The Torah Portion of Chayei Sarah
Excerpted and Translated from the the Teachings of Rabbi Gershon Steinberg ztz"l
L'ilui Neshamat HaGaon HaTzaddik R' Gershon Avigdor Ben Chaim ztz"l
"And it was that the lifetime of Sarah..." (In Hebrew: "Vayihu'yu Chayei Sarah..."-- Bereisheet 23:1)
The first word of this verse in Hebrew is "Vayih'yu". The word Vayih'yu is a palindrome; that is it is spelled the same way backwards and forwards, with the Hebrew letters Vuv Yud Hey Yud Vuv. So "Vayih'yu" when it is read backwards also is "Vayih'yu". This comes to hint that if a man does Mitzvot and good deeds, the day that has passed isn't thought of to be in the past, for even though the day has already gone by, the Mitzvot that he did continue to exist and stand before him always. And that is why it says "Vayih'yu Chayei Sarah", with the word "Vayih'yu" which is read backwards also "Vayih'yu", to tell us that because she was a righteous woman, even when looking backwards, that is at the days which have already passed, these days are still thought of as the lifetime of Sarah (i.e., as if she is still alive) because of the good deeds which she did.
"And it was that the lifetime of Sarah..." (In Hebrew: "Vayihu'yu Chayei Sarah..."-- Bereisheet 23:1)
The first word of this verse in Hebrew, "Vayih'yu", has the Gematria (numerical value of its letters) of 37. (Note: The Hebrew letters of Vayh'yu are Vuv Yud Hey Yud Vuv. The numerical value of Vuv = 6, Yud = 10, Hey = 5, Yud = 10, and Vuv = 5. The sum of 6 + 10 + 5 + 10 + 6 = 37.) This is a hint that 37 years were the most important, best years of Sarah Imenu's life, because from the time that Yitzchak was born until Sarah passed away there were 37 years.
"when she was 100 years old she was like 20 years old" (Rashi on Bereisheet 23:1)
There are those that explain that thus are the ways of man, in the days of his youth he is connected in his nature to the desires of this world but on the other hand he is strong in the trait of being alacritous (to do Mitzvot), but an elderly man is the oppposite way -- he is weak in the trait of alacrity but on the other hand he is not as connected to the desires of this world as he was during his youth. And this verse comes to tell us that Sarah had both of these good traits together. All her days she was like a 20 year old regarding the matter of being alacritous to do Mitzvot, and also she was like a 100 year old, distant from the desires of this world all of her days.
"when she was 100 years old she was like 20 years old" (Rashi on Bereisheet 23:1)
Tehillim Chapter 100 is "Mizmor L'Todah" (in English: "A Psalm of thanksgiving") , and Tehillim Chapter 20 is "Ya'ancha Hashem B'yom Tzarah" (in English: "May Hashem answer you on the day of distress"). In all situations one needs to thank Hashem, also on a day of distress. In addition, the custom is to say the Tehillim "Ya''ancha Hashem" aloud and slowly (that is, with deliberation and enunciation of each word), and also the Tehillim "Mizmor L'Todah" needs to be said that way. In the Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim (Siman 51) it's written that "Mizmor L'Todah" needs to said with a melody.
"...the years of Sarah's life." (Bereisheet 23:1)
Rashi explains that "they were all equal in goodness". And behold, in truth Sarah had much anguish and suffering in her life. Until the aged of 90 she didn't have children, and she was also taken into the house of Pharoah and the house of Avimelech, and she also suffered from famine. And in spite of all that, she accepted everything with love, and that is the explanation of what Rashi said that "they were all equal in goodness". Even the difficult days were thought of in her eyes as good.
"...to eulogize Sarah and to weep for her." (Bereisheet 23:2)
Why is it written first "to eulogize" and afterwards "to weep"? This is not the usual way of mourners, who at the beginning weep and afterwards eulogize, as it is written in the Gemara (Moed Katan 27b): three days for weeping and seven days for eulogizing. And the Rishonim explain that when Avraham came he found the people in his household eulogizing her because three days had already elapsed from the time of her passing, so Avraham made eulogies with them, and afterwards he wept for her. And the Kli Yakar explains that in general, for everyone who passes away the mourning gradually decreases, because with the passage of time everything is forgotten. But in the case of this righteous woman, on each and every day the people of her generation increasingly felt her absence, because of the absence of her Torah and good deeds, which were lost from her generation. Therefore, the eulogizing came before the weeping.
"... and to weep for her." (in Hebrew: "V'livkotah", Bereisheet 23:2)
The Hebrew word "V'livkotah", which means "and to weep for her", is spelled Vuv Lamed Vait Kaf Tav Heh, and the letter Kaf is written smaller than the other letters. Why is the letter Kaf smaller? The Baal HaTurim says that he wept only a little bit because she was already old. There is another explanation, that Avraham only wept a little bit so that people wouldn't say that he regretted the Akeida (binding of Yitzchak), because Sarah passed away as a result of being told about the Akeida. And there is another explanation, that it appears as if the word is written "and for her daughter" (in Hebrew: "V'l'bitah" ,without the Kaf since it written smaller than the other letters), because at the same time the daughter of Avraham also passed away.
"...Chayei Sarah..." (Bereisheet 23:1) and "Vayechi..." (Bereisheet 47:28)
There are two Torah Portions in which matters of death are discussed and yet, the names of the Torah Portions are based linguistically on the word for life in Hebrew, "Chaim" ("Chayei" in this week's Torah Portion, and "Vayechi" in the Torah Portion of Vayechi). In the Torah Portion of Chayei Sarah, the deaths of Sarah and Avraham are discussed, and in the Torah Portion of Vayechi, the deaths of Yaakov and Yosef are discussed and yet it begins with the words "Vayechi Yaakov" (in English: "And Yaakov lived"). The reason for this is that Tzaddikim (Righteous People) are also called "Chaim" (alive) even when they have died.
"And Avraham was old, coming with days..." (Bereisheet 24:1)
The commentators on the Torah say that he filled all the days of his life with Torah and with Mitzvot, and that Avraham came to the Next World with all the days (of his life), for there was no defect in any of them.
"...and Hashem had blessed Avraham with everything." (Bereisheet 24:1)
Rashi explains that the Hebrew word for "with everything", "BaKol", has the same Gematria (numerical value) as the Hebrew word for "son" (in Hebrew: "Ben"). (Note: The letters of the Hebrew word "BaKol" are Beit, Kaf, and Lamed. The numerical value of Beit = 2, Kaf = 20, and Lamed = 30. The sum of 2 + 20 + 30 is equal to 52. The Hebrew letters of the word "Ben" are Beit and Nun. The numerical value of Beit = 2, and Nun = 50. The sum of 2 + 50 also is equal to 52. So the Gematria of "BaKol" is the same as the Gematria of "Ben".) And there are those that say that he had a daughter and her name was "BaKol".
"BaKol" (in English "with everything") has the same Gematria as "Ben" (in English: "son")
There are those that ask, why did this need to be stated indirectly, by means of Gematria? Why couldn't it just be written in the verse "and Hashem had blessed Avraham with a son"? And the explanation is that someone who has a righteous son like Yitzchak Avinu already has everything, and that is the explanation of "BaKol" (in English: "with everything").
"...and Hashem had blessed Avraham with everything." (Bereisheet 24:1)
What is the blessing to Avraham "with everything"? If it's good for everyone and not just for himself, that was regarded as a blessing by him. (from Mayana Shel Torah)
"And he said, Hashem, G-d of my master Avraham.." (Bereisheet 24:12)
The cantillation mark that is written for the Hebrew word "Vayomar" in this verse (in English: "And he said") is a Shalshelet. The Masters of Mussar (Ethics) explain that the way of the Evil Inclination is that it doesn't come in the beginning with enormous transgressions, such as telling you to go serve idols and the like, but rather it starts with small things. And therefore it is written regarding Lot, "And he delayed" (Bereisheet 19:16), with a Shalshelet, for the Evil Inclination made him lazy and weak with regard to fulling a Mitzvah (to leave Sodom) and he delayed and didn't hurry. And after that, the Shalshelet appears in the current verse (Bereisheet 24:12) on the Hebrew word for "And he said"; the Evil Inclination enters into a conversation with him and entices him. And after that, it's already written "And he refused" (Bereisheet 39:8) with a Shalshelet, because he already doesn't want to learn Torah, and after that it's written in the Torah Portion of Tzav "And he slaughtered" (Vayikra 8:23) with a Shalshelet, for the Evil Inclination has already conquered him entirely. And there are those who explain this sequence of verses containing a Shalshelet with a good ending, that "And he refused" (Bereisheet 39:8) means that he doesn't want to listen to the Evil Inclination, and that "And he slaughtered" (Vayikra 8:23) means that he conquered the Evil Inclination.
The Sages say that three asked inappropriately.
Eliezer said "the girl...who says drink and I will also give water to your camels..." (Bereisheet 24:14), and this was inappropriate, for perhaps a crippled girl would come out. Shaul HaMelech said that whoever would kill Goliath, he would give him his daughter. And that was not appropriate, because perhaps the person who would succeed in that goal would have a defect. But Yiftach asked inappropriately and didn't succeed, because he was forced to offer up his daughter as an offering. And all three of these are hinted at by the cantillation mark of the Shalshelet on the word "Vayomer" (Bereisheet 24:12 -- in English: "And he said"), because the Shalshelet contains three "waves" of musical notes of rising and falling pitch.
"And the servant ran...and she hastened...and she ran" (Bereisheet 24:17 - 20)
It's necessary to understand why it is mentioned here several times the concept of alacrity and swiftness. On a simple level, it's possible to say that this is to teach us that all the deeds of righteous people are done with alacrity. And the Gaon HaRav Yitzchak Zev HaLevi Soloveitchek of Brisk ztzvk"l explained that Eliezer said "may it happen before me today" (Bereisheet 24:12), that is, that the sign was that it would happen on that very day, and since it was approaching evening, therefore everything needed to occur quickly in order for all of it to happen before the sunset, so that all of it would be on that very day.
"...drink and I will also give water to your camels..." (Bereisheet 24:14)
The commentators on the Torah ask, what was so special about that? Behold, also today we see that the daughters of Israel do much kindness similar to that. The explanation is that Eliezer arrived with many servants and Rivkah could have thought to herself that kindness is something that one should do only if it's needed, but in this instance Eleazer, who was very wealthy and also had a lot of servants, why should he bother a small girl of three years old? And even so, Rivkah didn't make any calculations like that and immediately acted kindly. And this is called an act of kindness without any excuses or calculations, because if an opportunity to perform a Mitzvah comes to your hands you shouldn't miss the opportunity because of various answers and excuses. And this is similar to someone who sees a diamond on the ground, that he shouldn't tell someone else to pick it up.
"...and she went down to the spring and filled her pitcher and came up." (Bereisheet 24:16)
Rashi explains that the waters rose to meet her, and in another verse after this one it says "and she ran again to the well to draw water and drew for all his camels." (Bereisheet 24:20)
And the Meforshim (those who explain the Torah) question this, because in this verse the meaning is that she needed to draw the water and that they didn't rise to meet her, whereas in the earlier verse she didn't need to draw the water at all. And the explanation is that in the earlier instance, when she went to draw water for herself, the waters rose to meet her. But when she went to draw water for the camels, which was a Mitzvah of doing Chesed (kindness) the waters didn't rise, because it was the will of Heaven that the Mitzvah be done B'Shleimut (in a complete and perfect way).
"And she finished giving him to drink, and she said" (Bereisheet 24:19)
The Seforno explains that Rivkah waited to speak until he finished drinking, just as the Sages say (Taanit 5b) "One shouldn't speak at the time of eating and drinking lest something goes down into the trachea (tube in the throat for breathing) instead of the esophagus (tube in the throat for swallowing) and the person's life can become endangered".
"And the man was astonished at her, reflecting silently to know whether Hashem had made his journey successful..." (Bereisheet 24:21)
One can ask, behold, immediately when Eliezer heard that Rivkah said "also for your camels I will draw" (Bereisheet 24:19), he already saw that the sign that he had asked for had been fulfilled, and why did he need to wait any longer? Was it to see if this three year old girl would really draw water and give all the 10 camels to drink? The Seforno explains, that he wanted to check her, if she wouldn't request a reward for her efforts on that (like what we call a "tip"), for if she would request a reward, there would not be any proof that the fulfillment of the sign would actually be an act of Chesed (kindness).
"And he (Eliezer) said 'I will not eat until I have spoken my words', and he (Lavan) said 'speak'. And he (Eliezer) said 'I am a servant of Avraham'..." (Bereisheet 24:33-34)
The Baalei HaTurim says that Eliezer told them, I need to say beforehand the blessing on washing the hands, and the blessing on the bread. And when Lavan said "speak', he meant, so say it already, and his intention was that he should say the blessings quickly without enunciating the words carefully and slowly. And when Eliezer said "I am a servant of Avraham", his intention was to say, that since I am a servant of Avraham, I don't do that in a rush. I pray and say blessings with intention and slowly, with careful enunciation of the words. And because of that Eliezer was saved from the death (by poisoning of the food) that they were plotting against him.
"And they blessed Rivkah and said to her, 'Our sister, may you come to be thousands of myriads...' " (Bereisheet 24:60)
The Sages say that because of this blessing, Rivkah was infertile, so that people wouldn't say that Rivkah had been blessed by this blessing. It can be asked, haven't the Sages said "Don't let the blessing of an ordinary person be a light manner in your eyes, and even the blessing of a gentile", such as the blessings of Aravna and Darius? And the explanation is that they (Aravna and Darius) blessed in the name of Hashem. Aravna said to David HaMelech, "Hashem Elokim should be pleased with you" (Shmuel Beit 24:23). Darius said to Daniel "May your G-d, Whom you serve regularly, save you" (Daniel 6:17). But Lavan and his mother blessed Rivkah without mentioning Hashem, and therefore this is not considered to fall into the category of a blessing by an ordinary person.
Why did Avraham command Eliezer to take a bride for Yitzchak from his family?
It has been asked by the Meforshim (those who explain the Torah), why did Avraham command Eliezer to take a bride for Yitzchak from his family, who were idol worshippers? The explanation is that even though they (his family) had corrupt opinions, in any event the Canaanites had corrupt character traits and that was worse, because character traits can be passed on through inheritance but opinions are possible to change. (from Drashot HaRan, Avnei Nezer)
The Torah Portion of Chayei Sarah has 105 verses. Haftora: "V'hamelech David" (Melachim 1 1).
This is Shabbat Mevorchim for the month of Kislev. Rosh Chodesh Kislev is on Yom Hey and Yom Vuv (Thursday and Friday). The Molad is Lail Hey at the hour 6:35 with 11 Chalakim.
We say Borchi Nafshi.
May you all have a light-filled and happy Shabbat. Shabbat Shalom.
L'ilui Neshamat HaGaon HaTzaddik R' Gershon Avigdor Ben R' Chaim ztz"l, Nilkach L'Bait Olamo Yud Gimmel Tishrei 5772
The Torah Portion of Vayeira
Excerpted and Translated from the the Teachings of Rabbi Gershon Steinberg ztz"l
L'ilui Neshamat HaGaon HaTzaddik R' Gershon Avigdor Ben Chaim ztz"l
"...in the plains of Mamre..." (Bereisheet 18:1)
The Sages say that Avraham asked Aner, Eshkol, and Mamre about Brit Mila (Circumcision). Aner said to him that circumcision was difficult for him because he was old. The Hebrew letters of the name Aner (Ayin, Nun, Reish) are the Roshei Teivot (initial letters) of the Hebrew phrase "Inui Nefesh Ra", which in English means that "Causing the soul to suffer is bad". Eshkol said to him, after you killed the four kings you have many enemies, and if so, it's possible that circumcision will instigate new hatred against you. The Hebrew letters of the name Eshkol (Aleph, Shin, Kaf, Lamed) are the Roshei Teivot (initial letters) of the Hebrew phrase "Avraham Sonim Kabirim Lecha", which in English means "Avraham, you have powerful enemies". And Mamre told him to circumcise. The Hebrew letters of the name Mamre (Mem, Mem, Reish, Aleph) are the Roshei Teivot (initial letters) of the Hebrew phrase, "Maheir Malei Rotzon Avicha ", which in English means, "Quickly fulfill the will of your Father". The Rebbe told to his students that in Yiddish, the letters of the name Mamre are the Roshei Teivot (initial letters) of the phrase "Mimuz Malen Reb Avraham", which in English means "You must circumcize, Mr. Avraham".
"...Mamre..." (Bereisheet 18:1)
The letters of the name Mamre (Mem, Mem, Reish, Aleph) are the Roshei Teivot (initial letters) of the difficult events which had happened to Avraham Avinu. Mem stands for "Mitzrayim" (in English: Egypt), where Pharoah took Sarah. Another Mem stands for "Malachim" (in English: Kings); this refers to the war with the four kings. "Reish" stands for "Ra'av" (in English: famine), referring to the fact that there had been a famine in the Land of Israel. "Aleph" stands for "Aish (in English: fire); referring to the incident in which Avraham was cast into a burning furnace in Ur Kasdim. And this is what "Mamre" was hinting to Avraham, that after the Holy One Blessed Be He saved you from all of those difficult straits, it's appropriate that you should fulfill his will and circumcise yourself.
"...and he was sitting at the entrance of the tent in the heat of the day." (Bereisheet 18:1)
The Sages say that Avraham sits next to the opening of Gehinom and doesn't allow anyone to enter that is circumcized, and that is what is hinted at in the verse by "sitting at the entrance of the tent in the heat of the day". The "heat of the day" is referring to Gehinom which burns like fire.
"...and he ran toward them from the entrance of the tent..." (Bereisheet 18:2)
Why did he already start running from the entrance of the tent? The explanation is that according to the Halacha, someone who is going to do a Mitzvah needs to run, and someone who is returning from doing a Mitzvah needs to walk slowly. And if he returns from doing one Mitzvah and is going to do a different Mitzvah, if the two Mitzvot are of equal value, then the first half of the way he needs to walk slowly and afterwards he needs to hurry. But if the second Mitzvah is greater and more important, then he needs to hurry from the start. Therefore, since the Mitzvah of Hachnassat Orchim (hospitality -- receiving guests) is greater and more important than receiving the face of the Shechina (the Divine Presence), he needed to run already as soon as he started going to do the Mitzvah, and that was "from the entrance of the tent".
"...please do not pass by from before your servant." (Bereisheet 18:3)
It is written "please", and this is a word indicating a request, because Avraham implored them and requested them to come to his house. From this we see what it means to love Chesed (in English: kindness) and to pursue Tzedakah (in English: charity or righteousness) and Chesed.
"Let a little bit water be brought, please..." (Bereisheet 18:4)
Why did he request only a little bit? The Masters of Mussar (Ethics) say that it's forbidden to be a Tzaddik (Righteous Man) at someone else's expense, and since he was requesting that the water be brought by a Shaliach (someone else who was acting as his agent), he only requested a little bit.
"Let a little bit of water be brought, please...And Avraham ran to the cattle" (Bereisheet 18:4-7)
The Sages say that regarding what Avraham did for the angels directly by himself and not by means of a Shaliach (someone else who was acting as his agent), also Hashem paid for it (by giving something similar) to his descendants afterwards in the desert directly by himself and not be means of a Shaliach -- and that was the Mannah and the Quails. And what that Avraham gave by means of a Shaliach, Hashem gave to the children of Israel by means of a Shaliach -- and that was the water which was by means of Moshe who hit the rock in Chorev. And there are those that ask, behold, wasn't Avraham 99 years old and certainly this wasn't the only time that he gave food and drink to guests? And if so, why is it only because of this occasion of receiving guests that his descendants merited this, since all his days he occupied himself with the Mitzvah of Hachnassat Orchim (receiving guests)? And the explanation is that to give food and drink to the people of Israel in the desert is beyond the ways of nature, and therefore only the merit of Avraham at the time of his old age and in the days of his sickness on the third day after his circumcision, when he not only gave them food, but ran after them and exerted himself to fulfill all their needs in the best way possible (which was going beyond the ways of nature), only this merit was what stood by the children of Israel in the desert so that they could also receive their food in a way that was beyond the ways of nature. (Based on Be'er Yosef)
"Let a little bit of water be brought, please...And Avraham ran to the cattle" (Bereisheet 18:4-7)
The Masters of Mussar (Ethics) would explain the lesson that we need to learn from this, that the smallest act has an effect for generations on one's descendants afterwards. And we see this from the story of the Hachnassat Orchim (receiving guests) of Avraham Avinu o"h. Because he brought the water by means of a Shaliach (an agent acting on his behalf), therefore the children of Israel needed to receive water by means of a Shaliach, and because of this it came about that Moshe hit the rock at the end of 40 years, and from that it was decreed that he would not enter the Land of Israel. And if Moshe had entered the Land of Israel, it is brought by the Sages that the Bait HaMikdash (Temple) would not have been destroyed and we would not have been exiled from the Land of Israel.
"...Shall I hide from Avraham that which I am doing...For I have known him, because he commands his children and his household after him" (Bereisheet 18:17-19)
Hashem revealed to Avraham that he wanted to overthrow Sodom, and we need to understand the connection between Hashem's need to notify Avraham about the destruction of Sodom and Hashem's knowledge that Avraham "commands his children". Those who explain the Torah say that this can be understood by means of a parable. When an old man enters a store to buy himself a garment, he tries on a lot of clothes until he finds a garment that fits him. In contrast, a father of a large family doesn't check the size of the clothes, but rather takes everything that looks suitable because in any event he won't lose out. If a garment doesn't fit one of his bigger children it will fit one of his smaller children. Similarly, when the Holy One Blessed Be He wanted to overthrow Sodom, he wanted Avraham to pray for them. And even though the prayers would not be effective for the men of Sodom, who were very evil, and those people would be removed from the world, in any event the prayers of Avraham Avinu would not be wasted. They would be a merit for his children and for the generations after him, and that is the explanation of "he commands his children and his household after him".
"For I have known him..." (Bereisheet 18:19)
Avraham passed many tests, and despite all that, the Holy One Blessed Be He said "For I have known him...", meaning that "I love him because he educates his son in accord with the way of the Torah". From here we see a proof that this is worth more than all the tests that Avraham Avinu passed. (from HaRav Sh. Taplinski ztsvk"l)
"And I am dust and ashes" (Bereisheet 18:27)
Dust has a certain amount of importance in terms of the future, because plants can be grown on it. Ashes have a certain amount of importance in terms of the past, because (prior to being burnt) they used to be a utensil, vessel, tool or some other useful object. Avraham said about himself, that he doesn't have any importance, not from the point of view of the past and not from the point of view of the future. And therefore, Avraham merited that the generations to come after him would have the Mitvah of the Dust of the Sotah (suspected adulteress), which has the purpose of clarifying about the past, and the Mitzvah of the Ashes of the Parah (cow), which is used to purify people in the future.
A Story about Rav Shlomo Kluger related to this week's Torah Portion
It is told that when the Rav Shlomo Kluger was appointed to be the Rav of the city of Brod, they honored him with being the Sandak at a Brit Mila, and he saw that they were waiting and he didn't know why. He asked them, for whom are we still waiting? They told him that the father of the young baby who is being circumcised is dangerously ill and is going to die, and therefore we are waiting so that we can call the boy by the name of his father after he dies. Rav Shlomo Kluger commanded them to perform the Brit immediately and not to wait, and behold, immediately after that the father was healed entirely, and the people were wondering about this miracle. And Rav Shlomo Kluger said to them that this wasn't a wondrous event, but that it was something which he derived from the Torah Portion of Vayeira. In this week's Torah Portion, three angels came and amongst those three angels, there was one angel that came both to heal Avraham and also to save Lot, since healing and saving are one thing. And the question is, are there angels lacking in Heaven so that there shouldn't be two angels coming, one to heal Avraham and one to save Lot? But the explanation is, that Lot didn't have sufficient merits so that a special angel would come to save him, but since an angel already came in order to heal Avraham he was also able to save Lot. Also here the same concept applies . The father of the young baby who was being circumcised didn't have enough merits so that a special angel would come to heal him, but since the angel of the Brit was already coming for the purpose of the Brit, I prayed that the angel of the Brit would also heal the father as well.
"And Hashem remembered Sarah..." (Bereisheet 21:1)
Rashi says that someone who prays for his friend, and he needs the same thing (for which he is praying on behalf of his friend), the one who is praying is answered first (i.e., his needs are fulfilled before his friend's needs are fulfilled). It is told that someone came to complain before a particular Tzaddik (Righteous Man), that his friend had opened a store next to his own store and was selling the same type of merchandise. The Tzaddik answered him, pray that customers will come to your friend and in any event, you too will be blessed because of your prayer.
"On the third day...And he said, here are the fire and the wood, and where is the sheep for the offering?" (Bereisheet 22:4-7)
One time while the Gaon HaRav Avramski ztzk"l was speaking in learning with his student the Gaon HaRav M.M. Schezingler ztz"l, he said to him, you should know that if you are asking a question of someone and it is your will to receive his answer, you need to consider carefully if there isn't someone present in the place whose presence is likely to prevent him from answering. And I learned this matter from Yitzchak Avinu. For it presents a difficulty that Yitzchak asked "where is the sheep for the offering?" on the third day and not the first day. But the truth is that Yitzchak already wanted to ask Avraham that on the first day, but he thought in his heart that the presence of the young men, Eliezer and Yishmael, might disturb Avraham from answering. And therefore on the third day after Avraham told the young men "Stay here by yourselves with the donkey" (Bereisheet 22:4) and Avraham and Yitzchak were walking by themselves, only then did Yitzchak ask Avraham his father "here are the fire and the wood, and where is the sheep for the offering?" (from Mishmar HaLevi Al HaTorah)
"And an angel of Hashem called to him from the Heavens..." (Bereisheet 22:11)
The Meforshim (those who write commentaries on the Torah) ask, why was the command about the Akeida (the binding of Yitzchak), given directly by the Holy One Blessed Be He, as it is written: "...please take your son..." (Bereisheet 22:2), but to remove Yitzchak from the sacrificial altar it was sufficient for this to be a commandment given indirectly, by means of an angel serving as a messenger? And the explanation is, that to slaughter a Jew, only the Holy One Blessed Be He can command that, but to save a Jew, also an angel is able do it.
"...in the thicket by its horns..." (Bereisheet 22:13)
Rashi says that it (the ram) was running towards Avraham and the Satan entangled it and confused it among the trees in order to hold it back. And the Gaon HaRav Eliezer Menachem Shach ztzvk"l asked, what was in the mind of the Satan? Isn't it obvious that if Avraham goes to bind his son at the Akeida, and throws himself into the burning furnace, Kal V'Chomer (in English: "all the moreso") some small thing like this won't hold him back (from doing a Mitzvah)? And Rav Shach's answer is that by the Satan, there are no calculations and no logical reasoning such as Kal V'Chomer ("all the moreso"). He tries all the possibilities to prevent a Mitzvah, whether it's a small thing or a big thing. And he added that, with regards to the snake (in the Garden of Eden) who is the Satan, it's written "...and you will bruise his heel" (Bereisheet 3:15), that he will cause a person to stumble also in a small matter.
The Reward for a Mitzvah
The Sages say that there is no reward for a Mitzvah in this world. The Gr"a says, regarding the reward for the Mitzvah itself there is no reward in this world, but for the Tircha (in English: "bother") that a person puts in at the time that he performs the Mitzvah, he does receive a reward also in this world. Avraham Avinu went to the Akeida (binding of Yitzchak) for three days. The first two days are the Tircha ("bother") associated with that Mitzvah, but the third day was the day of the Mitzvah itself, and the reward for that is only in the World to Come. And this is what is hinted at by the verse (Hoshea 6:2): "He will revive us from the two days, on the third day He will set us up, and we will live before Him." The fact that we are surviving is because of the Tircha ("bother") of the Mitzvah of the Akeida on the first two days, but the reward from the third day of the Akeida will only be in the future to come.
The Torah Portion of Vayeira has 147 verses. Haftora: "Va'isha Achat Min'shei V'nei HaN'vi'im" (Melachim 2 4).
We say Borchi Nafshi.
May you all have a light-filled and happy Shabbat. Shabbat Shalom.
L'ilui Neshamat HaGaon HaTzaddik R' Gershon Avigdor Ben R' Chaim ztz"l, Nilkach L'Bait Olamo Yud Gimmel Tishrei 5772
The Torah Portion of Lech Lecha
Excerpted and Translated from the the Teachings of Rabbi Gershon Steinberg ztz"l
L'ilui Neshamat HaGaon HaTzaddik R' Gershon Avigdor Ben Chaim ztz"l
"...Go for yourself..." (Bereisheet 12:1)
Rashi says, "for your pleasure and for your benefit". It is told about the Tzaddik (Righteous Man) Ba'al HaMaor Ainayim that he was very involved in performing the Mitzvah of Pidyon Sh'vuyim (redeeming captives). One time the Ba'al HaMaor Ainayim himself was a captive for a short time period, and it was revealed to him from Heaven that Hashem wanted him to experience for himself how it felt to be in captivity, so that he would know the greatness of the Mitzvah that he was involved in. Also with regards to Avraham, Hashem told him "Go for yourself, for your pleasure", so that when you will feel the suffering entailed by those who are traveling and the pleasure that they feel when they find a place to stay, you will know the greatness of the Mitzvah of Hachnasat Orchim (hospitality -- receiving guests) that you perform.
"...Go for yourself from your land..." (Bereisheet 12:1)
The Gematria (numerical value) of the Hebrew words "Lech Lecha" (in English: "Go fo yourself") is 100. This is a hint to what Rashi says, "for your pleasure and for your benefit", since here you will not merit to have children and after 100 years there will be born to you a son. [Translator's note: the son being hinted at is Yitzchak, who was born when Avraham was 100 years old.]
"...from your land, from your birthplace, and from your father's house..." (Bereisheet 12:1)
There is a hint here to that which is written in Ethics of the Fathers (Pirkei Avot 3:1): "Look at three things and you will not come into the hands of a sin -- know from where you came, to where you are going, and before Whom you are to give a judgment and an accounting in the future." "From your land"-- this is referring to the dust of the earth, and this is "to where you are going". "From your birthplace" -- this is referring to the origin of your birth, and this is "from where you came". "And from your father's house" -- this is referring to our Father in Heaven, and in the future you will give before Him a judgment and an accounting.
"And I will make of you a great nation, I will bless you, and I will make your name great..." (Bereisheet 12:2)
Rashi explains: "And I will make of you a great nation" is a reference to that which we say in the Shemoneh Esrei prayer, "Elokei Avraham"; "I will bless you" is a reference to that which we say in the Shemoneh Esrei prayer, "Elokei of Yitzchak"; "and I will make your name great" is a reference to that which we say in the Shemoneh Esrei prayer, "V'Elokei Yaakov". Why don't we say "V'elokei Yisrael" instead of "V'elokei Yaakov"? This is because in the entire phrase, "...Elokei Avraham, Elokei Yitzchak, V'elokei Yaakov..." (in English: "G-d of Avraham, G-d of Yitzchak, and G-d of Yaakov") there are 26 letters, and 26 is the Gematria (Numerical Value) of the Name of Hashem. And if we were to say "Yisrael" instead of "Yaakov" there would be 27 letters. And behold, it's possible to say "Elokei Yisrael" instead of "V'elokei Yisrael", and leave off the letter "Vuv" (which is a prefix added onto a Hebrew word which means "and"), in which case there would be 26 letters but the rules of grammar would be violated. And that is hinted at by what we read in the first verse of the Haftorah: "Why do you say, Yaakov, and declare, Yisrael, my way is hidden from Hashem, and from Elokai my rule has been passed over?" (Yeshayahu 40:27). That is to say, ""Why do you say, Yaakov, and declare, Yisrael" - if instead of saying Yaakov you will say Yisrael, "my way is hidden from Hashem" - because if we say Yisrael then the hint to Hashem's name will be hidden, "and from Elokai my rule has been passed over" - if you remove the "Vuv" which is a prefix to Hebrew words indicating "and", then behold that's a violation of the rules of grammar.
"..and you will be a blessing." (Bereisheet 12:2)
Rashi says "with you they conclude", meaning that the first blessing in the Shemoneh Esrei prayer ends with the words "Magen Avraham" (in English: "Shield of Avraham"), that is, we end the blessing with the name of Avraham and not with the name of Yitzchak or Yaakov. And it is possible to explain this in another way, as follows: Avraham is the quality of Chesed (in English: kindness), as it is said "kindness to Avraham" (Micah 7:20). Yitzchak is Avodah (in English: service), for we see that he offered himself as a sacrifice. Yaakov is Torah as it is written about him "sitting in tents" (Bereisheet 25:27). And behold, it is written that "Tzion will be redeemed through justice and her penitent through Tzedakah (in English: charity)" (Yeshayah 1:27), meaning that before the coming of Mashiach there will be a lot of Chesed (kindness). And that is the explanation of Rashi's words "with you they conclude", the exile will be concluded with Avraham, that is, with the quality of Chesed (Kindness).
"And Avram went as Hashem had spoken to him..." (Bereisheet 12:4)
Avraham went because of the command of Hashem and not for his own enjoyment and benefit.
"...and the souls that they made in Charan..." (Bereisheet 12:5)
It is told in the Midrash, that one time Avraham Avinu hosted a guest who was an elderly 90 year old man. After the man finished eating and drinking, Avraham told him to cast off his idol worship, and he spoke with him for 6 hours in order to convince him and bring him close to Hashem. In the end the man took out his idol from his pocket and kissed it. Avraham said to him, "I gave you food and drink and spoke to you for 6 hours on this topic, and you still stuck to your opinion (to continue worshipping idols)", and he sent him away from his house. When the man left, the Holy One Blessed Be He said to Avraham, "I kept him alive for 90 years, because maybe he would do Teshuva (repent), and you, after only 6 hours, gave up on him". Immediately, Avraham went to look for the man, and begged him not to go now during the night when there are dangers on the road and dangerous animals, saying "Come back to me and I will give you a place to stay the night". And that is what the man did, and the next day Avraham again spoke to his heart for many hours until the man repented. From here we learn that one should never give up on any student, and even though he doesn't succeed in the beginning, he should return and try again and with the help of Hashem he will succeed, and he will see blessing and Nachat (satisfaction) from every single student.
"And it occurred, as he was about to come to Mitzrayim, he said to his wife Sarai, 'Behold, now have I known that you are a woman of fair appearance'." (Bereisheet 12:11)
The Ramban writes that Avraham Avinu inadvertently sinned a great sin when he brought his wife to the possibility of stumbling in a sin when he was afraid that they would kill him, and he should have trusted in Hashem to save him and his wife and everything that he had, for Elokim has the power to help and to save. Furthermore, his leaving the Land of Israel because of the famine, after he had previously been commanded to enter it, was also a transgression in which he sinned. For also in a famine, Elokim can save one from death. And because of this event, it was decreed upon his descendents exile in the land of Mitzrayim at the hand of Pharoah. In the place of judgment, there is the evil and the sin (see Kohelet 3:16). Maran HaGaon Rav Eleazar Menachem Man Shach ztz"l asks, from where does the Ramban know this, since we don't find it written in the Gemara or Midrash? And he explains that it is is written, "The secret of Hashem is to those who fear Him" (Tehillim 25:14). The Holy One Blessed Be He reveals secrets to those who fear Him.
"And he proceeded on his journeys..." (Bereisheet 13:3)
Rashi says that on his return, he repaid his debts. When he went to Mitzrayim, he borrowed from the lodging places that he rested at, because he didn't have money. And upon returning, since he had become wealthy, he repaid his debts. And there is an additional explanation, that the non-Jews asked him provocative questions: "You who are so attached to Hashem and rely upon Him, how is it that you are a poor person and Hashem doesn't help you?" And he answered them, "You will yet see that there will come a time that I will be very rich". And that is the explanation that on his return he repaid his debts, that is to say, that he was required to give them an answer to their questions, and he showed them that Hashem helped him.
"On his return he repaid his debts." (Rashi on Bereisheet 13:3)
When a man learns something the first time, he has questions and doesn't understand. But when he returns (i.e., reviews), it becomes more clear to him, and that is what is hinted about "on his return..." When one reviews another time, he repays his debts -- he finds an answer to his questions.
"And there was quarreling between the herdsmen of Avram's livestock and the herdsmen of Lot's livestock..." (Bereisheet 13:7)
In the beginning the word used to refer to their arguing was "Reev" (in English: "quarreling"), which is a masculine word, and afterwards the word used was "M'reeva" (in English: "strife"), which is a feminine word. For the way of quarreling is that it begins with a small matter, like a male which doesn't give birth, and afterwards it is like a female, which does give birth, for the quarreling and divisiveness spread out. And this is a Mussar (Ethical) teaching, that one should not start a quarrel at all, because it is impossible to know what it will give birth to afterwards.
"And the fugitive came..." (Bereisheet 14:13)
Rashi says that this is Og, who escaped from the Flood, and his intention was that Avraham would be killed in the war and that he would marry Sarah. And in the Torah Portion of Chukat it's written that Moshe made war against Og and he was afraid of Og's merits (for having told Avraham about Lot's captivity -- even though his intentions were not good). All the moreso when a Jew does Mitvot and he has good intentions, certainly he receives a great merit.
Avraham risked his life to save Lot
The reason is that they were very similar in appearance, and in order prevent people from saying that Avraham was in captivity, he risked his life to rescue Lot so that there wouldn't be a Chillul Hashem (desecration of Hashem's name). Also, there are those that say that Avraham knew that from Lot would come out Amon and Moav, and from those nations would come out Ruth and Naama and all of the kings of the house of David, and because of that he risked his life for him.
"...I have lifted up my hand..that (I will not take) from a thread even to a shoe lace..." (Bereisheet 14:22-23)
Avraham did not want to take from the King of Sodom any payment or compensation, and it has been asked, why from Pharoah he did take gifts? And the explanation is that he wanted to hint to the King of Sodom that in the war (of the four kings versus the five kings) there was not any act based on the strength and power of his hand, but rather everything was by miraculous means from Hashem may He be blessed, and therefore he isn't entitled to any payment of a reward.
"...from a thread even to a shoe lace..." (Bereisheet 14:23)
Avraham didn't want to benefit from the King of Sodom at all. The Sages say that in the merit of "a thread", he merited Tzitzit (the fringes on the Tallit prayer shawl) and in the merit of "a shoe lace" he merited Tefillin (in English: phylacteries). The Chatam Sofer says that it is written in the Halacha that one needs to put on the right shoe first, but when it comes to tying, one ties the shoe on the left foot before the right. The reason for this is that shoes need to be tied, and the tying of the shoe hints at the Tefillin which we tie on the left and not the right. And this is hinted at by what Avraham said "even to a shoe lace", which hints at the Tefillin, for also the tying of the shoe needs to be similar to the tying of Tefillin which is on the left.
"And he took him outside ... 'Gaze, now, toward the Heavens, and count the stars..' And He said to him 'So shall your offspring be." (Bereisheet 15:5)
He hinted to him that just as the stars, although they appear very small, in truth they are larger in size by several orders of magnitude than the size of the earth; similarly Israel, even though in comparison to the other nations they appear small, in truth they are very great and important.
"And the angel of Hashem said to her, 'Return to your mistress, and submit yourself to suffer under her hand'." (Bereisheet 16:9)
Why does the verse add "under her hand"? Behold, it is sufficient for the verse to say "Return to your mistress and submit yourself to suffer". But rather, the intention of what the angel said to her, is that if it is decreed upon a person to undergo suffering, nothing can help him and no matter where he flees to he will still undergo the suffering. And that is why the angel said to Hagar, "Return to your mistress and submit yourself to suffer under her hand". It is worthwhile and preferable for you to suffer under the hand of Sarah rather than suffering someplace else.
"On that very day was Avraham circumcised, and Yishmael his son." (Bereisheet 17:26)
Rashi wrote that "on that very day" means that on the day when 99 years were filled for Avraham and 13 years were filled for Yishmael, they were circumcised. The Ramban explains that "on that very day" that he was commanded in this Mitzvah, he and all those who were born in his house, 318 men and all those purchased of his money, were circumcised. And the verse comes to tell us the great level of Avraham's fear of Hashem, and the level of all the members of his household, for all of them were alacritous to fulfill Mitzvot without delay.
The Torah Portion of Lech Lecha has 126 verses. One positive commandment.Haftora: "Lama Tomar Ya'akov" (Yeshayahu 40).
We say Borchi Nafshi.
May you all have a light-filled and happy Shabbat. Shabbat Shalom.
L'ilui Neshamat HaGaon HaTzaddik R' Gershon Avigdor Ben R' Chaim ztz"l, Nilkach L'Bait Olamo Yud Gimmel Tishrei 5772
The Torah Portion of Noach
Excerpted and Translated from the the Teachings of Rabbi Gershon Steinberg ztz"l
L'ilui Neshamat HaGaon HaTzaddik R' Gershon Avigdor Ben Chaim ztz"l
"These are the offspring of Noach -- Noach was a righteous man..." (Bereisheet 6:9)
At the time when a Tzaddik (Righteous Man) leaves this world without children, he is distressed and cries. The Holy One Blessed Be He says to him, "Why are you distressed and crying that you didn't beget any children? I have a fruit that is more beautiful than children, the Torah which you occupied yourself with." For so it is written in Proverbs (11:30): "The fruit of a Tzaddik is a tree of life", and there is no tree of life other than Torah, as it is said, "It is a tree of life to those who uphold it" (Proverbs 3:18). The verse "The fruit of a Tzaddik is a tree of life", refers to Noach. Our Rabbis said that Noach did not pass away until he saw all the world resettled, ... and until he saw seventy nations who were his descendents, and none of this was remembered -- only his righteousness, as it is said "These are the offspring of Noach -- Noach was a righteous man", and it is not written Shem, Ham, and Yaphet, but rather his righteousness. You should know that this verse ( "The fruit of a Tzaddik is a tree of life" -- Proverbs 11:30) is speaking about Noach, because at the end of the verse it is written "and a wise man takes souls" (Proverbs 11:30). This refers to Noach who took souls, and would support and feed them (i.e. the other people and animals who were with him in the ark). (from Midrash Tanchuma as published by Buber)
"...and the earth had become filled with robbery." (Bereisheet 6:11)
The Sages say that the Holy One Blessed Be He doesn't begin to punish people by taking their lives, but rather begins with their financial wealth. If so, why didn't Hashem first punish the generation of the Flood financially? The explanation is that the money which was in their possession was stolen, and therefore He immediately punished them physically.
"Tzohar (a light) shall you make for the Teiva (the ark) ..." (Bereisheet 6:16)
There are two explanations for the Hebrew word "Tzohar"; there are those who say it means a window, and there are those who say it means a diamond. The Hebrew word "Teiva", in addition to meaning "ark" in English, also means "word" in English. Based on this, teachers of Mussar (Ethics) say that every word that you bring out of your mouth needs to enlighten, that is, one should bring out his words in Torah and prayer, and do it in such a way that those words will spread light.
"Tzohar (a light) shall you make for the Teiva (the ark or the word) and to an Amah (cubit) you shall finish it from above. The Petach (entrance) of the ark you shall make in its side; make it with bottom, second, and third decks." (Bereisheet 6:16)
It is told about the Gaon R' Yehuda Tzadka ztz"l Rosh Yeshiva of Porat Yosef, that he was always accustomed to say every blessing with three pauses, for example: 1) Baruch Atah Hashem (Blessed are You Hashem), 2) Elokeinu Melech Haolom (Our G-d King of the universe), 3) Shehakol Nih'ye Bid'varo (that everything exists at Your word). After he passed away, he came in a dream to one of his grandsons, and told him the verse "Tzohar (a light) shall you make for the Teiva...", emphasizing the interpretation that "Teiva" means "word". During a blessing, one should express his words clearly like a "Tzohar", which is related to the Hebrew word for light. An "Amah" is a Hebrew measurement which is usually translated as a cubit. The three letters of the Hebrew word Amah (Aleph, Mem and Hey) are the Roshei Teivot (beginning letters) of the Hebrew words "Elokeinu Melech Haolom" ("Our G-d King of the universe"). So the message here is that when one says a blessing, it should be with Kavana (intention) that the One he is saying it to is Our G-d King of the universe. The word "Petach" (entrance) which appears in the phrase "an entrance of the ark you shall make in its side", hints to us about the Evil Inclination, as it it written "at the Petach (entrance) sin crouches" (Bereisheet 4:7). This means that in the merit of saying a blessing properly, one can overcome the Evil Inclination. And regarding "bottom, second, and third decks", the meaning of this is that you should make three pauses in every single blessing.
"Noach did according to everything that Hashem had commanded him, so he did." (Bereisheet 6:22)
Noach didn't think to make the ark in order to save himself, but rather he only did it because of the commandment of Hashem.
"...and from the animal which is not pure..." (Bereisheet 7:8)
The Torah used an extra eight Hebrew letters in order to speak in a clean language (by saying "and from the animal which is not pure", instead of " and from the impure animal"). It has been asked, "Don't we see that many times the Torah does explicitly use the word 'impure'?" The explanation is, that when the Torah writes a Halacha (a religious law), it needs to be in a way which is clear and explicit so that we won't make any mistakes in following the Halacha, but in a story about an event, which would not cause us to err, the Torah uses a clean language in order to teach us how we should speak.
The Sages say that Noach cried after the flood.
The Sages say that Noach cried after the flood and said to Hashem that He should have had compassion on the world. Hashem answered him: Foolish shepherd, why are you remembering now to pray? Why didn't you pray and why didn't you cry earlier, before the flood? From this we see that a man needs to pray earlier, before the arrival, G-d forbid, of catastrophic events in the world. (from the Midrash)
"And Haran died in the presence of Terach his father, in his native land, in Ur Kasdim." (Bereisheet 11:28)
It is written in the Targum Yonatan that when Nimrod cast Avram into the burning furnace because he didn't worship idols, Haran said "If Nimrod wins I will be with his group and if Avram wins I will be with his group". And when all the people that were there saw that the fire did not have any effect on Avram, they thought in their hearts: "Isn't Haran the brother of Avram full of magic and witchcraft? It must be that he is charming the fire so that it won't burn his brother." Immediately fire fell from the upper heavens and engulfed Haran and he died, in front of Terach his father. And in Rashi it is written that Haran sat and thought in his heart: "If Avram wins I will be with him, and if Nimrod wins I will be with him." When Avram won, they said to him, "Who's side are you on?" He told them, "I am with Avram". Then they threw him into the burning furnace and he was burnt up. There are those that question why this happened, because in any event Haran did a good deed? And the answer is that the Holy One Blessed Be He doesn't hold back reward from anyone, and his reward was that Sarah was descended from him (Iskah, Haran's daughter, is Sarah), and the rest of the Matriarchs were descended from Milcah (who was also Haran's daughter), and in addition, from Lot (who was Haran's son) were descended Rut and Naamah.
Words of Chizuk (Encouragement)
The Sages say that the Seal of the Holy One Blessed Be He is Truth. There are those that explain this by saying, that when you look at the letters and words that are on a Seal, they superficially seem to be backwards, but when you use the Seal to sign a document, the letters and words come out properly. Similarly, there are occasionally people who when they do not understand the ways of Hashem, they immediately have complaints, G-d forbid. On this we can say to them, that the Seal superficially appears to be backwards, but if we look carefully at the matter we will see that it is straight, because Hashem's leadership and Seal are precise and true and straight.
The Torah Portion of Noach has 153 verses.Haftora: "Roni Akara V'Ania So'ara" (Yeshayahu 54).
We say a blessing for those who fast on Yom Beit - Yom Hey - Yom Beit
We say Borchi Nafshi.
May you all have a light-filled and happy Shabbat. Shabbat Shalom.
L'ilui Neshamat HaGaon HaTzaddik R' Gershon Avigdor Ben R' Chaim ztz"l, Nilkach L'Bait Olamo Yud Gimmel Tishrei 5772
The Torah Portion of Bereisheet
SHABBAT MEVORCHIM
Excerpted and Translated from the the Teachings of Rabbi Gershon Steinberg ztz"l
L'ilui Neshamat HaGaon HaTzaddik R' Gershon Avigdor Ben Chaim ztz"l
"A Good Beginning."
A teacher said to his students: "Don't say that we have passed the Holidays, but rather, Baruch Hashem we have gained the Holidays, and Baruch Hashem we have also gained many Mitzvot."
"Rabbi Yitzchak said..." (Rashi on Bereisheet 1:1)
Rashi began his Commentary on the Torah with the comment "Rabbi Yitzchak said..." The source of this comment is from the Yalkut Shimoni. The "Be'er Mayim Chaim" wrote that Rashi began with this particular comment in order to honor his father, who was called Rabbi Yitzchak, in order to fulfill the Mitzvah of honoring one's father and mother.
"Rabbi Yitzchak said..." (Rashi on Bereisheet 1:1)
Rashi began his Commentary on the Torah with the letter Aleph, "Amar R' Yitzchak" (in English: "Rabbi Yitzchak said"). And he finished his Commentary on the Torah Portion of V'Zot HaB'racha with the letter Tav, "Yishar Cochacha She'Shavarta" (In English: "May your strength be straight for having shattered the Tablets"). This is to hint to us that Rashi's commentary was inclusive from Aleph until Tav (from the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet to the last), and didn't miss anything. (from the Gaon R' M.D. Halperin ztz"l)
"In the beginning of G-d's creating the heavens and the earth -- and the earth was bewilderment and void..." (Bereisheet 1:1-2)
First of all a Jew needs to believe that Hashem created the heavens and the earth, and from that he will understand that all of this world is bewilderment and void.
Every author of a book includes a hint to his name at the beginning of the book.
The Sages say that the Signature Stamp of the Holy One Blessed Be He is "Emet" (in English: "Truth"), and therefore Hashem began the Torah with the words "Bereisheet Bara Elokim" (in English: "In the beginning of G-d's creating), and the last letters of these three words spell "Emet". These letters which spell the word "Emet" are: "Aleph" (at the end of the word "Bara"), "Mem" (at the end of the word "Elokim"), and "Tav" (at the end of the word "Bereisheet") .
The high level of Adam HaRishon (the first man) and what we can learn from it.
The most capable person in the world and the the one with the greatest memory and deepest understanding and intellectual grasp, was Adam HaRishon (the first man). The reason he was on such a high level was because he was directly created by the Holy One Blessed Be He. And he also had a lot of physical strength, and when he was expelled from Gan Eden (the garden of Eden), it was necessary to have a strong guards to prevent him from entering again because of his great strength. And these strong guards were the Keruvim (Cherubim), angels of destruction, and the flaming sword which turned every way. And if he had not eaten from the Tree of Knowledge, he would have lived forever. And what did he do in Gan Eden? The Torah tells us that Hashem put Adam HaRishon into the Gan of Eden "to work it and to keep it" (Bereisheet 2:15). The Sages say that "to work it" refers to the positive commandments, and "to keep it" refers to negative commandments. And Adam HaRishon was constantly studying the Torah. And we see from this an awesome thing, that the Torah of Hashem has no end. Adam HaRishon was the person with the most capability in the world and he had the potential to live forever, and he learned the Torah constantly, and in spite of all that, he still had more to learn from Hashem's Torah. (This ethical lesson is from the Chafetz Chaim.)
"...Let there be a firmament..." (Bereisheet 1:6)
Rashi says that the heavens were wobbly on the first day. The Holy One Blessed Be He shouted at them on the second day ("Let there be a firmament"), and because of that they are standing in fear and awe until today. Because of this we have the term "fear of Heaven". Just as the heavens always stand in fear and awe, so the Tzaddik (Righteous Person) is always in fear and awe (of Hashem).
"It is not written on the second day that it was good." (Rashi on Bereisheet 1:7)
Rashi says that the work of the second day was not completed until the third day, and that is why it doesn't says "Ki Tov" (that it was good) on the second day. The Sages say the reason is because it was written on the second day about the division between the upper waters and lower waters, and where there is divisiveness it is not appropriate to say that it is good. Machloket (divisiveness or quarreling) is the opposite of goodness.
A Story about Rabbeinu Bachya (author of Chovot HaLevavot)
Rabbeinu Bachya had many arguments in his days with non-believers of various kinds. One time they told him that there was a world famous artist who had made a very beautiful painting and they showed it to him. He said to them that the painting was made during the night by a monkey who had come, and next to the monkey was a bottle of ink, and he spilled the ink on the canvas and the result was this picture...They said to him, an astute person like you, how can you say such things? How is it possible that this was done by a monkey? He said to them, also you say things like that, that this world with a sun and moon and all the creations, with all the plants and animals, happened by itself without the existence of a Creator and Leader of the World. And in this way he convinced them.
A Similar Story about Rabbi Yehuda HaLevi
Similarly, it is told about Rabbi Yehuda HaLevi z"l that he had a neighbor who was a non-Jewish poet, and he had arguments with him about faith in Hashem. One time the non-Jew wrote a song on his table in the courtyard and was not able to finish it with a nice ending. Meanwhile he went for a walk in the forest, thinking that perhaps he would find some kind of nice ending. Rabbi Yehuda HaLevi, who was also a great poet, saw this. On the man's table was a pen with ink, and Rabbi Yehuda HaLevi took the pen and finished the song in a beautiful way. When the non-Jew returned he saw his song's ending, that it was very beautiful, and he thought to himself, certainly my neighbor Rabbi Yehuda HaLevi finished it. And he asked him: "Did you write this ending?" Rabbi Yehuda HaLevi answered him that it happened by itself. The neighbor said to him: "An astute person like you, how can you say things like that?" Rabbi Yehuda HaLevi answered him: "Your ears should hear what your mouth is saying. Two lines can't be written by themselves, and a beautiful world like this, how was that created by itself???!!!" And he convinced him.
"...Dust shall you eat..." (Bereisheet 3:14)
Hashem gave a punishment to the snake that "dust shall you eat". Doesn't this seem to be good for him, because he will have sufficient food in every place that he goes? The explanation is that in truth, this is bad. This is similar to a parable about a king who was angry at his son and gave him a lot of money and sent him away from his table. He said to him: "I don't want to see you. You have enough money, go and support yourself in any place that you want, but by me you are not welcome to have your foot step inside my house any more." Applying the parable to the snake's situation, we find that all of the living creatures have a connection with Hashem and always request food from the Holy One Blessed Be He. But the snake has no connection to the Holy One Blessed Be He, for He said to him "You will have food in any place that you want, but not from me".
"And Kayin (Cain) rose up against his brother Hevel (Abel) and killed him." (Bereisheet 4:8)
The Sages say that they argued about apportioning the world, and they agreed between themselves that Kayin would take for his portion the land (real estate) and Hevel would take for his portion the movable property. And therefore they quarelled, because Kayin said to Hevel that he should fly in the air and not have his foot walk on the ground since it belonged to him, and Hevel said to Kayin that he should give him the clothing that he was wearing. Maran HaGaon Rav Eleazar Menachem Man Shach ztz"l asks, what are the Sages coming to tell us by saying this? The answer is that it is in order for us to contemplate this: that even if all of the world is his, all of the countries great and small, in any event if a person doesn't work on his Middot (character traits) he is liable to arrive at the lowest level so that he won't able to stand that another person would walk on his land.
"And Noach found favor in Hashem's eyes." (Bereisheet 6:8)
The Midrash says that if someone who is "Noach L'briot" (in English: "easygoing with others"), he will find favor in Hashem's eyes.
The Torah Portion of Bereisheet has 146 verses. It has one positive commandment.Haftora: "Ko Amar HaKail" (Yeshayahu 42).
This Shabbat is Shabbat Mevorchim. Rosh Chodesh of the Month of Mar Cheshvan will be on Yom Shlishi and Yom Rivi'i (Tuesday and Wednesday)
The Molad: Yom Shlishi Lifnot Boker at the hour 5:51 with 10 Chalakim.
This Shabbat we begin to say Borchi Nafshi.
May you all have a light-filled and happy Shabbat. Shabbat Shalom.
L'ilui Neshamat HaGaon HaTzaddik R' Gershon Avigdor Ben R' Chaim ztz"l, Nilkach L'Bait Olamo Yud Gimmel Tishrei 5772
