Hamaayan / The Torah Spring Edited by Shlomo Katz Parashat Lech Lecha Volume XVIII, No.3 13 Cheshvan 5764 November 8, 2003 Sponsored by The Edeson and Stern families on the anniversary of Jacob S. Edeson's bar mitzvah Today's Learning: Ohalot 11:8-9 O.C. 117:5-119:1 Daf Yomi (Bavli): Menachot 33 Daf Yomi (Yerushalmi): Moed Kattan 15 R' Moshe ben Maimon z"l ("Rambam" / "Maimonides"; 1135-1204) writes: Here are items which are from the secrets of the Torah, about which many people have already erred, and it is appropriate to explain them. I refer to the stories told in the Torah, which some people think there is no purpose in mentioning; for example, how the nations are the offspring of Noach, and what are their names and their lands. The same is true of the names of the kings of Se'ir. As you know, Rambam writes, our Sages say that the wicked King Menashe (one of the later kings of Yehuda during the First Temple period) used to occupy his time attacking the utility of these stories. Know, continues Rambam, that every story related in the Torah serves some indispensable purpose. One story may demonstrate the truth of a particular hashkafah / outlook on life which is one of the foundations of the Torah. Another story may be told to correct man's behavior. I will now tell you the purpose of each story, Rambam writes, following the order in which they are found in the Torah. [Here Rambam gives several examples which we omit because they do not relate to our parashah.] The Torah tells the story of the war of the Nine Kings [i.e., the Four Kings versus the Five Kings] to teach us the great miracle that was performed for Avraham; he won the war with a band of men that not only was small, it lacked a king to unify its members. The Torah also tells us how he went to the defense of his relative (Lot) because they held similar religious beliefs. (Moreh Nevochim Part III, Chapter 50) [Commentaries on the Moreh Nevochim note that Rambam apparently did not consider the mere familial ties between Avraham and Lot enough of a reason for Avraham to endanger his own life. It was only because Lot shared Avraham's beliefs that Avraham felt an attachment to him. (R' Yosef Kapach z"l)] ******** I will bless those who bless you, and he who curses you I will curse." (12:3) The Midrash Rabbah teaches: Rabbi Yirmiyah said, "G-d is more particular about the honor of a tzaddik than about His own honor. Regarding His own honor it is written (Shmuel I 2:30), `For I honor those who honor Me, and those that scorn Me will be accursed' - i.e., cursed by others. In contrast, when it comes to the honor of a tzaddik, it says, `He who curses you I will curse'." R' Yitzchak Ze'ev Yadler z"l (Yerushalayim; late 19th century) explains: One who shows disrespect to G-d is cursed through His agents, i.e., the forces of nature. However, when the righteous are shown disrespect, Hashem Himself comes to their defense. R' Yadler continues: The above Midrash would seem to be contradicted by the halachah that one who curses G-d is put to death by stoning while one who curses a judge or the king is merely given lashes. It appears that cursing Hashem is a more serious offense. The answer, however, is that the midrash is speaking from Hashem's vantage - He defends man's honor - while the halachah is based on man's perspective - we must defend Hashem's honor. Why is Hashem more jealous for the honor of the righteous than for His own honor? Because tzaddikim are human and they feel pain when they are attacked. Only a supernatural punishment [like Korach's] can shut the mouths of wicked mockers. In contrast, one who shows disrespect to Hashem does not embarrass Hashem; he merely embarrasses himself. (Tiferet Zion) ******** "Fear not Avram, I am your shield, your compensation is exceedingly great." (15:1) R' Samson Raphael Hirsch z"l (Germany; 19th century) explains G- d's words as follows: I remain your shield, and the happiness which blossoms from your devotion and self-sacrifice has no bounds. R' Hirsch observes further: In Tanach, there is very little said about reward. The good that G-d wants us to practice is itself the truest reward. Compensation is only demanded by one who believes he has sacrificed something, but to a true Jew, fulfilling a duty, doing a mitzvah, is no sacrifice but is itself a gain. "The compensation for a mitzvah is a mitzvah" [we are taught in Pirkei Avot]. (Commentary on the Torah, p.268-269) In his commentary to the quoted mishnah in Pirkei Avot, R' Hirsch writes: "The good that you do will lead to more good, and every act of duty bears its own reward. The knowledge that you have done the will of your Father in Heaven will bring you closer to Him; it will enrich your spirit with the happy awareness of having done the right thing. (The Hirsch Siddur p.474) R' Natan Zvi Brisk z"l (Cseke, Hungary; 20th century) explains the above mishnah as follows: Hashem wants to reward man for his good deeds. Therefore, it is a mitzvah to enable Hashem to compensate you for an earlier mitzvah. One performs this mitzvah by performing other mitzvot. Similarly, the mishnah states: "The compensation for a sin is a sin." When one causes Hashem to punish him, he saddens Hashem. This is itself a sin. (Nachalat Zvi) ******** "He [G-d] said to Avram, `Know with certainty that your offspring will be aliens in a land not their own, and they will serve them; and they will oppress them for four hundred years'." (15:13) R' David Ha'naggid z"l (see page 4) quotes an otherwise unknown Midrash which says: When Hashem spoke these words, Avraham rose and prayed before Him. Avraham said, "Master of the Universe! This `end' [i.e., the end of the exile after 400 years] is very distant. Four hundred years is a long time to subjugate a people at the hands of their enemies. Indeed, if they are left in that state for 400 years, they will all be lost and they will cease to exist. Please, in Your great goodness and kindness, let the `end' be calculated from this moment when I stand before you." Hashem responded, "That is impossible, for you do not yet have children. I said, `your offspring will be aliens;' not, `you will be an alien.' When you have offspring, the exile will be calculated from then." R' David adds: Therefore, the 400 years were counted from the birth of Yitzchak. From that time until the subjugation began was 190 years, which left 210 years for Bnei Yisrael to be subjugated. This was alluded to by Yaakov when he said to his sons (Bereishit 45:2), "Redu / Go down [to Egypt]." The gematria of "Redu" is 210. In this light, writes R' David, we can understand why Avraham's son is sometimes called Yischak (with the letter "sin") - see, for example, Tehilim 105:9 - but usually Yitzchak (with the letter "tzadi"). The former name, which only rarely appears in Tanach, should have been his primary name, for it connotes joy. [Ed. note: Perhaps R' David is suggesting that "sechok" / joy is more worthy of commemoration than "tzechok" / laughter because the former is a state of mind while the latter is merely an outward display of emotion, which may be insincere and even sarcastic. Indeed, when Sarah laughed upon hearing that she would have a son, Hashem criticized her for it.] Why then did the name Yitzchak become primary? Because the gematria of Yitzchak is 210 less than the gematria of Yischak, symbolizing the 210 years of exile that Yitzchak did not experience on behalf of his descendants. (Haggadah Shel Pesach Midrash R' David Hanaggid) ******** "She called the Name of Hashem Who spoke to her, `You are the G-d of Vision,' for she said, `Even here I saw after having seen'." (16:13) R' Chaim of Volozhin z"l (early 19th century) explains: The gemara (Mo'ed Kattan 25a) says that a certain sage was worthy of being a prophet, but one cannot become a prophet outside of Eretz Yisrael. If so, the gemara asks, how did the prophet Yechezkel receive prophecy outside of Eretz Yisrael? The gemara explains that if someone previously experienced prophecy in the Holy Land, his prophecy can continue outside of the Land. Similarly, says R' Chaim, Hagar was now outside of Eretz Yisrael (see Targum Onkelos and the beginning of Tractate Gittin). In our verse, she recognized that she saw an angel now only because she was used to seeing angels in Avraham's house. (Quoted in Be'urei Rabbenu Chaim Mi'Volozhin) ******** R' David Ha'naggid z"l R' David Ha'naggid / "The Nobleman" was the son of R' Avraham, the only son of R' Moshe ben Maimon, the Rambam. R' David was born in Cairo on the 24th of Tevet 4973 (1212), eight years after the passing of his illustrious grandfather. Like his father and grandfather, R' David was an accomplished Talmudic scholar who earned his livelihood as a physician. He also succeeded his father as "Naggid," a position in which he was responsible for appointing all rabbinic judges and rabbis in Egypt. In addition, R' David delivered lectures at the academy in Cairo - for which he was given the title "Rosh Yeshiva Shel Torah" - and he carried on an active correspondence with the rabbinical authorities of Spain, Damascus and Italy. In 1285, after 47 years as Naggid of Egypt, Syria and Eretz Yisrael, R' David was slandered before the Sultan, who replaced him with another Naggid. R' David moved with his family to Eretz Yisrael, where he found an ongoing campaign against his grandfather's Moreh Nevochim ("Guide to the Perplexed"). R' David was successful in launching a counterattack and winning over many supporters to Rambam's side. Eventually, the two sides turned to R' Shlomo ibn Aderet (Rashba) in Spain for guidance. He tried to negotiate a compromise and also gave R' David financial support. In 1290, R' David returned to Egypt and was reinstated as Naggid. Several works are attributed to R' David. The largest is his Midrash, which for many generations was read on Shabbat afternoon in the synagogues of Cairo. This work is one of the earliest to quote the Zohar, and belies the claims of those who deny the Zohar's antiquity. He also wrote a commentary on Pirkei Avot and a mystical treatise called Nevuat Ha'yeled Nachman. In his later years, R' David shared the duties of the Naggid with his son and successor, R' Avraham. R' David died on 1 Elul 5060 (1300) and was buried in Teveryah. A dvar Torah from R' David appears inside this issue. (Source: The Rishonim)