Parsha Perspectives - Lech Lecha

Okay, good morning Boer to welcome back to para perspectives for today the privilege of learning together paras action-packed paras the trick is not to figure out what to say it's to figure out what not to say every part of the para every piece of the narrative is so filled with depth with meaning and uh with lessons for today so we'll dive right in but first of course as always our gratitude thank you to our series sponsors Becky and Avi Katz and family in memory of David Gman our learning should This morning she responded by Amanda the lions. A thank you for the weekly learning for Mary and for all those who were affected by the terrible attack that took place in Manchester over Kipper. They should have a speedy complete and painless rafu shalma paras. We're going to open up with three insights by Rabbi Saxs. The new I understand is now available. I highly recommend it and I get no commission from it. Pure recommendation for everyone. page 54 in the art scroll stone. I hope everybody uh enjoys I mentioned those who come in person get an extra gift. We produced my son's bar mitzvah this past Shabas Shai. His name is Shai the inheritance of Shai. It's made up of three parts but the bulk of it is our writeups and para perspectives. No, you can't order it and we won't send it to you. It's only for the people who come in person. We didn't produce enough for the hosul or for the whole world. just a few for our family and for the simka and for the people who loyally come in person to para perspective you get not only coffee or a slushy or pastry but hopefully you walk away with more insight on the para as well Hebrew side and English side so please take one before you leave page 54 in the earth stone elar aka we now transition as we saw last week from the opening 11 proim the stories of parishes bracious and universal all of man the failure of man violent in the very purpose and creation of the world to now the one who gets it the honor society of of Hashem's classroom au and we begin not at the beginning of his life but we begin already into his life the story has already started which is a question into itself we won't address today why are we only introduced to Aram at an advanced age not that advanced relaxed but an advanced age he's not young let's put it that Okay. And we the Torah omits some of those early stories even though we're familiar with them. Of course, destroying his father's idol shop and so on. So I want to begin there by Sax's introduction to the para and several insights that he has that I think are all magnificent. Number one, tradition offers several explanations of how Arams and Sar's journey began. How did this story begin? According to one Aram was the iconic class who broke his father's idols. We all know that story, right? His father went on his lunch break. He put Aram in charge. Aram smashed and destroyed all the idols. Put the hammer in the hand of the largest idol. When his father returned, he said, "What happened?" Said, "What do you mean, what happened?" The big idol killed all the little idols. His father said, "They're they're stoned. What are you talking about? What happened?" He said, "Exactly. If it can't even destroy all the smaller stones, rocks, then then why are you bowing down worshiping? Why do you think it could do anything else?" Arainu used his common sense and his logic in order to discover. According to another, he was the philosopher who seeing people worship the sun and stars asked, "But who created them?" He looked around. He saw people bowing down and worshiping nature. And he said, "Nature is indeed a powerful force." Just look at the hurricane that's forming. I think a category five hopefully not headed our way. Nature is a powerful force. So, but the people who bow down and worship nature, but who created nature? And the med has a third and altogether more radical reading. The measure says Hashem told Aram, "Go le to what may this be compared to a man who was traveling from place to place when he saw a palace in flames." He wondered, "Is it possible the palace lacks an owner?" Obviously, this palace, this home, this magnificent edifice didn't come onto its own. It must have an owner, an architect, a builder. The owner of the palace looked out and said, "I'm the owner." So, Aram, our father, our father said, "Is it possible the world lacks a ruler?" The rebon looked out and he said, "I am the ruler, the sovereign of the universe." This is a deeply enigmatic passage, says her saxs. Aram sees a palace. The world has order and therefore it has a creator, but the palace is in flames. So the first thing Aram saw, philosophers call this the first cause argument and one of the pieces of evidence of Hashem's existence. There is no absolute proof. This is not the amunisher. We'll save it for another time, but there is no absolute proof that there is a god and there's a reason. And that's by design. Because if it were undeniable, if there were absolute proof, what would we be deprived of? What would we be denied of? What would we not have? Free will. Free will is the essence of creation. It's the essence of life. The fact that we make choices and with our choices, we draw closer or we recoil and retreat further away. Our choices are what give meaning. And if Hashem was provable, absolutely, we would be deprived. We would have no free will. Without free will, there's no purpose for life. So, Hashem created a world in which he still takes an element of a leap of faith. But we have enough evidence to know he exists. As much evidence as we have of anything else. You don't know that coming here today, crossing the street or getting in your car or pouring yourself a cup of coffee that something lethal wasn't going to happen to you. But you compile the evidence and the evidence tells you the pattern, the history. It tells you it's probably safe to drink the coffee. If I look both ways, I don't have to worry I have a blind spot and I'm going to get hit by a car. I don't have to fear that my brakes are going to malfunction. The medicine I picked up at the pharmacy is probably not laced with something lethal. We have evidence and every day we lead our lives based on the prepundonderance of evidence we've collected. Even though even though we have no absolute proof, and I would elaborate, but we neither have the time nor do I want to make you neurotic and give you anxiety. But if you actually consider how little proof we have for many of the major things we do, I have two children taking off on planes this morning to New York and one to Israel. How do you know getting on a plane? I'm not even going to finish the sentence, but we have evidence. And the evidence we collect is that there are authorities. They do reviews. There are safety checks. All the decisions we make from the moment we wake up in the morning till we fall asleep at night are based not on absolute proof. They're based instead on the prepoundonderance of evidence. And that same threshold of the preponderance of evidence exists that there is Hashem. And that's why the Torah doesn't expect or ask us to take a leap of faith to believe. It tells us we can know with the same degree of confidence, with the same amount of evidence, we can know. The word the Torah uses over and over again is to know. Don't take a leap of faith. You don't have to believe. belief and leap of faith is something someone does for something imaginary. But Hashem is not imaginary. And if you just look with no bias, if you just examine the evidence objectively, you will con conclude and you will see the prepundonderance, you will have the same threshold of evidence that you have for the decisions we make in life. So one of those pieces of evidence is what's called the first cause, which is that I look back and I come from my parents who come from their parents who come from their parents. But if I trace that back all the way, where did it all begin? And even if you conclude it began with a big bang. Dr. Gerald Schroeder argues for how you can reconcile the big bang and sephracious in his book, wonderful book, Genesis and the big bang. They're not necessarily in conflict. You can reconcile them. Who created who launched that big bang? So the first cause there's another piece of evidence which is that the third law of thermodynamics is that order goes to disorder to chaos. Your cup of coffee when you leave it too long gets cold. The water molecules spread out. No longer retains the heat and it gets cold. Fruit and vegetables they decay. People get old. We decay. We become infirmed. Order goes to disorder naturally. Whenever you see disorder become organized, you know there's a creator that is a designer. Nature order goes to disorder. When you see disorder become organized, it means there was a creator. The sitting in front of you was not because ink spilled on it and we got the result of this text. There is instead a publisher and a printer and of course a divine author. Every building had an architect and a builder. Every sculpture a sculptor. Every artwork an artist. Even though some artwork goes for a lot of money that looks like paint accidentally spilled on it. That's because I'm just unsophisticated. I don't appreciate apparently what looks like kindergarten artwork to me. But we'll leave that aside for another time. So Arainu the medish is telling us sees a palace a palace can't lack an owner didn't just come to be the materials there wasn't a hurricane that whipped this palace into shape there was an architect and a designer but why does the medish all that was a long-winded way of explaining the medish a came to the conclusion this third suggestion is because he saw the world as no less than a palace if a palace as an architect and a builder then the world too is not accidental or random but why does the medus describe that The palace is in flames. So listen to what Rabbi Sach says. The world is full of disorder, of evil, violence, and injustice. Now, no one builds a building then deserts it. If there's a fire, there must be someone there must be someone to put it out. The building must have an owner. If so, where is he? That is the question. And it gives a no peace. With this, we arrive at the starting point of Jewish faith. Faith is born not in the answer but in the question. Not in the harmony but in the dissonance. Aram doesn't just see a palace. He sees it on fire. And he says, "No one builds a building and abandons it and leaves it and lets it be destroyed and allows it to go up in flames. Where's the owner?" It's a question that irks him, that bothers him. And he's stimulated by that question to search to search for answers. And that is the starting point of Jewish faith. If Hashem created the world, why does he allow man to destroy it? Can Hashem have made the world only to abandon it? From time and memorial to the present, there have always been two ways of seeing the world. The first few says there is no God. There are contending forces, chance and necessity. The chance that produces variation, the necessity that gives the strong victory over the weak. From this perspective, the evolution of the universe is inexorable and blind. And therefore, we never know why. There is no why. There's no palace. All we see are flames. But the second view insists there's a Hashem. There's a creator. All that exists or transpires does so because he willed it. Therefore, all injustice is an illusion. Perhaps the world itself is an illusion. Well, the innocent suffer teaches them to find faith through suffering. The soul strength through the body's torments. Evil is the cloak that mass the good. There is a question, but there's always an answer. For if we could understand Hashem, we would know that the world is as it is because it would be less good word otherwise. There is a palace, therefore there are no flames. The faith of Arab begins in the refusal to accept either answer. Suppose both Hashem and evil exists. Suppose there are both the palace and the flames. It is in that cry that sacred discontent that Aram's journey begins. And the heart of reality is a contradiction between order and chaos that has no resolution at the level of thought can only be resolved at the level of action only by making the world other than it is. To be a Jew is to have the courage to refuse easy answers, to reject either consolation or despair. Hashem exists, therefore life has purpose. Evil exists. Therefore, we have not yet achieved that purpose. Until then, we must travel just as Ara and Sor traveled to begin the task of shaping a different kind of world. What haunts us about the measures is not just Aram's question, but Hashem's reply. He answers, "I am here without explaining the flames." He doesn't attempt to put out the fire. It's as if instead he was calling for help. Hashem made the building. Man set it on fire. Only man can put out the flames. Aram asks Hashem, "Where are you?" Hashem says, "I am here. Where are you?" Man asks Hashem, "Why did you abandon me?" So begins a dialogue between earth and heaven, which has not ceased for 4,000 years. In these questions, which only the other can answer, Hashem and man find one another. Perhaps only together can they extinguish the flames. What an introduction to the para to au to this medish. We ask Hashem, "Where are you?" He says, "Where are you?" We saw that with Araka. We saw that with Cen. Are you your brother's keeper? Where were you? Where's your brother? And Aram is the one who now when he asks Hashem and Hashem reciprocates and he points the question back on him. A becomes the goyam. He becomes a forever. Why? Because he becomes the answer. He takes he takes responsibility. He doesn't jerk. He doesn't point fingers. He doesn't pivot. He doesn't blame. He steps up. He steps in. He becomes a we see that that is the theme of our entire para. Whether it's stepping up to help rescue his wife, rescue his nephew Lot, the war of the four kings and the five kings argue even on behalf of the evil people of stone, he continuously and consistently steps up. Yes, the palace is on flame in flames. Man lit it on fire and man has to put it out and Aram is ready to do so. And that's how the story begins. Hashem tells a go. Translate the word go. What is the word? You could translate a lot of different ways which lend a lot of different meaning. So sax writes in Hebrew the suggested phrase is literally go for yourself possibly go to yourself. A more madrashic interpretation takes the phrase to mean go with yourself meaning by traveling from place to place you will extend your influence not over one land but of many a beautiful that says this it describes go from your birthplace your land your father's house what did resemble wonders the medish to a jar of scent a jar of perfume came a jar with a pleasant fragrance with a tight fitting lid put away in a corner. So the fragrance never spread as soon as it was moved from that place and opened. Now the fragrance began to spread. So to Hashem said to Aram, "Aram, it's wonderful you discovered me. Don't keep this secret to yourself. Go with yourself. Travel from place to place so the greatness of your name will go forth in my world." Ara is commanded to leave his place in order to testify to the existence of Hashem not bounded by place. Creator and sovereign of the entire universe. Aram and Sah listen to this braha. Listen to this file. Listen to this charge for every one of us. Aram and s are to be like perfume leaving a trace of their presence wherever they go. Implicit in this measures the idea the fate of the first Jews always prefigured that of their descendants. We would be scattered around the world to spread the knowledge of Hashem. Part of the diaspora, the gullus, part of being spread all over. It's time to go home. Of course, but part of the mission of those who are still waiting and planning for that time is to understand why are we there? What's our purpose? What's our mission? Not to live in retreat, not to ever be apologetic or defensive. to be proud practicing Jews to spread our fragrance and our perfume to let the world know that Jews were here and they left a pleasant fragrance they met it made it a better place we have a mission go out and pursue it and what's the mission go not only for yourself and not only to yourself go with yourself bring your energy bring your you wherever you go topic of our shabashiva drusha just a few weeks ago was this ego versus elocus. When we're out there trying to make a difference, when we're trying to have influence as an influencer, not as an influencer, but influence the world positively, we're doing so not out of ego. It's not about us, our name, our followers, our power, our likes, our income. It's not about us. We're not doing it out of ego. We're doing it out of elus. That's the mission. Yes, Aram. It's more comfortable. It's more convenient. Staying in your home, studying your Torah, discovering and living with me, offering your hospitality, doing your That's comfortable. That's convenient. That's lovely. But that's not why you're here. Your purpose, your mission, your why is go with yourself all over and spread that light, spread that knowledge, spread that energy, spread that good. transform and repair and redeem my world. Jews are not meant to live in retreat in an ivory tower in isolation. Judaism is not just for Jews. The Torah and Yiddish and Judaism have what to say for the entire world. A world increasingly confused and lost. Judaism has succeeded enormously in that mission. Aram who promoted ethical monotheism transformed the globe. This country credits Judeo-Christian values, which are Judeo values. The Declaration of Independence is laced with language that comes from the Torah. Don't take it from me. It's what the founding fathers said when it was written. The majority of the globe today, Christians, Muslims, and a handful of Jews, Muslims are monotheistic. Technically not a vodar according to the Rambam. Christianity according to many is a vodor. But at least even the Rambam who sees it as such says it's a step in the right direction. They believe in our God also. That also is a problem. But it begins with belief in our in our God. Aram was and is successful. And we carry and pick up the baton. And that's our purpose in this confused world to teach what it means time, marriage, love, what it means, intimacy, what it means, the responsibility and the role of money and materialism. Judaism is meant to shape and mold the whole world, not only us. That's the Rab Sax is describing. Not just go for yourself, not just go to yourself to discover who you are. Go with yourself with your energy, with your talent, with your bra, with who you are. Bring that and share that with the world. I mentioned in Shabashua, I spoke to I struggle with this. You know, when you want to get to the next level, when you want to elevate your classes or have them reach farther or further or more people, is that ego or elocus, you want your articles to appear more places. Is that ego or is that because you're an ambassador, an agent? You're sharing the message of Hashem every day in that struggle. And I spoke to many people I admire and love, one of them, Rabbi Y Jacobson, my friend. And I asked him how he navigates that tension. And he shared with me from the Rebenu who said that when Hashem tells Aram at the beginning of our para I'll make your name great. So I'll make your name great. The simple understanding of I'll make your name great is I'll make your name great. You'll become a household name which we now are which he now is. How many homes across the globe have never heard of Abraham or as President Trump likes to call him Abraham. Abraham, whichever formulation he uses. I mean, just think about how the president stood in Egypt with dozens of world leaders behind him at a summit that the whole world is focused on referencing over and over again the Abraham Accords, invoking Ara's name. I'll make your name great. Everyone's talking about Abraham and please God to expand these accords and more countries join them and more peace, a real legitimate lasting peace. Abraham, we are living and we are watching and we are seeing the fulfillment of that promise that Abraham's name is made great. It is a household name, a recognized name. It is the name of these accords. It's the name on the lips of every world leader. But said maybe means something else or another layer of meaning. Hashem says the way I'll be great is when your name is known. I'll be great. So you hesitate. Goldberg said Rabbi Y. You just want to sit in a corner and teach a class. Stream it. Why are you streaming it? Don't post it. Don't advertise it. Don't promote it. Whoever shows up, you learn with one or two other people. No. Hashem says, "The only way I can be great is when the Jewish people names are great." When the individuals among them, not only those on this side of the camera, but all of us are willing to put ourselves out there and we're willing to become known, well-known, a little known, but associated with teaching the message of Hashem. That's the says, "I'll only be great through your name." So as much as you hesitate, as much as you're uncomfortable, you don't want to be the brand. When people recognize you as saying my message, I will be great through that's the second. Third, and then we're going to move on. I promise to start the par. There's another interpretation. Go by yourself. Only a person willing to stand alone, singular, and unique, can worship the God who is alone, singular, and unique. Only one able to leave behind the natural source of identity, home, family, culture, and society can encounter Hashem who stands above and beyond nature. Aram's children are summoned to be the people that defy the laws of nature. They refuse to define themselves as the products of nature. That is not to say that economic or biological or psychological factors have no part and play in human behavior. They do, but with sufficient imagination, determination, discipline, and courage, we rise above them. Aram does, so at most times will his children. in this sense means being prepared to take an often lonely journey. Be willing to go by yourself. To be a child of Aram is to have the courage to be different, to challenge the idols of the age, whatever the idols and whichever the age. In an era of polytheism that meant seeing the universe as the product of a single creative will and therefore not meaningless but coherent, meaningful. When power was worshiped, it meant constructing a society that cared for the powerless, the widow, orphan, and stranger. During centuries in which the mass of mankind was sunk in ignorance, it meant honoring education as the key to human dignity. In ages of racial radical individualism, like today means knowing that we are not what we own, but what we share. Not what we buy, but what we give. To be a Jew is to be willing to hear the still small voice of eternity urging us to travel, move, go on ahead, continuing Aram's journey towards the unknown destination as far at the far horizon of hope. Part of the mission, part of what Aram gave us his legacy is a willingness to go at it alone. You know, the Jewish views, I don't mean the newspaper, although I'm happy to promote it. The Jewish views of the world, the Jewish view of the world is increasingly less popular. How we see things versus the way the world does. It's harder to hold fast to our convictions. But Aram, we'll discuss in a moment. One of the names of Aram is Arama. The whole world was on this side. A was willing to stand on that side. Do we have the courage to be willing to go against the culture of the zeitgeist? Do we have the culture the courage to be willing to stand against what the world is saying? What the world is saying? Do we have the courage to be the true progyny of a to be willing to stand mayor on the other side? Say for Yona proudly declares an Hashem. I am an i and I worship Hashem. I don't care what the world says. I don't care what the polls say. I don't care what became popular. I follow what Hashem tells me. our definitions, our values, our priorities, our principles. I follow Hashem. I am a descendant of Ara. I have within me the DNA of the willingness to stand alone just like just like says, he promises him, I'm going to make you a great nation. I'm going to bless you. I'll make your name great. We've unpacked the beginning of this para many times. You could go online. You could listen to previous sharim. We're going to try to not spend a lot of time in the beginning of the para because we have in the past even though I'm tempted to tell you some of my favorites right now, but I'm behaving. I'm not going to. I just want to tell you a new idea I had. Now, brace yourselves and it's good you're sitting down. Original Ephraim Goldberg thought. There not a lot of them. You come to the para class every week and you see I carry all these farum. Not just to impress you with my muscles, but because I don't have original ideas. If I have to anything to contribute, it's I'm good. I'm not a producer. I'm a distributor. I'm good at I'm good at bringing the ideas of others. Every now and then, every now and then, I get lucky and I have an original thought. So, I had an original thought on Sunday. My original thought was this. I was learning the pa mikra the first aliyah for the first day for Sunday. Hashem gives a bra and what's his bra? I'm going to make you a great nation. I'm going to bless you. I'll make your name great. Says on these words says on these words he gives a several explanations but one of them is I'll make you a great name. I'll make you a large nation. How is that fulfilled in our we say the god of I'll bless you. Look at Rash. I say to myself, Hashem tells Abraham, I'm gonna give you three. What are the threeas? What are the fulfillment of those three? That in our dominating we associate God as the god of that's a but also the God of the God of Jacob. And I said to myself, one second, how's that a god says to I have a braha for you in the future. They're going to reference me relative to you, to your son, and to your grandson. What do you see from here is the biggest braha a person can have and want is the pride you get that your children are continuing in your footsteps and in your way. The pride, the joy, the satisfaction, the fulfillment that they will associate God not only with you, but that your children and grandchildren will live such lives. They'll associate God with them. I had that thought Sunday morning and I shared it Sunday night at the our yeshiva yeshiva south Florida our yeshiva installed our new rashiva of Yehuda will so blessed such an incredible such a charismatic such such a what a leader you're going to see the yeshiva is going to blow up it's incredible what's happening at the yeshiva so I introduced his father of mai will rash at yeshiva at yu and I said this insight I said the the biggest Rabbi for a long time we've said elig but now with your son at the helm of our yeshiva and what could be a bigger source of so this indeed is a what do you mean what's the that's also original thought take it or leave it if you like it moving right along turn the page We're introduced to Aram. Right away, we've got a story. A there's a famine in the land. Hashem tells they're headed south. They go even further south. Why? There's a famine in the land. Not the first or the last that we'll hear about. Where can they find sustenance and nourishment? There's a famine in the land. A goes down to Egypt to live there. The famine was severe in the land. And what happens? And as he approaches to arrive in Egypt, he says to his wife, "I just realized something. You're not badl looking. I just realized something. You You're not badl looking." That's what he says when they arrive. They land. They're at customs. They're about to enter Egypt. And he says to her, "Huh? You know, I never noticed, but you're kind of pretty." The wasn't lying. What's going on over here? So, I want to share with you an insight. Brand new say for hot off the press. I'm not even sure it's in stores yet. Another one of my to get it when his son came for the barit. I hope it is already in stores. Everything he writes and publishes is absolutely fantastic. Rashi brings the medish. What do you mean he never noticed how pretty? A is our forefather. He's our role model. He never said to his wife, "You're beautiful. You look fantastic." He never said, not only when she asked him, "How do I look?" He was never smart enough to actually preempt it by saying at the bar mitzvah, "You look beautiful." And it's only because they landed and they're about to go into Egypt. That's what stimulates and motivates him to say, "Wow, you're not badl looking." So, another he says is, "You know why he notices it now? It's not that he didn't notice she's always beautiful." Here's what he noticed now. Everyone else shows the signs of travel. Nobody looks good coming off the plane from Israel to Israel. Nobody. I don't care which class you sat in. I don't care what lounge you try to freshen up in. Nobody looks good except of course my wife, my daughters. They look fantastic. But nobody else looks good. Travel is exhausting. Travel takes its toll and travel. Travel is on display in how we look. So Aram, who probably feels like a mess, looks like a mess, is falling apart. He looks over at Sar and he says, "One second, why do you look so beautiful? We just came off a long caravan, camel, horse, what it took to get down here to Egypt. And as we're going through customs, he says, "You show no impact from the travel." But the third is says, of course, he always noticed she was beautiful. He was never worried about it because he lived in a place they were safe. But as we're about to enter Egypt, place of moral depravity and corruption, he says, "I just realized your beauty is going to become an issue here." The classic that's asked is the Garra tells us a man is not get let not allowed to get married without seeing the prospective bride. Why? The gumar tells us in kaduc because maybe he'll be repulsed by her and you'll viol in other words what do you mean how would you ever get married without seeing the woman the answer is you're allowed to get married through a so let's say I hear about a prospective mate halfway around the world and I don't want to go I can't go so what I do is I appoint an agent on my behalf I give them the ring I say travel to this destination find this woman and betro her for me and when the agent gives her the ring and the betrothe those not to the agent until they come back. I'm married to the woman immediately through the act of the agent. That's what the Gmorra cautions and says don't do that if you haven't seen the woman first. Why? Because what happens when the agent comes back with the woman and now I see her and she looks nothing like her shik picture. Shik picture was professional photographer, Photoshop, the right lighting, the right moment. And now I see her. She looks nothing like this picture. I say never mind. It's not very nice. It's not very kind. It's a violation of or she will see me and say he looks nothing like is not as worried about that for whatever reasons I am not going to get into now. But would be violated. So how in the world could Abra have ever married S if he fulfilled all Torah without having seen her and understood beauty beforehand? said. So the answer is did notice he saw her beauty before they got married, before they wed. It's just that he thought her beauty came from what? Her character he was drawn to her character, to her charisma, to her kindness. Esther said testifies about Esther, Queen Esther. Her beauty came from her kindness. always thought why is she so beautiful? She's got such because she does. But now he gets to a place that's not deserving and that she shouldn't do any. And therefore he realizes her beauty stems not from her and her beauty stems from what? Beauty. And now he's worried because he now saw that her beauty was intrinsic. Now he realizes I've got to worry if her beauty only stems from her. So in a place that admires and values, they'll see her as beautiful. But because her beauty is intrinsic now I have to worry that even in Egypt where they don't appreciate they're still going to see her as beautiful and they may come to try to molest her rape take her from me that's the answer of the shap the brings from the another says listen to Fascinating and fantastic insight. Listen to what Raashor says. He says now he realizes that what right now he realizes that it's not S that's got the problem. He's got the problem. Why does he have a problem? Because he says until now where I've lived with Sara, I I don't notice beauty. Aram is a righteous person living a righteous life. Of course, he's a healthy man. But he says he's not drawn by or distracted by the Sahara. But now as he's about to enter Egypt, he's on the border of Egypt. He's at the customs of Egypt. And he says, "All of a sudden, I feel something in me. I'm noticing my wife's beauty more than I usually do. There's something in this country and land that brings out of you the All of a sudden, I'm now struggling with with I'm now struggling with all of a sudden I feel I'm struggling with noticing beauty with the Sahara. This is a land of tum. This is a land of tum. If I'm in such a place whose energy is having an impact on me, says Aram, if I'm in such a land, you go to Times Square. You shouldn't go to Times Square. You can't go to Times Square today. It's unbelievable what's going on in Times Square. the state of dress and undress, the activities that are happening in public. There are certain places you go to and certain energies and obstacles and impulses are are impossible to avoid. They're unavoidable. They're undeniable. There's an energy to that place. A sensed it the moment he arrived in Egypt. And because he sensed it in him, the moment he arrived, he was worried for his wife's safety. So it wasn't his wife he was worried about. Yes, that too as an extension of what he was worried within himself because he noticed it. Aram thought he had an impact on his surroundings. The impact he had on his surroundings would protect his wife. Now that he feels my surroundings are having an impact on me. I can no longer rely on that to protect my wife. Now is when he's worried and that's why he goes to extreme measures in order to try to protect her. Pericadal. I told you we're going to move ahead from the beginning of the para to try to cover new ground. Perical, the war of the kings. The war of the kings. The four kings and the five kings. A war in which lot is taken captive. Four and five kings. Skip right to the pallet came. Who's the pallet? Pullet surprise winner. Who's the pallet? A fugitive. The one who ran away. The refugee. the fugitive and he came to tell a how is Aram identified as a this is where was dwelling at the time and he tells them here is that his brother was held hostage his brother was taken captive he armed his disciples that had been in his house 318 and that's it. He got involved. He got involved says the whole world is on one side. Why is identified here as we mentioned it before when we began the whole world is on one side and a is willing to stand on the other. Ask Well, who's this pale? Who's the refugee? Og. Og. Who will become the king of Basham? Ou is the king of Basham. Og. Dava. When Og comes, the Torah goes out of its way to identify a Why now? Why here? We've already talked about it. He wasn't called until now. Why specifically in the conversation with og why specifically part of this narrative of rescuing his nephew lot why now is a called says the rasha Haven I'm going to give you two answers to the question again. The question was Aram is called because when the whole world is on this side, he's willing to stand on the other. Why is he called that specifically here? So the first answer gives is because normally someone comes to tell you a massive war has broken out, hostages have been taken. The fact that one of them is your brother, but what can you do about it? There's nothing you can do. Why you need to be told specifically one is your brother? The reason here Aram is called tori is the same way that Aram could resist. He has the tenacity, the resolve, the strength, the courage of his conviction to take on the whole world. They're on this side and he's on the other. If his brother was taken hostage, he will take on the entire world. And that's why the introduction to your brother's been taken captive is a just like he's willing to take on the whole world about paganism and idolatry. He'll take on the whole world to liberate to get back his brother took on his father. He took on the idols. He took on Nimrod. He was thrown into the Aram wasn't afraid. The same strength, the same courage of his conviction, that same resolve that left him isolated and alone every mayor. He's willing to take on the whole world about religion, philosophy, morality, and ethics. And he's willing to take on the whole world in order to get his nephew back. But I want to tell you a second answer doesn't appear in a second answer. You know why this section specifically is introduced with that a because you know what Ara might have been tempted to say? Why was Lo taken captive? Why is Lot no longer with him? We skipped this part of the para. Lot his beloved nephew. He grew up in Aram's home under his watch in his embrace. Aam trained him and indeed he learned well. Lot will later show display tremendous hospitality. He learned to do in his uncle's home. So if Aram raised Lot, why is Lot not with him? Because Lot unfortunately lost his way. Lo preferred to put his lot. See what I did there? Lot preferred to put his lot with the people of stone. He was drawn to stone. He wanted to live in that corrupt society more than continue to drink from the fountain of his uncle Ara. And Aram and Lot when Lo Aram senses this Loe's losing his way. How did he first sense that? Lo's flock, his sheep and his use. Is that a plural of you? Use. They were grazing on stolen land. They were grazing from other people's property, which was to steal that vegetation. Aram says, "I can't be associated with you. You're hurting the brand and the image." Remember what we began with? God says to Aram, "I will go great when everyone knows your name." So Ara doesn't really like it, but he says, "Fine. They'll be in Abraham Accords." Fine, they'll be the Torah of Aram. Fine, I'll be the Aamong my name. If if I'm the brand, because that helps you God, I'm willing to do it. But now Aram realizes, lo, you're hurting the brand. You're compromising the brand. You're stealing and you're engaged in a moral activity and and if I'm connected and associated with you, that brings the brand down. So, we've got to part ways. We got to go two different directions. So now he hears that his nephew Lo, who had begun the trajectory of a bad direction, has now wound up hostage. He's been taken captive. If you're someone else, what might you say? [snorts] This is what happens. This is what becomes when you leave your uncle Aram, when you turned, when you lost your way, when you put your when Lot put his lot with the people of Stone. I'm sorry to hear it. It's tragedy. I'll mourn and grieve. I'll publish a eulogy. But this is what happens. This is what happens. Aram could have easily dismissed. Aram could have easily said this is what he deserves. What does he do instead? And why might he have said that? Because he's a I stand alone on this side. Lo went to go be with everyone else on the other side. This is what happens to those on the other side. Is that what Aram says? No. He says, I don't care where he's standing. This side, that side, the other side. My nephew, my brother was taken captive. I'm going to get him. That's why the Torah here calls Lot a is Lo his brother. No, Lot's his nephew. But a Jew, every other Jew is our brother, is our sister. There is no he's a distant cousin. I'm not related. I don't even know him. I never met him. Every hostage is our brother. That's why we dabbed so hard, fought so hard, advocated so hard. Bashem, the 20 living hostage is our home. But we can't let up. We have to continue until the 13 remains are returned. Who knows what's going to be today after kamas pulled that stunt last night claiming to return the body of another hostage when instead they returned remains of one who was already given back. Not a new just torturing that family more torturing torturing our people more and violating the ceasefire. They first buried it and dug it up and Israel has it all on drone footage. It's horrible what they did. Horrible. Even every time you think their evil and wickedness can't sink any lower, they find a way. They find a way. They have to be obliterated from the earth. What they did is so horrific. Those 13 bodies that are still there, those are our brothers. Those remains also because their parents and families can't grieve and mourn fully until they're back. And those are our brothers. Those are our brothers who are being held captive. And we like Aram, who cares? Yamaka, no. Yamaka, religious, not religious. Vote this way. Vote that way. Who cares? Who did Aram go rescue and fight for? Lo a same a who says I'm willing to stand on this side and the whole world is on that side. That same a went to go fight. Why? Because that's what you do. That's what you do for a brother and that's what a brought. So we ask the question two questions. Why is he called brother when it's a nephew? And why are we introduced with Aram's identity of Ivy? Davka here gave one answer which is that Aram brought the same tenacity, the same energy that he brought to being is what he brought to bring home his brother. The second answer is I would have thought he had every reason in the world to not get involved but he gets involved anyway. And he goes, so what does he do? We just read. He gets everyone in his home and he goes in order to fight back to the sorry why brother when he's talking about he was captured why put himself into danger. Going to bat, going to fight, he put himself in danger. And normally you can't do that. The guiding principle ordinarily isol you don't rely on a miracle. And if a miracle is done, it is depleting your merits. The answer is even though you're relying on a miracle and even though if you get that miracle, maybe it is depleting, maybe it is diminishing your merits, doesn't matter. When it comes to a brother, that's what it takes. We don't leave anyone behind. We don't leave anyone behind. So Aram doesn't hesitate. And he might have said four kings against five kings rescuing my nephew. That that's impossible. It's impossible. Can't do it. But you see, Ara never hesitated or demured. He said, "It's my brother, my nephew, whatever it takes. I don't care if I'm have to rely on a miracle. I don't care if it will take away from my merits, not leaving me many left. It doesn't matter. This is what a brother does for another brother. Sax also has a comment here on this. The sax says the following. He went in pursuit. He went in pursuit. The unique structure of Torah spirituality, its calibrated tension between the universality of justice and the particularity of love is the most compelling way I know of giving religious expression to both our common humanity and our religious difference. Consider the life of Afram. Readers of Tanakh are so familiar with the story. They often fail to notice how strange it is. We're so familiar with the story. We've been learning it in many cases since we're little children that we failed to realize how peculiar it is. Here's the father of monotheism. Yet in the text itself, Aram breaks no idol, challenges no polytheist, establishes no religious movement other than an ambiguous hint that a took with him on his journey. the people they had gathered which may refer to converts but may equally merely refer to the servants. They attract no disciples. He lives among people whose belief and practices are alien to his own. Yet he doesn't reprimand them except when the servants of aimel with whom he had made a treaty sees one of the wells he had dug. He holds them to the standards of simple human morality not those of divine ethics or holiness. When his nephew Lot chooses to live among the people of Stone about who the Torah says they're evil, Aram doesn't even criticize him, nor does he condemn them. To the contrary, he fights a battle on their behalf. One in the next par hears that God is planning to punish them. He pleads for them. Aram doesn't seek to impose his views on others. Yet his contemporary sense there's something special and godly about him. Malik Shale salutes him. Theim call him a prince of Hashem in our midst. Aram impresses his contemporaries by the way he lives not the way he forces or even urges others to live. Aram doesn't proitize. Aram leads leads and lives by example and the results are people want to be more like himal at the end of this episode and rescuing his nephew and the victory in the war of the four kings and the five kings. Torah tells us that he interacts with Malit Melim. Malited the king of Shalim. Where is Shalim? Yushim doesn't appear in the Torah, the word, but there are hints and illusions. This is one. The king of Shalim. He takes out bread and wine. This is a he is a priest to God. He gives blessed is of God. Blessed is Abraham of God the most high the maker of heaven and earth and blessed messer. And he gave messer he gave a tenth of everything points out this notion of messer. The us all were careful to give. It says with it says that 100 measures blessed him. It says the Torah makes a point of telling us that our patriarchs and matriarchs, our forefathers were all incredibly generous. They gave 10% away. They gave 10% away. says through their generosity and their giving they got. When you give, you get. Hashem is the senior partner in all that we do. He says you can keep 90%. None of the success would happen without him. And even though he says he's the senior partner, he says you could keep 90%. All I ask for and not even from me, give it away to my other children is 10%. says of you see from here that Torah goes out of his way to tell us they all gave 10%. They all tithed they all gave they all gave micer they all gave micer they all gave micer I was talking to someone recently who told me whatever business deal he was with he did with someone and they only gave him 10%. And he said 10% is so little. It deserves so much more. And then he turned to me and realized I just realized when it's a person giving me a piece of the deal, 10% is so little. But when you ask me to get stuck, 10% feels like so much. Why is it when we think we deserve, 10% is too little. But when Hashem says, "Take a part of what I've given you and give it back." 10% now feels like it's too much. If the Jewish world would just give 10% of their actor after tax income, we could solve the tuition crisis, this crisis, the other crisis, any crisis whose money is the problem if we would only truly tithe. Truly tithe 10% of our after tax income. There's enormous wealth in the Jewish people. And by the way, I often find the people with the smaller income, more fixed income are more careful to be hitting the mark of 10% than the people with the enormous return and enormous income. People who are blessed with tremendous resources who are making on that money who because they have so much they give a lot and it looks like a lot but it doesn't come close to 10%. We'd actually if the Jewish billionaires in the world all gave 10%. Forget the living the dying pledge living pledge whatever the pledge of Bill Gates to give most of your wealth if they just give 10%. we could solve every Jewish problem. That's the way of the of aos and that's why the Torah goes out of its way to tell us all three they were careful and they gave also has a comment I can't even find anyone anymore has a comment here as well on this conversation first blesses and then he blesses God blessed be a and then he blesses God shouldn't the order have been reversed to address this question we have to understand the concept of blessing God in general how Can temporal man, flesh and blood, approach the everlasting king of kings, creator of the world, and bless him? How can you give a blessing to Hashem? The blessings we give one another, we understand. You're blessing me that if I'm missing something, I shouldn't be missing me missing it. So, you're giving me a braha, good health, nas, money. Hashem is the source, omnipotent, infinite creator of the universe. He's missing nothing. So, what does it mean to bench to give a braha to Hashem? writes Rabbi Salvich. The answer is that man must provide assistance as it were to the master of the universe. Man must help God reveal his presence in the world. For Hashem to have for Hashem to have a divine presence here on earth to be available, accessible for people to see and believe. He needs us as his agents, his ambassadors. That's a big theme of the para. Be willing to let your name be great because that's the only way that people will find me. Hashem needs us to be his agents, his ambassadors. Hashem needs us to bench him. The braha we give him that he needs from us is for us to be agents, ambassadors to help represent the brand. Hashem told Ara his assignment is to make God's presence known to the world. Hashem must dissipate the clouds that obscure God from human perception. Before Makit blessed Hashem, he first wanted to bless Aram to be successful in spiritually conquering the world. Through Aram's own success, Hashem would also be blessed. And that's why the order was first he blessed a and then he blesses Hashem. But it's interesting because while Rabbi Salvik finds a beautiful meaning in it, the itself is very critical of a for it tells us was ready to take away the from he blew it once it preceded first gave to a before Hashem. Hashem withdrew it from and there's a whole conversation a whole back and forth the primod in the 18th century. What's the proper way? We'll end with this. Not literally because it's a little too early in the morning, but we'll end with this. What is the proper way to make often people hold up the glass and they say should make you proud the granddaughter should grow up make you proud to theite make a drink. Is it proper? the engagement you should build by Islam. You're given the garra is critical. Gumar says how can mak first bless before you bless God. The gumar is critical and says in fact they paid a price. So what's the proper order when you're making should you first make the bra blessing god take a sip and then make the or do you make the and then the everything there's for everything there's a says the Some say no first make because honoring people comes first and he goes back and forth about this but the brings it down as a as a discussion also weighs in cover We know we have a principle supersedes even. So if that's the case, first make the and honor the person even before you take the sip even before you bring drink. Believe it or not also weighs in what's the proper order? What's the proper way as well? Everybody weighs in. What's the proper way to make a to make all based on these all based on our para all based on our para. We'll end with one last one. I know we're already over time. After all these matters, the trip down to Egypt, the war of the four kings, the five kings, the rescue of Lot, the conversation with Makita, the king of stone, after all this has a vision, don't be afraid. I'm your shield. You have a lot of reward. We started with Rabbi Saxs for today. We'll end with Rabbi Saxs. And he says the following al short and sweet. It is after the face of the sword to save lot. It is after he faces the sword to save lot that Hashem tells Ara, I'm your shield. Each year we tell the story of Aram's call from God to leave his home and travel. I call that the journey into insecurity. My sax calls it the journey into insecurity. Life has been highly insecure for Jews for 4,000 years. We're still on that journey. A lot of people are struck by the history of Jewish suffering. I'm always stuck struck by the history of Jewish recovery from suffering. While the rest of the world marvels at the history of Jewish suffering, Sak says I marvel at the history of the Jewish recovery from suffering. This Hashem tells Aram to leave and it is on a journey into insecurity. What gives a people the strength to keep going is that feeling that you can't face the future without fear if you know that you're not alone. It is that famous line inkiml what we're learning in amunesir though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I feel no evil for you are with me I that I think says by sachs is the positive reason for faith in the 21st century we can handle anything so long as we have the humility to know that we are answerable to something much greater than ourselves this journey of is the journey into insecurity we want security we don't get security this is the journey into insecurity And you know what? Only when you're willing to take the journey into insecurity can you feel secure. If you think that you can be secure but when you realize and you're willing to take the journey into insecurity only then into the arms of Hashem can you feel secure. We'll pick up with next time. Have a wonderful day. She was Venus.