Hamaayan/The Torah Spring Edited by Shlomo Katz Parashat Vayera Volume VIII/Number 4 (339) 15 Cheshvan 5754/October 30, 1993 In this parasha we read of the covenant which Avraham and Avimelech entered into at a place called Be'er Sheva. The Torah explains that the place actually took its name -- "Be'er" - "The well" - of "Sheva" -- from the covenant. R' Hirsch notes that the word "Sheva" means both "7" and "swearing." Indeed, Avraham memorialized the oath which the two took by setting aside seven ewes. R' Hirsch explains that when one takes an oath, one "gives oneself up to the seven." "As the creation of the visible concrete world was completed in six days and the seventh [i.e., Shabbat] became the memorial and reminder of the Invisible One being and remaining in connection with the visible world as its Creator and Master, so the number 7 remains altogether as the symbol indicating and referring to this invisible Master." It is not difficult to see why the Shemittah should be in the seventh year. If one does not work the fields, he has little choice but to give himself into the complete care of his Creator and Master. ************************************ "Hashem appeared to him (Avraham) in the plains of Mamre...." (18:1) The midrash says that this was a reward to Mamre for advising Avraham to circumcise himself. On this, all the commentaries ask: Why did Avraham ask Mamre's opinion? R' Yoel Teitlebaum, zatzal (the "Satmar Rav") notes that when Hashem was prepared to create man, He asked the angels' opinion. Rashi (B'reishit 1:26) explains that this teaches humility, for if Hashem asked the angels' opinion, then certainly a great man should ask the opinion of lesser men. According to the midrash, the angels advised Hashem not to create man. This teaches a second lesson, writes the Satmar Rav: Although a great person should ask the advice of lesser people, he should nevertheless do what he knows is right. In this humility, Avraham asked the opinions of three men before circumcising himself: Aner, Eshkol, and Mamre. Mamre was doubly fortunate -- not only did Avraham ask his opinion, but he gave the correct answer. As a reward for this, Hashem appeared to Avraham in Mamre's territory. (Divrei Yoel) ************************************ We read in this parasha of Avraham's attempts to save the people of S'dom from their fate. R' Zvi Yehuda Kook taught that Avraham's seemingly audacious behavior is even more remarkable precisely because of his closeness to Hashem. "To a person who doesn't know what serving G-d involves, it isn't a problem to speak boldly against Him. But for someone so close to his Creator, this requires 'mesirut nefesh' (sacrificing one's soul), a bravery to the point of giving up one's life. Toward people 'very wicked and sinful before the Lord' (B'reishit 13:13). This is the behavior of a giant of kindness, and not of an ordinary man. Loving tzaddikim (righteous people) is a straightforward gesture that doesn't warrant an abundance of praise. However, Avraham Avinu was not a simple tzaddik." (Torat Eretz Yisrael, p.73) ************************************ "Shemittat Kesafim" One of the mitzvot of the sabbatical year is "shemittat kesafim," loosely translated, forgiving loans. Any debts that are still outstanding on the last day of shemittah cannot be collected. (Some poskim say that this ban takes effect on the first day of shemittah.) The Torah (Devarim 15:9) commands, "Guard yourself lest there be an evil thought in your heart [when someone asks you for a loan], saying, 'The seventh year, the shemittah year is close,' and [as a result] you will be stingy with your brother and will not give him..." Rather, whenever a Jews asks for a loan of someone who has the means to give it, it must be given. Is this fair? Must a person effectively throw away his money on a loan which he can never collect? The answer is that this is a test of our faith, as the next verse says, "Give him... for in exchange for this Hashem will bless you." This may be a difficult test, but it is a test nevertheless. (Nachalat Moshe) Not all loans must be forgiven. For example, a loan secured by collateral may be unaffected. Also, obligations owed to "bet din" (Jewish court) are not forgiven. Through a document called a "pruzbul" a person can protect all of his loans. Essentially, the pruzbul assigns to "bet din" the right to collect the loans. Since they are no longer owed to the individual, they must still be paid. How could Hillel, the inventor of the pruzbul, create a document that would override a law of the Torah? The answer is that shemittah today is not in effect according to Torah law. As long as the majority of Jews are living outside of Eretz Yisrael, shemittah (like "yovel" - the jubilee year) is only a rabbinic mitzvah. Therefore, it was within the power of Hillel and the Rabbis of his generation to qualify the mitzvah in this way. Why did they enact the pruzbul? In order that credit would remain available to those in need. The word "pruzbul," according to the gemara, is Persian for "A cure for the rich and the poor." (For further study see Gittin 36a-37b.) ************************************ R' Menachem Mendel of Kosov born 5529 (1769) - died 17 Marcheshvan 5586 (1825) R' Mendel of Kosov, the first "Rebbe" of the Kosov-Vizhnitz chassidic dynasty, was the son of R' Koppel Chassid, the "chazzan" in the court of the Ba'al Shem Tov. Legend recalls that those two tzaddikim were once walking on a mountain path when the Ba'al Shem Tov swept his arms over the plain of Marmarosh below -- today, northern Rumania -- and said to R' Koppel, "This is a beautiful garden -- take care of it." That is indeed what R' Koppel's descendants, starting with R' Mendel, did for some 150 years thereafter. (Shefer Harerei Kedem) The Jewish communities of Marmarosh were relatively unlearned and lax in their observance at the end of the 18th century. R' Mendel began his work in 1790, traveling personally and sending messengers throughout Marmarosh to re-teach the fundamentals of Judaism. These teachers were welcomed with open arms, and many new Jewish institutions such as schools and "mikvaot" were opened. R' Mendel also taught the importance of fellowship and cooperation, later to be a hallmark of Vizhnitz chassidim. Today, as before the Holocaust, Vizhnitz is among the largest and most influential of chassidic groups. Many attribute this to the blessing of one of R' Mendel's teachers, "Royalty will not leave your descendants, ever, and they will be able to fill all their own needs and those of the Jewish people." (Note: In translation, this blessing loses its kabbalistic overtones.) One of R' Mendel's sons, R' David Hager of Zablotov, writes in his Zemach David (on the verse (22:3): "And he took his two lads ("shnei ne'arav") with him, and his son Yitzchak...."): What gave Avraham the strength to defeat all of Satan's arguments and tricks (as described in the Midrash)? It was "shnei ne'arav" -- which can be homiletically translated "the years of his youth." Avraham remembered how Hashem had always been at his side during previous tests, starting in Avraham's earliest youth, and that gave him the strength to persevere in this test. ************************************ The learning schedule for this Shabbat is: Terumot 6:3-4 Kitzur 34:3-7 Gittin 54 Yerushalmi -- Ma'aser Sheni 31 ************************************ The hard copy distribution of this weeks Hamaayan is sponsored by: Sarah and David Maslow in memory of their fathers Archie Maslow (18 Marcheshvan) and Samuel Holstein (25 Marcheshvan) The Vogel family, in memory of father and grandfather, Aharon Yehuda ben Yisrael Vogel, A"H ************************************ Donations to Hamaayan are tax deductible