Parshat Lech-Lecha

AS FOR ISHMAEL, I HAVE HEEDED YOU. I HEREBY BLESS HIM. I WILL MAKE HIM FERTILE AND EXCEEDINGLY NUMEROUS. HE SHALL B THE FATHER OF TWELVE CHIEFTAINS, AND I WILL MAKE OF HIM A GREAT NATION.

 (Bereishit 17:20)

 

 

Promises Fulfilled by a Certain Time, and Promises which are Dependent upon Fulfillment of the Covenant

We see that the fulfillment of this promise to them was delayed for 2,333 years (according to the traditional chronology, the period from Abraham's circumcision until the spread of Islam in the world, as marked by Mohammed's flight from Mecca), and the delay was not dependent upon their sins. They waited all those years until [the promise] finally arrived and was fulfilled, and then the kingdom became powerful in their hands.

We, who have lost our sovereignty due to our sins, its appointed time being set at 1,335 years (according to Daniel 12:12), should be all the more confident of His promise, and not despair.

(Rabeinu Hananel on Bereishit 17:20)

 

 

 

Has the Danger Passed?

Pinchas Leiser

 

Sometimes, when an individual or a society experiences a traumatic event, it serves as a kind of "immunization" against the recurrence of similar events in the future. On the other hand, there are some situations in which a barrier is broken, making possible what had previously been unthinkable and increasing the possibility of a recurrence.

The RaMBaM (Hilkhot Teshuva 2:1) formulates the criterion for complete repentance in these words:

What is complete repentance? It is when an opportunity arrives in which he (the repentant) can repeat his transgression, but he withholds and does not act [transgress] because of repentance, rather than because of fear or a failure of ability."

If so, it may happen that that the traumatic event can serve as a protective factor, if the society which endured the trauma underwent a process of repentance.

Certain questions must be asked:

Did the murder of Yitzhak Rabin, which was, without a doubt, an event which shocked the vast majority of the state's population, set off a process of contemplation and moral introspection?

Who must perform moral self-inspection?

Anyone who is aware of the world around him, who sees the writing on the wall (both literally and figuratively), who listens to the warnings of the defense establishment, cannot ignore the feeling that that which was thought to be impossible a decade ago has become possible and even likely. A language of protest no less violent than that of a decade ago and death-threats against public figures who take responsibility for decisions with which some people disagree underline the violent and intolerant atmosphere of public discourse in Israel. To our dismay, it may be assumed that the calculation of the probability of an additional political assassination in Israel will produce discouraging results.

Who, then, must perform moral self-inspection?

The Gemara (Yoma 23a) tells of a Kohen who was murdered in the Temple out of "religious fervor" and competition over performance of the role of terumat hadeshen on the altar. The Talmud states:

The Rabbis taught: There was an incident involving two priests who were similar to each other and who were running and ascending the ramp [of the altar]. One of them entered the space of four cubits around the other - he took a knife and stabbed him in the heart. Rabbi Zadok stood on the steps of the hall and said: Our brothers, the House of Israel, listen! It says: If someone slain is found in the land... your elders and magistrates shall go out... (Devarim 21:1,2). On whose behalf shall we bring the eglah arufa (broken-necked calf)? For the city or for the Temple?

The whole assembled public began to cry.

The boy's father came and saw that he was still in his death-throws. He said: He is your atonement, my son is still convulsing, and the knife has not been made ritually impure.

This teaches us that they were more concerned with the ritual purity of objects than they were with blood shed.

Rabbi Zadok's penetrating question, "On whose behalf shall we bring the eglah arufa (broken-necked calf)? For the city or for the Temple?" may be viewed as very relevant to our day. Does responsibility for the actions which occur outside of the beit midrash of those who frequent the beit midrash still impinge upon the beit midrash, requiring that the beit midrash inspect itself? Or is it a matter of the "city," meaning that the mood in the street influences the beit midrash?

It is interesting to note that the Gemara does not offer an unambiguous answer to Rabbi Zadok's question. It does not state that the Temple blames the city or vis-versa. Rather, the entire public began to cry.

Apparently, at first, everyone was shocked by what had occurred within the Temple's walls, and all feel guilty and responsible.

It could be that a similar thing is happening in Israeli society - or at least in most of Israeli society - if the tendency to blame others had not taken over (as the celebrated French philosopher, Jean-Paul Sartre said, "Hell is other people."). But, before the shiva had even been completed, each "camp" began demanding that the other engage in self-reckoning.

It could be that by not offering an answer the Gemara teaches us that there is no unambiguous answer to Rabbi Zadok's question. Perhaps every individual and group must inspect itself to see how it contributed to the event, and what they must do to keep it from recurring.

The Gemara may also be hinting at an aspect of the public state of mind that made the murder possible: its religious and moral order of priorities.

The father of the victim "saved" the knife from impurity by pulling it from his son's body before his death , and the Gemara concludes that "the ritual purity of objects" was more important to them than bloodshed.

It is likely that that as a community comprised both of religious and secular members who hold varying political opinions, we must re-examine our religious and ethical priorities - is the avoidance of bloodshed really our prime concern?

If, God-forbid, another political assassination occurs, will we be able to honestly proclaim our hands did not shed this blood and our eyes did not see?

Pinchas Leiser, editor of Shabbat Shalom, is a psychologist

 

 

Forty Years Old or Three Years Old? A Process Springing from Searching, or from Sudden Enlightenment?

... Abraham was forty years old when he recognized his Creator. Having attained this knowledge, he began to refute the inhabitants of Ur of the Chaldees, arguing with them and saying to them, "The course that you are following is not the way of truth." He broke the images and commenced to instruct the people that it was not riht to serve any one but the God of the universe, to whom alone it was proper to bow down, offer up sacrifices and make libations, so that all human creatures might, in the future, know Him; and that it was proper to destroy and shatter all the images, so hat the people might not err like those who thought that there was no god but these images.

(RaMBaM Hilkhot Avodah Zara 1:2)

 

The RAVaD's comment on "Abraham was forty years old when he recognized his Creator"

Abraham [the RAVaD] said: There is an aggadah which states tat he was three years old, for it said, Ekev [inasmuch] as Abraham obeyed Me (Bereishit 26:5) - the number of letters in the word ekev is three.

 

Conflict between Brothers Leads to Desecration of the Divine Name

The Canaanites and Perizzites were then dwelling in the land: And the matter involved desecration of the Divine Name, since they knew that Abraham and his household were great and sanctified to the Name of God, and while the Canaanite and Perrizites were living in peace amongst themselves there was conflict between Abraham and Lot. This caused a desecration of the Name since it could be said that Abraham's faith led to it. Eventually, Abraham could bear it no more.

(Ha-Amek Davar on Bereishit 13:7)

 

Sarai treated her harshly and she ran away from her

Our mother sinned in this harsh treatment, as did Abraham by letting her do it, and God heard her suffering and gave her a son who would be a wild-man in order to inflict all kinds of suffering upon Abram and Sarah's descendents.

(RaMBaN on Bereishit 16:6)

 

The Ends do not Justify the Means

Know that Abraham our father unintentionally committed a great sin by bringing his righteous wife to a stumbling-block of sin on account of his fear for his life. He should have trusted that God would sae him and his wife and all his belongings for God surely has the power to help and to save. His leaving the Land, concerning which he had been commanded from the beginning, on account of the famine, was also a sin he committed, for in famine God would redeem him from death. It was because of this deed that the exile in the land of Egypt at the hand of Pharaoh was decreed for his children. In the place of justice, there is wickedness and sin.

(RaMBaN on Bereishit 12:9, Chavel translation)

 

Even when Fighting a Just War, One is still Obligated to Consider its Moral Price

Le'ahar [after] these things - Wherever the term ahar is used it signifies immediately after the preceding event; whilst aharei signifies a long time afterwards. After these things: after this miracle has been wrought for him in that he slew the kings and was in great anxiety, saying, "Perhaps I have already received in this God-given victory reward for all my good deeds." Therefore the Omnipresent said to him, fear not Avram, I am your shield against punishment: for you shall not be punished on account of all these people whom you have slain.. And as for your being anxious regarding the receipt of any further reward, know that your reward will be exceedingly great.

(Rashi on Bereishit 15: 1, Silberman translation)

 

David said to Solomon, "My son, I wanted to build a House for the name of the Lord my God. But the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘You have shed much blood on the earth in My sight. But you will have a son who will be a man of rest, for I will give him rest from all his enemies on all sides; Solomon will be his name and I shall confer peace and quiet on Israel in his time. He will build a House for My name; he shall be a son to Me and I to him a father, and I will establish his throne of kingship over Israel forever.

(IChronicles 22:7-10)

 

You have shed much blood - while you have fought God's wars, in any case it keeps you from building the House, just as it was prohibited to use iron tools in building the altar, since iron is used for making instruments of murder.

(Metzudat Tzion on I Chronicles 22:8).