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Avraham and Sarah’s Journey (Part One) by Rabbi Shmuel Goldin
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Delivered 21 Tevet 5784 / 2 January 2024 www.ouisrael.org facebook.com/ouisrael #OUisrael #torah #judaism #torahlectures #parsha #parshathashavua #chumash #avraham #abraham #sarah
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Auto-generated transcript. Not time-synced to the video.
we thank the Marcus family for their
contribution Their donation of this of
the year's class in honor and in memory
of Irma and hire to uh two ants of
theirs whom I knew personally during my
years in Englewood so it's very
meaningful for me all right we're going
to take a look at the the onset of the
Journey of
and S and we're going to look at three
events that are
in and try to understand them and try to
learn the lessons that might emerge from
them the first I will tell you I was
very very tempted to
skip because it is one of the most
difficult texts to
understand and aram's actions are are
are it would seem very question
and we're going to have to take a look
but I realize that it's a pattern that
repeats itself intergenerationally it
not only repeats itself with but it
repeats with as well so to be fair if
we're really going to
learn we've got to tackle the difficult
questions as well as the easier
questions so let's take a look at this
first event and let's try to understand
how we might be able to uh to comprehend
it
the Torah
says now let's understand when this
famine occurs let's set the
stage was
commanded understands that this is
supposed to be to the land of Canan and
sure enough when he reaches the land of
Canan says this is this is your land but
no sooner does he reach her Canan then
what happens there's a fab right away
immediately and mosha and ab goes down
to live in the land of
Egypt and we're going to take a look at
the word in a little
while because the the famine is heavy in
the
land get S close to to Egypt he says to
Sarai his
wife I know now or I see that you are a
beautiful woman woman this is going to
be dangerous for us look at the underl
line I want you to tell anyone who asks
that you are my sister do not let them
know that you are my what wife
right
because otherwise they might kill me and
do this so that instead they will treat
me well and I will live because of you
sure enough they go down to mitan the
Egyptians see
Sarai these s Paro the um officers of
the king see s and sure enough this
beautiful lady is brought to the Palace
of parro I've C bar who punishes parro
for for taking
Sarai and he understands what's going on
he calls abam and he says why did you
lie to me look at what you've done to me
and to my household and he chases
Abraham out of the
country all right so there are two
potential errors sins that a makes in
this
paragraph the first is a little
difficult to see the second one is
obvious what's the first potential
sin that what
deception he left
Canan he left
Canan
perhaps wants him to stay and to what to
trust in God God told him to come here
after all perhaps his his test at this
point is to stay in the land to endure
the famine and have belief that a who is
going to what take care of it's going to
take care of him that's
numero yeah but they're
spam yeah so
maybe maybe he's supposed to stay and
believe that aage will provide food for
him and his family that's like the rule
of fundraising
land
correct leaves the land is castigated
for doing so all right so we'll so we're
going to explore this I'm not I'm not
giving up on your observation all right
your observation that there's famine and
he why shouldn't he leave the land is an
observation we come back to itob Sons
also because of the jakob's sons also
leave the land because
of but after waiting a while after
waiting until it gets abam seems to
leave how do we know right away he did
wait just it's it doesn't the answer is
that you are correct it could be that
there was a period of time that he
waited we don't know all right and
what's the second sin potentially lying
lying concerning s's
identity and endangering sorai right
putting her in a position where where
they won't take her if his if it's his
sister if it's his wife but if it's his
sister then
perhaps they'll take her and do well for
him and what what am I doing I'm
sacrificing sorai for my benefit under
the bus very difficult very very
difficult robbi I don't think necessar
to Abra see in ancian
time you talk about the the regime of
the Egyptian or any other if the man and
wife and wife is
beautiful the other party usually if
they knew this couple they kill the
husband and take the wife okay that's
what he's saying he's saying you're
right you're correct that he's saying
say you're my sister because if you say
you're my wife they'll kill me and than
you I want to protect myself but I my
question is obviously I'm protecting
myself at whose
cost at her cost right in other words
they're going to take her yes I think
there one of the
commentators it was typical for the for
brother to control the the sister and
then if someone wanted to marry the
sister they have to go through the
brother so that he could Abraham could
drive a hard bargain as to try and
protect all right okay I want everybody
to hear that cuz we're going to come
back to that that per perhaps it was the
custom that if I came with my sister the
brother is going to be dealt with in
terms of purchasing the sister on some
King has okay but the king doesn't have
to you guys are actually you know what
happens is you you cut my Shear short
because coming up with with with a whole
range of things here that we're going to
take a look at yes if if the question of
endangering Sarah's life is one thing
but he was basically giving her over to
another man to do with whatever he wants
to do with it because it's a sister not
a wife so it's in a sense it's even
worse it's not even endanger what you're
saying is it's not endangering s's life
but endangering s's virtue in other
words he's putting her in a position
where if the king or anyone thinks it's
his sister they're not going to think
that they're they're having relations
with someone's wife and therefore
they'll be in a position of of of
difficulty all right yes I'm trying a
little bit to figure out the timing of
how long she was there right and it says
it went well with him and he acquired
sheep boxing Etc that sounds like a long
sounds like she was there for a while
all right well we're not clear it's not
clear well they could have immediately
given him all these gifts so it could
have been the acquiring was all because
of her that's correct right the
acquiring is because of her
all right so let's take a look first at
the
ramban the ramban it's very
interesting says the
following let's look at the
Hebrew says the ran I want you to know
and you should know that
Abu sinned a great sin
unintentionally right
why he should he he sinned
unintentionally in other words he felt
he had no choice and therefore this is a
sin
that he's he feels compelled to to make
but n nonetheless it's a sin because he
puts his wife into a position where
where she will be uh abused as it were
by by those by the by those around and
keep
going see I'm moving to the last two
words on the second
line
and the fact that he left Canan in the
face of the famine guess what that was a
sin too and he should have stayed and he
should have had faith if this is where
God wanted him to go you should have had
faith that hem would be him would would
save him from the
r okay stay with me yes this is it seems
to sound like
human beings don't
have and what you're suggesting is human
beings don't don't have
because just sit and Trust in has don't
believe okay so if you'll skip for a
moment to down the page to Eternal
issues I said that one of the things
we're going to struggle here with is the
balance between his good and
amuna and the fact that the ran is
taking this position doesn't mean that
everyone's
agrees it's very possible that we might
feel that that aam does the right thing
in the face of famine right and that in
the face of famine he's not supposed to
just sit and say Hashem is going to take
care of me but he is told he he is
forced to do his his to save his family
himself and his family and this is an
eternal issue because one has to one has
to try to decide in the face of every
every event that we have where does my
hisus
end and myuna begin at what point do I
do I
end my could vice versa when does my
amuna end then my hus begin either way
but the fact is this balance is is a
balance that we struggle it's amazing
it's amazing how the issues in the Torah
are as relevant to us in our lives as
the pages of the of the newspaper where
does our hisus begin and end I I think I
told you about that the story of a
doctor I knew who who
basically one of his patients came in
and and during the during the co crisis
and wasn't wearing a mask and he turned
to him and said put on a mask and the
patient said too much too much
his what does that mean
mean God's going to take care of me I
don't have to do his now there if you
take what what happened to that guy he
kicked him out of his office I don't
know if he got Co I don't know if he got
Co but he kicked him out of his office
all right he got hit by a truck got hit
by a truck yes
[Music]
allows
abam very good very good point what was
that in the case of ab leaving the land
Hashem doesn't stop it in the Next
Generation in the face of famine tries
to leave the land and and says stay
where you are so that might be a hint
that in this case this wasn't a sin and
perhaps in this case understands that
Moshe is doing that AB is doing it his
strongness yes in the case of yob hasem
told him to go yes but cannot leave
yeah can't leave erel for other reasons
so we'll get to that when we talk about
y okay all right one more comment and
then I got to move on could you say that
that
we have to learn from that that
we that we can because Abraham is
Abraham so the answer seems to be that
the point that's being made is if we
assume that Abraham is right in leaving
the land then the lesson we learn is
that we must do our that we can simply
rely on God's benevolence to save us
which is which is the point you rais now
not none of this explains the
second the second sin right in other
words none of this explains how AB could
possibly have maneuvered things to put s
into into danger and the Raman says that
there were two sins right the first one
we can we can argue was it a sin wasn't
a sin in terms of endangering Sarai it
would seem that we're stuck it would
seem that we're in a position where we
we
there so you're suggesting that there he
that has would help him but but you but
you put do you deliberately put your
wife in danger and say okay God's going
to help me right maybe AB maybe AB
should have had belief that Hashem would
protect him if he if he said she was his
wife right so baby as right where does
and why does abam go he's going to the
one place where this is going to happen
aren't there other places where AB could
go where where where it would not be
this way apparently not because we'll
see that in the case of a the same thing
occurs all right two comment have a
question just technical yeah women did
not cover their faces in those those
times women did not cover their faces in
no sign good question I have that
apparently apparently they were able to
see her beauty so it would seem that her
eyes may have been beautiful or or
whatever okay seems to be a pattern with
yakob that he runs away from
confrontation when it comes to this he
runs he
he a runs away from confrontation he
tells uh uh Sarah tell say you're my
sister and he tells when Sarah wants Yak
to leave um to isma to leave he says no
and now so he's putting Yak at risk and
he's putting uh from ish and he's
putting s at risk because he seems to
run from confrontation okay we'll see he
seems to run from confrontation a
pattern I interesting interesting but
again but again this is confrontation
that he is he is allowing to to to occur
now we're going to take a look at
theoo has is fascinating in terms of his
approach to both of these events now
before I go any further the fact that
the ran admits that aam sinned is a big
deal isn't it all right in other words
before we go to the spno let's
understand that the that that means that
this great commentary was regular was
was was comfortable admitting that abam
made mistakes now this is an important
point for us to stop at before we go to
the farno and that is when it comes to
the heroes of the Torah there really is
a spectrum of
opinion there are those who will say
they er and they make mistakes and there
are those who will even twist and turn
to say no no we cannot we have no right
to say that I made mistakes or and and
perhaps the most obvious case of this
twisting and turning is when yov lies to
his father right and you find that Rashi
will say what does
say right he outright says I'm as at his
at his mother's beest right request and
yet at the same time Rashi will come
along and say no you're not punctuating
it
right period I am who I am as
is and you and asov is your first born
and what you find is this tension
between those are saying you know what
yov did what he did and in in a sense
there are those who will argue that he
gets paid back in his lifetime how many
times does yob get deceived by others so
although maybe he had a right to do it
we're going to get to that and although
he may have had every reason every every
reason to do it because his mother's
basically pushing him to do it
nonetheless nonetheless maybe he is paid
back so let's understand that when it
comes what I what I often say is the
pagans treated their Heroes as Gods
right the Israel Jews come along and we
treat Our Heroes as people the
Christians come along and they treat
their people their Heroes once again as
what gods when you have Heroes who are
Gods you can worship them but you can't
emulate them when you have Heroes who
are people then you can look at them and
say there are aspects of them that I
wish to emulate and that's that's the
way we look at our heroes now the stno
is yes last last last point Sorry does
the believe
that does the raban generally believe
like
this it the answer to that is I don't
know whether he generally believes like
that but would seem that from the his
comments here that yes that that you
should that you should have now let's
understand there are cases in the Torah
where is very real Yu is about to meet
as he prepares in three ways right he
doesn't just pray and say's going to
take care of me what does he do he sends
gifts he prepares with the prepares his
army so it's so it's very clear that
hisus emerges from the text itself at
times no no what I'm asking this is this
the philosophy everything okay and my
answer is I don't know the answer to
that as to whether this is his
philosophy on everything I think he
takes it on a Case by case basis and and
says the fact that you just arrived in
in ER Kanan where God told you to go and
minute the gets hard you turn around and
you leave that's no hus okay
last comment might another issue with
ran is very into a srl that is correct
that's a very good point very good point
the ramban is very very
much a supporter of the importance of
the land of Israel to the point that he
says that every Mitzvah you perform even
if it's not tied to the land every
Mitzvah you perform says the Raman is
incomplete outside the land of Israel if
a man puts on Fillin in Englewood New
Jersey it's not a complete Mitzvah it's
only complete mitvah according to the
Raman and he proves it from text but
we're going we'll get to that we get to
that when we get to also makes it one of
his also makes it one of his life's
missions to one of
mitv his list of mitv and he makes it
his life mission to come here all right
let's go on you know I I'd like to stay
where we are because we haven't t the
difficult question right now let's take
a look at the
sparno the sparno comments first of all
when concerning Moshe concerning from I
gave another class on Moshe earlier
concerning Abraham's descent into Egypt
he says take a look at the words
carefully
L now there are two ways that the Torah
will normally talk about someone living
in in the L one is lur and the other one
is
l what does lur
mean temporarily sojourn right so says
the farno and this is in ab's defense he
doesn't rise up and say AB did the right
thing but from the fact that he's saying
lur it it it or focusing on lur it seems
to be a defense of ab's actions that
he's not going down to stay there he's
only going down to remain their
temporary but then he does something
fascinating with the most difficult of
the questions and someone raised this as
a
possibility and that is the following
take a look at the Hebrew section
dealing with s's abduction if you go if
you take a look at the underline
section on page two sparno second
paragraph
where where in the
underline okay and so says the
farno what does abam have in
mind abam has in mind a delaying attack
he wants to delay the
danger and what he says is if you say
you're my sister then they're going to
start to haggle over you come to me and
say I'll give you this for her I'll give
you this for her and that's going to
take
time and during that time you know what
we're going to do we'll get what we need
and we'll
leave but aram's plan goes a right
aram's plan doesn't work take a look in
the Hebrew you tell me why what happens
that messes up aram's
plants they took who took her the phoh
ah what happened was yes it would have
worked except what he he didn't predict
what would happen what exactly did
happen the the the population began to
haggle and Along Comes Sor parro and
they say we don't have to
haggle we're just taking her and we're
taking her to the king and that's quite
enough and you don't we're not going so
in other words there are twoim
there in the
middle and
then and Sor says those are two
different steps in the unfolding story
and it is the second of those steps that
Abraham could not
foresee and therefore his plan was not
to endanger Sor his plan was a a
reasonable plan let them haggle let them
talk
let and we'll take what we need and
we'll go out so here you see Sno
defending what almost seems to be
indefensible action on the part of and
that is one approach to this story that
moves in the direction again of of the
Patriarchs did not make mistakes and
Abraham really had a good plan here it
just got messed up where does the sporno
take this Theory
from from the text itself that thought
that it would be haggling and they would
give because where does he take the
theory that he thought there would be
haggling I suppose he takes it from the
fact that that there are two two
sentences there that MIT the MIT saw him
saw her and theno saw her and those two
steps represent two different steps in
the unfolding Big Stretch is it a big
stretch it's the answer to that is
depends how you look at it and it some
people will look at this and say that
this is a stretch others will look at it
and say it's a reasonable defense of
aam's actions and that the text seems to
reflect the the possibility that if The
Sur Paro had not seen her that there
would have been this give and take and
Aram would have been able to save his
family and and leave so you take it
where you want look where we got what we
have we have the ran on the one hand
saying it was wrong and we don't shy
away from saying it's wrong and we have
this pH who says we're going to find a
way to find Meritt in abr's action so
that we don't have to say it's
wrong so
the Eternal issues that emerge from this
I told you the balance between amuna
and right where does one begin and the
other end and that is an ongoing
struggle throughout Jewish history the B
the concept of
risk-taking when are you forced to take
risks and what risks are are reasonable
to take and the last thing is the Raman
says something that I did not tell you
yet if you look at the last thing the
Raman says which is at the top of page
two the L line
section says the ran you know why we end
up in Egypt because of A's
mistakes now that's a tough one right
because what do we believe about
Collective punish
do we believe in original sin no no we
believe that each person is responsible
for their own actions and yet while we
believe in that every individual is
responsible for their actions and we
don't believe in original s we don't
believe generally that I'm going to be
punished for ab's
mistakes we do believe in what I would
call intergenerational
reverberation what is intergeneration
reverberation what happens earlier has
an effect upon my
life would have never eaten from the
tree would our lives be
different so we're not guilty of what
they
did but what they did continues to
affect our lives over
time so we don't believe we're guilty
for what others do but we do believe
that what others do can have an effect
Upon Our Lives and perhaps in some way
that's what the ran is saying that
somehow this caused that kind of
reverberation it's difficult to see the
connection between our going to MIT and
what he does here but nonetheless maybe
all right I'll take two comments and
then we'll move on
ran is basically specifying that it's
Egypt but the
original the original promise that em in
was you're going to go down to a land
that's not yours okay he doesn't specify
this so what raan may be saying is
because of this incident it's got to be
that had to be M okay what just a very
interesting suggestion we we'll see if
we get there today uh that in the brisan
of God does not specify Egypt as the
destination where the Jews will go down
to and that maybe what the ramban is
saying is it was determined that they
would go down to a Strange Land but not
but it is this event that causes it to
be MRI interesting perhaps he's using
his
princip except it's a rather strange
application yeah this
is is that what happens to the AOS
actually is a Simon as to what will
happen to us ran uses that but here he's
this is this is a tough one this is a
tough one okay yes no inter generational
effect is something you can't get away
from that's correct I want to be 6 feet
tall and have Wy blonde hair correct
this is what
they that's and and and you were born
where you were born see in some cases
it's a decision that's made by others
right my English name is Stanley Stanley
because my father for whatever reason
didn't like the name Sam
name me scho and he named me after Stan
muel the baseball player in English I
was a terrible
disappointed when it came to that
particular era all right terrible became
a t
what I terrible disappointment in in
Stan usuals world yes I'm just curious
about the language of the ran he says
Nar it was it was decreed God
yeah what right so it again it's hard to
understand why the ran would feel that
this is why the decree you know occurred
that we end up in Egypt it's a difficult
it's a difficult stretch nonetheless I
just wanted to I just wanted to just
understand that other words where does
the r on WE Al also know that we that
the Torah says that we don't we don't uh
the children do not pay for the
of we're this is going to become a
bigger problem let's hold on okay all
right I want to go to event number two
event number two is a very very quick
study event number two however is
fascinating when you think about it let
me set the
stage ab's traveling along with his
nephew
Lo for some
reason a Riv
develops a dispute develops between the
Shepherds of Lo and the Shepherds of AR
now there are all sorts of
interpretations about what that rib is
about we're not going to get into that
now abam turns to load and says you go
west I'll go east let basically the land
cannot support us together and therefore
what we have to do is unfortunately we
have to split up you go one way I'll go
you go right I'll go go left you go left
I'll go right L travels and ends up in
the city of sedone and we're going to
talk about Lo's involvement with sedone
probably in the next
year what what's next there's war and in
that war between a series of
Kings load is taken
captive and here we pick up the story
with the
following a Survivor and who that
Survivor is is the subject of of debate
again in the rabbis might be old right
this is the end I'm looking now at the
bottom of page
two and he is living in
M where MRE is the brother of and on and
they
are
hears that he that his brother is taken
captive is etc etc he goes to S now take
a look at those
two don't look yet at the English and if
you did too late right but there's a
problem here number one this is the only
time that ABR is called the I was the
first
time number
two why is the Torah giving me all this
information he was
in and there were people there that that
were Val bris what fine just they're his
own people so
why is that important for me to know now
why doesn't the tah simply
say told what do I have to know where he
is how he is who's he's with not
important not important why is it to
giving me in the sentence all of this
information so if you turn the
page we encounter our friend the farno
again and in this case
aarno actually is is seem seems to be in
untable number one he says why is it why
does it call abam or
I because the Survivor
knows that L's in I and aam's
an so therefore although he does not
know that they're related say Z farno he
knows that that this guy might care
what's happening to to another
if and why is it Torah telling me that
he's in
Al and there are
brothers because it's a harbinger of the
fact that when AB goes to save
Lo they will go as well and how do I
know they go as well because when melet
Stone says you know I want to I want to
pay you for for the role you played in
defeating the Army against me Abra
refuses and he says just pay Esh and mam
for the thing A and M for the things
they did so clearly this sentence is a
Harbinger says the ran a reflection of
what's about to occur which is that his
allies what the for what did I say thank
you very much I was t one the scno the
scno says that that these individuals
are going to rush to Abram's Aid and
that's why it's told to us that they are
bab there is I believe another
explanation you turn back to the
sentence
again all right so what
what parted in not such a great way
right in other words there was family
friction
Abraham here's that load is taking taken
captive he has no reason to get
involved in fact he has every reason not
to get
involved he is an iy this is not his
battle and he is living in relative
safety because he's living in Alon NE
MRE
in on
Abraham so Abraham finds himself facing
L's
captivity at a point in Abram's life
where he could say not my not my problem
right not only is it not my problem why
should I get involved in something that
doesn't affect me and risk the safety
that I
have so says the
Torah immediately hears his brother is
taken captive and it's not his brother
but it is his brother from a
philosophical point of view and he
leaves the safety that he's in to go
save
Lord and therefore that might be why the
torist telling us all of that
information telling us why abam has no
reason to get involved and shouldn't get
involved and why it's so great that he
does involve himself okay that's that is
number two now let's go to to episode
number
three episode number three will take us
a little more
time episode number three is the story
of the
BR the Covenant between the
pieces and the Torah basically says the
following
it was after these things what things am
I talking
about after the fight that Abraham wins
because say he is now concerned that
maybe he's used up his Merit so Hashem
is reassuring
himem comes and he says
to do not fear
ab and
don't worry I am your protection and you
are going to get great
reward so right off the bat what does
amam do does he say thank you God for
that promise he says Hashem wait a
minute you're promising great things and
I have the one thing that I want the one
thing I need you're not giving
me right now this this returns us back
to a debate we had last week where we
said that the difference between Noah
and Abraham is that Noah is responsive
whereas AB is reactive and initiates and
a lot of you said are we supposed to do
that well it's a good question does AB
is AB right in in basically saying
Hashem I'm challenging you you're not
giving me the one thing I
want right then what happens Hashem says
to
him he again
says says to
him don't worry elzar will not inherit
from you you're going to have a child
that will inherit from you and then the
Torah
says very
difficult
he had believed in God concerning this
promise and God held it in instead so
that could beem or AB could be AB felt
that Hashem was promising him a child
and therefore it was
Saka or
Hashem found that ab's belief in him was
s right could be either
one he takes him out side shows him the
stars and he says to him you're going to
inherit this
land and again AB challenges
him last underling line the first part
by how do I know that I will inherit the
land Hashem then takes him out he's
taking him outside right now and he
tells him to cut some animal to to P
some take some animals water them create
lines through which Hashem will pass and
he promises him don't worry your
children are going to be CH Strangers In
a Strange Land and they're going to work
very hard and be tormented 400
years that issue of 400 years is
something we have to discuss at some
point and
after that I will judge the nation that
torments them and the fourth generation
will return
here which is a fascinating
POS I just want to stop on that portion
for a
moment what does it mean the fourth
generation will return here because the
aone of the amorites will not be
complete until then what am I am I being
told that there are other people have
their
rights and that my I'm going to be
delayed in coming to my land because of
the rights of the amorites they don't
deserve to get kicked out until that
point and if if they don't deserve to
get kicked out until that point you're
going to have to wait and that's
fascinating isn't it for those who say
that Hashem only relates to Ben isra
well that's not correct Hashem relates
to all human beings he relates We
Believe to us differently but he relates
to all human beings and that proof of
that is found right here in the text
hold on son we'll come back all
right
now we are faced with some very
difficult issues here is Abraham right
in in challenging God
saying is
why is it that he believes
ultimately that he will have a
child but does not believe apparently
that he's going to inherit the land
which of those two which of those two
issues in your mind is a is a more
far-fetched that he's going to have a
child at 99 or that he'll inherit the
land why does he say
B when it comes to that particular to
that particular promise
so I want you to take a look at the
bottom of the
page and here we have someone who
disagrees with the
ran but he says something again that
speaks of intergenerational
reverberation but it's difficult to
understand this is taken from
the bot of page
four nick name on
why was AB
then and his children become servants in
the land of Egypt so one answer given by
is because he he took
the those who were in his household and
went out to save Lo that that was a
problem but more particularly to our
said that said the first one
says he should never have asked how do I
know I will conquer will will receive
the land and the fact that he asks that
eventually causes the de sent of B Isel
to and and that's and he
says what's the logic of the gamar the
logic of the gamar is why is God talking
at this point about a descent to Egypt
Hashem
he how am I
reassured by the story of descent into
Egypt and the fact that I'm going to be
slaves for 400 years how does that help
me so it's so according to the gar it's
a reaction to the question not an answer
to the question in other words you are
you are going to be punished for
doubting my
words however there's another
possibility is this a doubts or motion a
doubts all right should should be aam
doubts all right
now let me just look at
that now let's let's go on let's go
on the second medish says
no the second medish in the name
of rash wasn't a question of God it was
a question of his
descendants how do I
know that my children will Merit
receiving the
land promising me that I'll have a child
is up to you promising me that they will
inherit the land is not only up to you
it's up to
them to which God responds with the
story but says he responds
by sacrificing the animals and his
answer to him is they will Merit it in
the Merit of the
carbon and that is what these animals
represent now there are those who say
the animals represent something else
entirely that it was the custom in those
days to make a covenant by dividing
animals and walking through like a blood
brother kind of thing so Hashem is using
the mo the the the process of the moment
to to encourage this C
but we we are faced with some very
difficult questions
here how is this really an answer to
Abraham's question let's assume even
that what he's asking is how my children
will married how what's how is this an
answer to my question that they're going
to be slaves in Egypt 400 years I don't
need that information now I don't need
that
information so perhaps one could say
that what hasem is saying is don't worry
there will be hard times but you'll get
through
them perhaps what Hashem is saying is
there'll be hard times but your children
will Merit eventual Redemption because
they will still be
redeemable after those 400 years in
egy so perhaps these are very very
different possibilities in the brisban
of s but there's one more question and
with this will end that question is
what happens when God breaks his
rules breaks his
rules all right he's telling us the
future he's breaking the rules he's
telling us what's going to happen here
so the rules generally are that God
knows the future but does not what
doesn't tell us that by telling us he's
affecting and once he tells us that then
our are all all the things that occur
yoseph and his brothers and all the
things that lead us down to Egypt are
they just players in a play in which
they don't have any options because it's
already been predicted that we're going
down to
Egypt so I'd like to answer this by by
suggesting the
following God sometimes will rede will
reveal in Broad
terms the scope and the and the
trajectory of History
but the details of that history are up
to us and I'll give an
example Hashem says Masia is going to
come so I can sit down and say guess
what Mia's going to come I don't have to
do anything I don't have to work I don't
Mia's coming so what do the rabis say no
how he comes with what difficulty he
comes when he
comes all of those things remain within
my
power when yoseph is sold as a slave by
his
brothers that is an event that is
totally of their free will the fact that
it eventuates that they the nation will
end up in
Egypt again someone pointed out before I
think it was say that Egypt is not
specifically identified here as the
country in which they're going to end up
so maybe if yose wouldn't have been sold
they would have ended up in a different
country there would have been a
different kind of slavery and it would
have been a whole different kind of
story so therefore the God is revealing
the trajectory of
history but the specifics of the
unfolding of the story remain ours