Real Angels

Shavua Tov. Rabbeinu Bechaye’s commentary was written around 800 years ago. He needed to address a challenge even in his day as to whether the story of Avraham Avinu and the angels, actually happened.

Many assumed that it was not to be taken literally but it reflected a dream that Avraham may have had. Many found the idea of angels taking on the form of men, too difficult to believe.

Rabbeinu Bechaye’s answer was that Lot also had an experience of the angels visiting him as well. It could be assumed that Avraham was on a level to have such a lofty dream. But certainly Lot was not on that level.

Apparently, it was Lot who described his remarkable experience. Therefore, concludes Rabbeinu Bechaye, that the story of the angels really happened and is to be taken literally.

Tasks of Angels

One of the common questions asked in פרשת וירא is the apparent contradiction regarding the angels that visited Avraham Avinu on the third day after his Brit Mila.

On the one hand, we are told that three angels came because an angel is only sent for one task. Then we are told that Gavriel’s task was to overthrow Sedom, Rafael’s was to heal Avraham, and Michael was to tell Sara about the baby she was going to have AND save Lot.

The obvious question is that it looks like Michael had two tasks and not one. Rabbeinu Bechaye answers that in actuality it was one שליחות. It was a mission of חסד. It was a great act of kindness to give Sara such good news. And it was also an act of kindness to save Lot.

When the Torah says ויהיו חיי שרה, we learn that the word ויהיו equals thirty-seven, the number of years that Sara lived when she had a son.

Acts of Chesed fall under one category. So Michael really did one Shlichut, Chesed. Shabbat Shalom

Kiddush Cup

There are very specific rules connected with the Kiddush cup. We are to treat it with great care as a Mitzva is being done with it.

Because of possible imperfections or residue, it is preferred to rinse the Kiddush cup on the inside and outside. Some have the custom to add a little bit of water to the wine.

This is done either because in Talmudic times, wine needed to be diluted. Or, on a Kabbalistic level, wine is connected with דין, judgement, and adding water, sweetens the דין in our favor.

Because there were rabbis in the Talmud who wrapped themselves and covered their heads when holding the Kiddush cup, the Mishna Brura says that it is a nice custom to put on a coat and hat before Birkat Hamazon.

We also need to treat our Kiddush cup respectfully and try to use one with no blemishes.

ברכת המזון

The recitation of ברכת המזון is a Mitzva from the Torah. It is learned from the words, ואכלת ושבעת וברכת, that we eat, are satiated, and we bless.

The ברכת המזון is also known as שלוש ברכות, the three blessings. Just as the Amida is known as שמונה עשרה and actually has nineteen blessings, Birkat Hamazon actually has four blessings. Three of the blessings are from the Torah and one is from the Rabbis.

Moshe Rabbeinu composed the first blessing, הזן, praising Hashem for giving sustenance. Yehoshua composed the second blessing of הארץ, praising Hashem for giving us ארץ ישראל. The third Bracha was composed by David and Shlomo regarding Yerushalayim. And the fourth Bracha was decreed by the Rabbis of Yavne, הטוב והמטיב, for the miracle at Beitar.

There was a great massacre of Jews at Beitar and after several years, the Jews were only able to bury their dead. Miraculously, the bodies did not decompose or smell. This happened on Tu B׳Av which became a happy day of matchmaking and joy.

Like זימון, the ברכת המזון should be recited carefully and with great Kavana.

זימון

The Mitzva of זימון is very important and is often overlooked. People think that it’s part of ברכת המזון and don’t realize its significance.

Aside from being a Mitzva by itself, it is an added acknowledgement of Hashem’s bountiful blessings. Three people that sit together are not allowed to leave or “Bench” to themselves without forming this quorum known as זימון.

The leader asks the others to bless Hashem. They answer that “May Hashem’s name be blessed forever and ever.” The leader repeats this line. He asks for permission to bless Hashem for having eaten of His food. And this line is repeated by the other two members.

If ten eat together, they are able to add G-d’s holy name.

We do this ceremony all the time but rarely pause to reflect on its significance.

Forgetting to Make a Bracha

A common question asked regarding Brachot, is what do we do if we put food in our mouth without making a Bracha.

The Gemara says that there are three possible solutions to this problem. For liquids, we are to swallow the liquids in our mouths, and make a ברכה on our next drink.

For certain foods that do not cause the food to be disgraced, (ביזוי אוכל) we spit out the food and make the Bracha. An example of this could be grapes.

The third possibility would be to move the food to the side of one’s mouth, and make the ברכה with the food in the mouth. An example would be something like hard candy.

Most Poskim hold that if there is no food available to eat, then it is too late to make a ברכה. Some say that a Bracha can still be made.

Relatives

Shavua Tov. Many do not realize that Lot was the brother of Sara and was both brother in-law and nephew to Avraham.

Rav Shlomo Mann זצ״ל, wrote that the Avot were teaching us to try to avoid getting into arguments and disagreements with family.

When there are differences of opinion, the two sides need to learn to speak to one another and settle the issues in a positive way.

Sometimes, when the differences are too great, it becomes necessary to separate from one another. Even if that happens, the relatives need to assure one another that they will be there for one another in times of need.

This was exactly what Avraham did with Lot. It became intolerable to live together. However, Avraham was there for his brother in-law when he was taken captive by the four kings.

מעשה אבות סימן לבנים

A theme of the Torah is מעשה אבות סימן לבנים, that whatever happened to the fathers happens to the children.

The example from this week’s Parsha was Avraham Avinu’s visit to Egypt. There were many similarities between this incident and the slavery and exodus from Egypt by עם ישראל.

The first similarity is that Avraham went down to Egypt because of a famine as did Yakov Avinu.

A second similarity is that פרעה made a decree against the males and drowned Jewish babies. Avraham was afraid that פרעה would make a decree and kill him.

Ultimately, Avraham left Egypt with gold and silver and great wealth. The exodus was accompanied with great wealth as well.

A final similarity is that in both cases, פרעה hurriedly sent out both Avraham Avinu and עם ישראל.

So we see the principle of מעשה אבות סימן לבנים in action in this week’s Parsha. Shabbat Shalom

לך לך

Rabbeinu Bechaye uses a Pasuk in Mishlei to describe Avraham Avinu. The text from Chaper 13 reads as follows: “One who walks with the wise will grow wise, but the companion of fools will cause evil.”

There is a very strong message learned from לך לך. It was not possible for Avraham Avinu to become a great leader and come close to Hashem, in אור כשדים. There were too many negative influences and the place was filled with idol worshippers. In Eretz Yisrael, he would thrive and become the father of a great nation.

We must learn this lesson. Everyone is affected by their environment. It is virtually impossible to remain an island in a sea of materialism that lacks spirituality. Each of us has to do his own לך לך to be certain he lives among those striving to improve themselves and come closer to G-d.

Tower of Babel

The Gemara in Sanhedrin says that there were three groups involved with the Tower of Babel. The first group said, נעלה ונשב שם, that we will go up to heaven and dwell there. This group was simply scattered.

The second group said, נעלה ונעשה מלחמה, that we will go up and make war with Hashem. This group were turned into monkeys as their punishment.

And the third group said, נעלה ונעבוד עבודה זרה, that we will go up and worship idols. It was this group that became confused and suddenly spoke different languages.

This was the Gemara’s Midrashic understanding of the motivations in building the מגדל בבל.

ותן טל ומטר

Tonight, in Eretz Yisrael, we begin saying ותן טל ומטר in שמונה עשרה. We started משיב הרוח on שמיני עצרת that is said in the blessings of שבח, or praises of Hashem. The ותן טל ומטר is in the category of בקשות, requests of Hashem. Therefore, tonight we begin asking for rain, as Jews have had two weeks to get home from their pilgrimage to Jerusalem on Succot.

If one forgets ותן טל ומטר, it depends when he remembers. One option is to insert it in the שמע קולינו blessing, when general requests are made. However, if one forgot after finishing שמונה עשרה, he must start the שמונה עשרה all over again.

We need to pray with great sincerity as it has been several years since we have had a rainy winter. The Kinneret is depleted and rain is a direct sign of Hashem’s abundant blessings.

May we be granted to be זוכה to receive Hashem’s blessings.

Abortion

Parshat נח has references to the Torah prohibition against abortion. When the Noachide laws are given, included in murder is שופך דם אדם באדם, spilling the blood of man within man.

This strange wording implies terminating the life of one who is inside another human. This is interpreted as terminating the life of a fetus. This prohibition applies both to Jews and non Jews.

Rabbeinu Bechaye goes even further by saying that the ultimate corruption of the דור המבול is that they regularly killed their fetuses at forty days when it became a real viable entity. They were punished measure for measure with forty days of rain that put an end to their lives.

It is amazing that other Rabbis like the Rambam understood so much about the development of a fetus, and how the Torah made it so clear that abortion is absolutely forbidden.

חם בן נח

Among the sons of Noach, חם, also known as “Ham”, was the most problematic for several reasons.

There are some very strange Midrashim regarding חם. One says that he sinned by violating the prohibition against intimacy in the Ark. For this he was punished and his skin became black.(racist commentary?)

Ham also sinned in revealing his father’s nakedness. Rashi says he wanted to be sure that Noach would not father any more children. For shaming his father, his children would become slaves. Just as he mocked his father, his descendants would be mocked as slaves often are.

His list of descendants were very problematic as well. Kush descended from him as did Amalek. From his oldest son, כנען, other members of the Seven Nations also descended. They were: יבוסי, אמורי,גרגשי, and חוי.

The Jewish people suffered a great deal from the family of חם. Perhaps “stay away from Ham” has new meaning for us! שבוע טוב

Noach Verses Avraham

There is an annual debate concerning Noach and Avraham Avinu as to who was greater. Generally, we emphasize that the Torah tells us that Noach was outstanding בדורותיו, in his generation. The Rabbis add that he was great in HIS generation but not so great had he lived in Avraham’s generation.

Rabbeinu Bechaye believed that Noach was an outstanding individual. The reason he did not pray for forgiveness for his people, is that he knew he would not find ten righteous , who were worthy of salvation.

Avrahame did not know if there were any righteous. This is why he asked if Hashem would still destroy the cities if he found ten. Noach knew there was only eight with himself and his three sons and their spouses. Therefore, there was no point in even trying.

Rabbeinu Bechaye felt that Noach was a complete Tzaddik who was humble and did everything for the sake of Heaven. And he was one of those rare individual who “walked with G-d.”

This is a little different approach to the Noach-Avraham controversy. Shabbat Shalom

Accountability and Laws

At the end of Parshat בראשית, Hashem expresses His disappointment with man’s nature. He expresses regret in having created man.

The lesson to be learned is that it is extremely difficult to control the יצר הרע, the evil inclination. It is also attesting to the fact that when man is left alone without accountability, he will generally make the wrong decisions and self destruct.

It becomes abundantly clear that man needs some kind of system of reward and punishment in order to survive. True, there are individual Tzadikiim that appear and shine in the most difficult times, but the masses are not that way.

Hashem gives mankind the Seven Noachide Laws as a minimum basis for every society to live by. The Jews were given 613 Mitzvot in order to attain holiness.

This reality of the need for laws and accountability, cries out even louder today when there is such a lack of morals and principles.

Strange Midrash

The Gemara in Sanhedrin relates how the sixth day of creation was a rather long day to say the least. It is difficult to make complete sense of this explanation. But it could possibly prove that we are not sure how long a day lasted at the beginning of creation.

The Gemara relates the following regarding day six:

The first hour, Hashem took dust to form man. During the second hour, Adam grew. In the third hour, he was given veins and sinews to complete his form. He was given a נשמה in the fourth hour. In the fifth hour, he stood on his feet. In the sixth, he gave names to the animals. In the seventh, he was joined by Eve. In the eighth, she gave birth to Cain and Abel. In the tenth, they were commanded to stay away from the forbidden trees. In the eleventh, they sinned. And in the twelfth, they were judged and sent out of the garden.

As is the case with Midrashim, we are to glean whatever we can. I thought this was an unusual comment worth sharing.

Important Dates

The chronology of both פרשת נח and פרשת בראשית are significant in understanding the age of the world. There were twenty generations from Adam to Abraham.

The Kuzari adds an additional point that only the sons mentioned in the Torah, were righteous. Usually, there was only one good one in every family until Yakov Avinu came along where all of his children were pious. This family was chosen to become עם ישראל.

Rabbeinu Bechaye also emphasized the importance of knowing important dates. He points out that Avraham was נח (58) years old when נח died. So even though twenty generations passed, Avraham knew Noach who knew Metushelach who knew Adam.

The other two dates that are important to remember is that Avraham was born 1948 years after creation. And the year of our exodus from Egypt was in the year 2448.

All of these dates come together when we combine them with other events. Two such examples are the rise to power of Alexander the Great exactly 1000 years after leaving Egypt and receiving the Torah. And Chazal tell us that prophecy existed for 1000 years which corresponded to forty years into the second Temple period. This probably was the same time as the famous meeting between Alexander the Great and the Kohein Gadol, Shimon Hatzaddik.

Dates are extremely important as they help verify the truth of the Torah and Judaism.

Clothing of Adam and Eve

Rabbeinu Bechaye brings a well known Midrash regarding the clothing that Hashem made for Adam and Eve after their sin. They are referred to as כתנות עור, robes of leather. The Midrash says that in the future, they will be known as כתנות אור, robes of light, when the world will be on a higher spiritual level.

These garments had images of birds and were given to Cain as a gift from his father. They were later taken by the power hungry Nimrod. Later, Eisav killed Nimrod and used the garments as a hunting device. Apparently, animals were attracted to the garments which made them easy to capture.

Whether this Midrash sounds a little hard to understand or not, we do see Hashem’s abundant Chesed. Even after Adam and Eve had sinned, Hashem did not forsake them. We must appreciate that Hashem’s kindness knows no bounds.

Good and Evil

Shavua Tov. Rabbeinu Bechaye uses the story of Cain and Abel that it is Hashem Himself that created good and evil. He quotes a Pasuk from Isaiah that specifically says that אני ה׳ בראתי אור ובראתי רע, “It is I Hashem who created light and evil.

It is further explained that Hashem did this as a means of rewarding the Tzaddikim of the world for their choosing good over evil.

Cain chose to be jealous of his brother. Instead of offering fruits of the שבעת המינים, the Seven Species, he offered inferior fruits as a sacrifice. Abel chose good and offered from the best of his flock in order to honor G-d.

This is a basic concept of Judaism. One can become a great Tzaddik if he applies himself and makes the right choices. On the other hand, one can be total evil where he has no place in this world.

This is why there is Amalek and the Seven Nations. It is considered an act of mercy to destroy them. For when evil is erased, the world becomes a better place.

סוד הקרבנות

Rabbeinu Bachye uses an expression called סוד הקרבנות, the secret of the sacrifices. He claimed that many of the biblical characters were privy to this secret.

Perhaps it was some kind of intuitive knowledge as to how to connect with Hashem on the highest level. It was not reserved only for Jews. Even בלעם הרשע saw the need to construct seven altars and offer sacrifices on them.

Cain and Abel understood סוד הקרבנות, as did Noach. And, of course, the patriarchs realized the importance of this spiritual connection by way of the קרבנות.

This is a different approach than that of the progressive, modern intellectuals, who see sacrifices as something very primitive and irrelevant in our day and age.

It is essential that we keep an open mind and realize that there are many concepts that are beyond our comprehension. סוד הקרבנות is one such concept. Shabbat Shalom