Vayifga BaMakom: Reaching out to Hashem - Chizuk for Iron Sword by Rabbi Avi Herzog

good morning everybody it's good to see all of you and uh also all of you that are watching this at a later date um in the archives and just a reminder that all U our archive. oou israel.org and also at the main OU website um and in addition to them many of them including all of these are available on YouTube um in my particular case all you really have to do is just YouTube my name just enter aiag and all of my shim will come up as well so many things that are completely unrelated to me um maybe it's another hog sometimes it's the president of Israel sometimes it's things that have nothing to do with any Herzog it's just for some strange reason how YouTube works but my shim are available there and again all of the Yushi archive uh Boer to to all of you and it's good to see all of you this morning a few weeks ago um I focused in this kuk session on the name today I would like to continue with that theme but as it relates to this week's to so we will open this morning with the first fim or the first uh story um or substory in par and then we will go on to a few other sources um all of which will center around the word h the beginning of the par tells us as follows and of course we're all familiar with the text we're all familiar with the story and we find as follows Yakov must now run away from his brother asav who chooses to pursue him if it were strictly up to him or if there were simply no other consideration he could have gone in any which direction but as we know he received a directive from his parents to go back to uh mom's home to go back to Karan and to to find a wife from there from her family and so the Torah tells us as follows yov left where he had been and he was and he started his journey towards Karan um whenever I read that particular pasuk uh I I would say unfortunately think of a joke that I heard when I believe I was in uh 10th grade I say unfortunately because I think it's a stupid joke it's a lousy joke but it's on my mind now so I'm going to share it with all of you and hopefully you'll forget it or you'll just put it into the recesses of your mind somewhere and then maybe you'll tell it to somebody else and either you'll be proud of yourself for sharing it or like me you'll be embarrassed that you're sharing it right now and the joke goes as follows the principal of my high school RAB gin shalom in yasis in Chicago told the following what is the proof that yob ainu and his answer was the says left do you really think for a moment that yov would go anywhere without wearing a k that was the stupid joke I'm not ready to move on I got that out of my mind the next p on a serious note tells us as follows he reached the place and follow here he slept there over night for the sun had set or was setting notice the emphasis in my voice he took from the stones of the place which could mean he placed them underneath his head especially if we're talking about only one stone we'll get back to that and to use that stone as a pillow it could be that he placed the stones around his head perhaps as some sort of barrier uh to protect him from animals whatever it may be so far we have the word Mak three times he laid down there for the night I skipped several he had his dream with the with the ladder while he was asleep when he wakes up what does he do he saysa now that I had this dream I have this unbelievable Revelation indeed God can be found in this very place and up until this particular point I didn't realize it okay and then suddenly he went from this Revelation to fear to Fright because he realized wow how awesome or a filled this particular place is sorry this is in a literal sense the house of God meaning God's presence is here and this is the Gate of Heaven or maybe it means the gate way to heaven because after all I was able to have my dream here and experience the ascending and descending four times the word h and then the Torah tells us as follows he awoke in the morning he took the stone that he placed again either underneath or surrounding his head and he used that stone and erected it as um as a monument as a testament to and he poured oil over it which was of course a form of anointing in those days and it still is um on certain occasions today and then the last pasuk tells us as follows he named the place goes on to tell us that L was the name of the place originally he now renamed it B and especially if we follow the midash and we will get to that a little bit later I believe if we have time with if I M to do so um especially if B here is a reference to not the B that we know today and not another bale because there was more than one but rather it's a reference to none other than haroria itself um he indeed is giving it a new name because we do not find until this point in time that har or that the general area which of course in that time was a very tiny area is referred to as B so either way he names it the house of God because he indeed experienced uh God there in um a very strong sense of the word um in his dream okay the word h then Finds Its way into this text six times clearly it is directing our attention to the idea of let's begin with the fact and we'll come back to this that as soon as yov reaches or is on his way to and reaches this particular place all the Torah tells us is as we know is a compound of the place he didn't just reach a place the test is telling us he reached the place but there's no indication to us in up until this particular point in this particular story what place are we referring to and yet it's a definite article it's not just someplace that would Beka or any other particular uh particular um construct grammatical construct by means only that he reached the place kazal then decide if that's the case we have to Define What that particular place is that's how they come to which we indeed will see a little bit later but let's just divert our attention for a moment to a very well-known um piece of G and the gar tells us as follows which means there is a ofic Scholars r rabi the son of RAB he says as follows by the way this can be found in and he says as follows the of the day meaning the idea of the fact that we pray that we Davin Thrice three times daily can be attributed to the aot abah andov are the ones that instituted the thric daily however rabi disagrees and he says that the correspond to theban Tam to the Daily uh to the Daily Corban the word tamid we know the word to mean always or constant continuous and the idea behind calling it a Corban Tam is simply a reference to the fact that this is a quban that was brought daily every single day continuously one did not miss a day unless there was a specific reason why we were not able to enter the midash for example when there was no mikdash or when we were forbidden to enter the mikdash in the story of kanuka up until we were able to retake the mikdash but in any event that is why it's referred to theban it corresponds says R does to the in other words we had the we had theb in in the afternoon and then in the evening what was offered on the were the remnants of the Coran that was not yet uh that had not yet been burnt during the course of the day that's the idea behind but all of it gets back to the okay the continues we have a BRI that supports the idea of rabi Yosi rabi and we have another Bri that supports the idea of rabi Yoshua Lei this morning we're going to focus only on the first one and that is the opinion of rabi Yosi by R that that it was our that instituted the now before we go any further I would just like to suggest um and I've not seen this anywhere else that perhaps there is not necessarily any M here but rather R the one that says is drawing our attention to the concept cep of in other words the idea of big in general terms of course was already out there others obviously prayed to God before Abraham is and yob came along but the idea that one must reach out to God as we will see either in thanks or in in prayer in beseeching in the morning in the afternoon and in the evening were instituted by three I vote when we take all of their uh particular uh choice of times together that's the very general concept of the idea of and when it takes place as opposed to the other opinion of I believe that's a reference not to the concept of had already been conceptualized and perhaps practiced but rather that is referring not just to the concept but also to the construct and the constraints of how we D in when we dve in so for example as we will see in just a moment the idea of daving in the morning comes from abrahamu okay but the morning as we know it begins as the sun rises and lasts all the way until we'll call it noon or until comes along the and says no because the Corban had to be offered within a specific time frame which a shorter time frame than that than that and therefore really should only or best be during that particular time frame and the same thing goes for could only be offered at a certain time and therefore we also only D at that par during that particular time it's not just whenever we feel like in addition to that we know that theot um in themselves incorporate into it we look forward to the day when we can return to the mdash the idea of that being in our indeed is going back to the very um the the approach of Ru of that these were were set up were organized around the Corban and so we tie the two together let's go a little bit further tells us as follows here is the Bri that supports RAB that or as I said the concept of were instituted by the Abraham is the one that instituted the idea of there is another that says there is a excuse me that says regarding Abraham it's important to point out that nowhere in the Torah does it tell us that yov that that Abraham is and yob actually prayed that root or anything related to it is not found instead there's a which tells us Abraham awoke in the morning El there seemed to be some words missing here he woke up to the place towards the place it obviously he he woke up and then he was on his journey to the place a he was on his way to the place where he had stood meaning where he had stood previously the only verb here other than that he arose isad stood and the B tells us he went to the place that he had been previously and the goes on to tell us quoting the that the term whenever it appears in the Torah and it means whenever it appears is not not only a reference to to the story that's going on because here it does mean a place that he had been before that he had stood before but in addition not instead but in addition it also refers to til in other words that he had stood there in prayer so in order to be able to justify the idea that the standing is a reference to kazal of course need a backup they need what we'll call an or a proof text and that is as it says elsewhere understanding the word as it has perhaps and I'll leave the why I'm saying perhaps for a different time not for today that shares the same root as the word which may or may not be then even though it's a different verb construct could be what we would refer to as he prayed he stood and he prayed in other words he stood into so he was standing into then whenever that same root is used in the it is a reference in addition to the level of it is also an illusion to prayer and if it refers to Prayer by Pinas then when the Torah tells us that Abraham returned to the place where he had stood before it means to the place where he had stood and daved in the past and maybe was daving now too okay let's leave that aside this one's a little bit more direct is the one that instituted the idea the concept of we need a proof text for that too and we're told oh excuse me before we get to the proof text the text regarding is what do we find and remember we don't find that in the text itself instead this is from last week's par from when elazar was on his way back with rivka and Y had gone out to the fields and suddenly he notices that these camels are coming and he sees RKA for the first time tells us went out like the word as we're having right now a discussion actually we're not having a a because you're all muted so it's not really a discussion it's rather ABI Herz is going on and on and none of you uh will even attempt to interrupt me because there's no point because you're muted although the truth is I would love for this to be a for this to be a conversation for this to be a dialogue it just can't work within this particular framework but in any event he went to converse to uh excuse me to to engage in dialogue yes to talk but it's not means to engage in dialogue but if he if he's there by himself thinking about it for a moment he has to be engaging in dialogue with somebody the word is not talking to yourself the word is not just simply speaking it means having a conversation you cannot Converse unless there is somebody or some other entity involved in that particular so he went out to the field towards not towards the evening and then Kaz go on to say okay keeping that in mind if there's no body else there we know where this is going the word is also a reference to in other words it's a dialogue or at least it's a give and take or there is somebody on the receiving end if they're not responding and in that sense this morning we indeed are having a and that is also why very often a mus in the modern Yesa world is referred to as a even though there's not necessarily a conversation going on one person is speaking but the idea behind it being that there is somebody that is receiving and listening to the information so there are two sides involved so that two is a reference to in other words the other one involved here is none other than himself the proof text for that is elsewhere where we find the word or or the root word the tells us the of an of a poor person or a person who down TR in when he wraps himself think of the imagery if you will of a talit or not necessarily but rather a person wrapping themselves in a cloak maybe in modesty whatever it may be and before God he pours out his not but rather his his s is conversing knowing that there's God there on the other end who is the counterpart involved in this particular to okay that's and then for our purposes this morning the Bri ends with the following yov is the one that instituted this very idea of of reaching out to God in the evening as the says yes we opened with this this morning it is the second in he reached the place okay the verb he reached and the Torah tells us excuse me the tells us the root of reaching in this particular case reaching the whatever that Mak May a reference to that verb of reaching also refers to now how in the world did Kaz know that so first of all we'll begin with a proof text and then we'll take it one step further the proof text is in do not pray for these people they do not deserve it they have been um suffice it to say uh very bad boys and girls as it were and I'm not gonna listen literally don't lift on their behalf and don't in other words don't lift up your voice in prayer on their behalf um God is saying the same word that is used by don't reach let's add the word out in English don't reach out to me I'm not going to be there for you getting back to our text with he reached not just the place but he reached out and just as God said to him Al is also a reference to the exact opposite because it's written in the positive not in the negative he reached out either in the place or he reached out to amak now think about that for a moment on aat level it literally only means that yov reached there whatever the there may be and it's a definite article he reached the Mak not just any old M okay so kazal understood that perhaps this is a reference to Har and it occurred to me when I was reviewing this text again this morning in preparation for for for right now it occurred to me for the first time that why in the world did attribute the m to what made them come up with that and I thought for a moment that the M that does um come up with conjures uh com comes up with this idea of the Mak referring to Har it might be this particular P they may have been thinking of this other Bri maybe not but which states which tells us he reached out to the Mak suddenly then Mak here is not just a reference to the physical place it's a reference to and perhaps they understood that means that he DAV he reached out to as as all of that is included in the words by he understood that now that he had his dream he excuse me before he had his dream he understood now that he reached a place safely and he's able to sleep overnight that he needs to reach out to number one in prayer that he is safe throughout the night and in thanks of course for the fact that he now has a place where he can simply um lay down to rest for the night taking that we can then taking um that forward we can then understand as I mentioned before how this may explain the notion that this particular place they came to was in fact Rashi quotes that particular idea that particular mid and tells us he reached a place that Bas does not mention which particular place is as you reach the place so one way to go with that is to imagine to ourselves what that place might be uh we excuse me I apologize we already disc um we already engaged in a very brief uh discussion as to why it is that kazal interpret that to be but in fact we know how writing Works writing works as follows if a person refers to the place as in a definite specific place and the place is not mentioned there one needs to go back to the previous time that either a particular location is mentioned or the way thatal are understanding it in this case where the word h is used previously or regarding what place the word hamakom is used previously and rashing indeed quotes for us the midash that tells us here is not defined so indeed it must be referring to in rash's words that is mentioned that is mentioned elsewhere who and that place is because there when Abraham ainu was traveling the tah tells us it says about him and about it spoke he saw the place from afar he saw the place Haram off in the distance and if there in that particular con context excuse me H is referring to Har so here the term H or is also a reference to but as I mentioned before I think there's more to it than that I think that kazal look looked at the authors of this particular M looked at the text of understanding that on a newer level on a deeper level is not just that he reached the place it's that he reached out toad in that very same place that Abraham a was bidden by not just to offer up his son as a Corban but also to reach out to because as we've discussed in the past some of and um and many have written about or talked about in their classes um and their what really wanted from at was to say hold hold on a second God what gives he wanted Abraham ainu to step up not just to pass the test in terms of being willing to do what asked of him but being being willing to literally be to reach out to God in that particular place and say to him God you need to help me understand what you're all about so in that particular sense abrahamu also reached out to and his grandson yobu followed suit yov reached out [Music] Toad and something else just happened here if you didn't pick up on it if is a reference back to abah being on and then what we're really doing is showing that there is a beautiful synthesis of the two different ideas that are presented for us in the bright time with which we began this morning from were the instituted by the aot or were theot instituted to recall the corote it's both isn't it both I began by stating that I personally believe there may not be any M here that one is referring to the very concept of that's the aot and the other is referring to the construct of and that's the cor but the two go hand in hand yov and his ding one of the aot a directly corresponds to Abraham A's experience at har willing and ready to offer up his son as a Corban on har the two are interconnected they are not separate ideas both of these ideas inform what our is supposed to be all about both of these ideas help us to understand what we are to engage in and how we are to approach if indeed we really fully engage in what is all about it's about recalling that the outreached out to and it's also about recalling that original experience ofu on that particular quban let's just think about that for a moment and as we're thinking about that I would like to end with another message that also emanates from this morning's parasha and we're familiar with this particular midash uh that Rashi also uh brings to our attention there seems to be uh a discrepancy in the wording first the Torah tells us that yov reached a place and what did he do he took from the stones of the place or of the stones of the place and he placed it placed them I mention that the outset could mean underneath his head as a pillow because if referring just to one stone he wouldn't put it aside or near his head that would Ser simply no function but rather he placed it underneath him or which really should mean surrounding him if that's the case it's referring to more than one stone but let's be clear the torat itself does not tell us whether he took one stone or whether he took several the torat tells us simply that by may he took from the stones of not he took the stones of what he took is not written in the plural he took from a plurality of stones how many he took one or several we cannot know that from the particular text in fact I Ezra is of the and others are of the opinion that he simply took one and he used it as a pillow he placed his head upon it he placed it m literally underneath his head to serve as some sort of pillow for the night because that's all he had that was the best that he could do as uncomfortable as it was Rashi will disagree it seems by quoting the midash and so Rashi tells us as follows he took the stones in the plural as some sort of protective wall um surrounding his head because obviously he was out in the open so he was concerned that maybe he would be attacked by wild animals in the middle of the night so he built some sort of Fortress around him okay a beautiful mid the stones began to argue with one another I personally do not take these types of midashim these metaphors you know me by now to be meant literally just like I do not believe that the moon and the sun literally duked it out according to the mid and that the moon actually physically complained no the moon does not have the power to speak but rather according to the ramban this is not just ABI her but it's um the rambam himself and many others who believe that these types of midashim are not meant to be taken literally and the same thing would be true here the stones didn't physically argue it out that has nothing to do with the reality but rather the kazal are portraying for us a certain imagery in order to convey a certain message and here's the message they began to argue with one another Z one stone said I'll Al on me this great sadik this righteous individual yob will place his head and then the other one shined in and said no let him place his head upon me so each one of them wanted to have the Z wanted to have the privilege of being used as a pillow because it should be pretty clear I suppose that in addition to building this Fortress around him he was also going to use one of them to not not excuse me not use one of them for the Fortress but rather to place his head upon and if that's the case each one wanted in on the action so what did he decided you know what I'm going to answer the of all of them somehow melded together all of these a and whether or not this is meant to be taken literally or not is completely besides the point it's the idea behind it took them into excuse me melded them together and formed them together into one stone and that is how the Pas can switch from the plural if indeed it is understood to mean that he took plural stones into the singular because once he awakens the Torah tells us there it is clearly in the singular he took the stone that he placed beneath his head it's a that we quoted earlier with which we began this morning and he decided to use to repurpose this stone for a higher purpose and that is for a Mata to erect a mat to erect a monument and a testament to God and to the fact that God appeared to him in that particular place reached the place did The aot Institute people were ding before but they added a new dimension to it do art correspond to the corot indeed they do encompasses all of the above and so I would simply like to end our this morning our short time spent together learning Tor with a that indeed we have suffered enough Corban note we have suffered enough human corote we do not need anymore but at the same time that we will indeed have the opportunity not only to see soon and it seems like it may be on the way to have all of our hostages returned and not only in end to this particular where we and all human beings upon the entire planet who be able to literally and really live with Everlasting Shalom and Sh but at the same time also for us to be able to offer up our corot in the place of the mikash in the place where yov may or may not have been but again where abrahamu definitely was may we see that opportunity soon okay we will conclude our sh for this morning and I wish you all a good day