Parshat Vayera | Rabbi Baruch Taub | November 6th 2025

So I want to talk today about the aada and I apologize for the um the sheets the if you can the writing is a little small the font is a little small I don't know what happened but that's what happened so uh we'll we're not going to go through every these are all the sukim of the aada most of theukim of the aada and I'll I'll just what I want to talk to to number two number two is one line on the sheet uh Um and this should still be familiar to us from uh and from Kipur from the end of we say a whole litany of Misha ana he who who answered auh haramia should answer us and there's a whole litany he answered yitzk yakov yoseph yona and the whale a whole a whole part of the right we do into Hashem. Please answer us like you answered them. So my question is that we're going to deal with we're going to we're going to deal with uh what did he when did he pray? When do you see in the Torah that Arau Davin to Hakuru on Haram Maria? You don't see it. We can assume that he did. Uh so we're going to I'm going to pull out three possibilities and really they're based on midrashim. So what what we don't have intav we have in tosh obviously of ramu who invented shakrit certainly was dovening to the question is what was he dovening about? Okay so let's let's start with the my my the first answer that I'm going to deal with just to go through the pukim very quickly. I'm not going to if you can if you can read them there my apologies. Um [clears throat] so we know the story. So God tested Ara. This was the 10th and final test of Aramu. Araminu was given 10 tests. Right? Now there's a a difference of opinion amongst the Rishon the early rabbis exactly what those 10 tests were. But the first test [clears throat] and uh the test of the were were definitely according to every opinion. So the 10th test of for is um is the right and going to test him. I'm here ready. So the really the pressure he's making it very very real to him as Rashi points out take your son and sacrifice your son your son your only son who you waited 100 years to have rights go to and I want you to put them up on this to as a as an offering on one of the mountains that um that I'm going to send you to. He doesn't even tell him what mountain he's got to he's got to figure out. He needs prophecy to find out where the mountain is. In fact, there's a a fascinating comment from Ravkuk. Ravuk is a purish on the on the sitter Olria and he he says something astounding. He said um that was the Ram says the the main ingredient to have have the ability of Nva to be a prophet is to be bimha. If the prophet is not bimha he does not receive prophecy which means which means writes that was basima when he wrote a right right you hear that he wrote when he wrote which um and I I once heard from somebody I I really I couldn't find this I was looking for in his letters which I have a little small So I called up I spoke to one of the nephews never had any children. So one of his great nephews um I asked him where is it? I couldn't find it. It's not in the He said it's not in the negro. It's not in the letters but he said it. And I'll tell you one one PS. He said what was what was your mowi singing when he wrote a he was singing a to the tune of migillat Esther. Right. So the the idea here is that that as Rabis Slant says a Jew is the definition of a Jew and we can feel this in our time certainly the last two years that a Jew is somebody who can feel two completely opposite emotions at the same time. That's how we survive because we trust in a boru. We we see what he's what he's giving us and we're challenged by it and and we we have to know that what he's doing is for the best as much as we don't understand it. So we have you know you go to Simas we get on with our lives yet there's there Jews in for two years in in underground I mean the whole the whole thing is it can kill us right you can't sleep at night but then you get up in the morning and you go because that is the ch the strength of a Jew is the ability to live with different emotions so the back to the back to the Ravuk so Rav Cook says that imagine he had to be he had to get into a trance of simka. Remember simka, you can't have prophecy about simka. He had to get into a trance of simka in order in order to accept the idea of sacrificing his son. He was when he heard this from right now a second time God tells him go on one of those mountains. He's got to find the mountain. So a set that's what Rafuk writes. He says the the his language is beautiful but he says the hakodesh he called it for a second time he had to get into a trance of hakodesh to find the mountain to have the prophecy of what mountain to take him to okay so here [clears throat] the okay vash came over he got up early in the morning there's a reason he didn't waste any time rashi says he [clears throat] himself saddled his donkey He went to the place. He lifted up his eyes and he saw the mountain. Harami [clears throat] saw the mountain that he was told that he his prophecy he sought. Now remember that because we're going to come back to it eventually uh near the end of our discussion for a different a different understanding. But he saw the place. So he tells them to stay. Okay, I'm skipping. He took the wood and he put on top of it. He took the fire. He took the knife. Right. Why is a knife called a by the way? Because it it provides it's right. So and they went the two of them went together. They were both they were both into this even though the was a test for Abraham but but was was right there right he says you know there's a very you know uh if you feel the uh the pthos here says my father he says to him here's the fire here's the wood but you know where's the offering where's the ola ola so he says to himem will provide the ola okay goes to the place ties him And according to one medish which I didn't take here um that the medish says that uh Yitzk told him to tie himself tie him tightly so the will not betray because if the knife slips right the tra by a chicken or whatever so he told him tie me tightly right okay that's just a we're not going to get to that medish but what so what happens now. He puts him up there. He lifts up his hand. He picks the knife up to kill him. And theem stops him. And he says, "Don't hit him with a knife. Don't and don't do anything to him. Now I know that you really fear God. Now there's a whole question which again we're not going to deal with it but if you think about it God told him to go right the told him to go right so a malik comes and stops him and he listens to the malik. How does that work? Right? The president of the United States is is is is commands the uh Kaspollan the head of of of of the army to use the nuclear tests right and then a a general in the army says no don't do it he stopped stop him you don't have to do it right you don't listen you can't listen to him you you know the commander-in-chief commanded you so so what what's going on here so I I don't want I just will mention one comment to you and and it won't be enough, but just an idea that I was playing with. Uh it's a little bit uh it might be a little bit dangerous, but it could be that that the test here was he's going to go through it, but even though he knows that I really don't want to do it [clears throat] that Ara knew this is what the Rosha wants, but this is not what he wants, right? And and that's why he listened to the Malik because the test was that it's it's just not going to happen. It can't happen. It goes against all sensibility everything that I know about. So that's why he listened to the malik maybe. Okay. So here you go. Here's the and he says to him don't touch him. Right. It's over. The test is over. We he right. Aram did not she his son. Right. That was the test. And he's told don't do anything. You you believe me. I'm going to I'm going to reward you. And then it continues. Abraham lifts up his eyes. He sees another ram in the thicket like caught with its horns in the thicket. Right goes, he takes it and hecks it in place of his son where God appeared to me. Right? And then God goes, you don't have all the here again. By the way, according to others, the Malik really is himself. But Malik Abraham, he came to him a second time. I swear by myself. God says, I swear I swear by myself. God says, "Because you did this, right, I'm going to bless you. I'm going to give you multiple children like the uncountable like the stars in the sky and like the the sand in the sea, right?" Okay. So, so what's going on here? The aada ended. What? What? All of a sudden, he turns around. What? What? Something is missing here in the text. All of a sudden, he turns around and he takes an aisle in the place of God again promises him and tells him again that you pass the test and you're going to be blessed. Something is missing here. Something is missing in the text. What's missing in the text is Aram's conversation prayer to Hakeshu and Boru's answer to him. So that's a number three. Again, I apologize for the font. Let's try to go through this. Um love, he says, so God called to him. So he says uh this is the second time he comes to him rightly is talking I'm God. Okay. Um he tells the man when God told me to sacrifice who bats me even asked the questions. God himself told me to sacrifice him. Right. I want to speak to God. I want to speak to God. I don't want to speak to you. Right. God opened up the heavens. I promise. I swear to you. I swear to you, Ara, by my name Abraham, that I'm going to be good to you. Okay, you swore. Now remember, he's governing here. This is a prayer. I'm going to I want to swear too. You know what? My swear my swearing to I'm dvening to I will not leave this place of the you said yours. I want to say my peace. I'm gonna say I have I have a I have a lot to say to you and I'm I want you to hear what I have to say. Right. Say what say what you want to say. This is right after the tells him you're great. Right in between that and getting the ram right. Did you not tell me that the whole world is going to be full of me? Abraham, my Israel. It's not only Am Israel. A billion and a half people in this world count themselves from Abraham. All right. The Abraham Accords, right? Or as the President Trump says, the Araccords, right? Okay. Sharakim, count the sky, the stars, etc. [clears throat] Excuse me. That was an earlier time when he spoke to him. Not here. That's your seed is going to be like the stars in the sky. Yes, I did say that to you. He says, "Who where's it going to start from?" I told you it's going to come from said to God. Hello, you also told me you're going to take this and it's going to become multiply in the dust of the earth, right? The sand of the sea. Hey, yes, I did tell you that. So, me from who? again. Um, I can't read my I can't read it myself. Uh, shalom at Mo. Okay, I got Now I'm going to swear to you. You swear to me, I'm going to swear to you. Yesterday at Moaz you told me he's going to is going to be your child after 100 years. Right. Now you say put him up and kill him. Right. I I held my my love for my son. I didn't I didn't object. I didn't stop. Right. Um, uh, what does it say there? What's that? >> Oh, so here's what I'm asking you. Here's what I'm asking him. No, he's asking him as a result of the what is he asking for himself? He's asking for money, right? He's asking for fame, right? which God promised him all these things by leth I'm going I know you know that when you go when you go away you're not going to traveling you don't have children when you travel you don't you don't have parnasa when you travel you don't have fame you don't you nobody knows who you are he didn't ask for those things right he says he says here's what I'm asking I'm asking one thing now uh Whenever again what where is it? Keep reading. Somebody read it for me. Ruth, read it again. I can't. Oh, I even lost my Oh, good. Right. Good. Uh, >> oh, okay. I want I'm I'm unvening to you that whenever the Jewish people sin forever forever until Messiah comes that you will forgive them. You're going to forgive the Jewish people. Right? That's what I'm asking from you now. I'm That's what I'm asking you to swear. Right. So you say yours. So you said yours. You said, you said yours. Now, I'm gonna say mine. I'm gonna answer your your prayer. There's no question about it. Your children are going to sin. They're humans. They're going to sin. But now, this is bringing together this last part, this strange nexus of the is the in the place of right and the right that that's this conversation took place in between. And here's the answer, right? You're I'm gonna answer you and I'm going to judge them on rashim. Thank you. If if they ask for forgiveness, right? you >> basher and they sound a chauffeur in front of me right I'm going to forgive them right what's a chauffeur right you don't know what a chauffeur is no. Turn around and you will see. You hear how this There was another another right behind him. Aar not a behind him. Um in in the uh in the in the carav in the in the locked into the into the right. So Carnov tka said that it was stopped by there's a lesson here in the car that's where you make the chaver from he says token if you take this Ken right this Ken and I will forgive the Jewish people of their sins he prayed to him right etc etc etc mantra. So this is the first answer we have. It's a fascinating mantr but this is the first answer of what he prayed for. This is what he d him for and this is what answered him. Okay. He prayed for forgiveness for Ben Israel not for himself for forgiveness for Ben Israel. So, so that's why that's a very good thing to say uh between right remember we're not going to go into what Ara said to you but remember what you promised him so please you know okay he prayed for forgiveness okay what was the second thing he done that the second approach that the medish has number four second approach of the medish right is um is very human. Very human. He put him on the Ruth. I might still need your help. So, let's see. Oh, eyeball to eyeball. He's got on the altar and au father remember 100 years, right? He's got his son there and he's looking at him and the son is looking at him. Abraham he was crying so much tears that he was soaking wet from his tears and obviously was wet Right. You you you brism. It was your first Corbin, so to speak, right? Uh there's another Corbin. Now, right. Now, there's there's two midrashim here. I'm only reading one according to this. It's it's um Ara who's talking according to the other medish it'sak who's talking ga and they they he cried out a we call one of one of the languages of is right it doesn't mean you're screaming at the raon but it's it's a very powerful right his right looked up to the sky to the raon again. One medi says this is the other it's it's Araimov either of them or maybe both of them together maybe they sang the song to carnigan lift up your eyes to the heaven from where my help comes from. Right. Right. At that moment, angels started to the the angels got up and said, they were in lines and lines, thousands of angels in the heaven. And but the medish goes on. I don't have the whole medish. He didn't he didn't she so what's this a very hum human medish what did he pray for not to kill don't don't make me kill my son and also prayed because again it says that the second thing in that is answer he didn't where do you seek so here you have both of them to hashem okay please we're ready to do it but please don't do it so so the second approach of prayer was don't kill my son, don't kill me. Right? That was the second approach. Okay. What's [clears throat] the third? Excuse me. Is number five. This is another medish. Okay. So now he answers him. I swore to you. [clears throat] What was the what was the need for this oath for this promise? So Abraham said I I want to pray. Promise me you won't test me. Promise me you're not going to test me. But it's not like the previous measures, right? Not me and other med. In other words, what's he saying? What's this compared to? Oh, thank you so much. Okay. >> Okay. I hope it works. Okay. So, listen to the medric. She says, remember 10 tests of Ravenu. Uh, strange Marshall, but you know, here's the Marshall. This compar compared to this is the 10th test. Lamelik Shahaya Nasui Limatrona, a a king was married to a a matron, a very special lady, right? Uh Yalden Benishon, she gave birth to one child. Vara, right? He divorced her. He married her again. Valdoen Sheni gave birth to another son. Vara until she had 10 sons, you know, 10 divorces, 10 sons, right? Nine divorces, 10 sons, right? They all came in, you know, they father, please promise us again. Enough is enough, right? after the 10th one promise me not me and not the stars and the sand all the big myriad of children I'm going to have enough is enough that's how prayed now so you say that's like right would do to hashem but the truth is we all do to hashem like that if you if you look at the language of the that we say before Rash right and as hard as it is to understand today you know with English translations um a lot of this is please enough is enough that's really I we know that you have this power and you have that power so so where is it we don't see it we don't see it so that's what was praying for it was kind of a that we say today enough is enough what we're dealing with we we love you right but but so where does our faith come in with this for kind of a request right here is again this challenge of salant that and that that the mark of a Jew is to be able to to live with conflicting emotions. I once said this is this is said by a famous um uh uh what was his name escott Fitzgerald once said that the mark of a true philosopher is someone who can live with two 180 degree competing philosophies and support them and agree with them and defend both of them right I might have mentioned this in a previous year I don't remember so but the Kazones beat him to it beat him to But what much before but the Gmorilla says goyam there is a great wisdom by the goyam so this was a brilliant thing that he said okay so but what happens to the other emotion at this point so that's going to take us to this next piece okay we enough is enough for bonau but what about what about the other emotion that we're supposed to feel okay we have time to do this this is from uh the safer called uh abradesh which we've been using dasha we've been we've been using uh the handle of the door safer written by not written by his talum road the ger rasha the rashiva of g rashol altar I've we've been using him the last for those who have just joined us uh if you haven't heard of him um there was a split in g and he started his own kind of dynasty there's g he is um I've used this terminology before about him but he really is is a rock star. He had he visited two years ago. He went down south. He went he went to the and and to the to the to hostage families. He went to victims. He went to to the Shiva houses. Um he's taught uh he goes into every yeshiva gashiva, right? Uh but he he gave a shir and gush gave a shiran gush which you could probably find it if you you google it, right? So he he's an incredible but he's an incredible and he says he says very good things right so here's here's one of the things that he says um even when a piece person feels distance between himself and I mean there was no more distance that and felt from aesh boru when they were standing there right on his mountain on Ara Torah was going to be given right. Now here's the I asked you to remember this puk. Listen to what what these do to a said that a saw that plays from far. So he says var who is hamish. One of the names of aesh was hamak because aeshu is everywhere. So that what really what a what it says about what the Torah says about is he felt distant from that moment he's telling him to go sacrifice his son right and this one of the great GB says shalom all of is about is Right. Right. He's love. That's what was all about. That was his persona. Right. His four open tent, right? His whole all of his body, right, was to do the to goodness for all of the 248 limbs that corresponds to the 248 positive mites of the Torah. That's that's the reason that's that should be our goal, right? But at the time of the He put Yes. He put his son up there. Lo hereish Tom. Oh, he puts in Yiddish. He didn't, you know, he didn't feel Let's be honest. Did he feel close to God at that moment? When he was doing this, he did not feel that closeness from and really who should not feel close to the if not here. He felt distance a beautiful interpretation of apost right that being said he did the rat hashem you know why what's the difference what is teaching what's the difference between love and like I love hashem like I might not like what he's telling me to do I don't understand what he's telling me to do, right? But I love him and I have to do it and I know I know in my heart of hearts that what he's doing is going to be for the good. That's the other voice speaking to us, the other emotion, the two dimensions that we're living with, right? And they did the second columnar shagam. So this he gave over this spiritual energy to all of us, right? metim when a Jew feels distant in you know in in 5,786 right in 2026 right [sighs] pull out that love that you that is in your heart it even though it's covered it's hidden get it [clears throat] Shalom. We We can do it. We can do it. Actually, the energy of this for us, right? It's important to know that these 10 tests for Abraham were not just for Abraham, they were for all of us. If if you look in the Mishnav, it says like this. There were 10 generations from Abraham. Next Mishna Abraham Ainu. There were 10 generations, biological generations from Noah to Abraham. But there were 10 tests given to Abraham. Ainu. Why does the tan in the Mishna add the word ainu by the test says writes? He said because every test that Aram au his avut the avoot right that he the energy that what he created in his genes that genetic energy was given over to all of us forever for every generation the tests were for all of us. So for example the first test of if a Jew feels a chukah to make aliyah to come to Israel where does that come from you know I don't hear about a lot of Irish men who want to go back to Ireland right where does it come from they didn't have a mavenu it comes that's the energy of that that test so he's saying there is energy in the test of the not only to do what you don't what you what you don't like but to not only to to love him when you when you don't like it. Right? But that is the test to love him even when you don't like it. Right? So he says here fascinating please take your son right he doesn't say you know you know you take your son now what's you know please please would would you take him Right. He says, you know, I'm sorry. I'm asking. I want to be maternet. I want to apologize to you. I'm not going to fulfill what I promised to you that your is going to be, you know, whatever is going to happen. Please, please ac sacrifice him. This is the the great test. Shalom. He didn't say it in the commandment. Wasn't the commandment. If you want to do it, it's up to you. No, please. Right. You don't want to go [clears throat] in his love. His love that side that dimension to do the will of God. He went to there was actually there as we pointed out from and from was enough. All he had to say God says to him your choice and he went and did it. We have to learn for this for our for how we live our lives with Torah. Even if there's no you know what's the right what's the right there's no direct you know you know you you know sometimes you have to uh serve God with um something that's allowed for you right you know um Raaran Liflenstein once wrote an essay which has become a very a touchstone in in Hashkar um that there is a is a is there an ethic outside of is there an ethic outside of the answer is there is right at right what's an ethic outside of of you know um somebody once asked that question to Ravutner uh and he said yeah he says look if I take a white cat a Persian cat a $10,000 Persian cat and I put a $10,000 diamond necklace on the cat and I'm holding it here at the at the front of the bait midrash right in the I'm in the yeshiva and I'm standing here and I'm I'm with this cat right is that asser not but it just as what do we say in Yiddish >> right it doesn't it doesn't feel right it doesn't feel right there is an ethic outside of so He's challenging us that sometimes you have to you have to go with that also, right? I mean, I always say, you know, what what's the definition of of a modern Orthodox Jew, right? Every single person here is going to give me a different definition, right? Because really there there's no such thing as modern orthodoxy because we all get we all make up we make it up as we go along, right? To be modern orthodox doesn't mean well, you know, I do this but I don't do that, right? about right so there are other things about being a religious Zionist and a modern orthodox Jew and so on listen I'm not I'm not making judgments here but um the bottom line for all of us is uh Torah Msinai that we have to go with right we have to go with Torah right so it's a different it's a difficult um definition to come up with right we can come up with a definition but it's it's generally not the definition that people give when Somebody will say, "Well, Rabbi, I do this. I I don't do that." You know, that's it. You're You're allowed to do that, right? You're okay if you say so. Right. Okay. So, here, this is what he's saying. He's not even talking about that. He's saying about the things beyond. So, where where did I leave? Oh, I'm at the bottom here. No. No. We got to the top of the third column. Did we get there? Yes. Even when it's not like God tells us directly, I want you to do this, right? I want you, you know, to to give more money for for to to build up the south in you have to, right? Do it. to do more than your than it's written right to get to elevate yourself to realize what does it mean the will of God what does he really want from me and [clears throat] to do it with simpler he's going to close with a aim also put sing to Hashem with my life. I will sing to Hashem with my with my life. Right. Is are much stronger than a le with my what's my o? What's o extra? My o right. shall call. My whole life is going to be a song to the is on a higher level. the PS that he adds on to his life that I didn't have to do this but I'm going to do it right once I know this is what God wants. So we we we become inspired to do it. This was a my my lover who loved me mostly is also in the voluntary areas not just in the areas. Okay, I have another piece here but uh we don't have time for it. Time is over. We'll we'll get to it another time. Okay, thank you all.