* TORAH WEEKLY * Highlights of the Weekly Torah Portion Parshas Lech Lecha For the week ending 10 Cheshvan 5755 14 & 15 October 1994 ========================================================================= Summary Ten generations have passed since Noach. Man has descended to lower spiritual depths. In the year 1948 after Creation, Avram is born. Through observing the world, he reaches the inescapable Truth of Hashem's existence, and thus merits direct contact with Hashem. Hashem tells him to leave his land, and his father's house, to go to an unknown land where Hashem will make him into a great nation. Avram goes with his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, and their servants. When they reach Canaan, Hashem tells Avram that this is the land that He will give his descendants. There is a famine, and Avram is forced to relocate to Egypt. Sarai is taken to Pharaoh, but Hashem afflicts Pharaoh and his court with harsh plagues, and he releases Sarai unmolested. Avram returns to Canaan with a gift of great wealth from the Egyptians. Lot parts ways with Avram when their shepherds quarrel over grazing rights. Lot chooses to live in the rich but corrupt city of Sodom. A war amongst the kings of the region results in the defeat of Sodom and Lot taken captive. Avram overpowers superior forces and rescues Lot, but demurs from accepting any spoils of war. Hashem reveals to Avram that his offspring will be exiled to a strange land and will be oppressed there for 400 years, after which they will emerge with great wealth and return to Israel, their irrevocable inheritance. Sarai is barren and gives Hagar, her Egyptian maidservant, to Avram in order to provide them with a child. Hagar becomes pregnant, and is arrogant; Sarai deals harshly with Hagar so she flees, but is instructed by an angel to return. She gives birth to Yishmael. G-d commands Avram to circumcise himself and his offspring throughout the generations as a covenant between G-d and his seed. G-d changes Avram's name to Avraham, and Sarai to Sara. G-d promises a son, Yitzhak, to Sara despite Avraham being ninety-nine years old and Sara ninety. Avraham circumcises himself, together with Yishmael and all of his household. ========================================================================= Commentaries "Go to yourself ... " (12:1). The essential journey that a person must make in this world is to himself, to his essence. For that is his entire purpose in being in the world. Maybe for that reason the words for go `Lech', and to yourself `Lecha', are written with identical letters -- to tell us that the essential journey is the voyage of the soul to itself, and conversely that to become oneself requires movement -- to become yourself, you have to go to yourself. (Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Kotzk) "And he took him outside and said: Look towards heaven, and count the stars...thus will be your seed" (15:5). Just as the stars appear to our eyes merely as tiny dots, when in reality they are vast worlds which dwarf our own solar system, so too are the Jewish People. In this world they seem minuscule and insignificant, but in Heaven they are lofty and exalted -- the foundation of Creation. (Ba'al Shem Tov) "And He took him outside and said: Look towards heaven, and count the stars if you can count them! So will be your seed" (15:5). Avraham Avinu's unique quality was that he obeyed Hashem even in contradiction to human logic. When Hashem took Avraham outside and told him to count the stars, that's exactly what Avraham started to do! "One, two, three..." Hashem said to him "Can you count them?" -- Is it possible for a man to count the stars? Thus will be your seed: They will do the will of their Father in heaven even when the task seems hopeless. That quality of unbending, unquestioning loyalty is what Avraham Avinu bequeathed to the Jewish People in his spiritual genes. (Rabbi Meir Shapiro) ========================================================================= Haftorah: Isaiah 40:27-41:16 Avraham Avinu is known as Ha-Ivri -- the Hebrew, which means `the one who crossed over'. He crossed over from being an idol worshipper to serving the living G-d. And even if the rest of the world is on the other side, the Hebrew -- the one who crosses over -- stands up and says "Stop worshiping your idols of stone, of money, of worldly power, and acknowledge that Hashem is G-d alone." The task of the Jewish people has always been to deliver this message to the world. The prophet Isaiah encourages Israel to persevere both in the face of their own failures and exile and the resistance and apathy of the nations. Hashem has promised that ultimately they must prevail, for though the Jewish People may seem worm- like in their insignificance and powerlessness, they will vanquish those who now seem invincible. ========================================================================= Ani Ma'amin The Rambam's 13 Principles of Faith Principle #1: "I believe with complete faith that the Creator, May His Name Be Blessed, creates and guides all creation. And He alone made, makes, and will make everything." There is a story told of the great English physicist Sir Isaac Newton, that he had a friend, a philosopher, who was a convinced atheist. Newton firmly believed that the Universe had to have a Creator, and set about exposing the illogical dogma of his philosopher friend. He ordered a beautiful astrolabe to be made. This was a three dimensional representation of the Solar System with planets moving on brass discs. The whole thing was geared so that every planet revolved around the Sun, and each moon around its planet in exact proportion. A clockwork engine completed the device. Newton's philosopher friend loved objets d'art, and was immediately fascinated by such a beautiful piece of work. "Who made it?" he asked. "No one," replied Newton. "Come on!" "No one. It just sort of fell into place" smirked Newton. Somewhat exasperated, the philosopher replied "I refuse to believe that something as complex and intricate as this had no maker!" Hearing this, Newton went for the jugular. "This!" he said, pointing to the Astrolabe, "you insist has to have a maker! But THIS!" Newton spread wide his arms indicating the Creation. "This! You insist has no Maker!" Said an Atheist to Rabbi Akiva "Who created the World?" Said Rabbi Akiva to the Atheist, "The Holy One, May His Name Be Blessed". Said The Atheist "Give me proof!" Said Rabbi Akiva to the Atheist "Who wove your coat?" Said the Atheist "A Weaver." Said Rabbi Akiva "Give me proof!" Just as the coat testifies to the existence of the weaver, so the world testifies to the existence of the Creator. ========================================================================= Spend this coming Winter Break in Israel for as little as $599 -> JLE Israel Winter Seminar '94/'95 <- For information write to Rabbi Zalman Corlin or in the U.S. call toll-free 800-431-2272 (212-344-2000) ========================================================================= Ohr Somayach's Free Israel Fax Service Ohr Somayach is proud to offer a new fax service for people living or visiting Israel. You can receive at no cost issues of Torah Weekly, Ask The Rabbi, Parsha Q&A, and The Weekly Daf at the start of each week to read in the comfort of your own home or office. 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