Chaya Sarah 5769

Our conception of romantic love leading to marriage has its roots in the modern era. Beginning at the end of the eighteenth century, people throughout the western world sought to free themselves from the ties of family, religion and institutions of society that they believed stifled individuality and freedom of choice. People were innately good, taught Jean Jacques Rousseau, and if left alone would make the right choices. We are now reaching the last stage of this era, and it is quite apparent that human relationships are far more complicated than the thinkers of the enlightenment and their followers imagined. Left to their own devices, people in a very materialistic society enter into relationships for the most superficial reasons based on deeply flawed judgment. The couplings and de-couplings of Hollywood personalities and people in public life have now penetrated every level of our society. Marriage in our time has been compared to someone approaching a ticket agent for an overseas flight. As the individual receives the tickets he or she inquires: "Are the flights safe?" To which the agent replies: "Every now and then a plane arrives safely at its destination."

Jewish tradition, going back to our Torah portion, considered lineage and heritage critical in determining marriage relationships. Seeking a wife for Isaac, Abraham instructs his servant Eliezer to go back to Abraham's kinfolk in "the land of my birth." Eliezer, profoundly aware of Abraham's spiritual values based on hesed, loving-kindness, prays to God for a sign of this value in the girls who have come to draw water from the well where he has stopped. Rebecca, who comes from a family related to Abraham's clan, fulfills the servant's criteria of a woman who has heart. It is not that beauty in a woman is discounted. Rebecca, we are told, "was very beautiful." But her beauty was internal as well as external.

The circumstances under which Isaac and Rebecca meet are also instructive. Isaac went out to walk in the field toward evening. As Rashi points out, this was a walking meditation and prayer. Two people, with the proper lineage and heritage, with heart and a spiritual outlook on life, meet. The union had all the ingredients of blessing, and it was blessed. The Torah tells us: "Isaac brought her (Rebecca) into his mother Sarah's tent." Rashi, questioning every superfluous word of Scripture, notes that it would have been enough to say "mother's tent," why "mother Sarah's tent?" Because, says Rashi quoting the Midrash, Rebecca became like Isaac's mother Sarah. Psychologists point out that men unconsciously often choose wives who in one way or another resemble their mother. While Sarah was living, a light burned in the tent from one Sabbath to the next; there was always a blessing in the dough (i.e., the bread and the meals were delicious) and a cloud, representing the divine spirit, was always hanging over the tent. When Sarah died all these disappeared, but when Rebecca came they reappeared.

Rabbi Joseph Schultz

Vayeira 5769

Angelology – Part I

The Hebrew word for angel, malach, is derived from the root lamed-aleph-chaf, meaning “send.” The two derivatives of this root in ancient Hebrew are malach (angel) and malachah (creative work.) In Tanakh, when God wants to transmit an idea to someone, He sends a malach. When He wants to transmit an idea into concrete form, He “sends” His idea into three-dimensions as malachah (Beresheit 2:2)

Angels in Tanakh obey the following rules:

1. An angel’s message changes the course of history.
2. An angel’s message compels Biblical characters to do things they wouldn’t otherwise do.
3. An angel delivers one message, and then disappears.

In parashat Vayeira, three angels appear together before Abraham (18:2), deliver their messages, and disappear one by one, but not before changing the course of the narrative.

The first angel appears to tell Abraham and Sarah that they will produce a child (18:10). Sarah clearly didn’t know this would happen, otherwise, why would she laugh at the suggestion (18:12)? This angel’s mission was to get the very old Abraham and Sarah to engage in marital relations, so that having a baby would be possible. If there were no baby Isaac, the Torah would grind to a screeching halt at the end of Chapter 20. After delivering this message, angel #1 disappears. At the beginning of Chapter 19, only two angels come to Sodom in the evening (19:1)

The second angel destroys Sodom and Gomorrah. This angel doesn’t deliver a message to anyone in particular. However, one could consider the destruction of the cities of the plain as a message to the survivors who witness the event, including Lot. The ‘message’ is a demonstration to Israel and the world that God will not tolerate total immorality and depravity.

The destruction occurs somewhere in the middle of Chapter 19, verse 18:

And Lot said unto them (aleihem, plural), Oh not so, my Lord (adonai, singular)

Lot prepares to speak to two angels, but one disappears before Lot can form the words. The change from plural to singular in mid-verse suggests that the destroying angel has done his deed and disappeared.

The remaining angel rescues Lot. Despite a stern warning (19:15), Lot is reluctant to leave Sodom (19:16). He must be told to leave the city lest he remain there and die. But Lot cannot die, because he must become the progenitor of the Moabites and the Ammonites (20:37-38.) Ruth the Moabite will become the progenetrix of the Davidic line (Megillat Ruth). If Lot does not escape, there will be no King David, and no messianic legacy. Verses 21-22 of Chapter 19 give the angel’s last words to Lot. After this we hear no more from him because he has disappeared.

The Torah claims that God intercedes in human affairs, frequently by means of angels. Angels usually appear in human form, superficially indistinguishable from ordinary people. If the Torah does state explicitly that a messenger is a malach, how does one identify him as such? By means of his modus operandi: If the messenger adheres to our set of rules, he is probably a malach hashem, a messenger of God.

Question for further study (with apologies to Nechama Leibowitz):

Two more angels appear in parashat Vayeira. Where do they appear? Do they obey the rules set out above? If so, how so? If not, why not? Post your answers in the comment section

Lech Lecha 5769

Lech Lecha covers a wide range of events and emotions - from extreme seriousness - to go forth into the unknown - to extreme happiness- being told that one will have a child; and from war to domestic concerns - and from these events we learn the character of Avraham.

First is the complete trust in God which allows him to pack up his family and possesions at the age of 75 and venture into unknown territory.  A very difficult and courageous act - but Avraham had actually been a wanderer from his childhood - he had always strayed away from the thinking of his time, which  was idol worshipping, and had tried to lead people to the understanding that there is only one God.  The opening sentence of Lech Lecha tells him to go into himself - to become himself completely - by leaving his land, his relations, and the house of his father, and to go to the land where he will truly fulfill himself.  It is no wonder that this difficult task is followed by sentences which contain the word "blessing" 5 times.  A way of reassuring him on his journey.

Then we see Avraham in his capacity as head of his family, taking on the responsibility of caring for his nephew, who is fatherless.  He does this even though has a very dfferent philosophy of life.

Very worldly.  When there is a famine and Avraham and his entourage travel to Egypt, we see a human being who knows the real dangers which exist there - the corruption and immorality - and in order to save his life, puts the honor of Sarah in danger.  Human frailty is also part of his picture.

Very respectful.  When he returns from with great wealth he stays at the same place he had stayed earlier when he did not have much means, so as not to make the owner feel insulted. 

Extremely focused.  Although he wants to be with him, when he sees that does not share his values, he respectfully requests that they part ways.  He knows the work that he must do and will not stray from it.

Much travel is undertaken by Avraham.  He is told by God several times to walk across the land,and to get to know it, and thus to make it his own.  This knowledge comes in very handy when he sets out to rescue from the kings who have captured him. He is very knowledgeable about war tactics.  In order to rescue his nephew, he gathers his people (318 souls) and travels to the north - to Dan and Damascus - and divides them into smaller groups and makes a surprise attack in the night, and is successful.

He has the appropriate fear that all true warriors have - that war may sometimes be necessary but is horrible, and after his combat with the kings, Avraham is afraid - perhaps he killed good persons; even if not good, it is terrible to kill at all - perhaps they will seek revenge; or perhaps with this victory he has used up all his rewards - so God tells him: fear not, I will be your shield, and your rewards will be great(15:1), and weds Hagar only at the insistence of Sarah. And although his faith in God is strong - he is still able to chuckle when God tells him that he will have a son - him being 100 and Sarah 90!

These are only a bit of the portrait.  It's for you to read this parsha and the next one closely to complete the portrait!

Hopefully some of the wonderful qualities will be present in our new leaders.

Francine Aron