Where Is Your Head

גַּרְתִּי: לֹא נַעֲשֵׂיתִי שַׂר וְחָשׁוּב אֶלָּא גֵּר, דָּבָר אַחֵר גַּרְתִּי בְּגִימַטְרִיָּא תרי"ג, כְּלוֹמַר, עִם לָבָן גַּרְתִּי וְתַרְיַ"ג מִצְוֹת שָׁמַרְתִּי וְלֹא לָמַדְתִּי מִמַּעֲשָׂיו הָרָעִים.  Rashi has two interpretations if  גרתי means a stranger of a reference to the תרי"ג mitzvot.  The Chassidic masters (Likutay Sichos volume 3, Sfas Emes) say these are not two different interpretations but they go hand in hand.  How did Yaakov manage to keep the mitzvot, the way of his forbearers?  Because he viewed himself as a stranger in the house of Lavan, not belonging there and therefore he did not get affected by the Lavanik ways.   

That is the idea of why Yaakov set up erev techumim to indicate that his head was not necessarily where his body was (as mentioned in the past.)

Expressing Thanks

A summary of a few ideas that I said pinch-hitting for a Chumash shiur. 

The Gemarah Berachos (7b) says מיום שברא הקב"ה את עולמו לא היה אדם שהודה להקב"ה עד שבאה לאה והודתו שנאמר הפעם אודה את ד.  The question is that Noach and the Avos offered korbanot as a show of gratitude to Hashem, so what does it mean Leah was the first to give thanks?  One approach (in the Pardes Yosef) is that while in the past people had given thanks to Hashem for the good that occurred in their lives, no one acknowledged that the hardship, the bleakness was also something to give thanks about.  Leah recognized that he should give thank even for the fact that she was שנואה because she merited to give birth to the majority of the shevatim due to her feelings of pain.  Leah was the first to give thanks for the hardship as well as the salvation.  

The Gemarah Sanhedrin (94a) says גנאי הוא למשה ושישים ריבוא, שלא אמרו ברוך עד שבא יתרו ואמר ברוך ה.  What does the Gemarah mean, Klal Yisrael said an entire shirah?  The Ketav Sofer says along the same lines of the previous answer.  Yisro who was a ger, still felt for the Egyptians who were killed therefore, his 'ברוך ה was said as he experienced pain over the loss of the Egyptians Klal Yisrael did not give thanks for the pain they felt during the years of servitude.  

This is the same idea as the Beis Halevi explains that משה did teshuva when he said אז ישיר for saying ומאז באתי אל פרעה לדבר בשמך הרע לעם הזה והצל לא הצלת את עמך.  What is the teshuva?  He understood how the greater shibud allowed the geulah to happen and he appreciated the hardship.   

That is the אל הנסים includes ועל המלחמות for one must give thanks even for the war which led to the geulah.  (However, the milchama is placed at the end for it is only after the salvation that one can appreciate how the the war, the difficulties led to the salvation.) 

Another answer to the the question about how Leah was the first to give thanks offered by the Ketzv Sofer is that while there were people previously who said thank you, it was a one time event and then life moved on.  Leah named her child as a form of thanks which would always be present.  It is a peulah nimsheches of gratitude.  What Leah teaches us it that one has to have the feelings of appreciation last forever.  The Chapter in Tehillim (30) מזמור שיר חנוכת הבית לדוד is very interesting for the rest of the chapter talks about David being saved from illness, enemies etc. but there seems to be no connection to the opening statement about the inauguration of the Mikdash?  Explains Rav Isser Zalman (intro. to Kodshim 2) that when David is composing a song for the inauguration of the Mikdash he doesn't just give thanks for the building of the Mikdash, he restates his feelings of indebtedness for all that Hashem had done for him in the past.  He was constantly acknowledging all the chesed that Hashem did for him, he did not merely focus on the present event and forget the past. 

Another answer (given by the Torah Temimah and others) is based upon Rashi on the Gemarah.  Rashi says כיון שילדה בן רביעי הודית על חלקה שעלה לה יותר מן המגיע.  In other words the uniqueness of Leah is that she said thanks for the fact that she had more children than she thought she deserved.  What is the specialty of this form of gratitude?  Rav Hutner (Pachad Yitzchak Chnukah 2:2) explains that the word for thanks is Hebrew, מודים, is the same word as agree, מודים.  What is the relationship between these two ideas?  He explains when one shows gratitude it is act of admitting that another individual's help was necessary.  One is forced to admit they could not do it all by themselves but instead required the assistance of another. The essence of saying thank you is not just an act of expressing gratitude but is act of self nullification; an acknowledgment of a lacking in one's independency.  The first one to express thanks in the ultimate form was Leah.  She felt what she received was יותר מן המגיע לה, that she was undeserving, unworthy in her own stead, and everything she received was a chesed from Hashem, not something that was coming to her.    

With this idea we can understand a Midrash here.  The Midrash say  לֵאָה תָּפְסָה פֶּלֶךְ הוֹדָיָה, וְעָמְדוּ הֵימֶנָּה בַּעֲלֵי הוֹדָיָה, יְהוּדָה (בראשית לח, כו): וַיַּכֶּר יְהוּדָה וַיֹּאמֶר צָדְקָה מִמֶּנִּי. דָּוִד אָמַר (תהלים קלו, א): הוֹדוּ לַה' כִּי טוֹב. דָּנִיֵּאל אָמַר (.דניאל ב, כג): לָךְ אֱלָהּ אֲבָהָתִי מְהוֹדֵא וּמְשַׁבַּח אֲנָה  What does the admission of Yehuda have to do with the פֶּלֶךְ הוֹדָיָה of being thankful?  In light of Rav Hutner, it is the same yesod.  Every expression of thanks is a  form of admission and the ability to admit to someone else stems from the הודאה of Leah.  

 Another point of note is that the Even Ezra says end of the possuk ותעמוד מלדת is because she gave thanks to Hashem and indicated he was satisfied.  So, Hashem says if you are satisfied, you don't need anything else.  Even when giving thanks it is still appropriate to continue to ask for more.  That is why in Hallel, when thanking Haahem we say אנא ה הושיעה נא, הצליחה נא, for we continue to ask for more.

Step By Step

ויגדל האיש וילך הלוך וגדל עד כי גדל מאד.  "And the man became great, and he grew constantly greater until he had grown very great."  The possuk seems redundant, just say the man grew very great?  The Daas Shrage explains that the Torah is teaching us that Yitzchak did not become great in one giant step, but it was step after step.  First it was ויגדל, then he grew greater and greater, one step at a time  This possuk written in the context of the gashmi beracha of Yitzchak also alludes to his spiritual growth.  Yitzchak grew one step at a time.  The Avos grew by constantly improving, day in, day out.  In last week's parsha it says ואברהם זקן בא בימים, "And Avraham was old, coming with his days."  What does it mean coming with his days?  Every day for Avraham counted, every day was a day of growth.  This is the polar opposite of Esau.  Esau comes from the word עשוי, ready made.  Esau was born complete and whole; he did not view himself as someone who needed to work on himself.  He did not grow in his life.  That is why he doesn't carry on the heritage of Yitzchak.  He did not want to put in any effort to become a better person and ultimately, without effort, things do not last.     

The beracha Yitzchak gave starts ויתן לך האלקים and Rashi explains why is there a vav at the beginning of the beracha, it is not connected to something previously?  He explains יִתֵּן וְיַחֲזֹר וְיִתֵּן Hashem will give  and repeatedly give.  Why does Hashem need to give another time, he can give the beracha in one shot?  The reason to give many times is for the recipient to be able to receive the beracha step by step so that the beracha will be sustained.  If everything is given in one shot, it is easy come, easy go, it is by constantly working to receive more beracha that the beracha in its entirety will be able to be sustained for the recipient.

Wear It Well

Tanchuma (4) says עוֹז וְהָדָר לְבוּשָׁהּ, אֵלּוּ עַנְנֵי כָבוֹד שֶׁהָיוּ מַקִּיפִין אֶת הָאֹהֶל שֶׁלָּה.  What is the connection?  The ענני הכבוד that protected Klal Yisrael were clouds of glory, of beauty, but at the same time they protected Klal Yisrael.  They were both עוז and הדר.  Similarly, Sarah had such clouds because she was able to act with עוז or הדר as needed.  What is לבושה?  In Mishnas Rav Aharon volume 3 in a hesped for Rav Issur Zalman, Rav Aharon Kotler says that the middot are a mere levush, a garment that one takes on and off.  One must not get stuck in acting with a certain middah but instead be able to adapt the proper middah that the situation requires.  Of course ,this is a a lot easier said then done.  Also, is interesting because we would assume people have a natural tendency toward a certain middah as is reflective of their personality meaning it is part of their essence, not something that one can merely turn on and off.  This mussar approach assumes one can work in and out of different middot if one is in total control over all of their natural reactions.   

Teshuva's Sweet Swell

וַיֹּ֧סֶף אַבְרָהָ֛ם וַיִּקַּ֥ח אִשָּׁ֖ה וּשְׁמָ֥הּ קְטוּרָֽה.  Rashi says this is Hagar but she is called Keturah because שנאים מעשיה כקטורת, ושקשרה פתחה שלא נזדווג לה אדם מיום פרשה מאברהם.  The Chizkuni asks ואם תאמר: הרי לעיל גבי ותתע פר״ש: מלמד שחזרה לגלולי בית אביה, in other words how can we say hers action were good if she returned to her idolatrous past?  He gives two answers.  One answer is that she desired to return to avodah zarah but did not, בקשה לחזור לגלולי אביה ולא חזרה.  It not clear what would have been her הו"א and מסקנה.  His first answer is that she did teshuva before Avraham remarried her.  We see that the teshuva allows it to be considered as if her actions were always pleasant.  The Kli Yakar also says she did teshuva and he says that is why she is called קטורה here to demonstrate the pwoer of teshuva that it makes even one's sins considered to a fragrant scent.  That is why it is compared to the ketores which has the bad smelling חלבנהbut it enhances the totality of the flavor, so too the averot lead one to do teshuva and are accepted as as having lead one to on the right path.

Within You

The Midrash at the beginning of Vayerah says וּמִבְּשָׂרִי אֶחֱזֶה אֱלוֹק אילולי שעשיתי כן מהיכן היה הקדוש ברוך הוא נגלה עלי וירא אליו ה.  Rav Wolbe points out it is an interesting term for the MIdrah to use of מהיכן, from where, presumably the question is how, in what zechus did Hashem appear to Avraham, one would have expected it to say כיצד or maybe באיזה זכות, what is מהיכן?  In light of the Sfas Emes of the previous post, we can explain the Midrash is grappling with the question of was this revelation of Hashem an external revelation like prophesy or was it an internal revelation of Avraham recognizing the kedusha within himself as the Sfas Emes suggests.  That is מהיכן, where did this revelation come from?  Answers the Midrash מבשרי אחזה אלוק, it was an internal revelation which Avraham experienced and Avraham recognized that only came from the milah which peeled backed the layers of his גשמית חומרי blockage over his innate kedusha.  This may be peshat in the Midrash (95:3) that Avraham studied Torah himself, רבי לוי אמר מעצמו למד תורה.  How did he know the Torah?  He found it within himself, in his עצמיות after removing the external blockage.

Bring Out The Potential

The meforshim (see Or HaChayim) ask why does it say 'וירא אליו ה and not וירא ה' אליו which is the normal formulation of the possuk (as earlier 12:7, 17:1?)  Furthermore, asks the O.H., what was said to Abraham in this revelation?  

Rav Tzaddok (Pri Tzaddik Noach #6) says ל שורש קלקול הנחש שהיה בפגם זה שהטיל זוהמא בחוה (כמו"ש שבת קמו.) ומזה נדבקה הזוהמא גם באדה"ר ועל ידי כן נעשה משוך בערלתו (כמו שנאמר סנהדרין לח:) והיינו שבודאי נברא מהול. ועל ידי הקלקול נעשה משוך בערלתו  Rav Tzaddok understands when Chazal say that Adam was משוך his ערלה it means that Adam was born with a milah but through the sin a tumah was brought in the world and his milah was covered up.  In other words, the arlah is a reflection of the tumah that man himself brought into the world.

The Sfas Emes (5632) says that when one does a bris milah it allows for one to access the kedusha that exists within an individual which is covered over by the ערלה.  As Rashi Kedoshim (19:23) says the word ערלה means closed up and contained.  The kedusha of the individual already is there in potential and the milah allows for one to access it.  In his words, בכל דבר יש נקודה חיות מהשי"ת ורק שצריכין להסיר הקליפה והחיצוניות שנקרא ערלה דחפיא ברית ובהוסר הערלה ממילא מתגלה הנקודה כנ"ל.  The milah serves as a means of fixing the sin of Adam to a certain degree and when that is fixed, one is able to access the kedusha implanted inside a person.  With this idea the Sfas Emes explains our possuk, וזה וירא אליו שנתגלה לו הפנימיות שהי' בעצמותו נסתר ונכסה קודם המילה.  The Sfas Emes reads וירא אליו as in Hashem appeared to Avraham through his actions, אליו is like מאליו , through his milah, it was revealed to Avraham the presence of Hashem.  Hashem didn't appear to Avraham to give him a prophesy, rather Avraham reached a greater recognition and understanding of Hashem's presence in his life.

It is also pointed out by many that the possuk says וירא אליו and it does not say Hashem appeared to Avraham.  The Meor Einayim says this is because this possuk is a lesson for everyone.  Hashem appears to everyone in the form of at times a person will feel an awakening out of nowhere to come close to Hashem.  That idea is placed within a person's head from Hashem, that it the וירא אליו.  That is the form in which Hashem appears to everyone.  The M.E. reads this into the continuation of the possuk as well בפחת האהל כחום היום means that this pesach, this opening of warmth, of closeness one feels, it is up to a person to take it in and do something with it.