Rabbi Benjamin Yudin Discusses Parshat Lech Lecha on JM in the AM (5786)

Good morning. Good shabus everybody. Tomorrow we have the privilege of reading paras. Whoa. With paras we are really starting a fresh and new. In my mind it's like Torah as I'll explain in a moment. First of all, protocol. According to the there is one mitzvah found in paras one of the tiag the second of the 613 and that is the britz mitzvah of brisma chapter 17 in berius where hashem tells Abraham at [music] the age of 99 that he is to have himself circumcised to enter into a covenant with and interestingly I just want to share with you a one of the insights of the as to why why circumcision and I quote from the I'm going to give the English translation thereof but basically what he's saying is the following that could have created a perfect human being. We're talking now physiologically. All right. However, the eternal Lord desired to perfect the physical character of the chosen people. And he wished that this perfection be affected by man. He did not create him complete and perfect from the womb in order to hint to him that just as the perfection of his physical form is by his own hand, so too does it lie in his hand, meaning within his means and power to complete his spiritual form by worthiness of his actions. In simple English, man is told to complete himself, complete the physical. And even more important, as a result of having the brisma and theata, the divine assistance that comes with it, man is then able to the Jew. This is his key to studying of Torah. This is his key towards perfection of his character. So let's get back to why I think paras is like a Torah. Okay. After all, what do we do on simas to Torah? We start a fresh a new. We finish the fifth book of Dvarim. We start safer. Now what are we doing this shabis? So you're going to tell me, well, the first para of Bacius spanned the first thousand years and the second para of Noah spans the second thousand years of civilization. And now what? Oh, paras Noah spans approximately 25 years. Where am I getting that from? It starts at the very beginning in chapter 12 of Batius. And we're told that Aram is 75 when Akadesh Baru speaks to him. Don't yell at me and tell me that there's the opinion that says rightly so that he's 70 at the Brisbane Absor. Let's leave that alone. But let's work with what the Torah says. He's 75. And at the end of the para when he's given the mitzvah of circumcision, he's 99. So we're talking 24 25 years. So it's amazing what the Torah does in the first two parachios for 2,000 years. Here we are only focusing on 24 years of obviously the main quote feature o of the the story and that is Abraham. But I want to start with his beautiful wife. The Torah tells us at the end of Paras Noah. [snorts] And what does the Torah say? Unbelievable. Chapter 11 verse 30. Sarai Akur Sarai was barren. And in case you want to know what the word akur means, the Torah acts like a dictionary and it says, "I'll tell you a love. She had no child." The Torah is not a dictionary. The rabbis tell us in the Gmorra vamos that she did not have the wherewithal. She did not have the physiological capability of having a child. In other words, take a look at the Jewish people and from the getgo, the answer is no. In a natural way, it just can't happen. She cannot have a child. Nothing can be done in a natural way. Ah so which means that we are dealing with a new creation just like various talks about the creation of the world and the process whereby Hashem created the world and the Mishna teaches us in OS chapter 5 with 10 statements that Hashem create the world and he could have created with one statement let there be a world No, but it gives more meaning, substance to the world because it has God's 10 directives within the world itself, within nature. Listen carefully. Now, what you have here is a new creation. The fact that Sai is going to have her name changed and Sra is going to have a baby. Aram is not going to father a child, but Abraham will. This is as found in this week's para in chapter 15. God took him outside, outside the natural order, beyond tea, beyond nature. And indeed, whoa, listen carefully. Go back to the beginning of chapter 2 in various and in various chapter 2. What does the Torah say? Chapter 2:4 that these are the products of heaven and earth when they were created in the day that Hashem made heaven and earth. Okay? So the word behum from the Hebrew word bor on the day that they were created. Now listen carefully. I don't know who came up with a game of Scrabble, but I do know that basically you're given a certain number of tiles and you're you're given the opportunity to make words on the board. So, and we scramble letters around. Amazing. So the word isam and what does the balim say? Take a peek. He quotes the medish that the letters of are the same letters as a god created heaven and earth for Abraham. In other words, there's a reason for God's creating the world. He created the world and clearly Adam and Kava, Adam and Eve were given the first chance to make something out of this world. Unfortunately, without blaming anybody, they for lack of a better way of saying it messed up. Okay, Hashem said, "Let's try a second chance." And that was from Noah. And unfortunately, we know that while he succeeded in surviving the flood, unfortunately after the flood, he just was not up to the monumental task of rebuilding the world. So, what do we have now? Hashem's next plan. And guess what? This one works. It works with Ara. And it's amazing. The Torah doesn't tell us anything about Ara as it did last week in the beginning of Noah Noah. Here points out the Torah begins chapter 12. Hashem said to Abraham, "Pack your bags." Amazing. Doesn't tell us anything about. And the answer is the Torah is telling us everything about that. Namely, Aram was ready to go and goes not because as I would have thought, who wouldn't go? God said, "I will after all. I'll make you into a great nation. I'll make you wealthy. He'll become renown well known throughout the world." As indeed the people of refer to Abra as you are a prince of God. So who wouldn't go for this? That's why the Torah has to tell us in the beginning of paras that Abra goes. But why does he go? He goes because Hashem told him to go. As it says in the very beginning of [clears throat] one second, the Torah says, "Come on. Yeah. He went because God commanded him, not because of the lucrative rewards that were going to be rewarded to him, which don't come as we know so quickly anyway. But the point is that the world was created for Abraham and take his name out. The world was created for the Jewish people. What does that mean? It means we were given a task. We were given a responsibility. God makes a covenant. What's a covenant? A covenant is a contract. But there are two sides to the covenant that we know that a covenant with God, God is the giver and we are the recipients. So in what way can this be called and I'll show you in a moment where we say this every single day I in our prayers as I'll show you in a moment from the ninth chapter of the so the question is in what way are we giving to God? We know what God gives us as it says let's go right to that prayer. We see this every day. God literally entered a covenant with Abraham. And as it says in chapter 17, when Abram performed the bris, God said, "I'm going to give you this land." Oh, guess what? God kept his word as we say every day. We because you, God, are righteous. You keep your word. He gave us Israel. But what's going on here? So I think the answer so beautifully is as follows that Abraham is saying to God I will be the one to bear to carry your name your essence throughout the world as the Jew has done for almost 2,000 years in exile when we lost the second bis mikdash and as we do throughout our actions and our lives in Erit Israel. Now watch in chapter five of the book of Oos the second the third Mishna reads there were 10 generations from Noah to Abraham as we know listed at the end of paras Noah and Abra is referred to as Abraham. Next Mishna chapter 5 Mishna 4 knows 10 tests au father was tested and he withtood them all. Whoa. So now what's going on here? Why asks in his parish on OS why in Mishna 3 is Aram referred to just by his name proper noun 10 generations from Noah to Aram and why in the next Mishna to Abraham Au our father and the answer is a father passes down to his children his DNA. Abra and Sara created literally by carrying and fulfilling the word of God. And wherever they went, they were representatives of God. That there is a God in this world. And the fact is that whoo God says to Abraham when he takes him outside in chapter 15 and says to the look upstairs and see the stars and count the stars. Can you count the stars and kar that means that you will be like the stars meaning that astrology said a no. Abraham, yes. Sor, no. Sor, yes. A whole new creation. Abraham. Abraham and Sor. And a Jewish nation are being literally created. This shabis. It's a creation like Simas Torah was starting a fresh and a new. And remember one thing. Take out not literally but figuratively every one of you your name the name of Abraham from the first verse. God said to Abra go home go to your home. Go to the place which I have reserved for the Jewish people. Go to the place where I will be most recognized throughout the world. And just look how privileged we are in our lifetime to see biin har over 7 million Jews living in Israel and that has to be in not the back of all our minds in the front of all our minds. It's not a question of where, it's only a question of when. I conclude with every day we say from the ninth chapter of every morning right before we say you Hashem are the one who created heaven and earth. Right. And watch this. It goes seamlessly from creation of the world to the creation of the Jewish people cuz we have that privilege of carrying that responsibility of showing how man could should act in this world by being ambassadors of Hashem. Shabbat shalom to all.