Avraham circumcised as a sign of his pact with Hashem. We find circumcision elsewhere in the Torah too; In the episode with Dina the brothers suggested that all Sh’chem circumcise. Did they intend to convert? No. So why circumcise? Was it a ploy, meant merely to weaken them?
When there was no food in Egypt, the people came to Pharoh, who directed them to do as Yosef was asking them. What was that? Rashi says that he had asked them to circumcise. Again, there was no Jewish intent, so why circumcise?
The Ibn Ezra points out that only man has a foreskin – no animal does. This supports the thought that circumcision removes an extra part, for animals do not need it. Although Man is born with it, its is like the placenta and umbilical cord, that also come with birth, yet are cut away.
At any rate, it appears that there is inherent value in circumcision, even with no religious intent. So what sort of Mitzva is it then? Hashem chose a meaningful act, and used it as the sign between us. It had always been meaningful, but it was not required for most people. And He required it for Jews.
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When To Fight
The tale of the feud between Avraham’s and Lot’s shepherds is prefaced: ‘Lot too, going with Avram, had many cattle, sheep and tents, and the land was too small for them both’. Why is this necessary or relevant? The argument had parted them. Why talk of Lot’s sheep?
Perhaps the background for the quarrel was that they were uncomfortable. Since the shepherds were short of space, the fight ensued. Perhaps since there wasn’t enough space, Lot’s people stole grazing grounds from others. Avraham’s shepherds disapproved, and they feuded.
There is a lesson here: A fight does not justify breaking up a friendship. There must be a basic problem in staying together in order to justify a breakup. Sometimes two people have a fine relationship. (Partnership, marriage, friendship, – whatever) They have The Big Fight, and never speak to each other again. This is plain wrong.
A disagreement, fight or argument is NOT valid grounds for breaking up. The appropriate thing for a feud is to make up, and make right – not break up. Only when the relationship is otherwise inappropriate, ought a feud be a way of getting out.
The Torah prefaced that there was simply no room for both Avram and Lot in the same land. That’s why Avram suggested splitting up. Otherwise he would not have.
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To Take Or Not To Take, That Is The Question
Avraham was willing enough to take presents from Paroh, king of Egypt. He told Sarah to claim to be his brother, and Paroh will reward him with gifts. Yet when the king of S’dom offered him the spoils Avraham which had rightfully won, he refused: ‘I raise my hand to Hashem that I shall not take even a shoelace; you must never claim to have made Avraham rich!” Can we reconcile these very conflicting attitudes??
Perhaps Avraham needed bare necessities from Paroh. He could not do without them, despite Paroh being able to claim enriching Avraham. However at S’dom he was wealthy and powerful. Taking gifts then would be wrong.
Or that in the first instance, Avraham was in debt. His obligation to his creditors obliged him to accept gifts and repay his debts. Later on, debt-free, he turned gifts away. (- Sifsei Chachamim) In fact, Sefer Chasidim teaches that a man in debt must accept gifts to pay them off.
The mishna at the end of Peah praises a man who does not accept tzedakka, calling this true trust in Hashem. The Ra”sh notes that the Yerushalmi states that a person who does not accept tzeddah is a murderer, who even murders himself. Is there an argument about taking tzeddakah? The Rash suggests that if one can, he should do without tzeddakah. But someone who survives on tzeddakka but his pride blocks him from taking, depriving himself of sustenance, is a murderer. Sometimes a person ought to accept tzeddah, at other times he is encouraged not to, and there are times that one is actually forbidden to.
Or: Hashem had promised Eretz Yisroel to Avraham. Avraham said ‘Why take it from the king of S’dom, Hashem will give me it anyhow’. But Avraham would accept presents from Paroh, for they were never promised him.
The Targum translates ‘I raise my hand to Hashem’ as ‘I raise my hand in prayer to Hashem’ (i.e. not in a vow). ‘I pray to Hashem’?? Is that a response to MalkiTzedek’s offer?
Yes. Avraham was saying ‘I rely on Hashem for my needs. I don’t need presents. If I lack something, I pray Him for it!’ (This is our roadmap: we want to achieve the level of clarity that we feel a need for no one: Hashem is my Salvation, I trust and have no fear.)
This statement reflects incredible faith. Perhaps, only when Avraham single-handedly fought and defeated the world’s superpowers could he say with perfect faith; ‘I need no-one. I will not even take the spoils due me. Hashem takes care of me’.
This too explains why he refused gifts now, although he had previously accepted them from Pharoh. He had now vanquished all challengers, and felt the faith in Hashem to rely totally upon him.
Another reason Avraham accepted gifts from Pharoh was because refusing gifts from Pharoh would indicate that he thought that Pharoh was guilty of adultery with another man’s wife – his Sarah. His refusal could be interpreted as spurning compensation money, unwilling to forgive Paroh. This would cast suspicion upon Paroh and Sarah’s purity. Bnei Noach were careful about this. But now there were no such considerations, and he felt free to refuse any present.
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Challenging Hashem
Sarah laughed at hearing she would have a child; it was so utterly impossible!
We suggested: Perhaps this laughter represented a challenge to Hashem. He said ‘She doubts My ability!? I’ll show her!’ So Hashem showed Sarah that He could give her a child.
(Does Hashem care for our challenges? We find such challenges to Hashem elsewhere in the Torah. One example is when Channah davened for a child. She threatened to force His Hand by secluding herself with a strange man and having her husband administer the Sotah drink, which brings children, if the suspected woman is pure. She was convinced this challenge to Hashem would work, and it did. Another source is the Gemarah in Sanhedrin, that a sure way of failing ones goals is to plan them out completely. The reason given for this in Rashi is that a complete plan represents a control challenge to Hashem. We seem to have everything under our control. Hashem says ‘Oh, so its all worked out, eh? Let’s see if it will actually happen!’)
So in effect Sarah’s laughter generated Yitzchak. His name is Yitzchak – laughter – for her laughter made him be!
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Do We Need Eretz Yisroel, Or Does Eretz Yisroel Need Us?
Hashem introduced Himself to Avraham ‘I’m Hashem who saved you from Ur Kasdim, to give you this land as an inheritance’ Why this introduction?
Hashem promised us Eretz Yisroel as a homeland. Perhaps this was so that we should have a place to call our own? No, not at all. Here is the real reason why: so that the land fulfill its destiny.
Logic states that Hashem could not have saved Avraham from Ur Kasdim in order that he take Eretz Yisroel: for had he died he wouldn’t need a homeland!
If Hashem saved him, it was only because he had a destiny to fulfill, a destiny in Eretz Yisroel. Hashem said to Avraham: I saved you from Ur Kasdim because we need you in Eretz Yisroel. You have a job to do there.
Eretz Yisrael is not just a place to be which can be exchanged for another; it is our very destiny. It is our workshop, the only place that needs us to work it. This makes Hashem’s promise that we get this Land extra strong; we had to get Eretz Yisrael because things could not work out otherwise. Even for the Land!
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The Outsider
The Torah calls Avraham ‘the Ivri’. This means: 1. he lived on the other side of the Tigris, 2. he believed in the teachings of Ever, who taught about Hashem, and 3. he was the opposition – i.e. he opposed the entire world in his religion.
The meforshim explain that these three are closely related: Avraham learned the true faith from Ever, and fought the entire world to preserve it, even moving to the other side of the river in order to keep his intellectual independence. This marks the Jew. We fight for independent thought, and we think for ourselves. This needs to be our hallmark. We guard against being swept with the current, against cultural mores and fashion. We are prepared to stand against the world – both the secular, and, I’m afraid to say, the frum one as well. We think things out for ourselves, rather than follow the herd.
We inherit Avraham, after all…
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Did It Say ‘Now’??
Hashem commands 75 year old Avraham to leave his homeland, promising him fame, money, power and family. In fact, his name will be synonymous with Success.
Nothing of the sort happens – at least not for many years. Instead, he leaves his country and has his wife kidnapped. He moves from place to place – evidently failing in each to set himself up. He falls out with his nephew Lot. At the end of the parshah, at age 99, (25 years later) we finally find him about to have a child from Sarah, victorious over the four kings, wealthy and well known. Decades later.
The lesson? Success comes, but it may not be fast nor pleasant and easy… Avraham’s test was not to lose heart nor lose faith. Never throw in the towel!
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The Lot Syndrome
The pasuk tells us that Lot went with Avram. Then it tells that Avram took with him his wife Sarai, Lot, his assets and his converts. Why does it repeat Lot twice?
Perhaps, the second pasuk merely tells who was in Avrams camp. The first tells that Lot threw in his lot with Avram. When Hashem told Avram to leave Lot said ‘If this is the right thing in His eyes, I will go too!’ Avram went and Lot went too – both were the movers and goers.
Lot had great ideals. His heart was in the right place. But his day-to-day life was not in line with his idealism – willing to cut corners with regards to honesty, he ended up feuding with Avram. How tragic!
A friend of mine gave up all to come to Eretz Yisroel to learn. Once he moved to Eretz Yisroel however, he spent much time partying, unfortunately. What happened to his ideals?
The Lot syndrome at work; ideals don’t translate into everyday living…
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Don’t Trust Overmuch…
Avram married Hagar, Sarai’s maid, in order to have children. He had been promised children by Hashem – why give up on Sarai?
Hashem can promise, but we need to do ours. If Avram stayed with Sarai, who could not have children, he would not have them. Hashem promised that he would have children, but not through a miracle. (He did promise exactly that soon after, though.)
In life we will get what we are destined to. But we need to do ours. It won’t happen by itself…
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Winning Streak
In telling of the war between the four kings vs the five, the Torah tells us that the four kings gained a series of wins before facing off to the five. In addition, there is no record of the four kings overcoming the five, only that the five fled, and a description of where the five ran to. Why?
Perhaps the five kings were actually stronger than the four. That’s why they are cataloged this way: five kings vs four. Yet the four prevailed in battle. Why? Because they had a sting of victories behind them. Their attitude determined the result of the contest – the five kings simply turned tail and ran, despite their greater strength and numbers.
Ah, the power of attitude!
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The Small Matter Of Money…
“And he traveled along his sojourns” i.e. Avram returned along the same route he had gone on from his home. Why on the same path? Rashi gives two reasons. The second was that he needed to repay all those who had lent him money and provisions along the way.
This is astonishing; Avram left home, taking with his his wife, nephew Lot , and the many people he converted to faith, and traveled to Canaan. Who paid for it all? No one. Avram did not have a penny. Avram would come into town and ask for lodgings and tell the hotel owner that he had no money. And that he would be soon off to the next town, perhaps never to be seen again. “But please”, said Avram, “lend me the money. I’ll repay it.” Ha!
Either Avram had to ask very many people, until some fool took mercy on him, or perhaps the force of his faith was such that people really did believe in him. Or both. We will never know. What we do know is that this is additional factor in Hashem telling Avram to leave his home, land and birthplace – go to where no one will afford you credit based on knowing your family!
Surely it was a great test for Avram!