greater is one who is commanded to do a mitzva and performs it than one who is not commanded to do a mitzva and performs it.” Tosefos explains that one who was commanded to do a mitzva will constantly be worried lest he not be able to perform the mitzva. Furthermore, since there was a specific command, the yetzer hara will work harder to prevent him from performing the mitzva more so than had he not been commanded. Another explanation given by the Tosefos HaRosh is that one who is commanded to do a mitzva has the opportunity to perform it, solely because that is what Hashem decreed.

Rabbi Mordechai Gifter zt”l (Pirkei Torah) quotes Rashi in Pirkei Avos (5:3) who describes Avraham’s first two tests from Hashem. The first was that he had to hide underground for 13 years from King Nimrod who wanted to kill him because of his belief in Hashem. The second test was when he was thrown into a burning furnace because of his beliefs. These were difficult tests. The Torah only tells us about Avraham’s third test when Hashem told him to leave his home. Why doesn’t the Torah mention Avraham’s first two tests? Rav Gifter zt”l says that the ultimate level of mitzva performance is doing a mitzva solely because it is the will of Hashem, with no ulterior motive. As the pasuk says (Bereishis 26:5) that Hashem offered Yitzchok a multitude of blessings “because Avraham listened to My voice, and minded My mandate, My commandments, My decrees and My teachings (see Ohr HaChaim).

A mitzva performed voluntarily displays a great desire to fulfill Hashem’s will. However, ultimately, it is an act of self-motivation. Avraham’s first two tests did not involve fulfilling Hashem’s commands. Hashem did not tell him to be willing to sacrifice his life for his beliefs. Therefore, the Torah does not list them explicitly. The first test that was the fulfillment of a Divine directive was the one mentioned in our Parsha when Hashem told Avraham to leave home.

The ultimate level of mitzva performance is doing a mitzva solely because it is the will of Hashem, with no ulterior motive. Each of us has this ability within us.

Parshas Lech Lecha

In All Honesty…

“He [Avraham] continued on his travels from the south to Beis-Eil, until the place where he originally had [set up] his tent, between Beis-Eil and Ai”. (Bereishis 13:3)

When Rabbi Yisroel Brog was a youngster, he once asked Rabbi Yaakov Kaminetsky zt”l why he merited long life. Rav Yaakov responded that it was because he had never told a lie in his entire life.

When Rav Yaakov was a yeshiva student in Europe, the custom was to eat meals at different people’s homes. One Pesach, Rav Yaakov was at someone’s house but became concerned about the level of kashrus. He did not want to offend his host, so he apologized and said that the reason he could not eat in the house was because his custom was not to eat gebrokts. (Some people have the custom not to eat matza that has come-in-contact with water, on Passover, as an extra stringency. For example, they will not eat matza balls in their soup.) Although Rav Yaakov’s custom had been to eat gebrokts, he stopped eating it for the remainder of his life. Since he had told his host that he does not eat gebrokts, he wanted to be totally honest. So he never ate it again on Passover.

Rav Nosson Kaminetsky, one of Rav Yaakov’s sons wanted to trace his family’s roots. He went to visit the small European town in which Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky had been the Rav. While he was there, he discovered a very interesting historical fact. Even though much of Lithuanian Jewry was wiped out during the Holocaust, most of the Jews of that particular town survived the war. Rav Nosson Kamenetsky asked the mayor of the town how so many the Jews of this town survived. The mayor said, “I can tell you exactly why the Jews escaped.” He said that before the war, the fellow who eventually became the mayor had been the postmaster of the town. He made a test for the clergy members of that town – both Jews and non-Jews. When they bought postage stamps, he would purposely give them more change than they deserved. He wanted to see whether they would return the money or not. This was his acid test to see what type of people he was dealing with. He did this three times with Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky. Each time he gave Rav Yaakov more money than he was entitled to, Rav Yaakov would always return the money. This postmaster was so impressed with Rav Yaakov, who was the head of the Jewish community. Therefore, years later, when he was the mayor of the town, any time he became aware of a German action that was being planned to kill the Jews, he would notify the Jews and they would go hide. That is how the Jews of the city were saved. (Torah.org based on Rabbi Yissocher Frand’s Commuter Chavrusah Tapes)

Hashem told Avraham to leave his birthplace and travel to the place that Hashem would show him. When arrived there, in the Land of Israel, Hashem tested him further by causing a famine in the land. That necessitated Avraham’s temporarily moving to Egypt, to get food. While there, Avraham became wealthy from the gifts that Pharoah gave him. When Avraham returned to Israel, he “continued on his travels”. Rashi explains that on his return, he paid the debts he had previously incurred at the inns that he had stayed in, on the way down to Egypt.

The Chida (quoted in Talelei Oros by Rabbi Yissachar Dov Rubin) wonders how Avraham could have gone on such a long journey to Egypt without money. How could he have assumed that innkeepers and merchants would extend credit to him? Furthermore, why did they extend credit to him?

The Taz (Divrei Dovid-Turei Zahav) answers that this shows the esteem in which Avraham was held. Even though Avraham went down to Egypt with all that he had, indicating that he may not return, the innkeepers still trusted him when he said that he would return to pay them.

The Chida has a different approach. He says that Avraham did have a small amount of money with him. The innkeepers noticed his impoverished state, so they charged him discounted rates which Avraham was able to afford at the time. On the return trip, Avraham was wealthy. He returned to all the innkeepers and merchants who had given him discounted rates. He paid them the full amount for the services that he had previously received at their discounted rates.  In his honesty, he felt that these payments were not “extras”. Rather he felt that these were settlements of unpaid bills.

Rav Safra was an amorah, a rabbi of the Talmud. The Talmud (Makkos 24A) relates a story illustrating the level of honesty that Rav Safra had. The Talmud relates that Rav Safra was once sitting in his store when a customer walked in and offered him a price for some merchandise. Rav Safra did not respond because he was in the middle of reciting Kriyas Shema. The customer, thinking he was rejecting the offer, offered a higher price. When Rav Safra still did not respond, the customer raised his price again. Rav Safra finished saying Kriyas Shema and was able to talk. He turned to the customer and told him that he would have been willing to accept the first price that he had offered. Therefore, he would not charge him more than that. The Gemara concludes that this level of integrity is known as “dover emes b’livavo”, speaking the truth in his heart.

The Torah exhorts us to distance ourselves from falsehood (Shmos 23:7). The Sefer Hachinuch (74:2) explains that falsehood is abominable. Hashem is the G-D of truth. Blessing only takes effect for those who liken themselves to Hashem in their actions by being truthful, compassionate, and by doing acts of kindness.

Hashem’s “signature” is emes, truth. Hashem wants us to be truthful in all our dealings and with all people.

Doing so will bring blessing into our lives. We will also sanctify Hashem’s name and will inspire others.

Parshas Lech Lecha

If You Have a Question, I May Not Have the Answer, Yet!

“And [Avram] went on his journeys from the south to Beth-el, to the place where his tent had originally been….”

Rashi (Bereishis 13:3) quotes the Midrash (Bereishis 41:3) that when our forefather, Avraham, returned from Egypt, “…he went on his journeys”. He lodged in the same places that he gone to, on the way from the land of Canaan to Egypt. He returned to pay his unpaid bills, as he had initially lodged “on credit”.

Rabbeinu Bachya in sefer Chovos HaLevavos (in Sha’ar Habitachon, the Gate of Faith) brings an interesting story:

 A pious man traveled to a far-off land to make a living. He met a man who worshipped idols. He told the fellow that he was foolish for worshipping mere sticks and stones. The idol-worshipper responded by asking the pious man whom he worshipped. He replied that he worshipped the Creator who sustains the entire world. The idol worshipper responded by asking, “Why must you travel so far from home to earn a living? Couldn’t your G-D have sustained you in your own city?” The pious man was unable to answer this question. The idol worshipper had made an excellent point!

Our forefather, Avraham, made it his life’s mission to teach the world about Hashem, the Creator of the world. Avraham had many followers. When there was a famine in Canaan (the land of Israel) Hashem told Avraham to go down to Egypt. That was one of Avraham’s 10 tests. Rabbi Yitzchak of Volozhin, in sefer Kehillas Yitzchok, says that Avraham’s followers asked him a question. “If it is as you say, that there is one true G-D who is Master of everything, why must you go to Egypt to find food? Can’t He feed you right here in Canaan?” Avraham was unable to answer their question. Instead, he said that Hashem had commanded him to do this, and he would obey, despite not understanding the reason.

By the time Avraham left Egypt, he understood that Hashem had wanted him to go there to sanctify Hashem’s name in the Egyptian palace. Once Avraham understood the reason, “…he went on his journeys”. He called his followers together and answered the question that they had initially asked him when he had been on the way to Egypt. He explained that he had to sanctify Hashem’s name in Egypt and that is why Hashem had sent him there. According to Rabbi Yitzchak of Volozhin, this is the explanation of the “unpaid bills” that the Midrash was referring to. The “unpaid bills” was the question that Avraham’s followers asked that he had been unable to answer. Now, upon his return, he was able to give them a satisfactory answer.

All of us are “tested” by Hashem through life’s circumstances. We may have questions, “Why is Hashem doing this?” Our friends may have the same questions as to why certain things are happening to us. As time passes, perhaps we will discover the answers to some of the questions that we and our friends had. We may understand why certain specific things had to happen to us, for our ultimate benefit. Regardless, our immediate and consistent response should be the same response that our forefather Avraham gave. We should copy Avraham who said that even when I do not understand Hashem’s reasons, I must and will follow the wishes of Hashem. Hashem knows what is best for me, in the big picture.

Based on Sefer Talelei Oros by Rabbi Yissachar Dov Rubin