Parsha Vayera: Sword of Iron - an Akeida Moment by Rabbi Baruch Taub

okay good morning everybody I want to learn some Torah with you but before that I just I want to get a little perspective again um you know why are we here why are we having fic sessions and not having regular shiur for not only physic of course and talking with but also I think so we don't go crazy so we don't we don't not only not lose our perspective we we don't lose our minds because of what's going on so I'm just you know the lato in his introduction to missar he says that the classic missil Shar safer he says that I'm not I'm not coming to teach you anything you don't know already I'm coming to review those things that everybody knows so I'm just going to spend a few moments of perspective before we get into the Torah reviewing things that we already know maybe you even know it better than I do we know that the Secretary General of the United Nations said we have to have context we have to have context about what's Happening Here Israel has to understand there's context yes there is context the context is very simple the context is that Hamas since the day it was created was created with one purpose in mind that was to kill every Jew and to destroy the state of Israel that's the context the context is that when a child a Palestinian child learns math in school he learns math like this if you have seven Jews and you kill five of them how many are left this is a math lesson in the Palestinian area without this is not this is this is the EMS right our hearts are broken our hearts are broken the numbers that we've woke up to this morning holy soldiers who are no longer in this world we're we're in anguish we can ma cannot imagine the anguish and the pain and the suffering of those families whose children whose parents whose spouses are being held as hostages right we we we have perfect faith in the ronon's help we brought brought back Soviet Jews we brought back Syrian Jews we brought back Ethiopian Jews we brought back the hostages in anbi and with the rabon's help we will bring back these hostages the question why after October 7th after the worst day of barbarism the first worst day of tragedy since HB Europe the loss of more Jews at one day that since hban Europe terrible ugly disgusting we know we know what happened why is it that that triggered that day triggered an outburst of anti-Semitism throughout the world and the Western World America why universities Academia what what why is that the answer is there's a simp the simple answer is it is just built in to the world that there's a hatred towards CLA Israel a hatred a jealousy we we're a minority we are still a minority and yet we have overcome minori ISM and have become successful they can't handle that they want to remind us that we are a victim we were a Vic once a victim you're always a victim and no people has been victimized more than the Jewish people throughout world history but we are not victims we are not victim our history has exploded their narrative has destroyed their theology look at what we with the help of God created look at the state of Israel in AR Isel what we have created here right another thing I want to mention a hospital a hospital right you have to be a brilliant United States congresswoman or a brilliant queen of Jordan or a brilliant journalist to to this day insist that the Israeli Army that sahal blew up a hospital the main hospital when that hospital is still standing you have to be you have to be someone very special to what a what a shame what a shame what a shame of of fact but that's don't confuse excuse me with the facts the Hamas Health ministry right it's coming out with facts and figures which we cannot believe because the Hamas Health Ministry is housed underneath the major hospitals in in the Palestinian territory right and putting the Palestinians and it at complete complete risk right but it's it's all a lie it's always been a lie the main purpose is to kill the Jews the Jews are the vi the Jews are killers the Jews killed the the founder of Christianity the blood liels through history right asov they care about the Palestinians they don't care about the Palestinians they don't care about look what's been going on in Ukraine and Russia for two years now is it two years did you see people marching you see 100,000 people marching in London do you see 10,000 people gathering in in New York or Boston or Chicago because of what's happening to Ukraine do you did you see it when there was a civil war in Syria did you see it with the protests in Iraq what went on in Iraq after they killed the protesters listen we have to remember that we are the children we are the sons and daughters of andoba we are the sons and daughters of yosua binon of Joshua we're the sons and daughter da of King David with the Sons and Daughters of Mori and Esther with the Sons and Daughters of Rashi the rambam Riker were the sons and daughters of all the gdle Torah in every generation were the sons and daughters of Theodore Herzel were the sons and daughters of Manan Bean with the Sons and Daughters of Yoni Netanyahu we are the sons and Daughters of sharansky we were here before them and we will be here after them all right let's learn a little bit of Torah I want to talk about I want to talk about the end of the para which really the major theme of the para is the AA the Aus The Binding of Isaac where Abraham takes his son his only son and puts him up and is prepared to sacrifice I him right you have the sheet there okay we'll get to it at some point um I can't control the sheet okay good all right um this is an inexplicable moment in Jewish history right uh a totally inexplicable moment right um how do we understand it so here's what I want to do I want to ask you to forget everything you were taught in grade one and grade two anything you were taught about the aada in grade one in primary School anything you were taught by any Rabbi including me I want you to forget about what you were taught about the aada and let's look at the acada with fresh eyes as if we're reading the story for the very first time let's try to understand this story right forget what you learned about here you have Abraham who at three years old we know discovered God the child genius understood that the world had to have a Creator Abraham fought his own father and mother rebelled against his father and mother a i he stood alone in the entire world a world of idolatry and idol worship and taught belief in Amun hasem and monotheism the 10 tests abam was courageous he was Fearless right he stood alone he defended he argued with with the Rabon right he argued with SAR he lost the argument Y versus y right but he aru promises him something that you're going to be a great nation and he says how do I know he argues with re he wants proof right argues with god with stum in our par if there are 50 righteous people if they're 45 if they're 40 if they're 10 right he's unrelenting Abu his entire Persona is fearlessness and then one day look at the beginning of number one in your sheet then one day out of nowhere after these things tested and he says to I want you I want you to sacrifice your son your only son V yes sir yes sir I I'm ready I'm ready to do it now we have to understand until this moment until this moment what did we learn about a ainu right what did we learn about a ainu all the things I just mentioned his his fearlessness his relentlessness his courage right what else did we learn we learned in our para promises him you will be your you're going to have a people this people this great nation will be more numerous than the Sands the sand and by the Sea they'll be more numerous than the Stars in the sky this future people will be my people and then out of nowhere he tells him I want you to sacrifice your son your only son this was the hope right one son he was going to build this nation and take your son your only son you loveia go there look I want you to put him up as a sacrifice he got up early in the morning rash go tells us you know he did it all himself he didn't have any of his servants do this he did it himself he went he went didn't waste any time to take put his son and he put him up and he put him up on the this is inexplicable right of r Vu the great courageous of rinu argues with the rebell every who fought Kings right he becomes passive obedient wimpish an right what what what's going on here how do we how do we understand this I want to tell you how we're going to understand this Rashi if you read Rashi carefully you will discover in in two places in the par that Russia is really saying if you read it properly that I never told you to S I'm going to sacrifice I told you to take him up in the mount a ainu a ainu said to the Ron okay you want me to do this I give up right I gonna call your bluff after everything I've done the whole promise is out the window a great nation more numerous than the Stars more numerous than the sand than the sea everything you promised me the whole the whole dream of Amel out the window I'm gonna go and do it this what you want me to do I'm gonna do it right you want to blow up everything you want to erase the dream the promise yes sir you want me to jump how high should I jump that's what because aru knew he knew that the real test was knowing that the Rabon will never destroy the Jewish people right and I'm going to prove it to you I'm going to prove it to you I'm going to prove it to you look at the sheet look at PK 12 you the whole from the aada the whole story of the aada starts in PK alive we read it right he takes him and where's you know the moment the dramatic moment y says you got the wood you've got the fire where's the where's the animal where's the Corbin and he tells him don't worry go God will provide it right and then he he ties him up right number 10 he took his hand took the he's he's gonna he's gonna kill him God calls out an angel calls out from Heaven sir here I am don't touch him don't touch your only son don't touch your only son right and that's it that's the end of the right he takes before that that's just 12 right 12 don't do anything to him now I know now I know you really fear me now I know you really fear me not you were not going to hold him back to me right that's the end of the story look at the next person all of a sudden now remember we we're reading this for the first time we know what's coming right he saw the horns of a dilemma he saw a ram in the in the in in in his Thicket and he took the RAM and he sacrificed the RAM and the ram replaced Yakov yak and of course the the Ram's Horn the schauffer the great chauffer that's where it came up but we don't know that yet right we don't know that yet what do you mean what what happened why did he turn around and find the ram and take the RAM and what was what something's missing here something is missing here there was a conversation between andu at this time which led him to turn around to get that RAM and if you look at number two the bottom of the page this is a med the rabis in the medish they fill in the blanks of what was happening here and let's read a little bit right I now know you will fear me immediately opened up the skies I promis says to him you said yours you did yours now I want to do mine you said yours I did everything I supposed to do now you have to listen to me now right I'm not going to come down from this altar until I say to you whatever I want to say to you I want I have I have a speech to make and I want to make it to you I went through this whole thing right I want I have something to say right speak so says didn't you tell me count the Stars right how how great they are take your only son right this is not a complaint by the way I could have argued that this is really my my complaint to you over the page right let me tell you what I really want to say I don't want to I have no complaints that you told me I'm gonna have one son that he's gonna be my only son I'm gonna have a nation that's like the stars of the guy but all of a sudden it's going to be the I'm not I'm not going there because I know that's not what you wanted to do I know that's not what you want to do I called your bluff I went through and I did it and you stopped me because you didn't want me to do it right that's not what I wanted to say right I played I was a good soldier but now this is what I am asking you right here's what I want this is what I want you to promise me When the Children I know my children are going to sin I know the Jewish people are not perfect I know they're human and they're not gonna they're they're gonna fault them right and that when they're in a Sor when they're in a moment of tragedy and distress and threatened survival to I want you to remember now I want you to remember this this scene this act this AA remember what I was there to do [Music] sh as if it's really the ashes of we were ready to sacrifice forgive the Jewish people and fre them take them out of this tragedy answers him you said yours and I and I appreciate the fact you didn't say to me why did you do that how could you how could you do this to me that you really understood what was going on that I would never do it you said yours right you want protection now from this moment it should protect the Jewish people forever you said yours now I'm gonna say mine okay here's my response to you the children of the Jewish people are going to be imperfect to me right and I'm going to judge them on the holy day of how many weeks ago was it but they want Merit they want for foress I will remember the want you I want you to take this Ram I'm not going to read it but that's the rest of the pukin sacrifice this Ram turn around right and make take this RAM and sacrifice him and take the Horn of the ram if the Jewish people you toen if the Jewish people at the very least keep rashash and blow the chauffeur he says so said what's the chauffer what are you talking about right so here now we continue with theuk of 12 what turn around he lifted his eyes there was a a Ram stuck with its horns the drama was the horn stuck in the thicket and this by the way the medish says a powerful thing this is one of the 10 things this Ram with its chauffeur was the one of the 10 things created at Twilight before creation before shabas this is this story of the AA that to take your son and put him up there and I'm gonna but it that it's really not going to happen that the test was to understand that God would never do this this was already at the creation of the world he took it said to him token take take this take this blow chauffer do R do R and I'll save them and I'll I'll release them from their sins I'll forgive them for everything and this is what King David said all and I will break I will break the chains of the diaspora of our dispersion and our suffering May Land from the Jewish people I'll bring them all back to I want to ask I want us all to ask we have to ask please we have to ask you we blew the shower R we fasted on Yer you forgave us on on right we we look what we have accomplished look what the Jewish people has accomplished in the last 80 years look what we built here this is in is we've come back after so much suffering with your help right there's more Torah being learned here in Israel than the time of the andan and the time of the tal time of the gorra more Torah the startup Nation Laboratories inventions in high-tech we say the Jewish people gives the world two great things the Torah and ways and that's not that's not a silly analogy because on rashash the gorah says that every Jew marches I don't know if I said this in the last few weeks but it's worth repeating every Jew marched one by one R we say it in ding single file every single Jew is judged by the Ron independently the gor has three in what it means but I just want to say this a hard thing to believe that God really judges every single person and by the way by the way on rash God judges not only us he judges those those lower than animals theas also the whole not the whole world is judged on on rash once said that if the non-jews would realize they're being judged on rash they'd all go out and buy a m right so it's hard thing to believe that at one time R was judging every person but listen it's not a hard thing to believe look at this ingenious thing called way that this holy Jewish fellow in Tel Aviv this genius scientist invented in Tel Aviv right what happens here I am in yush and I'm driving my car and I put on ways because I want to go to Nat and way talks to me and I talk to way and at the same time in New York somebody is driving from New York to Connecticut and he's talking to way and ways is talking to him and somebody in Paris somebody in London somebody in Chicago somebody in Manchester in London all over the world a billion people at the same time are speaking to this machine to this technology and the technology is speaking back to him is that not the biggest proof for us to understand how Theon is judging and is with us and loves us each and every one of us so simple right so we ask we did everything you asked us to do we're trying we're not perfect we're doing everything everything please save your people bless your inherited people bring bring bring everybody home bring an end to this destroy those destroyers and save Kad amen okay thank you all for your patience thank you for the words of Rabbi Sam it means a lot to me that you were here it means a lot to me that everybody is here and we should all be dancing in the street very soon and govering with all our hearts thank and strengthening our liur Torah and our Shir mitz the quality of our Torah study the quality of our Mitzvah nothing I can't emphasize it more Fila Fila is so important doing is so important we've talked about it I'm sure everybody is talking about it in this venue learning Torah govering quality of our Mitzvah upgrading everything we do everyone