Yeshiva
Beit Midrash
- Torah Portion and Tanach
- Bereshit
- Vayera
Tests may consist of feats of strength, or they may be feats of belief – or both. In last week’s sedra, Avraham took on a powerful array of kings and almost single-handedly defeated them. Because he was engaged in a great Mitzva – Pidyon Sh’Vuyim, rescuing Lot, his captive nephew – Avraham was sure that he would receive Divine assistance in winning the day.
In this week’s Sedra, Avraham is tested several times. He extends himself to a trio of strangers, showing them Chesed; yet he also acquiesces in the banishment of his son Yishmael, at the urging of his wife Sarah. It’s no simple thing to open your home to those in need; & it was also extremely painful to expel a son, even one that had displayed some very unsavory habits.
Avraham nearly loses Sarah, when she is kidnapped & taken hostage, & then, almost ironically, he must face the challenge of offering his & Sarah’s son as a human sacrifice. In the end, Avraham is spared by Hashem from executing Yitzchak, yet he (& we!) are still given eternal credit for his readiness to do so.
"Ma’aseh Avot siman l’banim," we say. The actions of our ancestors point our way throughout history. Dramatically, the incidents & lessons in our Parsha are particularly true today.
We are a merciful, kind people – Rachamin Bnei Rachamin. We go out of our way for strangers, & Jewish intelligence & ingenuity have blessed this world with innumerable gifts (see: Jewish Nobel Prize winners). But we also know when to keep our distance from those individuals – even our relatives – who represent an antithesis of our moral values. And we are prepared to sublimate our own beliefs to a Higher Mind, even to the extent that we will risk our own family in the process.
Israel today is facing one of its greatest tests. We are confronted by an animalistic, barbaric enemy that has breached our gates one time too many. Our natural bent towards mercy must be forcibly counteracted & we must show no compassion to these forces of evil. They must be confronted & utterly destroyed - for all of humanity’s benefit, as well as for our own.
G-d forbid, we may have to risk the lives of our extended family, even the sacrifice of those we love most, to achieve this historic victory. Placed in no-win situations by a despicable, moral-less foe, we will have to make many excruciatingly hard decisions that test our
resolve & require all the courage we can muster. We will have to steel ourselves, Avraham & Sarah-like, to subjugate our personal desires for the good of the nation.
Avraham’s first command was "Lech-Lecha," which can mean "go out of yourself." We, too, must be prepared to leave our comfort zones & do whatever must be done to defeat the enemy. With Hashem’s help, we shall emerge victorious, eradicate evil & save ourselves – & the world.
WE WILL OVERCOME THE ENEMIES AT OUR DOOR AND,
WITH HASHEM’S MIGHT AT OUR SIDE, WE WILL PREVAIL AND GO ON FOREVER.
Rabbi Stewart Weiss
Was ordained at the Hebrew Theological College in Skokie, Illinois, and led congregations in Chicago and Dallas prior to making Aliyah in 1992. He directs the Jewish Outreach Center in Ra'anana, helping to facilitate the spiritual absorption of new olim.
Jewish Laws and Thoughts Shul “etiquette:” can we honor Hashem while respecting our fellow congregants?
Rabbis in Midrash
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Hosha'ana Rabba FLYDUBAI & HOSHANA RABBA- ANI VAHU HOSHIA NA- I & HIM SAVE US
"Ani vaHu Hoshia Na", "I and Him, Save Us". We don't just pray to Him, but we also pray to and for ourselves that we should emulate and educate our children to have that instinctive altruism with which He created the world. President Trump seemed amused about Yaniv Hayon, our PLUMBER who confidently worked with G-d like Superman (he learned from a pilot on a TV show!) to save 174 lives on the Dubai hijacking, but we in Israel are totally accustomed already 78 years to our plumbers, teachers, garbage-men, rabbis, farmers & doctors being Hashem's shlichim! This is what Zionism is about.
Moreshet Shaul Hashem Is your Shadow – part I
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 420 – an address from 1941
