The Good Life

ואלה ימי שני חיי אברהם אשר חי מאת שנה ושבעים שנה וחמש שנים.  What are the extra words אשר חי?  The midrash comments on the wholeness of Sarah's life and Rashi  comments כולן שוין לטובה.  How were they all so great if she lived through many troubles?  ואברהם זקן בא בימים, the chassideshe seforim explain that Avraham was able to bring his days with him, each day was accounted for and had accomplishments.  Similarly, the midrash calls the days of Sarah תמימים.  How are the lives of Avraham and Sarah who only recognized Hashem mid life totally complete?  In other words there are two questions.  Number one there life wasn't always good so how is it all considered לטובה and number two how is it considered תמים, as if every second was perfect if they lives some years without even knowing about Hashem? 

When one is on a path to get to the right way then even the struggles on the way to get there are part of the accomplishment.  Even though Avraham and Sarah may themselves have taken some time to recognize the truth, since they were looking for Hashem, the journey until they got their is also called completely fulfilled.  As long as one is trying to do things right even the mishaps in the beginning are called תמים.  Since the whole essence of the lives of Avraham and Sarah was to find spirituality, therefore the fact that they had all sorts of hardships, moving around, being challenged by everyone, captured etc. did not effect them because that was not the focus of their lives.  Since the pnimiyus of their lives was so focused on their goal everything else that happened paled in comparison (based upon Likutay Sichos Vaerah volume 35 and Sfas Emes our parsha.)

The Inheritance Feud

Rashi says that when Sarah heard Yishmoel laying claims to a double portion of yerusha because he was the bechor she said to kick him out.  Rashi says that Yishmoel was doing averot chamurot.  However, Sarah specifically notes that he will not inherit with my son, indicating it was the inheritance issue that drove Yishmoel out.  Why is this the big issue, more than the averot, which cause Yishmoel to be kicked out?  

Rav Elchonon (in volume 2 of Kovetz Shiurim) say that when it comes to yerusha of a bechor there are two aspects.  One aspect is that he inherits because he is related.  The other aspect is that the son stands in the place of the farther, as the Gemorah says קם תחת אביו.  When it comes to a gentile, there is a biological relationship, but there is no concept of קם תחת אביו and hence there is no halacha of a bechor getting two portions.  When Yishmoel was claiming he was the bechor, it was not a mere claim on the wealth of Avraham, it was a claim to the legacy of Avraham.  He was claiming I stand to take over Avraham's life mission, I will carry on his legacy.  That lack of recognition of his place and trying to usurp Yitzchak's right as the true son of Avraham to carry on his legacy is what prompted Sarah to demand his expulsion.  This is why Yaakov felt compelled to ensure that he was the bechor and not Esav for it is the bechor that carries on the father's mission.   

In The City

 Avraham prays that if their are righteous people in the city, Sedom should be saved.  Why use the words בתוך העיר, we know we are talking about Sedom?  (See the Ramban.)  A couple of weeks ago we cited the Seforno that a tzaddik can only affect a town if he reprimands and uplifts the people.  The tzaddik can save them only if he has a chance to  connect to them and mend their ways.  That is what Avraham was saying, he wasn't giving their address but rather that the actions of the righteous people must be בתוך העיר, affecting the city, in order for them to be saved (see Rav Hirsch.)

Hav Hirsch at the beginning of the parsha expounds on the idea that immediately after Avraham is singled out by Hashem for a bris, he is sitting in his tent looking to intermingle with others.  The Midrash Lech Lecha (47:10) says אָמַר אַבְרָהָם, עַד שֶׁלֹא מַלְתִּי הָיוּ הָעוֹבְרִים וְהַשָּׁבִים בָּאִים אֶצְלִי, תֹּאמַר מִשֶּׁמַּלְתִּי אֵינָן בָּאִים אֶצְלִי.  Rav Hirsch understands that Avraham was concerned that now that his life's mission of spreading monotheism would be nullified for he stands alone.  Avraham was not just concerned about the עיר, he wanted to affect everyone.  The midrash concludes  אָמַר לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא עַד שֶׁלֹא מַלְתָּ הָיוּ בְּנֵי אָדָם בָּאִים אֶצְלְךָ, עַכְשָׁיו אֲנִי בִּכְבוֹדִי בָּא וְנִגְלֶה עָלֶיךָ, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב (בראשית יח, א): וַיֵּרָא אֵלָיו ה' בְּאֵלֹנֵי מַמְרֵא.  According to Rav Hirsch we have to understand that Hashem is not detracting from Avraham's concern.  The response is that that we are now further empowered to carry on the mission of teaching the the ways of Hashem to others because we are further connected to Hashem. 

However ,we could learn the conclusion of the midrash is the opposite of Rav Hirsch.  Once Avraham has been singled out as special, then this relationship is more important than preaching to others.  This may be rooted in the machlokes Rashi and Ramban if כי אב המון גוים נתתיך refers to the world (Rashi) or Klal Yisroel (Ramban.)  In Rashi's view, Avraham is the av for everyone.  He retains his mission of preaching to the world.  Accoridng to the Ramban, he is elevated above everyone else and is the father of his unique nation.

Avraham Connection

In the hafotrah it says ואתה ישראל עבדי יעקב אשר בחרתיך זרע אברהם אהבי (Yesheyahu 41:8.)  Why are we refered to as the אברהם if we are called already יעקב?  The last Rav Tzaddok on the parsha says we see that even though we are called generally by the name Yaakov or Yisroel, the relationship to Avraham still stands and can be evoked at times.  The Chidushay Harim says that when Hashem promises Avraham אנכי מגן לך it is not just a promise to Avraham but to every single Jew.  There is a נקודה of Avraham, the מגן אברהם that remains within everyone.  The Sifsay Tzaddik says that is what allows even a Jew who may have strayed far to come back for he is connected to Avraham.  What is the nature of this connection and why do we need to come back to the connection specifically to Avraham?  And why do we need to evoke his name sometimes?

The Chassideshe seforim explain that the journey of Avraham was not just a physical journey but a spiritual journey into his soul.  לך לך, go toward yourself, discover the potential within one's self.  Avraham was instructed to find a new path in life.  He had to start from scratch and build a new nation. Avraham is the one to establish the mission statement for the Jews, to be trailblazers and bring spirituality to the world.  It is a process started by Avraham and becomes ironed out and solidified by Yitzchak and finally by Yaakov.  Yaakov is the culmination of the building process; he perfects the mission and therefore merits that all of his children should be included.  That is why we generally refer to ourselves as the children of Yaakov.  However, sometimes one loses track of the mission.  He loses his connection to the message passed down from Yaakov.  How does such a person come back?  He isn't accessing his connection to Yaakov for he is full of imperfections?  He taps into his connection to Avraham.  Avraham is called אוהבי, his love for Hashem was so great.  When one has such love for someone else, the problems can be glossed over.  Even though one is not deserving of being welcomed back, he is accepted because he is connected to Avraham, the great lover of Hashem and hence loved by Hashem as well.  Hashem does not look at the person's blemishes because of the great love He has for the person.  It is in such situations that one must evoke the merit of Avraham.  The haftorah tells us that at least because we are connected to Avraham we will merit salvation. 

Sunk In The Well

ועמק השדים בארת בארת חמר וינסו מלך סדם ועמרה ויפלו שמה.  Rashi brings the Midrash ומדרש אגדה שהיה הטיט מוגבל בהם ונעשה נס למלך סדום שיצא משם לפי שהיו באומות מקצתן שלא היו מאמינין שניצל אברהם מאור כשדים מכבשן האש וכיון שיצא זה מן החמר האמינו באברהם למפרע.  The Ramban asks ואני תמה במדרש ההגדה הזה כי האומות שלא היו מאמינים שעשה הקב"ה נס לאברהם בראותם נסו של מלך סדום לא יוסיפו אמונה בהקב"ה?  

The Midrash in Noach (30:10) contrasts between Noach that had to be rescued from drowning in the depths of the people around him and Avraham that lights up the world with G-dliness.  The Sfas Emes explains that they are not two distinct paths but rather Avraham showed that even where G-d seems to be not present could become illuminated. lit up with holiness.  The novelty of Avraham was that G-d is present and can be felt in this world itself.  The Rambam describes the beginnings of avodah zarah in the days of Enosh was because they felt G-d was too distant, great and removed from the world.  That led them to set up a barrier between Hashem and the world.  Avraham came to tear that wall down.   

The people denied the miracle of Avraham not because they were scoffers but they had a philosophical problem with the story.  They did not believe in the message of Avraham that one can light up the world with  G-dliness and therefore they denied his story.  The בארות חמר represent the חומריות, the gashmi, the secularity of the world in which Sedom was the epitome of drowning in.  When the King of Sedom was saved from there it showed that even one so sunken in to the חומרי still can be rescued and illuminated.  This refuted the argument of those that challenged Avraham's argument and proved the miracle of Avraham's salvation. 

Band Together

Why did Hashem not thwart the plan of the דור הפלגה by simply causing them to have disagreements?  The Sfas Emes explains that Hashem built into the world a כח האחדות, it is a phenomena that people banding together can accomplish things greater than the sum of the parts.  Hashem did not want to remove this power from the world and therefore did not cause a rift to interrupt.  The Zohar (76b) in fact derives a  kal v'chomer if the power of the band of the דור הפלגה could not be broken for sure those that band together to study Torah will have a great power.  The possuk in Tzafanya (3:9) says כִּֽי־אָ֛ז אֶהְפֹּ֥ךְ אֶל־עַמִּ֖ים שָׂפָ֣ה בְרוּרָ֑ה לִקְרֹ֤א כֻלָּם֙ בְּשֵׁ֣ם י״י֔ לְעׇבְד֖וֹ שְׁכֶ֥ם אֶחָֽד.  The Even Ezra explains שפה ברורה is lashon hakodesh.  The power of unity is realized in the times of Moshiach when the same power used by the דור הפלגה is used for the good.  Then lashon hakodesh becomes reinstated.