Lech Lecha - 1st Portion

Join me as we learn together Torah reading of parshas Lech Lecha chapter 12 verse 1 for the first day Sunday of parshas Lech Lecha. Vayomer Hashem el Avram And God said to Avram Lech lecha me'artzecha u'mimoladetecha Go from your land, from your birthplace, from your father's land u'mibeis avicha, from your father's land el ha'aretz asher areka, to the land I will show you. Rashi immediately explains to us what does it mean the word Lech Lecha? What does it mean going to you? As we know this is one of the tests that was given to Avram that Avram was given total 10 tests. These are one of the tests, test number two that Avram was given to go and leave his parents' home. Why the word Lech Lecha? Go to you. Rashi tells us lecha na'ah oscha, this is for your benefit, u'leteiv oscha, or for your favor. What good is he going to have from this? Sham escha legoy gadol, there I will make you into a great nation. Kan, however, here while you stay in Charan e ata zocheh levanim, you're not going to be able to have children. Ve'od, and even more so she'eide'a tiv'acha I will let people know about your greatness and about who you are, ve'olam, in the world to know that you're good. Verse two. Ve'escha legoy gadol, I will make you into a great nation, va'avarechecha, and I will bless you, va'agadlah shmecha, and I will make your name great, veheye bracha, and you will be for a blessing. Rashi tells us verse two, ve'escha legoy gadol why does he here tell him that he will make you into a great nation? Because generally when a person travels, why was Avram necessary to have these three blessings that are enumerated in this Torah in this verse? Because generally when a person travels, as Rashi tells us, the fish that I miss the the worm travels because of a person three things. The actress preparing for Olivia it diminishes in the ability to procreate have children because a person is busy traveling. My man is a moment it diminishes a person's wealth. My actress is a shame and it diminishes a person's good name because he doesn't have the ability to be involved in doing meters properly and thereby creating a good name for himself. As if a person who is sitting home and doing what he has to do. The car therefore who's got from was needed needed the show box out of the these three special blessings. She have to care a lot burning number one that God blessed him that he will have children. That's by saying and you'll be a great nation. Follow my man and he blessed him that he will have wealth by saying that I will bless you. Well, I shame and on a great name by saying by God bless your name will be great. As well as what is the word by God bless your name mean? For though I got bless your name, this is what it means that I will make your name great. As later on we see in the Torah I'm going to add a name a letter on to your name. Should add a show until now how you should show my car from your name was Avram. With a day the time from here onward. Avraham your name will be Avraham with an additional hey. Now if you take the numeric value of the word Avraham it makes it 248. Avraham makes the numeric value of 248 connected to the to the 240 limbs of a human being. So we here telling him that he's finally complete once his name will be added with the name with the letter Avram. V'avor'echecha, what does it mean that I will bless you? As we mentioned earlier Rashi, the three things that Avram was blessed with, the mamoin, that is going to be with the blessing of wealth that he'll have as much as he needs. V'heyei bracha, it will be for a blessing. What does it mean that you are going to be the blessing? You will be the source of all blessings. Habrachos disunai b'yadecha, the blessings will be given in your hand. Ad achshav, until now, all you be a day with her in my hand, God says. Berachti es Adam v'es Noach v'es Yisrael, I blessed Adam and Noach and you. V'ata, however, from now onward, ata t'varech, you will bless es asher techpaitz, anybody that you wish to bless, their blessing will be a considered a blessing. Davar acher, another way of explaining that you will be for a blessing. V'ascha l'cha gaidol, when the Torah enumerates and God tells him you'll be for a great nation, this is that we say in the Amidah prayer, we begin with the blessings on mentioning our forefathers. And therefore, each one of these blessings referred to another one of our forefathers. V'ascha l'cha gaidol, I will make you into a great nation, that is going to the first blessing of that we say in the Amidah, Elokei Avram. V'avor'echecha, and I will bless you, zeh shem Elokei Yitzchak, this is the second part of the blessing in the Amidah, in the introduction of the Amidah that we say Elokei Yitzchak. V'agadalti es sh'mecha, I'll make your name great, zeh shem Elokei Yaakov, this is that we say Elokei Yaakov, the father of Jacob, enumerating the the son and the grandchild of Avram, and mentioning the three forefathers as we begin the Amidah. Yachol I would have thought then you choismim, so when a person completes the blessing of the Amidah, he should also conclude with b'chulan, with all of the forefathers. Talmad lomar, therefore, the pasuk tells me v'heyei bracha, it will be for a blessing, meaning b'chach choismim, they will conclude the blessing as we say Magen Avraham and Eloheinu Avraham, but not with the other two. And when the blessing that is concluded at the Amidah is only concluded with Avraham. Me'artzecha, what does God tell him that he has to do in order for him to achieve this blessing? He has to leave Me'artzecha from his land. But didn't God tell him he already left his land earlier? Why is he telling him, like we see in the previous Torah reading, the last few verses of the Torah tell us that Terach left that Avraham left with Terach his father. So why is he telling him now again to leave his land if he already left his land? For like Uri also Me'ashami Mavif, didn't he leave his land from from Charan with his father? And brought to Charan and he came to Charan. Al Lakom he left Ur Kasdim and he made it to Charan with his father. Al Lakom this is what God told him. Yisrachik Misham, keep on moving further away from Charan. Then, Uvetzei Uvevei Savicha, and leave your father's home as well. That means you left the place of your birth, which was Ur Kasdim. You came to Charan. Now you're going to be further away leaving the rest of the family in Charan and you're going to head towards the place I'm going to show you. God keeps the scriptic, doesn't tell him where he's going, and he says Asher Eilecha, to the place I will show you. Lo Yigaleh, he did not reveal to him Eretz Tzemiyad, the land that he's going immediately. But he left it open-ended, to the place that I will show you. Why? Kedei Lechavivah Beinav, to make the surprise even greater. You know, when you have a surprise and you haven't seen it and you don't know what's coming, it's a greater surprise and you enjoy it more. Lo Sislai, but even more so Lo Sislai S'charo Kol Devar U'Devar, as well that he should be able to give him reward for every single commandment. He gives the commandment to leave, and then he tells him the commandment also about coming on to the place that he will go to. Kayotzei Bei, we find this other places as well. For example, when it comes to Avram being told to take his son Isaac and bind him on the Akedah Yitzchak for the binding of Isaac, God in the next week's at the end of next week's Torah reading, as God tells him, "Es bincha yechidcha asher ahavta Yitzchak, take your only son that you love, Yitzchak, where are you going to take him?" K'ayotzei bo, then God tells him, "El achad haharim asher elacha, to one of the mountains that I will tell you." Not to Not explaining and saying which mountain. K'ayotzei bo, we also find this is also used later on by Jonah the prophet when he was told to go and tell the people of Ninveh. God tells him, "Go to Ninveh, ukra aleha k'kriah, call upon them what I what I call to you, asher ani metzaveh otcha, and when you get there, I'll tell you what to say." So, we see again in both in many places where the Torah and God splits up the commandment of what they are told to do in two, in order A, to keep the element of surprise, and B, to make it more beneficial in the mitzvot and commandments that the person is keeping. Verse three. U'varechacha mevarachecha, and those that bless you will be blessed. U'mekalelcha o'rer, and those that and those and those that curse you will be cursed. V'nivrechu vecha kol mishpechot ha'adamah, and all the families of the earth will be blessed because of you. Rashi, verse three. V'nivrechu vecha, v'nivrecu vecha, yesh hagadot shonot, there are many different interpretations to this verse. V'zeh pshuto, this is the simple interpretation. What does it mean that they will be blessed because of you? Adam omer livno, it's like a person tells his child, "Tehei k'Avraham, you should grow up to be like Abraham." V'chein kol nivrechu vecha b'mikra, so too whenever we find this interpretation and explanation, and they should be blessed like you is saying that other people should use you as a blessing. We find this later on as well, where it talks about um the children of Joseph. Where there the Torah tells us clearly, which will prove to our point, where he says with you the people will be blessed. That man whenever somebody blesses you, they will say that you should be blessed like the children of Ephraim, like the Ephraim and Manasseh. Verse five. And Abram went like God commanded him. Like God commanded him. And Lot joined him with his joined as well. Abram was at that time 75 years old but say say when he left according to God's command. Verse five. And Abram and Abram took with him his wife and Lot his nephew, the son of his brother. All their possessions acquired. And the people that they have acquired in Haran as well. And they left heading towards the land of Canaan. And they and came to the land of Canaan. Rashi explains to us what does it mean they made in Haran? How do you make people? So Rashi tells us that he brought these people under the wings of God. Of the divine presence. He got them to believe in God and follow the ways of Hashem. Teaching them monotheism. Abram, how was this done? Abram was in charge of responsibility. Rashi uses the terminology of converting the men. And Sarah was converting the women. meaning that teaching them the concepts of monotheism about one God. My the Torah can pierce it and considers it as if they made them. Therefore, it uses the terminology as also that they made. If you want to go according to the simple interpretation of the verse, means that they acquired it means slaves and maidservants that they acquired that they possessed. We find this later on as well when it talks about the children of Jacob children of Laban being jealous of Jacob. He says also he made this honor. What does it mean he made? He amassed. Washing king and acquire acquisition. The Israel and Israel acquired wealth. The word is comes from the terminology washing queen of like a person that acquires and amasses and gathers and bring and earns. That's the terminology using also making. Verse number six. And Abraham passed arrives Abraham traveled through the land and he comes until the place of Shechem until the plains of Moreh and the Canaanites were then in the land. So what's going on over here? What is the word by Yave? Where is he traveling? Rashi tells it us all. Verse six. By Yave Abraham doesn't mean that he passed through and traveled through the entire land. But he now entered the land of Canaan. Where did he get to until the place of Shechem? Why does the Torah have to tell us the place in this case? At least follow up and Yakov if to pray for the children of Yakov in later generations when Dina was captured and kidnapped by the people of Shechem that Shimon and Levi went and attacked the entire city of Shechem cuz she avoided and then later on will be able to come and wage war against the people of Shechem they should be successful in bringing back their sister and wiping out the people of Shechem. Avram now prayed for them on their behalf. Where is this place? Rashi tells us this is not a new city but actually it's another name given here Shechem it's the exact same place as Shechem. Over here the Torah is appointing out because God showed him Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal Shechem there the Jewish people accepted upon themselves the covenant of the Torah for those that will keep it the blessings and the opposite for those that don't and for that reason he points out where is Shechem Elon Moreh. The Canaanites were then in the land. What does it mean that the Canaanites were already in the land? Seemingly what was going on at the time? The children of Ham who Canaan was the child of Ham was going on at the time and he was Shem he was conquering the land of Israel from the children of Shem. Technically speaking when Noah split up the lands in the different areas he gave the land of Israel to the children of Shem. Over here Ham son Canaan started taking away land from other places. How do we know that it was given to the son of Shem and the land of Israel was given to the son of Shem? Because later on in the verse in chapter 14 we learn who was Shem was the king of Shalem which is Jerusalem which was the land of Israel. Therefore therefore God comes along and tells Abraham I'm going to give the land of Israel to your children. Also, I'm going to take it back from Canaan who conquered it and took it away from Shem because you are the original descendant of Shem. The Shem is initial Shem. The children of Israel, we, the Jewish people are the children of Shem. We are Semites and therefore, for that reason, the land of Israel belongs to the Jewish people though the Canaanites took it away from Shem. God tells Abraham that he's going to return it to his children who are the original owners, the children of Shem. Verse eight. Verse seven. And God appeared to Avram. And he said, "Though you have see right now that the Canaanites are the one living in the land as we just mentioned in Rashi. However, I will give this land to your children." And he built there a mizbeach for God, a Nira Elav who appeared to him. Verse seven. Rashi. Why did he build an altar? For the good news that he's going to have children for the good news that he's going to have children and about the good news that he was going to be given the land of Israel taken back from the people of Canaan and given it to his children. And about the good news that he was going to be given the land of Israel taken back from the people of Canaan and given it to his children. Verse eight. And now from there he moved to the mountains. With those mountains were on the east of Bethel. And he pitched his tent. West and Bethel was on the west and I was to the east. And he built there a mizbeach for Hashem and he built there a mizbeach for Hashem and he called in the name of Hashem. And he called in the name of Hashem. So, where where are is he? Rashi will explain to us the exact location of where he was. Vayatek misham ohaloy, and he moved from there his tent. He moved his tent, meaning the tent moved from place to place, and that's why he uses this terminology vayatek misham. What they're referencing to is his tent. Now, where did he move to? Mikedem lebeit El. What does it mean mikedem lebeit El? It doesn't mean that he went from east, but bemizrachah shel Ay. Lebeit El. It was on the east of Beit El. So, this mountain, if you want to look at it, nimtsa Beit El lemara'vei, Beit El was to its west, but the mountain was on the east of Beit El. Zeh hu she'nemar, that's why it says Beit El miyam, that's why later on we see that Beit El was to the west, and that's where he pitched his tent. Now, something interesting you'll notice, the word ohaloy usually when you have a cholam, it will be a vav at the end of the word. This time, there's a cholam with a hey at the end of the word, giving it like a feminine indication. And over here we see the gentleman that Avram was. Ohaloh beksiv, it's written ohalah, her tent, teaching us how Avram behaved properly and as gentleman-like. Bet'chilah note as eish teiva achicha lay, first he pitched the tent of his wife, and then he pitched his own tent. Vayeven sham mizbe'ach, and he built there a mizbe'ach. The Torah tells us that he built a mizbe'ach close by to Ay, telling us that the reason why he built a mizbe'ach nisnabey, he prophesied shasid ban of the koshal sham al oven Achan, that the Jewish people will then sin by the they will then uh fall to the sin of Achan, which Achan when Joshua conquered Jericho, he said that nobody should touch any of the booty or anything of the fallen city. And however, there was a fellow by the name of Achan who did take from the booty. So, he has power Shamaliem. He prayed that because of that the Jewish people shouldn't be hurt because of the sin that Achan did. The Torah then continues in verse 9. A Yisav Ram and Avram continue to travel Holich Vinaseya moving steadily Hanegba toward the south. Holich Vinaseya, what does it mean Holich Vinaseya? Traveling and going. Meaning LePrachim, he didn't continuously travel. It wasn't one straight direct travel. He would stop off in different places, make stop and go. Yeshiv Kanchaydish, would stay here for a month or Yoser or more, Vinaseya Mishaman then continue traveling Vinay Talib Amakom. Umacharan then pitches tent in another place. The whole masa and all of his travels that he was going was going towards Hanegba, going towards the south. What was the south? Leleches L'Draymesh L'Eretz Yisrael, he was going south in the land of Israel. V'hi L'Tzad Yerushalayim, that is the way towards Jerusalem. She He B'Chelkish L'Yehuda because eventually when the land of Israel was split between the two and a half tribes and the 10 tribes, Judea was the area where Jerusalem was in. She Natlu B'Draymesh L'Eretz Yisrael, that the the Judea portion was in the south of the land of Israel. And therefore, Avram's mission was to head towards L'Har Moriah, to Mount Moriah, which was in Jerusalem. She Hi NaChalasa, which that was eventually the portion that would be in the Judea section of in the city of Jerusalem. What happens is as Avram hopes to get to the land of Israel and get to settle there accordingly according to what Hashem tells them. By a hear of first 10. By hear of and it was a hunger in the land. I ate it because of the hunger had to go down to Egypt. Log of Sham to live there because the famine in the land has grown very severe and he was not able to stay there. Rashi A of a hunger in the land, a famine in the land. Why does he say in the land? The land The only place that there was a hunger was in the land of Canaan. Why was there a hunger only in the land of Canaan? This brings us to the next test and challenge that had to deal with. The not so easy to test them in your heart if you will question about the words that God told him. Sure I'm really like Canaan. God tells him to go to the land of Canaan. Now now when he comes to the land of Canaan, I must see what is it tells him leave because there's a hunger. Is he going to listen or is he not? Is he going to complain you tell me to come here but there's a hunger. How is he going to react? When Abraham and Sarah were coming close to Egypt and he told Sarah and he said to Sarah his wife, he knew now I know that you are a smart that you are a beautiful woman. What is happening over here? So Rashi explains. What does it mean now? Behold now I know. The explanation of the matter is as follows. Until now, Abraham did not notice his beauty. Because of his modesty and because of the both of them acted in absolute modesty. The action, however, now he could buy the mice that he recognized and noticed her action in because of an action. The mattress explains that because they came to a river to cross over to get into Egypt, he then noticed how beautiful the complexion of her reflected from the river and he was able to see her beauty and because of that he says, "Now that I noticed your beauty." Another interpretation Another way to explain this. Generally, they take her generally the average person because of travel you don't you're not always as good looking. However, Sarah stayed in her beautiful complexion and therefore he tells them, "Now I know you're truly beautiful because even with travel you still stayed as beautiful as you usually are." However, the simple interpretation is as follows. He may not Behold now. Until now I never had to worry about your beauty, but now we all of a sudden all of a sudden have to worry about it. Why? Because now we're coming amongst people among people who are not the greatest looking. They are not the greatest looking. They are the brothers of Kush as we know Ham had multiple brothers. Had multiple children and we're trying with a brother of Kush. Who was the children of Ham and therefore they were they were not accustomed in seeing nice people, nice women and because of that they will not be acting accordingly and because of that we have to be concerned about your beauty. We find something similar the usual to this terminology later on when the angels come to load to use as a similar terminology. He didn't hear behold my masters please come to my home that means until now I didn't have to worry about you but now that in Sodom they don't allow guests we have to be concerned that you should come to my home so again this terminology is used in a place where there is a concern. Verse 12 When the Egyptians will see you when they will say This is his wife. They will kill me and you they will let live. Verse 13 Therefore do me a favor. Please say that you are my sister. So that it may go well with me because of you. And that I my life will be spared because of you. Rashi Why is it going to be good to me because they are going to want to marry you they going to want to take you I am your brother supposedly. And they going to give me gifts as we see later on that that's what actually happened. This concludes the Torah reading for Sunday parshas Lech Lecha.