Parshat Chayei Sara 5770 - Death of a King

Parshat Chayei Sara 5770

Rabbi Ari Kahn

Death of a King

Advanced years

This week's parsha describes Avraham in his advanced years; he is old, but blessed:

ספר בראשית פרק כד, א

וְאַבְרָהָם זָקֵן בָּא בַּיָּמִים וַה' בֵּרַךְ אֶת אַבְרָהָם בַּכֹּל:

And Avraham was old and advanced in years; and God blessed Avraham in every way. (Bereishit 24, 1)

The portion from the Prophets read in conjunction with this parsha (the Haftorah) has a very different opening description of the elderly King David:

ספר מלכים א פרק א, א

וְהַמֶּלֶךְ דָּוִד זָקֵן בָּא בַּיָּמִים וַיְכַסֻּהוּ בַּבְּגָדִים וְלֹא יִחַם לוֹ:

And King David was old and advanced in years; and they covered him with clothes, but he was not warmed. (I Kings, Chapter 1:1)

While the first words of each of these verses are almost identical (the only difference being the description of David as “king”), the similarity seems to end right there. Avraham is described as blessed in every way, despite his advanced years, while David's 'golden years' seem far less idyllic. David is depicted as an elderly monarch whose body has rebelled against him; even simple body warmth eludes him.

A Bed Warmer

David is old and cold, and a beautiful young woman named Avishag the Shunamite is brought to attend to him and keep him warm. She is described as a virgin, and the text attests that David was not intimate with her. Many of the details here are unclear: This seems like a very strange modus operandi to bring heat. Additionally, why was Avishag's physical beauty a factor? The commentaries address these and other problems in their search for a deeper understanding of the causes of King David’s chill and the method used to dispel it.

The Sefer Haliqutim[1] contrasts the ailments of David’s old age with the later years of Avraham's life, raising some of the questions we have already noted. He then suggests that this was all part of a process of repentance that David needed to go through. It is more than ironic that David, who at one point in his life could have been accused of being too “hot blooded,” now suffers from a sort of cold that proves incurable. In his younger days, David took many wives; now a beautiful virgin lies next to him, yet he has no sexual contact with her. The Sefer Haliqutim links all this to an earlier episode in David's biography: David had set his eyes on another man's wife, a woman whom he eventually married. In his later years, David experiences a chill which comes from within; the warm young woman brought to rekindle his own burning desire, remains untouched. She is part of his rehabilitation.[2]

The Talmud addresses the questionable episode that lies behind this discussion, and raises several technical points to explain David’s actions and exonerate him from guilt. Rather than accusing David of adultery, the Talmud's conclusion is:

תלמוד בבלי מסכת שבת דף נו עמוד א

אמר רבי שמואל בר נחמני אמר רבי יונתן: כל האומר דוד חטא - אינו אלא טועה, שנאמר (שמואל א' יח) ויהי דוד לכל דרכיו משכיל וה' עמו וגו', אפשר חטא בא לידו ושכינה עמו?

R. Samuel b. Nahmani said in R. Yonatan's name: Whoever says[3] that David sinned is patently mistaken, for it is said, 'And David conducted himself wisely in all his ways: and God was with him.' Is it possible that sin came to his hand, yet the Divine Presence was with him? (Talmud Bavli Shabbat 56a)

The Talmud seems to take the long view, to consider the sum total of David's life. Nonetheless, even those sages who defend David's innocence do so by citing legalisms and technicalities. Clearly, the entire episode of David's marriage to Batsheva involves moral grey areas, or, at the very least, the perception of immorality. In fact, the Prophet Natan lambasts David for his behavior:

שמואל ב פרק יב, א-י"ג

וַיִּשְׁלַח ה’ אֶת נָתָן אֶל דָּוִד וַיָּבֹא אֵלָיו וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ שְׁנֵי אֲנָשִׁים הָיוּ בְּעִיר אֶחָת אֶחָד עָשִׁיר וְאֶחָד רָאשׁ: לְעָשִׁיר הָיָה צֹאן וּבָקָר הַרְבֵּה מְאֹד: וְלָרָשׁ אֵין כֹּל כִּי אִם כִּבְשָׂה אַחַת קְטַנָּה אֲשֶׁר קָנָה וַיְחַיֶּהָ וַתִּגְדַּל עִמּוֹ וְעִם בָּנָיו יַחְדָּו מִפִּתּוֹ תֹאכַל וּמִכֹּסוֹ תִשְׁתֶּה וּבְחֵיקוֹ תִשְׁכָּב וַתְּהִי לוֹ כְּבַת: וַיָּבֹא הֵלֶךְ לְאִישׁ הֶעָשִׁיר וַיַּחְמֹל לָקַחַת מִצֹּאנוֹ וּמִבְּקָרוֹ לַעֲשׂוֹת לָאֹרֵחַ הַבָּא לוֹ וַיִּקַּח אֶת כִּבְשַׂת הָאִישׁ הָרָאשׁ וַיַּעֲשֶׂהָ לָאִישׁ הַבָּא אֵלָיו: וַיִּחַר אַף דָּוִד בָּאִישׁ מְאֹד וַיֹּאמֶר אֶל נָתָן חַי ה’ כִּי בֶן מָוֶת הָאִישׁ הָעֹשֶׂה זֹאת: וְאֶת הַכִּבְשָׂה יְשַׁלֵּם אַרְבַּעְתָּיִם עֵקֶב אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה אֶת הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה וְעַל אֲשֶׁר לֹא חָמָל: וַיֹּאמֶר נָתָן אֶל דָּוִד אַתָּה הָאִישׁ כֹּה אָמַר ה’ אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אָנֹכִי מְשַׁחְתִּיךָ לְמֶלֶךְ עַל יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאָנֹכִי הִצַּלְתִּיךָ מִיַּד שָׁאוּל: וָאֶתְּנָה לְךָ אֶת בֵּית אֲדֹנֶיךָ וְאֶת נְשֵׁי אֲדֹנֶיךָ בְּחֵיקֶךָ וָאֶתְּנָה לְךָ אֶת בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל וִיהוּדָה וְאִם מְעָט וְאֹסִפָה לְּךָ כָּהֵנָּה וְכָהֵנָּה:  מַדּוּעַ בָּזִיתָ אֶת דְּבַר ה’ לַעֲשׂוֹת הָרַע בעינו בְּעֵינַי אֵת אוּרִיָּה הַחִתִּי הִכִּיתָ בַחֶרֶב וְאֶת אִשְׁתּוֹ לָקַחְתָּ לְּךָ לְאִשָּׁה וְאֹתוֹ הָרַגְתָּ בְּחֶרֶב בְּנֵי עַמּוֹן: וְעַתָּה לֹא תָסוּר חֶרֶב מִבֵּיתְךָ עַד עוֹלָם עֵקֶב כִּי בְזִתָנִי וַתִּקַּח אֶת אֵשֶׁת אוּרִיָּה הַחִתִּי לִהְיוֹת לְךָ לְאִשָּׁה:

 כֹּה אָמַר ה’ הִנְנִי מֵקִים עָלֶיךָ רָעָה מִבֵּיתֶךָ וְלָקַחְתִּי אֶת נָשֶׁיךָ לְעֵינֶיךָ וְנָתַתִּי לְרֵעֶיךָ וְשָׁכַב עִם נָשֶׁיךָ לְעֵינֵי הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ הַזֹּאת: כִּי אַתָּה עָשִׂיתָ בַסָּתֶר וַאֲנִי אֶעֱשֶׂה אֶת הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה נֶגֶד כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל וְנֶגֶד הַשָּׁמֶשׁ:

וַיֹּאמֶר דָּוִד אֶל נָתָן חָטָאתִי לַה'.

And God sent Natan to David. And he came to him, and said to him, 'There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor. The rich man had very many flocks and herds; but the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up; and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it ate of his own food, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was to him as a daughter. And there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take from his own flock and of his own herd, to prepare for the traveler who came to him; but took the poor man’s lamb, and prepared it for the man who came to him.' And David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Natan, 'As God lives, the man who has done this thing shall surely die; And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.' And Natan said to David, 'You are the man. Thus said the Almighty God of Israel, "I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Shaul; And I gave you your master’s house, and your master’s wives to your bosom, and gave you the house of Israel and of Yehuda; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given to you many other things. Why have you despised the commandment of God, to do evil in His sight? You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. And therefore the sword shall never depart from your house; because you have despised Me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife."  Thus said God, "Behold, I will raise up evil against you from your own house, and I will take your wives before your eyes, and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of the sun.  For you did it secretly; but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.' And David said to Natan, 'I have sinned against God.' (II Shmuel 12: 1-13)

According to the Sefer Liquitim, as David lies beside a young, beautiful woman, his physical passions are suppressed and his soul reigns supreme, allowing him to fully repent for his earlier moral lapse.

Rebellion

The main thrust of the Haftorah is the insurgence of Adoniya, who attempts to usurp the kingdom while David is old but still quite alive.

ספר מלכים א פרק א, ה-ו  

וַאֲדֹנִיָּה בֶן חַגִּית מִתְנַשֵּׂא לֵאמֹר אֲנִי אֶמְלֹךְ וַיַּעַשׂ לוֹ רֶכֶב וּפָרָשִׁים וַחֲמִשִּׁים אִישׁ רָצִים לְפָנָיו:וְלֹא עֲצָבוֹ אָבִיו מִיָּמָיו לֵאמֹר מַדּוּעַ כָּכָה עָשִׂיתָ וְגַם הוּא טוֹב תֹּאַר מְאֹד וְאֹתוֹ יָלְדָה אַחֲרֵי אַבְשָׁלוֹם:

Then Adoniyah the son of Haggit exalted himself, saying, 'I will be king'; and he set up chariots and horsemen for himself, and fifty men to run before him. And his father had not displeased him at any time by saying, 'Why have you done so? And he also was a very handsome man; and his mother bore him after Avsalom. (I Kings, Chapter 1:5-6)

The closing editorial comment, that Adoniyah was born after Avshalom, is instructive:[4] Like Adoniyah, Avshalom, too, had declared himself king. The memory of Avshalom’s ill-conceived rebellion and tragic death must surely have haunted David and made him hesitant to give Adoniya the rebuke he deserved. He could not bear to confront his rebellious son -  again.

The Sefer Liquitim casts David's woes against a different backdrop altogether: David himself had behaved inappropriately to a king – to Saul, and the various attempts at rebellion he was forced to contend with in his later years were punishment:

שמואל א פרק כד, ד-ז

וַיֹּאמְרוּ אַנְשֵׁי דָוִד אֵלָיו הִנֵּה הַיּוֹם אֲשֶׁר אָמַר ה’ אֵלֶיךָ הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי נֹתֵן אֶת אֹיִבְךָ בְּיָדֶךָ וְעָשִׂיתָ לּוֹ כַּאֲשֶׁר יִטַב בְּעֵינֶיךָ וַיָּקָם דָּוִד וַיִּכְרֹת אֶת כְּנַף הַמְּעִיל אֲשֶׁר לְשָׁאוּל בַּלָּט: וַיְהִי אחֲרֵי כֵן וַיַּךְ לֵב דָּוִד אֹתוֹ עַל אֲשֶׁר כָּרַת אֶת כָּנָף אֲשֶׁר לְשָׁאוּל: ס

וַיֹּאמֶר לַאֲנָשָׁיו חָלִילָה לִּי מֵה’ אִם אֶעֱשֶׂה אֶת הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה לַאדֹנִי לִמְשִׁיחַ ה’ לִשְׁלֹחַ יָדִי בּוֹ כִּי מְשִׁיחַ ה’ הוּא: וַיְשַׁסַּע דָּוִד אֶת אֲנָשָׁיו בַּדְּבָרִים וְלֹא נְתָנָם לָקוּם אֶל שָׁאוּל וְשָׁאוּל קָם מֵהַמְּעָרָה וַיֵּלֶךְ בַּדָּרֶךְ:

And the men of David said to him, 'This is the day of which God said to you, 'Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand, that you may do to him as you shall see fit.' Then David arose, and cut off the skirt of Shaul’s robe secretly. And it came to pass afterward, that David’s heart struck him, because he had cut off Shaul’s skirt. And he said to his men, 'God forbid that I should do this thing to my master, God's anointed one, to stretch forth my hand against him, seeing he is the anointed emissary of God. So David scolded his servants with these words, and did not allow them to rise against Shaul. And Shaul rose up from the cave, and went on his way. (I Shmuel, 24: 4-7)

The Talmud clarifies the connection between these two episodes: David's disrespect toward King Shaul was an act of rebellion against the symbolic expression of Shaul's status, his royal clothing. In his old age, this very same symbol betrays David: his clothing brings him no protection, no warmth.

תלמוד בבלי מסכת ברכות דף סב עמוד ב

"ויקם דוד ויכרת את כנף המעיל אשר לשאול בלט": אמר רבי יוסי ברבי חנינא: כל המבזה את הבגדים סוף אינו נהנה מהם, שנאמר (מלכים א', א') "והמלך דוד זקן בא בימים ויכסהו בבגדים ולא יחם לו."

"Then David arose, and cut off the skirt of Shaul’s robe secretly." R. Yose son of R. Hanina said: Whoever treats garments contemptuously will in the end derive no benefit from them; for it says, "Now King David was old and advanced in years; and they covered him with clothes, but he was not warmed." Talmud Bavli Brachot 62b

David's disrespect for the trappings of the monarchy rebounds against him, when his son Adoniya takes a page from David's book and outfits himself with an entourage and declares himself heir to the throne. As David supplanted Shaul, so Adoniya begins his "reign" while David still lives and occupies the throne.[5]

Adoniya was apparently fully aware of the power of the symbols of monarchy: Although his attempted rebellion fails and Shlomo eventually becomes king, Adoniya attempts to gain legitimacy by exploiting the very same symbols. He approaches Batsheva and asks to relay what he presents as an innocent request: He asks that Avishag the Shunamite, the beautiful young woman brought to warm his father, be given to him as a wife and "consolation prize".  

ספר מלכים א פרק ב, י"ג-י"ז

וַיָּבֹא אֲדֹנִיָּהוּ בֶן חַגִּית אֶל בַּת שֶׁבַע אֵם שְׁלֹמֹה וַתֹּאמֶר הֲשָׁלוֹם בֹּאֶךָ וַיֹּאמֶר שָׁלוֹם: וַיֹּאמֶר דָּבָר לִי אֵלָיִךְ וַתֹּאמֶר דַּבֵּר: וַיֹּאמֶר אַתְּ יָדַעַתְּ כִּי לִי הָיְתָה הַמְּלוּכָה וְעָלַי שָׂמוּ כָל יִשְׂרָאֵל פְּנֵיהֶם לִמְלֹךְ וַתִּסֹּב הַמְּלוּכָה וַתְּהִי לְאָחִי כִּי מֵה' הָיְתָה לּוֹ: וְעַתָּה שְׁאֵלָה אַחַת אָנֹכִי שֹׁאֵל מֵאִתָּךְ אַל תָּשִׁבִי אֶת פָּנָי וַתֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו דַּבֵּר: וַיֹּאמֶר אִמְרִי נָא לִשְׁלֹמֹה הַמֶּלֶךְ כִּי לֹא יָשִׁיב אֶת פָּנָיִךְ וְיִתֶּן לִי אֶת אֲבִישַׁג הַשּׁוּנַמִּית לְאִשָּׁה:

And Adoniya, son of Haggit, came to Batsheva the mother of Shlomo. And she said, "Do you come in peace?" and he said, "Peace." And he said, "May I speak with you?" and she said, "Speak." And he said, "You are aware that the kingdom was mine and all of Israel looked to me to rule, and the kingdom was taken from me and went to my brother, for it was God's decision to give it to him. And now I have one request of you; do not turn me away." And she said to him, "Speak." And he said, "Please tell King Shlomo that he should not turn down your request and that he give me Avishag the Shunamite for a wife." (I Kings, 2: 13-17)

Adoniya was very clever, his plan well-considered. He knew that he could never take one of King David's wives; this is clearly a symbol of succession and monarchy. Kings inherited the entire household of their predecessors, as did David himself. Instead, Adoniya attempts to step into the grey area. He asks for Avishag, who never had the status of a royal wife. Her position was far more utilitarian. Like the clothes with which David had been covered, Avishag was brought to the palace to warm him. King Shlomo, whose wisdom was legendary, saw through Adoniya's subterfuge.  He understood full well that granting this woman to Adoniya as a wife would be tantamount to dressing his rebellious brother in the robes of the king. The plot comes full circle: David showed his disrespect for Shaul by defacing his royal garments; David's clothing rebelled against him, failing to provide warmth in his old age. Finally, David's son Adoniya tried to rebel by "inheriting" the stand-in for clothing, Avishag the Shunamite - a very powerful symbol of legitimacy indeed. Clearly, Adoniya had not abandoned his rebellious aspirations; he is put to death.[6]

This episode requires that we consider more carefully the meaning and significance of "clothing" as a concept. We recall that clothing was introduced only after Man sinned in the Garden of Eden; such coverage only became necessary when Man became vulnerable, weakened by sin. In fact, the word for 'clothing', begged, signifies b'gida, betrayal or rebellion; the very necessity for clothing is a sign of man’s rebellion against God.

The catalyst and instigator of that sin in Eden was the Serpent. He was the first to cast his eyes upon a woman who was not his spouse, to desire another man's wife. While the Serpent may have been the first, he was most surely not the last: This behavior became the perceived privilege of many powerful men throughout history, most especially among rulers and kings. Rather than subjecting themselves to the will of the King of the Universe, they simply took what was not theirs. They felt that their status, the power which they amassed, was sufficient proof of the morality of their actions. In fact, this was the attitude that brought about the flood[7]:

בראשית פרק ו פסוק ב -ג:

ויראו בני האלהים את בנות האדם כי טובות הנה ויקחו להם נשים מכל אשר בחרו

And the sons of the rulers saw that the daughters of man were good, and they took themselves wives from whomever they chose. (Bereishit 6, 2-3)

The flood did not put an end to this warped nexus of power and adultery: Avraham suffered repeatedly when confronted by this very same philosophy. His concerns regarding the intentions of the powerful men with whom he interacted were borne out on at least two occasions: Both Paroh and Avimelech regarded it as their right to take Sarah, for they were kings, and in their minds, women were for the taking.

Avraham's defense against these advances seems quite strange to modern readers:

בראשית פרק יב פסוק יג

אִמְרִי נָא אֲחֹתִי אָתְּ לְמַעַן יִיטַב לִי בַעֲבוּרֵךְ וְחָיְתָה נַפְשִׁי בִּגְלָלֵךְ:  

Say, I beg you, that you are my sister; that it may be well with me for your sake; and my soul shall live because of you. (Bereishit 12:13)

Sarah is instructed to say that she is his sister. We are not alone in finding this strategy peculiar, to say the least: Numerous commentaries[8] take umbrage at Avraham's seeming willingness to save himself at the expense of his wife’s wellbeing.[9] However, Avraham's tactic contains within it a deep understanding of the mindset of those with whom he is in conflict. His plan may actually be a statement aimed at and only fully understood by the morally corrupt monarchs themselves, in the broader context of their respective societal mores.

The Torah often holds Egypt up as the representative of morally corrupt social systems. In fact, when the Torah lists all of the forbidden sexual perversions, the section is introduced with a general prohibition to shun Egyptian practices and mores:

ספר ויקרא פרק יח, א-ו

וַיְדַבֵּר ה' אֶל משֶׁה לֵּאמֹר: דַּבֵּר אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵהֶם אֲנִי ה' אֱלֹהֵיכֶם: כְּמַעֲשֵׂה אֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם אֲשֶׁר יְשַׁבְתֶּם בָּהּ לֹא תַעֲשׂוּ וּכְמַעֲשֵׂה אֶרֶץ כְּנַעַן אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי מֵבִיא אֶתְכֶם שָׁמָּה לֹא תַעֲשׂוּ וּבְחֻקֹּתֵיהֶם לֹא תֵלֵכוּ: אֶת מִשְׁפָּטַי תַּעֲשׂוּ וְאֶת חֻקֹּתַי תִּשְׁמְרוּ לָלֶכֶת בָּהֶם אֲנִי ה' אֱלֹהֵיכֶם: וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם אֶת חֻקֹּתַי וְאֶת מִשְׁפָּטַי אֲשֶׁר יַעֲשֶׂה אֹתָם הָאָדָם וָחַי בָּהֶם אֲנִי ה': אִישׁ אִישׁ אֶל כָּל שְׁאֵר בְּשָׂרוֹ לֹא תִקְרְבוּ לְגַלּוֹת עֶרְוָה אֲנִי ה':

And God spoke to Moshe, saying, Speak to the People of Israel, and say to them, 'I am the Almighty your God. Do not adopt the behaviors of the land of Egypt, where you dwelt, and do not adopt the behaviors of the land of Canaan, where I bring you, nor shall you walk in their ordinances. You shall do my judgments, and keep my ordinances, to walk with them; I am the Almighty your God. You shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments; which if a man does, he shall live in them; I am God. None of you shall approach to any who is near of kin to him, to uncover their nakedness; I am God. (Vayikra 18: 1-6)

First and foremost among proscribed sexual behaviors is incest. Rav Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin (the Netziv) in his commentary Haamek Davar, stresses that the entire monarchial system of Egypt was based on incest: As a "privilege" of monarchy, the Pharos married their own sisters.[10] It is in this milieu that Avraham is forced to maneuver. When he instructs Sarah to say that she is his sister, Avraham speaks to Paroh in his own language, as it were, addressing him as one monarch to another. He hopes that Paroh will treat him as a significant leader, and afford him the protection given to a visiting monarch.

In fact, this subtext may be the key to understanding more than the episode of Avraham and Sarah in Egypt; this may be the crux of the entire relationship of the Haftorah to the parsha. While we see Avraham as “avinu”, our Forefather Avraham, that is our own familial, familiar perspective. To others, to the people with whom he came into contact during his later life, Avraham was seen as king. The text itself gives us many "snapshots" of Avraham's interactions that indicate this status: For example, when Avraham returned from the battle in which he vanquished the confederacy of five kings led by his old nemesis Nimrod/Amrafel,[11] there was a move to anoint Avraham king of the entire region:

בראשית פרק יד, י"ז

(יז) וַיֵּצֵא מֶלֶךְ סְדֹם לִקְרָאתוֹ אַחֲרֵי שׁוּבוֹ מֵהַכּוֹת אֶת כְּדָרְלָעֹמֶר וְאֶת הַמְּלָכִים אֲשֶׁר אִתּוֹ אֶל עֵמֶק שָׁוֵה הוּא עֵמֶק הַמֶּלֶךְ:

And the King of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the victory over Kedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king’s valley. (Bereishit 14: 17)

בראשית רבה (וילנא) פרשה מג:ה

רבי ברכיה ורבי חנינא בשם רבי שמואל בר נחמן ששם השוו כל עובדי כוכבים וקצצו ארזים ועשו בימה גדולה והושיבו אותו בתוכו למעלה והיו מקלסין לפניו ואומרים לו שמענו אדוני וגו', אמרו לו מלך את עלינו, נשיא את עלינו, אלוה את עלינו, אמר להם אל יחסר העולם מלכו ואל יחסר אלוהו.

R. Berekiah and R. Helbo in the name of R. Samuel b. Nahman said: It was so called because there all peoples of the world became unanimous, and said to Abraham: ‘Be thou king over us.’ But he replied: ‘The world does not lack its King and its God. (Bereishit Rabbah 43:5)

Long before, Avraham had come to fully understand that the world has a King. He therefore had little use for the trappings of power and monarchy. In his experience, monarchs caused war, bloodshed and the corruption of morals. As far as he was concerned, the world had the only King it needed. In fact, Avraham's attitude is deeply embedded in the Jewish ethic: While Avraham was, according to the midrash, the first to express his reservations,[12]throughout the generations, the Jewish attitude toward monarchy has always been ambivalent.

These reservations notwithstanding, "outsiders" saw Avraham as a king, and he was often confronted with many of the issues with which kings are faced: waging war, accepting or rejecting payment or homage from peoples vanquished or rescued in war, economic management and trade, foreign relations – and succession. Here, then, is the connection between the parsha and the Haftorah: The Haftorah recounts a tale of palace intrigue surrounding the question of succession to the throne. Conversely, the parsha tells of the courtship of a wife for Avraham's son, Yitzchak - a strange courtship, conducted by proxy through Avraham’s trusted aide. At face value, these are two very different stories, yet they are woven with a common thread: continuity. The new leader, the replacement for the father who is almost larger-than life, is the topic. The contrast in the resolution of the problem of succession is striking: Avraham’s trusted servant marches with fidelity to fulfill his master's quest to procure a proper wife for Yitzchak, thus assuring that Avraham's line will carry on. On the other hand, David’s son Adoniya takes steps to circumvent his father and become king, despite the fact that David is still alive, and has expressed his choice of Shlomo to inherit the throne.

Both King David and "king" Avraham led lives in which they built and solidified great empires, both physical and spiritual. Both were willing and able to fight, when necessary, but Avraham's preferred tactic was to reach out with love. His following grew as he exposed others to the hesed of the God of the Universe whom he had discovered. In our present parsha, and in the Haftorah reading associated with it, both Avraham and David were planning their respective departures from the stage of history, making provisions for the smooth transmission of their respective empires to their successors. It is therefore with a great deal of irony and no small measure of poetic justice that the Targum Pseudo-Yonatan identifies two of Avraham's better known disciples/followers, Eliezer and Hagar, within this context of monarchy and succession.

Eliezer, the man whom Avraham saw as a potential heir, was in a sense "the man who would be king," the man passed over in favor of Yitzchak. According to tradition, Avraham entrusts Eliezer with the task of finding a wife for Yitzchak,[13] effectively entrusting the displaced heir with insuring the succession of the true heir. The trust that Avraham places in him is all the more impressive in this light, and the servant's scrupulous fulfillment of his master's wishes all the more significant. And yet, that is not all; according to Targum Pseudo-Yonatan, Eliezer was in fact the son of Nimrod![14] Here, then, is the son of Avraham's arch-enemy, the man who had tried to burn him alive in Ur Kasdim and to defeat him on the battlefield years later. Eliezer rejected his own father, turning his back on the empire that would rightfully be his own, in order to join Avraham. And when he is passed over by Avraham, when it is clear that Yitzchak will inherit the empire Avraham has built despite his own years of faithful service, Eliezer remains loyal to Avraham and everything he stands for. He faithfully seeks out the means for continuing Avraham's spiritual and physical legacy - through Yitzchak!

Hagar was the female equivalent of Eliezer, so to speak. She served Sarah, and for a time it appeared that her own son would inherit Avraham's empire. The Torah identifies her as Egyptian, and the Targum Pseudo- Yonatan fills in the details of her biography: she was the daughter of Paroh, the granddaughter of Nimrod.[15]

What did they see in Avraham? What led them to reject Nimrod and everything he stood for and cling to Avraham and his household? Avraham was a different kind of king. He did not take people by force; they followed him because of love. Nimrod was the first person in history described as a king; he amassed power in order to enable him to use force. Avraham taught the world about a different King, an ethical King of love. Nimrod’s own descendents chose Avraham and his message of decency; in him, and through him, they had found a true leader and the real King.

---

[1] Sefer Haliqutim Melachim 1:1.

ספר הליקוטים - ספר מלכים א - פרק א

והמלך דוד זקן בא בימים ויכסוהו בבגדים ולא יחם לו:

ענין מ"ש בא בימים, נדרש בזוהר בפ' ואברהם זקן בא בימים, ע"ש ותבין. ובמקום אחד בזוהר מביא, שמאותם הימים של האדם שעושה בהם מצות ומעשים טובים, נעשה מלבוש לנשמה. וענין זה המלבוש, תמצאה בפ' נח, וג"כ בהיכלות פ' פקודי, ושם יעויין באורך:

ואמנם באלו הפסוקים, יש לשאול על השינוי הנמצא בין ביאת הימים של אברהם לשל דהע"ה, כי שם היה זקן ושבע ימים בן קע"ה שנה, ודוד בן ע' שנה בלבד. ועוד, אברהם נתברך בכל, ודוד ויכסוהו בבגדים ולא יחם לו. ועוד, להבין מה הם אלו הבגדים וכסויה. ולמה לא יחם לו, וכי הוא חסר בגדים כדי לכסותו כדי לחממו. ועוד, להבין תקנת עבדיו להביא לו נערה בתולה כדי שתחממהו, וכי חסר היה נערות או נשים, עד שבקשו בכל גבול ישראל וימצאו את אבישג, שדרך מציאה מצאוה. ועוד, להבין מלת סוכנת דנקט, ולא אמר ותהי למלך מחממת, כי כן אמר ולא יחם לו, ולמה שינה כאן ואמר סוכנת. ועוד, למה היתה בתולה ולא בעולה. ועוד להבין למה לא ידעה. וא"ת מבלתי יכולתו, כי זקן, כבר ידעת מ"ש רז"ל על ותבא בת שבע החדרה, מלמד שקנחה בי"ג מפות, וטעם רז"ל ידוע. ועוד להבין למה היתה יפה עד מאד, כי בלי זה איזו בתולה היא מחממת. וכ"ש אם לא תהיה יפה, כי טבעה חם יותר מהיפה, כי טבעו קר, כמו שידוע לבעלי הטבע. ועוד להבין סמיכות ענין אדוניה בן חגית לזה הענין, המתנשא לאמר אני אמלוך, וטעם רז"ל ידוע.

[2] Ibid.

ודרך התשובה שעשה, היא מדה כנגד מדה. והיא זאת שאמרו לו עבדיו יבקשו למלך נערה בתולה טובת מראה ושכבה בחיקך ותהי למלך סוכנת, כלומר, אעפ"י שעדיין הוא בתוקפו, יכניע יצה"ר ולא יגע בה. וז"ש ותהי לו סוכנת, כלומר שיהיה עמה בצער וסכנה להכניע יצה"ר, ובזה יתוקן אותו עון. ולזה היתה בתולה, להראות העמים כי לא נגע בה, שאילו היתה בעולה מי מעיד שלא נגע בה. ועי"ז יתוקן המלבוש, וחם לאדוני המלך. ולזה לא לקח מנשיו או מנערותיו, כי לבו גס בהם, אלא זו יפה עד מאד ודרך מציאה, ואעפ"י שג"כ ושכבה בחיקך, ובחוזק התאוה היה מסוכן עמה בכל עת ובכל רגע, וזמ"ש וחם לאדוני המלך בכח התאוה, ועי"ז תקובל תשובתך מדה כנגד מדה. ולזה היה שמה אבישג השונמית, באותיות שמה יובן ענין התיקון, כי יש באותיותיו, נשמת"ו הש"ג א"ב, כי בה נתקן והשיג נשמתו לצרור החיים את ה' אלהיו:

[3] It is possible to explain, that once David repented as is evidenced by scripture, he is considered a penitent, and it is deemed improper to remind a ba’al Teshuva of their past transgressions, hence we may not say “David sinned”.

[4] See II Shmuel, 3: 3 - 4.

[5] See Sefer Haliqutim Melachim 1:1.

וג"כ ע"י הצער שציער לשאול בכריתתו כנף מעילו, ונגע בכבוד המלכות, לזה כאן נצטער דוד. ואדניהו מתנשא לאמר אני אמלוך.

[6] See Yalkut Shimoni, I Kings,  chapter 1 remez 166

ילקוט שמעוני מלכים א - פרק א - רמז קסו

ויבקשו נערה יפה בכל גבול ישראל וימצאו את אבישג השונמית. אמר רבי יעקב אמר רבי יוחנן אבישג מותרת לשלמה ואסורה לאדוניה, מותרת לשלמה מלך הוא ומלך משתמש בשרביטו של מלך, ואסורה לאדוניה הדיוט הוא:

[7] For a discussion of this topic, see my article “In Search of the Serpent” http://arikahn.blogspot.com/2009/10/parshat-bereshit-5770-in-search-of.html

[8] See Ramban Bereishit 12:10, I have previously written about this episode see my essay “Acts of the Fathers” http://www.aish.com/tp/i/moha/48932052.html

רמב"ן בראשית פרק יב פסוק י

ורמז אליו כי בניו ירדו מצרים מפני הרעב לגור שם בארץ, והמצרים ירעו להם ויקחו מהם הנשים כאשר אמר (שמות א כב) וכל הבת תחיון, והקב"ה ינקום נקמתם:

ודע כי אברהם אבינו חטא חטא גדול בשגגה שהביא אשתו הצדקת במכשול עון מפני פחדו פן יהרגוהו, והיה לו לבטוח בשם שיציל אותו ואת אשתו ואת כל אשר לו, כי יש באלהים כח לעזור ולהציל.

[9] See Ohr Hachaim Bereshit 12:11,12 where he raises the same question as the Ramban and provides an answer.

אור החיים בראשית פרק יב פסוק יא

 ויהי כאשר הקריב וגו' הנה נא ידעתי וגו'. רז"ל אמרו (ב"ב טז א) להגיד צניעות שהיה ביניהם. וצריך לדעת לאיזה ענין אמר לה כן אברהם:

אכן להיות כי רצה לצוות עליה לומר אחי הוא חש שתאמר שרה למה הכניסה בגדר סכנה שעל כל פנים היא מסתכנת או תמסר בעל כרחה ביד הטמאים על ידי הריגת הבעל או ברצונה ולא היה לו להביאה למקום כזה, והגם שבטוחים הצדיקים בהקב"ה אף על פי כן כלל זה בידינו שאין סומכין על הנס ומה גם לגבי בחירת האדם, וצא ולמד (קידושין לט ב) משמואל שאמר (ש"א טז) ושמע שאול והרגני, לזה אמר אליה הנה נא וגו' נתן התנצלות על הדבר כי עתה נודע לו ולא מקודם שאם היה יודע מה שידע עתה לא היה מביאה אל מצרים והיה הולך למקום אחר. וטעם נתינת לב לדעת לצד קרבתו לבא למצרים ראה פנים כעורות. או ידע בקריבת העיר כי המלך יקח היפה בנשים ונתן דעתו והכיר בה. ואומרו כי אשה יפת וגו' ולא הספיק לומר כי יפת מראה את, נתכוין לומר כי אחת היא בעולם אשה יפת מראה היא ואין דומה לה והבן:

ואל יקשה בעיניך שהלך עמה לארץ פלשתים אחר שידע כי אשה יפת מראה היא, כי ארץ פלשתים לא היו כעורות כל כך כמצרים. ולזה תמצא שלא הוצרך לצוות עליה שתאמר היא אלא הוא אמר עליה אחותי היא כי לא היה בית מיחוש כאנשי מצרים שהיו בתכלית הכיעור והיא בתכלית היופי:

אור החיים בראשית פרק יב פסוק יג

עוד ירצה בדקדוק עוד אומרו כפל ענין בעבורך ובגללך שהיה לו לומר ייטב לי וחיתה נפשי בגללך או בעבורך:

אכן נתכוון לב' דברים הא' למען יטיבו לו בעבור אחותו טובה גשמיית. ועוד וחיתה נפשי וגו' על דרך מה שדרשו ז"ל (ברכות לא ב) בפסוק (ש"א א) אם ראה תראה שאם לא יפקידה תעשה שעל כרחך יראה לתת לה זרע ע"י שתלך ותסתר וכו' ותבדק כסוטה ונזרעה זרע. כמו כן חשב אברהם כי על ידי סתירת האשה עם האיש והיא נקיה ה' יפקדנה בבנים בדומין לו והוא אומרו וחיתה נפשי בפקודת הזרע בגללך פירוש בדברים המתגלגלים ממך על דרך מה שדרשו ז"ל (שבת קנא ב) בפסוק בגלל הדבר וגו', ולזה הפסיק בתיבת בעבורך לומר כי הם ב' דברים. גם אומרו וחיתה בתוספת וא"ו לומר שהוא פרט חדש ואינו ענף ייטב לי כי הם ב' בחינות ההטבה אחד לגוף ואחד לנפש. ודבר זה הושג אצלו בסתירה שנסתרה עם אבימלך ולא בפעם הזאת עם פרעה לטעם כי שם לא היה חשד כי גירשו מארצו גילה כי לא עשה דבר. או אפשר כי באמצעות ב' פעמים נתפרסם הקול על שרה כי נסתרה ועל ידי זה נפקדה. שוב בא לידי מאמר רז"ל (ב"ר פנ"ג) וזה לשונם אמר רבי יצחק אמר הקב"ה כתיב (במדבר ה כח) ואם לא נטמאה האשה וטהורה היא ונקתה ונזרעה זרע וזו שנכנסה לבית פרעה ולבית אבימלך ויצתה טהורה אין דין שתפקד עכ"ל, והם דברינו עצמם והבן. הרי שחיתה נפשו של אברהם בבנים בגלל שרה:

[10] See Hamek Davar Vayikra 18:3.

העמק דבר על ויקרא פרק יח פסוק ג

(ג) כמעשה וגו' לא תעשו ובחקתיהם לא תלכו. הקדים אזהרות הללו לפ' עריות באשר אדם עושה עבירה זו בשני אופנים. א' מראש פרעות התאוה פרץ גדר חקי התורה וחקי הדעת של האדם ג"כ. אבל זה האופן לא מיקרי הליכה אלא מעשה משום שאינו בא אלא במקרה. ב' מחקי המדינה שכך הנהיגו להתהלך באופנים הללו. והעובר על חקי התורה אינו מצד תאוה אלא כך המנהג. "כ הקדים הכתוב כמעשה ארץ מצרים שראיתם רגילים לפרוץ בתאותם כל חקי ודעת אנושי אתם לא תעשו כן. ותגדרו בפני התאוה הבא במקרא:

 ובחקתיהם. שחקקו מדעת גדוליהם שראוי לנהוג כך להיות אח נושא אחותו וכדומה:

[11] See Rashi Berishit 14:1 where Amraphel is identified with Nimrod.

רש"י בראשית פרק יד פסוק א

(א) אמרפל - הוא נמרוד שאמר לאברהם פול לתוך כבשן האש:

[12] See D’varim 17:14 and commentaries.

[13] See for example Targum Pseudo Yonatan Bereishit 24:2

כתר יונתן בראשית פרק כד פסוק ב

(ב) ויאמר אברהם לאליעזר עבדו זקן של ביתו ששולט בכל אוצרות שלו שים עתה ידך בברית מילתי:

[14] See Targum Pseudo Yonatan Bereishit 14:14, this teaching is based on various Midrashim, see Midrash Aggada chapter 16, Yalkut Shimoni Chaya  Sarah remez 109. Pirkei D'rebbi Eliezer chapter 16, says that Eliezer was Nimrod’s slave.

The Chizkuni Bereishit 15:2 identifies Eliezer as Nimrod’s grandson.

כתר יונתן בראשית פרק יד

(יד) וכאשר שמע אברם כי נשבה אחיו חימש את בחוריו שחינך למלחמה מגידולי ביתו ולא רצו ללכת עמו ויבחר מהם את אליעזר בן נִמרוד שהיה דומה בגבורתו ככולם שלש מאות ושמונה עשר וירדוף עד דן:

מדרש אגדה (בובר) בראשית פרק טז

 וכן נתן נמרוד אליעזר בנו לאברהם, בשעה שניצל מכבשן האש:

פרקי דרבי אליעזר (היגר) - "חורב" פרק טז

 ומהיכן היה עבדו אלא שכיון שיצא מאור כשדים באו כל גדולי הדור ליתן לו מתנות ולקח נמרוד עבדו אליעזר ונתנו לו עבד עולם,

ילקוט שמעוני תורה פרשת חיי שרה רמז קט

אמר הקב"ה מה אעשה לעבד הזה שהיה חשוד אמר למלאכי השרת הכניסוהו חי בגן עדן הוא אליעזר בן נמרוד והוא תמיה גדולה יצחק יצא מגן עדן חי ואליעזר נכנס לגן עדן חי:

חזקוני בראשית פרק טו

 הוא דמשק אליעזר בן בנו של נמרוד הרשע היה.

[15] Targum Pseudo Yonatan Bereishit 16:5

כתר יונתן בראשית פרק טז ה

ותאמר שרי לאברם כל עלבוני ממך שהייתי בטוחה שתעשה דיני שאני עזבתי ארץ ובית אבא ובאתי עמך לארץ נכריה ועתה בעבור שלא הייתי יולדת שחררתי שפחתי ונתתיה בחיקיך ותרא כי הרתה ויתבזה כבודי בפניה ועתה יתגלה לפני יי עלבוני ויפרוס שלום ביני ובינך ותִתמלא הארץ מִמנו ולא נצטרך לבניה של הגר בת פרעה בן נמרוד שהטילך לכבשן האש:

Parshat Vayera 5770 - The Purpose of the Akaida

Parshat Vayera 5770

Rabbi Ari Kahn

The Purpose of the Akaida

Avraham's View of Death

בראשית פרק כב, א-ב

וַיְהִי אַחַר הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה וְהָאֱלֹהִים נִסָּה אֶת אַבְרָהָם וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו אַבְרָהָם וַיֹּאמֶר הִנֵּנִי:

וַיֹּאמֶר קַח נָא אֶת בִּנְךָ אֶת יְחִידְךָ אֲשֶׁר אָהַבְתָּ אֶת יִצְחָק וְלֶךְ לְךָ אֶל אֶרֶץ הַמֹּרִיָּה וְהַעֲלֵהוּ שָׁם לְעֹלָה עַל אַחַד הֶהָרִים אֲשֶׁר אֹמַר אֵלֶיךָ:

And it came to pass after these things, that God tested Avraham, and said to him, Avraham; and he said, 'Here I am. And he said, Take now your son, your only son Yitzchak, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell you. Bereishit 22:1,2.

When confronted with the Divine imperative, Avraham does not flinch; he marches to the place that God told him; the word of God would be fulfilled. The Torah only tells of Avraham’s actions, and the narrative gives us no sense that Avraham hesitated in any way: Avraham awakens early and sets out on his macabre mission. We are not made privy to the thoughts racing through Avraham’s mind. Did this grotesque commandment cause Avraham to question the promises God had made to him, or to question his basic understanding of God as merciful and good?

Readers of the text may be far more intrigued by those thoughts than by the actions which the Torah describes. On a logical level, Avraham faced a quandary: God had previously assured him that this son, and no other, would carry on his name and his mission; the covenant forged with Avraham was to be continued through Yitzchak and his children. If Yitzchak, as yet unmarried and childless, is to be slaughtered in sacrifice, can Avraham comprehend or contend with the thought that God’s words would be proven false?[1]

The gnawing, haunting elements of the akeida stem from the permanence of death: If death can be temporary, if the body can be healed, reunited with the soul, then the harshest element of the akeida disappears. Can it be that Avraham's own experiences told him that the akeida was not the final act of Yitzchak's life-story? Avraham himself had been thrown into a fiery furnace – apparently with his father's blessing or acquiescence[2] – and emerged unscathed; perhaps he believed, with a conviction that few others can comprehend, that Yitzchak would live, even if he offered him as a sacrifice.

Life After Death?

This may be related to a possible resolution which seems to elude Jewish minds: Avraham was to have killed Yitzchak, and subsequently Yitzchak would return from the dead. The idea of resurrection is certainly a Jewish idea, and is considered a basic principle of faith; nonetheless, ever since the idea was hijacked[3] by Christianity and made a central tenet of that religion, Jews seem to distance themselves from the concept, despite the fact that we confirm this principle of faith in our prayers on a thrice - daily basis.

While this may resolve some of the questions that we have regarding Avraham's mindset, it is not the scenario of choice, for the simple reason that Avraham did not, in fact, kill Yitzchak. Nonetheless, various midrashim and commentaries prefer to read Yitzchak’s death into the text.

פרקי דרבי אליעזר (היגר) - "חורב" פרק ל

ר' יהודה אומ' כיון שהגיע החרב על צוארו פרחה ויצאה נפשו של יצחק, וכיון שהשמיע קולו מבין הכרובים ואמ' לו אל תשלח ידך נפשו חזרה לגופו וקם ועמד יצחק על רגליו וידע יצחק שכך המתים עתידים להחיות ופתח ואמ' ברוך אתה ה' מחיה המתים.

Rav Yehuda said, 'When the sword reached his throat, his soul ascended and Yitzchak died. When He made his voice heard from between the keruvim saying “Do not raise a hand to the boy,” (Yitzchak's) soul returned to his body, Yitzchak arose and stood on his feet. Yitzchak knew that this is how the dead would be resurrected in the future, and he said, “Blessed are You who resurrects the dead”. Pirki D’Rebbi Eliezer, Chapter 30[4]

The scenario described in this midrash is radically different than what we have come to visualize: Although Avraham does not actively kill him, Yitzchak dies on the altar. His soul ascends to heaven, but is returned to his body when the Voice of God rings out from between the keruvim, and Yitzchak experiences and comprehends resurrection.

The keruvim are familiar to us from the first parsha of Bereishit: God stations a pair of celestial protectors on the path leading back to the Garden of Eden. In our present context, the keruvim function as an oracle,[5] more in line with the description of the keruvim that stood in the Mishkan and later in the Beit Hamikdash in Jerusalem. In fact, this midrash apparently has more to tell us than the alternate akeida scenario; there is, encoded within it, a deep understanding of the function of the keruvim and of the Beit Hamikdash.

The Chosen Place

The akeida took place on a mountain chosen by God and shown to Avraham, a very specific mountain called Moriah. This is the very spot on which the Beit Hamikdash was constructed generations later, the spot upon which the Ark of the Covenant stood, shielded by the keruvim. Yet the confluence of space is not the end of the story: The sacrifice Avraham was called upon to offer was the first sacrifice in Jewish history, and it was performed on the precise spot that would later be the focal point of all sacrifice. Yitzchak is the first offering, the offering which consecrated the Altar that would stand on this very spot. The midrashic insistence that Yitzchak died at the akeida is no mere quirk: Mount Moriah is the place of sacrifice, and Yitzchak was sacrificed. 

We should note that there are other connections between Yitzchak and the Mishkan/Mikdash: The Mishkan is consecrated in the month of Nisan, even though the materials were collected and assembled months before, on the 25^th of Kislev. Why the delay? The consecration of the Mishkan had to take place in Nisan, according to tradition, because Yitzchak was born in Nisan.[6]

Because the verses tell us that Yitzchak was in fact spared, we tend to analyze the episode in terms of Avraham, to delve into his thoughts and follow his actions. However, if we can entertain the possibility that Yitzchak perished – actually or figuratively, potentially – as the Midrash suggests, we are thrust into an entirely different set of motives, considerations and thought processes. If we can take the conjecture one step further, as did the midrash, and include the resurrection, we gain insight into the inner workings of the Beit Hamikdash and the sacrifices offered there: God creates man, but man sins. The result – inevitable, irrefutable - should be death.

So it was from the very first sin in the Garden of Eden: A person who turns their back on the source of all life will surely die. Yet God does not carry out the death sentence. He allows us to repent. He creates a place and an instrument of forgiveness: Man can express his realization that he has sinned and deserves to die, and bring an offering in his place. And man, who up until that point is "as good as dead", is then reconnected with the source of all life; man is resurrected. All of the offerings brought by guilty, sinful man effectuate a type of figurative resurrection.

Yitzchak’s death - or near death - represent the ability of man to return from death, to extricate himself from the limbo state between living and dead. This is what sacrifice does; this is the purpose of the Beit Hamikdash. Every layer of the akeida account leads in this direction: Avraham, who represents, chesed (kindness), offers up Yitzchak, who represents din (judgment). The offering is accepted: true judgment, the death sentence which is the letter of the law, is sacrificed in favor of life. Chesed will be the dominant trait in this place for all time. The akeida is the chanukat hamizbach – the consecration of the Altar – for it sets for all time the dynamic of the transformative and rejuvenating qualities of chesed, as expressed in the atonement effectuated by sacrifice.[7]

Recurrent Resurrection

In fact, the idea of resurrection is the major element of the Haftorah portion read with this parsha: In a dramatic scene, Elisha revives and resurrects a dead child.

מלכים ב פרק ד, ל"ב-ל"ז

וַיָּבֹא אֱלִישָׁע הַבָּיְתָה וְהִנֵּה הַנַּעַר מֵת מֻשְׁכָּב עַל מִטָּתוֹ: וַיָּבֹא וַיִּסְגֹּר הַדֶּלֶת בְּעַד שְׁנֵיהֶם וַיִּתְפַּלֵּל אֶל ה': וַיַּעַל וַיִּשְׁכַּב עַל הַיֶּלֶד וַיָּשֶׂם פִּיו עַל פִּיו וְעֵינָיו עַל עֵינָיו וְכַפָּיו עַל <כפו> כַּפָּיו וַיִּגְהַר עָלָיו וַיָּחָם בְּשַׂר הַיָּלֶד: וַיָּשָׁב וַיֵּלֶךְ בַּבַּיִת אַחַת הֵנָּה וְאַחַת הֵנָּה וַיַּעַל וַיִּגְהַר עָלָיו וַיְזוֹרֵר הַנַּעַר עַד שֶׁבַע פְּעָמִים וַיִּפְקַח הַנַּעַר אֶת עֵינָיו: וַיִּקְרָא אֶל גֵּיחֲזִי וַיֹּאמֶר קְרָא אֶל הַשֻּׁנַמִּית הַזֹּאת וַיִּקְרָאֶהָ וַתָּבוֹא אֵלָיו וַיֹּאמֶר שְׂאִי בְנֵךְ: וַתָּבֹא וַתִּפֹּל עַל רַגְלָיו וַתִּשְׁתַּחוּ אָרְצָה וַתִּשָּׂא אֶת בְּנָהּ וַתֵּצֵא:

And when Elisha came into the house, behold, the child was dead, and laid upon his bed. He went in therefore, and closed the door upon the two of them, and prayed to the God. And he went up, and lay upon the child, and put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands; and he stretched himself upon the child; and the flesh of the child became warm.[8] Then he returned, and walked in the house to and fro; and went up, and stretched himself upon him; and the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes. And he called Gehazi, and said, Call this Shunemmite. And he called her. And when she came to him, he said, Take up your son. Then she went in, and fell at his feet, and bowed to the ground, and took up her son, and went out. 2 Kings 4:32-37

The background to this dramatic scene makes the connection with our parsha even more striking: As in the case of Yitzchak, this child was born to a woman and her elderly husband. The parents were informed of the birth by a messenger of God, in this case the prophet Elisha. [9]  The woman's response to the news echoes the response of Sarah:[10]

מלכים ב פרק ד, י"א-י"ז

וַיְהִי הַיּוֹם וַיָּבֹא שָׁמָּה וַיָּסַר אֶל הָעֲלִיָּה וַיִּשְׁכַּב שָׁמָּה: וַיֹּאמֶר אֶל גֵּחֲזִי נַעֲרוֹ קְרָא לַשּׁוּנַמִּית הַזֹּאת וַיִּקְרָא לָהּ וַתַּעֲמֹד לְפָנָיו: וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ אֱמָר נָא אֵלֶיהָ הִנֵּה חָרַדְתְּ אֵלֵינוּ אֶת כָּל הַחֲרָדָה הַזֹּאת מֶה לַעֲשׂוֹת לָךְ הֲיֵשׁ לְדַבֶּר לָךְ אֶל הַמֶּלֶךְ אוֹ אֶל שַׂר הַצָּבָא וַתֹּאמֶר בְּתוֹךְ עַמִּי אָנֹכִי יֹשָׁבֶת: וַיֹּאמֶר וּמֶה לַעֲשׂוֹת לָהּ וַיֹּאמֶר גֵּיחֲזִי אֲבָל בֵּן אֵין לָהּ וְאִישָׁהּ זָקֵן:(טו) וַיֹּאמֶר קְרָא לָהּ וַיִּקְרָא לָהּ וַתַּעֲמֹד בַּפָּתַח: וַיֹּאמֶר לַמּוֹעֵד הַזֶּה כָּעֵת חַיָּה <אתי> אַתְּ חֹבֶקֶת בֵּן וַתֹּאמֶר אַל אֲדֹנִי אִישׁ הָאֱלֹהִים אַל תְּכַזֵּב בְּשִׁפְחָתֶךָ: וַתַּהַר הָאִשָּׁה וַתֵּלֶד בֵּן לַמּוֹעֵד הַזֶּה כָּעֵת חַיָּה אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר אֵלֶיהָ אֱלִישָׁע:

And it happened one day, that he came there, and he turned into the chamber, and lay there. And he said to Gehazi his servant, 'Call this Shunamite.' And when he had called her, she stood before him. And he said to him, 'Say now to her, "Behold, you have been careful to take all this trouble for us. What is to be done for you? Would you be spoken for to the king, or to the captain of the army?"' And she answered, 'I live among my own people.' And he said, 'What then is to be done for her?' And Gehazi answered, 'Truly she has no child, and her husband is old.' And he said, 'Call her.' And when he had called her, she stood in the door.  And he said, 'About this season, in the coming year, you shall embrace a son.' And she said, 'No, my lord, you man of God, do not lie to your maidservant.' And the woman conceived, and bore a son at that season that Elisha had said to her, in the following year.

The Haftorah began with acts of kindness: Elisha helps the poor, and the Shunamite woman and her husband go to great lengths to provide comfortable lodging for Elisha, the "man of God". All of this parallels the acts of kindness performed by Avraham at the start of our parsha. The text then goes into seemingly extraneous detail regarding the amenities prepared for Elisha's room:

מלכים ב פרק ד, ט-י

וַתֹּאמֶר אֶל אִישָׁהּ הִנֵּה נָא יָדַעְתִּי כִּי אִישׁ אֱלֹהִים קָדוֹשׁ הוּא עֹבֵר עָלֵינוּ תָּמִיד: נַעֲשֶׂה נָּא עֲלִיַּת קִיר קְטַנָּה וְנָשִׂים לוֹ שָׁם מִטָּה וְשֻׁלְחָן וְכִסֵּא וּמְנוֹרָה וְהָיָה בְּבֹאוֹ אֵלֵינוּ יָסוּר שָׁמָּה:

And she said to her husband, 'Behold now, I perceive that this is a holy man of God, who passes by us continually. Let us make a little chamber, I beg you, on the wall; and let us set for him there a bed, and a table, and a stool, and a lampstand; and it shall be, when he comes to us, that he shall turn in there. 2 Kings, 4:9-10.

While the objects enumerated seem ordinary, there are those who see great symbolism in these utensils. The lamp and the table – the Menorah and the Shulchan – are reminiscent of the utensils of the Beit Hamikdash. The Reshit Chachma[11] (following a teaching of the Zohar[12]) explains that this is an attempt to emulate the essence and purpose of the Mishkan/Beit Hamikdash: to bring holiness into this world.[13] The Shunamite was attempting to build the Temple and bring holiness into her home through the acts of kindness for a holy man of God, the Prophet Elisha. In turn, she is blessed with a child, granted to her in miraculous fashion – despite her husband's advanced age. When this child perishes, he is brought to the "quasi-Temple" and resurrected.

With the story told by the Haftorah in mind, the parsha is cast in a somewhat different light, with the various themes and events gaining different emphases. Only in the context of the Haftorah do we understand that Avraham’s chesed is not only the starting point, it is the point. The arrival of the long-awaited child may have seemed momentarily to be the point of the story. The tragic death of that child may have been seen as the sad end of that story. Yet the end of the story of the Haftorah is the end of the midrashic story of the akeida: The resurrection of the child gives new hope when all hope was lost. This is the essence of the Beit Hamikdash: to uplift man when all hope is lost, to breathe into him new hope, and new life. That is why the room prepared by the Shunamite is outfitted with the very same utensils as the Temple; that is why the akeida takes place on the very same spot where the Temple will one day stand. That is why the midrash describes Yitzchak's lifeless body on the altar, as if he were killed and resurrected, for on this hallowed ground many would find their way back to God, and back to life.

---

[1] Rabbi Soloveitchik cited his grandfather Rav Chaim as applying one of the rules of hermeneutics in this case: When two verses contradict one another, the third, reconciling verse is sought. In this case, the third verse was the commandment of the angel who told Avraham to cease and desist. See Halakhic Man, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik (translated by Lawrence Kaplan) page 143 footnote 5.

[2] See Midrash Rabbah Bereishit 38:13, where it is reported that Terach delivered Avraham to Nimrod.

[3] It is my assumption that a misreading of the akeida by early Christians is what made the crucifixion and resurrection a central part of their religion.

[4] Rav Mordechai Cohen reports a tradition that Avraham actually severed most of Yitzchak’s trachea and windpipe – rendering him a “kosher” offering; see Siftei Cohen Bereishit 23:2,where he cites this tradition in the name of the Zohar. The source in the Zohar has eluded me (and others). In fact, Rav Mordechai did not actually find this passage either; he states that he heard that such a teaching is recorded in the Zohar.

שפתי כהן על בראשית פרק כג פסוק ב

שמעתי שנמצא בזוהר שמה שלא הביא יצחק עמו לפי ששחט בו אברהם רוב שנים והוליכוהו המלאכים תיכף לגן עדן לרפאותו ונשתהה שם שלוש שנים ובירך עליו ברוך אתה ה' מחיה המתים, ולזה אמר כשנכנס יעקב, אמר ראה ריח בני כריח שדה שהיה מכיר בו:

[5] See Sh’mot 25:22

שמות פרק כה

(כב) וְנוֹעַדְתִּי לְךָ שָׁם וְדִבַּרְתִּי אִתְּךָ מֵעַל הַכַּפֹּרֶת מִבֵּין שְׁנֵי הַכְּרֻבִים אֲשֶׁר עַל אֲרֹן הָעֵדֻת אֵת כָּל אֲשֶׁר אֲצַוֶּה אוֹתְךָ אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל:

[6] Pisikta Rabbati Piska 6.

פסיקתא רבתי (איש שלום) פיסקא ו - ותשלם כל המלאכה ד"ה דבר אחר ותשלם

מה גדלו מעשיך ה' [וגו'] מהו מאד עמקו מחשבותיך אמר רבי חנינא בעשרים וחמשה בכסליו נגמרה מלאכת המשכן ועשה מקופל עד אחד בניסן, שהקימו משה אחד בניסן כמה שכתב וביום החודש הראשון באחד לחדש תקים משכן אהל מעד (שמות מ' ב'), וכל זמן שהיה מקופל היו ישראל מלמלאין על משה לומר למה לא הוקם מיד שמא דופי אירע בו, שחשב לערב שמחת המשכן בחודש שנולד בו יצחק, שבניסן נולד יצחק, ומניין אלא כשהמלאכים באים אצל אברהם מהו אומר לושי ועשי עגות (בראשית י"ח ו') שהיה פסח ואמרו לו שוב אשוב אליך כעת חיה והנה בן לשרה אשתך (שם /בראשית י"ח/ י') מהו כעת חיה אמר ר' זבדי בן לוי סריטה סרטו לו על כותל כשתבא השמש לכאן, לא עשה אלא כיון שבא ניסן והוקם המשכן עוד לא לימלם אדם אחר משה,

[7] The consecration of the Mishkan also had a “sacrifice”, Nadav and Avihu died that day.  See Vayikra 10:3 and Rashi’s comments. According to mystical sources they returned – their souls transmigrated, see Explorations Parshat Shmini.

ויקרא פרק י

(ג) וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה אֶל אַהֲרֹן הוּא אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר יְקֹוָק לֵאמֹר בִּקְרֹבַי אֶקָּדֵשׁ וְעַל פְּנֵי כָל הָעָם אֶכָּבֵד וַיִּדֹּם אַהֲרֹן:

רש"י ויקרא פרק י פסוק ג

(ג) הוא אשר דבר וגו' - היכן דבר ונועדתי שמה לבני ישראל ונקדש בכבודי (שמות כט מג). אל תקרי בכבודי אלא במכובדי. אמר לו משה לאהרן אהרן אחי יודע הייתי שיתקדש הבית במיודעיו של מקום והייתי סבור או בי או בך, עכשיו רואה אני שהם גדולים ממני וממך:

[8] The Radak describes what we would call today “mouth to mouth” resuscitation: Even when a miracle is performed, it is preferable that it appears like a natural process.

רד"ק מלכים ב פרק ד פסוק לד

וישם פיו על פיו - כמו שפירשנו באליהו שאמר ויתמודד על הנער והכל לכוין לשון התפלה על מי שמתפלל עליו כמו שאמר ביצחק לנוכח אשתו ואפשר גם כן להנשים על הנער לחממו בחום הטבעי היוצא מפיו ומעיניו כי רוב הנסים נעשים עם מעט תחבולה מדרך העולם:

[9] Many mystical sources teach that children born in miraculous circumstances are more susceptible to “harsh judgment” and death. Some examples of these "miracle children" are Yitzchak, Binyamin, Chabakuk, and Yona.

ספר קומץ המנחה חלק ב - אות מט

ואם תאמר כולה עלי הא קריבית וכו' כי זה היה גם כן עקידת יצחק המשפט שיעקד שהוא קרוב למיתה רומז על תכלית תוקף היסורים ואחר כך יפדה ממוות מוחץ ורופא (וכן חבקוק בן השונמית שהוא בגימטריא גבורה ויראה שהיה ממדריגת יצחק כמו שמובא בזוהר (בראשית ז' ע"ב ובשלח מ"ה.) מת וחיה שכך הוא המשפט לנפשות שממדת המשפט) ואמרו ז"ל מעשה אבות סימן לבנים והוא רמז לגלות בניו וגאולתן שכמו שעקידת יצחק כולו לה' כן הם מקבלים היסורים באהבה ועל ידי זה שבים בתשובה לה' והכל לה' וזהו הא קריבית נפשי קמך רצה לומר שהיה בעבור כבוד שמך וכנזכר לעיל:

ספר ערבי נחל - פרשת לך לך (המשך)

פירש שם בנזר הקודש כי כל בן עקרה נאחז בסטרא דנוקבא, והטעם כי ולד דעלמא נאמר בו למשפחותם לבית אבותם שהולד הולך אחר אביו כי חיותו בא מחמת אביו כמ"ש ביוסף ונפשו קשורה בנפשו, משא"כ בן עקרה שהושם בה הנס וההשגחה שנתחדש בקרבה הנס ההוא ולכן חיותו בא מסטרא דנוקבא, ולכן שרה אמנו שהיתה עקרה נאמר בה ולשרה בן, והיה מסטרא דנוקבא והיה חשש שלא יהיה בן קיימא, לכן הבטיח לה ה' למועד אשוב אליך כעת חיה, ר"ל שהגם שבעת הריון בהכרח יהיה בסטרא דנוקבא וברשותה מ"מ בעת הלידה הבטיח ה' שיתגלה שם ובאור פני מלך חיים ויתקשר אז יצחק במקור החיים ויצא מתחת רשותה לרשות אביו מסטרא דדכורא ויהיה לו חיים. ולכן נתרעמה השונמית על אלישע שלא אמר לה ג"כ בלשון הזה למועד אשוב אליך, כי בצדיקים נאמר ותגזר אומר ויקם לך ואם יהיה הוא אצלה בעת הלידה יהיה יכולת בידו למשוך לו חיות ממקור החיים, וע"ז השיב אלישע המלאכים שהם חיים כו' עכ"ד:

שער הפסוקים - פרשת וירא

ותהר ותלד שרה לאברהם בן וגו': הנה בכתוב הזה ראיתי, לבאר דרוש גדול, בענין בחי' אנשים שנשמותיהם נמשכות מן הנקבה. וכמו שמצינו בענין חבקוק הנביא, בריש פרשת בשלח, וז"ל דהוה אתי מסטרא דנוקבא, ובג"ד מותא אתקשרת לרגלוי וכו'. גם מצינו בענין יצחק, שאמרו בפרשת וירא, על פסוק והנה בן לשרה אשתך, דהוה אתי מסטרא דנוקבא וכו'. גם מצינו בענין בנימין, דכתיב ביה (בראשית ל"ה ח"י) ויהי בצאת נפשה כי מתה, ותלד בן ותקרא שמו בן אוני. והנה מצינו, כי לכן מת חבקוק, והחיהו אלישע, ויצחק נעקד, ופרחה נשמתו ממנו, כמ"ש רז"ל וצריך לדעת בחי' אלו מה עניינם:

ספר עבודת ישראל - פרשת ויצא

קראה לו בן אוני, פירוש אוני מלשון כח כמו ראשית אוני (בראשית מט, ג) פירוש שאתה הוא הב"ן של כל כחי וחיותי כי לא נתקבלה תפלתי שיוסף לי בן אחר ולכן אתה הוא בן אוני כלומר כל כחי מסתלק על ידי לידתך, ואביו קרא לו בנימין, כי בנימין הוא מעלמא דנוקבא וכמ"ש האר"י ז"ל, סוד נשמת שלשה הצדיקים יצחק בנימין חבקוק הם משורש הדינין והם צריכים להמתקה ולתגבורת החסדים כידוע שם מהאר"י ז"ל ולכן רצה יעקב להמתיקו בחסד וקרא לו בנימין וקשר אותו בחסד דהיינו צירוף שמו בן ימין כי ימין הוא החסד ונמתקו הגבורות:

[10] The Pirkei D’Rebbi Eliezer (Chapter 32) heightens this connection.

פרקי דרבי אליעזר (היגר) - "חורב" פרק לב

אמ' לה למועד הזה כעת חיה את חובקת בן מפרי מיעיך, אמרה לה אדוני זקן מאד וחדלה ממני אורח נשים ואי אפשר לעשות הדבר הזה אל אדוני איש האלהים אל תכזב בשפחתך

[11] Reshit Chachma Sha'ar Ha'anava chapter 3.

ספר ראשית חכמה - שער הענוה - פרק שלישי

והנמשל מובן כי אנו עם ישראל כל תפלותינו ומצוותינו ותורתינו הוא להמשיך השכינה שתדור עמנו, כמ"ש (שמות כה, ז) ועשו לי מקדש ושכנתי בתוכם, בתוכם ממש בתוך לבם, ומבואר הקדמה זו בזוהר ותקונים ובכמה מקומות שישראל צרין צורה, וכן בזוהר (פרשת תרומה דף קלג) שמי שמתקן להקדוש ברוך הוא מטה ושולחן כסא ומנורה הקדוש ברוך הוא יהא אושפיזיה בכל יומא, ופירש שם הענין בסוד התפלה ע"ש. ונודע כי משכן המלך הוא לב נשבר ונדכה כמו שביארנו

[12] Zohar Volume 2, 133a: "And she said to her husband, 'Behold now, I perceive that this is a holy man of God, who passes by us continually. Let us make a little chamber, I beg you, on the wall; and let us set for him there a bed, and a table, and a stool, and a lampstand; and it shall be, when he comes to us, that he shall turn in there.( 2 Kings, 4:9-10)  Here we have an allusion to the order of prayer: "Behold now, I perceive" refers to the concentration of mind during prayer; "that this is a holy man of God"” refers to the supernal world which sits upon its Throne of Glory and from whence emanate all sanctifications and which sanctifies all worlds; "who passes by us continually" - with the sanctification wherewith the worlds above are nourished, he also sanctifies us here below, for there can be no completion of the sanctification above without sanctification below, as it is written:' I shall be sanctified in the midst of the children of Israel' (Vayikra 22, 32). "Therefore, let us make a little chamber": let us have an ordered service as a dwelling for the Shekinah, which is called 'wall', as in the verse, 'And Hizkiyah turned his face to the wall' (Yishayahu 38, 2). This dwelling place, created by our prayers and praises, consists of a bed, a table, a stool, and a menorah. By our evening prayers we provide Her  (the Shekhina) with a bed; by our hymns of praise and by reciting the section of the sacrifice in the morning we provide Her with a table. By the morning prayers, which are said sitting, and with the proclamation of the Divine Unity (the Shema), we provide Her with a stool; and by means of those prayers which must be said standing (Amidah) and of the Kaddish and Kedushah prayers and benedictions we provide Her with a menorah. Blessed is the man who thus endeavours daily to give hospitality to the Holy One. Blessed is he in this world and blessed shall he be in the world to come. For these four groups of prayers equip the Shekinah with beauty, joy and lustre, to greet Her Spouse with delight and ecstasy day by day, through the worship of the holy people. The bed was given to Yaacov to prepare, therefore he (composed) the evening prayer; the table  was prepared by King David in the Psalms which he wrote ('You prepare a table before me',”(Tehilim 23, 5)); the stool was prepared by Avraham, through his close union with God, wherewith he benefited the souls of all the sons of men. The menorah was prepared by Yitzchak, who sanctified the Name of the Holy One before the eyes of the whole world, and lighted the supernal light in that sanctification. Therefore the Holy People must direct its mind towards the supernal world, and prepare for the Lord of the House a bed, a table, a stool, and a menorah, in order that perfection and harmony may reign undisturbed every day, both above and below.

[13] These objects may also be connected with the three commandments bestowed upon women, Challa nidah and lighting candles. These three elements were also found in Sarah’s tent. See Rashi on Bereishit 24:67 and Sefer HaLiquitim, Shoftim chapter 15.

רש"י בראשית פרק כד פסוק סז

(סז) האהלה שרה אמו - ויביאה האהלה ונעשית דוגמת שרה אמו, כלומר והרי היא שרה אמו, שכל זמן ששרה קיימת היה נר דלוק מערב שבת לערב שבת, וברכה מצויה בעיסה, וענן קשור על האהל, ומשמתה פסקו, וכשבאת רבקה חזרו:

ספר הליקוטים - ספר שופטים - פרק טו

...והנה שרה וחנה ושונמית וצרפית, כלם היו גלגול חוה. ושרה אמנו תקנה כל הג' מצות, חלה ונדה והדלקת הנר, כמ"ש רז"ל ברכה היתה מצויה בעיסתה של שרה, ונר דלוק מע"ש. ונדה, דכתיב חדל להיות לשרה אורח כנשים. ומפני שהיתה תחלת התיקון, לא נתקן כראוי. ולכך באו הג' נשים אחרים חנה ושונמית וצרפית, ותקנו הכל. חנה תקנה הנדות, דכתיב ופניה לא היו לה עוד. שונמית תקנה הנר, דכתיב ונשים לו שם כסא וכו'. וצרפית תקנה החלה, דכתיב עשי נא לי עגה קטנה וכו', ודרז"ל כי אליהו כהן היה:

Lech Lecha 5770

Love and Fear

Lech Lecha 5770

Rabbi Ari Kahn

Parshat Lech Lecha begins in what seems to be the middle – the middle of Avraham's life, the middle of some ongoing dialogue or relationship between Avraham and God, the middle of a paradigm shift, the middle of Terah's failed voyage to Canaan. The gap in the biographical information leaves us at a loss to understand why Avraham has been chosen[1]. This dearth of detail becomes even more curious when we compare it to last week's parsha: Despite everything we don't know about Noach, at a very minimum we are told that he was a righteous man who walked with God. He was set apart from his generation by a certain moral uniqueness. What do we know about Avraham? Avraham was introduced at the end of Parshat Noach in almost laconic terms: Terah, son of Nahor, takes Lot, his grandson by his deceased son, as well as Avram, one of his two surviving sons, and Avram's wife Sarai, and sets out for Canaan. He makes it as far as Charan, and the narrative stops there. We know nothing of the moral fiber of this family, no personal details about any of the characters. In fact, the commentaries suggest that Terach's son Nahor was only a half-brother to Avraham and Nahor, and that Sarai was actually a sister to Lot and Milka. In short, the opening statement of our present parsha takes us by surprise:

ספר בראשית פרק יב, א-ד

וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֶל אַבְרָם לֶךְ לְךָ מֵאַרְצְךָ וּמִמּוֹלַדְתְּךָ וּמִבֵּית אָבִיךָ אֶל הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר אַרְאֶךָּ: וְאֶעֶשְׂךָ לְגוֹי גָּדוֹל וַאֲבָרֶכְךָ וַאֲגַדְּלָה שְׁמֶךָ וֶהְיֵה בְּרָכָה: וַאֲבָרְכָה מְבָרֲכֶיךָ וּמְקַלֶּלְךָ אָאֹר וְנִבְרְכוּ בְךָ כֹּל מִשְׁפְּחֹת הָאֲדָמָה.

And  God said to Avram, "Go forth from your land and your birthplace and from the house of your father to the land that I will show you; and I will make you into a great nation and I will bless ayou and I will magnify your name and you will be a blessing. And I will bless those that bless you and curse those who curse you, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed because of you. (Bereishit 12:1-4)

Avram merits direct communication, intimate personal involvement with God. He is given a direct commandment, and promised almost unimaginable reward. We have no inkling as to the events that precipitate this commandment.

If the text of our parsha leaves us with questions, we may turn to the haftorah reading chosen by our sages to fill in the gaps. Yet here, too, there is a dearth of detail. The haftorah reading for this portion is a section taken from the Book of Yishaiyahu, 40: 26-41 through 41: 16. This reading speaks, in general, about the nature of the People of Israel as God's chosen nation. There is only one reference to Avraham in the section:

ספר ישעיה פרק מא

(ח) ואתה ישראל עבדי יעקב אשר בחרתיך זרע אברהם אהבי

You are Yisrael, my servant Yaakov whom I have chosen, descendents of Avraham who loved Me.

We are left to surmise from this verse that the "chosenness" of The People of Israel is a result of the chosenness of Yaakov, which is a result of Avraham's love of God. Clearly, this is a very central tenet of our faith, a pillar of our national identity; where, then, can we find Avraham's love of God in the text of the Torah?

Rashi analyzes the text of the Haftorah for clues:   

רש"י ישעיה פרק מא פסוק ח

זרע אברהם אוהבי – שלא הכירני מתוך תוכחה ולימוד אבותיו אלא מתוך אהבה:

Avraham finds God not through fear or rebuke, nor through the teachings of his father, but through love. Avraham comes to a unique and solitary understanding of God, Creator and Sustainer of the Universe, as the source and essence of love. As this parsha unfolds, each episode of Avraham's life story must be seen through the prism of Avraham's discovery of God.

Other commentaries expand Rashi's comment in order to bring into focus the details of Avraham's life. 

ספר השל"ה הקדוש - ספר בראשית - פרשת וירא תורה אור (ג)

ומדת החסד הוא סוד האהבה כמו שיתבאר לקמן, ומאחר שזכה אברהם אבינו למדת החסד נכנס לאהבה, אשר על זה נאמר אברהם אוהבי.

And the attribute of hesed is the mystery of love, as we shall see; and once Avraham merited the attribute of hesed he entered this love, and in this regard the verse refers to 'Avraham who loved Me'.

The love which Avraham discovers, the attribute of God as a loving and sustaining Creator, is manifest in God's attribute of hesed, and this becomes the defining attribute of Avraham's relationship with God and with his fellow men for the rest of his life.

Other commentaries interpret this verse differently, with an ear to the echoes of the word ahava as it appears later in the Torah. First, the Ramban's discussion of ahavat Hashem (love of God), as it appears in his commentary on the Ten Commandments:

רמב"ן על שמות פרק כ פסוק ו

לאהבי ולשומרי מצותי ...לאהביו, הם המוסרים נפשם עליו, כי המודים בשם הנכבד ובאלהותו לבדו ויכפרו בכל אלוה נכר ולא יעבדו אותם עם סכנת נפשם, יקראו אוהביו, כי זו היא האהבה שנתחייבנו בה בנפשותינו, כמו שאמר ואהבת את ה' אלהיך בכל לבבך ובכל נפשך (דברים ו ה), שתמסור נפשך וחייך באהבתו, שלא תחליפנו באל אחר, ולא תשתף עמו אל נכר ולכך נאמר באברהם זרע אברהם אוהבי (ישעיה מא ח), שנתן נפשו שלא יעבוד ע"ז באור כשדים ושאר הצדיקים יקראו שומרי מצותיו ורבים פירשו (עי' רמב"ם בפירוש משנה סנהדרין ריש פרק י) כי אוהביו העובדים מאהבה שלא על מנת לקבל פרס, כמו שהזכירו חכמים (בספרי דברים יא יג):

"And I (God) will do hesed to those who love Me and to those who safeguard My commandments": …Those who love God are they who forfeit their souls for Him, those who know and recognize God's singularity and sovereignty and reject any foreign power or deity,  even if doing so puts them in mortal danger – they are called ohavei Hashem (lovers of God), for this is the love that is required of us by the verse "And you shall love the Almighty your God with all of your heart and with all of your soul." You are required to forfeit you soul and your life for His love, that you must not exchange love of God for any other (god), nor accept any other deity along with Him. In this regard Avraham is called "Avraham who loved Me," because he forfeited his life rather than worship other gods in Ur Kasdim. Other righteous people are called "those who safeguard His commandments", and other authorities have pointed out in many instances (see Rambam's Commentary on the Mishna, Sanhedrin, beginning of Chapter 10) that this refers to those who serve God motivated only by love and not in the hope of receiving any reward (see Sifri Devarm 11:13). Ramban Sh'mot 10:6

The Ramban equates love of God with uncompromising monotheism. The Jew is commanded, notes the Rambam, to love God "with all your heart and all your soul," even to the point of martyrdom. This is the sort of love of God that Avraham had: his belief in the singularity and uniqueness of God was so absolute and exclusive that he was prepared to die rather than worship the pagan gods of Ur Kasdim. Ramban here refers to an incident that does not appear in the text of the Torah but which has become so ingrained in our collective consciousness that it is an axiom of our faith: Avraham was cast into the fiery furnace when he espoused monotheism and refused to renounce his belief in the Oneness of God.

The Ramban continues his analysis of the concept of ahavat Hashem (love of God), and his conclusion gives us pause:

ומצאתי במכילתא (כאן) לאוהבי, זה אברהם וכיוצא בו - ולשומרי מצותי, אלו הנביאים והזקנים רבי נתן אומר, לאוהבי ולשומרי מצותי, אלו שהם יושבים בארץ ישראל ונותנין נפשם על המצות מה לך יוצא ליהרג, על שמלתי את בני מה לך יוצא לישרף, על שקראתי בתורה מה לך יוצא ליצלב, על שאכלתי את המצה ...ות"ק שאמר זה אברהם ואלו הנביאים, אינו נכון שיאמר שהיו הנביאים עושים על מנת לקבל פרס, אבל יש בזה סוד, אמר שאברהם מסר נפשו באהבה, כענין שכתוב חסד לאברהם, ושאר הנביאים בגבורה והבן זה:

And I found in the Mikhilta on this verse: 'To those that love Me' refers to Avraham and his kind; 'To those who safeguard My commandments' refers to the Prophets and the Elders. Rabbi Natan says, "To those who love Me and those who safeguard My commandments,' this refers to them that dwell in the Land of Israel  and martyr themselves: 'Why are you being taken out to be killed?' 'Because I circumcised my son.' 'Why are you to be burned at the stake?' 'Because I studied Torah.' 'Why are you to be crucified?' 'Because I ate matza (on Pesach)'…And those who intimate that the first part of the verse refers to Avraham, and the second part to the Prophets (intimating that the latter sought reward for their service of God) are incorrect. Herein lies a mystery: Avraham forfeited his soul out of ahava, whereas the others were motivated by gevura.

Avraham was motivated by love - not by justice, not by truth, nor by any other attribute through which God relates to the world. The prophets and other righteous martyrs were motivated by these other aspects of God's uniqueness; Avraham alone related to God purely through ahava.

Elsewhere, the Ramban extrapolates from this unique relationship between Avraham and God:

רמב"ן על דברים פרק ז פסוק ז

...ויבחר בכם, מכל העמים שתהיו אתם סגולה ונחלה לו, כי הבחירה בכל מקום ברירה מן האחרים ואמר הטעם, כי מאהבת ה' אתכם בחר בכם, שראה אתכם ראויים להתאהב לפניו ונבחרים לאהבה יותר מכל העמים ולא הזכיר בזה טעם מן הבחירה, כי הנבחר לאוהב הידוע לסבול את אוהבו בכל הבא עליו ממנו, וישראל ראויים לכך מכל עם, כמו שאמרו (ביצה כה:) שלשה עזים הם ישראל באומות, כי יעמדו לו בנסיונות, או יהודאי או צלוב (שמו"ר מב ט)

And He chose you from all the nations to be uniquely beloved and to be his portion, because in all cases choice is a differentiation from from others, and He stated the reason: Because of God's love for you He chose you, for He saw that you are worthy of being loved and preferred you for this love more than all other nations. And He gave no reason for this choice, because the one chosen for love is most capable of suffering anything that may befall him because of that love. And Israel are more capable of suffering than all the other nations… Ramban D'varim 7:7

Just as Avraham was chosen because he was willing to go into the furnace for his belief, the Jewish People are chosen by God because they are capable or more inclined to suffer for their love and their belief. Avraham's love of God manifests itself in his willingness to go into the furnace, and this creates the chosenness. Over the ages, Avraham's descendents have proven again and again that they are willing to suffer for their love of God, to die for their belief.

Other commentaries see the manifestation of Avraham's ahavat Hashem not in martyrdom but in the conduct of his life: Avraham spent his life spreading the belief in One God, not because he was a seeker of truth but because his love of God was so great that he could not contain this information. In fact, the Rambam formulates this type of ahavat Hashem as the third in his list of positive commandments by which each and every Jew is obligated:

ספר המצות להרמב"ם - מצות עשה - מצוה ג

מצוה ג - היא שצונו לאהבו יתעלה ... וכבר אמרו שמצוה זו כוללת גם כן שנדרש ונקרא האנשים כלם לעבודתו ית' ולהאמין בו וזה כשתאהב אדם תשים לבך עליו ותשבחהו ותבקש האנשים לאהב אותו וזה על צד המשל כן כשתאהב האל באמת כמה שהגיעה לך מהשגת אמיתתו הנה אתה בלי ספק תדרש ותקרא הכופרים והסכלים לידיעת האמת אשר ידעת אותה ולשון ספרי ואהבת את ה' אהבהו על הבריות כאברהם אביך שנאמר ואת הנפש אשר עשו בחרן ר"ל כמו שאברהם בעבור שהיה אוהב השם כמו שהעיד הכתוב אברהם אוהבי שהיה גם כן לגודל השגתו דרש האנשים אל האמונה מחוזק אהבתו כן אתה אהוב אותו עד שתדרש האנשים אליו:

The third positive commandment: The Transcendent One has commanded that we love Him… And our sages have already taught that this commandment includes that we teach and call out to all other men to serve Him and to believe in Him; just as when you love another person you will constantly have him in mind and praise him to others, and seek to make others love him. This is analogous to love of God, for a person who truly loves God will attempt to enlighten others insofar as his own grasp of God has enlightened him, and he will surely try to persuade the non-believers and the unenlightened to see the truth as he has seen it. So it is written in the Sifri, 'And you shall love the Almighty your God, make him beloved upon others as did Avraham your Forefather, as it is written, "and the souls they made in Charan"' In other words, like Avraham, because of his love of God, as scripture testifies "Avraham who loved Me," sought to influence others because of the great understanding that he achieved, and because of his love of God called out to others to believe, so you should love God and thus bring others close to Him. Sefer Hamitzvot Positive Commandment 3

Avraham 'ohavi is reflected in Avraham's desire to teach the world about God, and the " souls they made  in Charan" who went along on this epic journey were the intellectual and spiritual beneficiaries of Avraham's love of God. Ahavat Hashem poured from Avraham like a stream, washing over all those who came in contact with him. The huge influence Avraham had over the people of his generation is the manifestation of Avraham's love, and this is the Avraham we meet as Parshat Lech L'cha begins.

ספר בראשית פרק כא

(לג) וַיִּטַּע אֵשֶׁל בִּבְאֵר שָׁבַע וַיִּקְרָא שָׁם בְּשֵׁם ה' אֵל עוֹלָם:

And he planted an eshel in Be'er Sheva and he called there in the name of God, Master of the Universe. Bereishit 21:33

רש"י על בראשית פרק כא פסוק לג

אשל – רב ושמואל חד אמר פרדס להביא ממנו פירות לאורחים בסעודה. וחד אמר פונדק לאכסניא ובו כל מיני פירות. ומצינו לשון נטיעה באהלים שנאמר (דניאל יא) ויטע אהלי אפדנו:

 ויקרא שם וגו' – על ידי אותו אשל נקרא שמו של הקב"ה אלוה לכל העולם לאחר שאוכלים ושותים אמר להם ברכו למי שאכלתם משלו סבורים אתם שמשלי אכלתם משל מי שאמר והיה העולם אכלתם (סוטה י):

Rav and Shmuel disagree: One said, this refers to an orchard. (Avraham) planted an orchard in order to bring fruits to guests at his table. The other said that this refers to an inn:   (Avraham) opened an inn and guesthouse to offer passersby all types of fruit… "And he called, etc.:" Therough the agency of this eshel the Holy One's Name was known as Master of the entire Universe, for after they would eat and drink (Avraham) would say to them, 'Bless the One whose food you have eaten. Do you think that you have eaten food that belongs to me? You have eaten the food of He who spoke and created the world. (Rashi on Bereishit 21, 33)

Kabbalistic sources interpret Avraham's acts of hesed in a similar vein:

ספר מערכת האלקות - פרק אחד עשר

והכוונה שיחסו המדות האלה לאבות הוא מפני שאברהם רצה לדמות לקונו במדת חסד שרצה לגמול חסד עם אנשי דורו כדי להמשיכם לעבודת השם ית' ולכוונה הזאת קרבם אל ביתו והאכילם והשקם והמשיך את לבם לעבודת השם ית'. וזה היה גמר חסד שעשה להם. ומפני שנתן הנהגתו בחסד שהיא מדה טובה לעניים ולעשירים יחסו לו המדה ההיא. ומפני שגם היא נקראת אהבה אמר הכתוב זרע אברהם אוהבי (ישעיה מא) וכבר זכרנו בשמות שנקרא אברהם. ואמר בבהיר אמר חסד לפני הב"ה רבוש"ע כל ימי היות אברהם בעולם לא הוצרכתי אני לעשות מלאכתי כי אברהם היה עומד שם במקומי:

The reason various Godly attributes are associated with the forefathers is because Avraham wished to resemble his Creator in the attribute of hesed. He wanted to perform acts of kindness for the people of his generation in order to draw them to worship God. With this intention he brought them to his home and gave them food and drink and drew their hearts to the service of God. This is absolute hesed that he did for them…And because this attribute is also called love, he was called "Avraham who loved me". And the Sefer HaBahir  relates that the attribute of Hesed said to the Holy One, bleesed be He, 'Master of the Universe, all the days that Avraham lived there was no need for me to perform my task, for Avraham stood there in my place."(Sefer Maarekhet Elokit, Chapter 11)

The conduct and purpose of Avraham's life in Charan are built around acts of hesed, but this hesed is of one piece with Avraham's love of God. Avraham acts as a messenger of God, carrying out the Will of God to bring hesed into the world. He builds his home and concentrates all of his efforts in order to invite guests into his home and share with them an appreciation for the God of Hesed. Avraham's love of God is so great that he cannot keep it to himself, and the enlightenment he shares with his guests – not the food or drink he offers them – is the greatest hesed of all.

The Rambam, and the Netziv after him, described ahavat Hashem in terms that may be most accessible to students of modern philosophy:

רמב"ם יד החזקה - הלכות תשובה פרק י

(ב) העובד מאהבה עוסק בתורה ובמצות והולך בנתיבות החכמה לא מפני דבר בעולם ולא מפני יראת הרעה ולא כדי לירש הטובה אלא עושה האמת מפני שהוא אמת וסוף הטובה לבא בגללה ומעלה זו היא מעלה גדולה מאד ואין כל חכם זוכה לה והיא מעלת אברהם אבינו שקראו הקב"ה אוהבו לפי שלא עבד אלא מאהבה והיא המעלה שצונו בה הקב"ה על ידי משה שנאמר ואהבת את ה' אלהיך ובזמן שיאהוב אדם את ה' אהבה הראויה מיד יעשה כל המצות מאהבה:

One who serves God out of love engages in Torah and Mitzvot and walks the paths of wisdom, not because of any worldly concern and not out of fear of the evil that may befall him, and not to inherit the benefits that will result, rather he does the truth because it is truth, and in the end good will result because of it. This is a very high level and not all wise men achieve it. This is the level of Forefather Avraham, of whom God said "who loved me," for he served God only out of love. This is the level that God commanded us through Moshe, for it says "You shall love the Almighty your God." And when a person loves God with the appropriate type of love, he will immediately fulfill all the commandments out of love. (Rambam, Mishne Torah, Laws of Teshuva, Chapter 10)

Avraham was the first, the prototypical seeker of truth. He sought out truth, and found that God, in His hesed, is the source of truth. He therefore sought to emulate God, not in the hope of any reward or advantage, but because he loved truth. This, according to the Rambam, is the highest level of service of God: to fulfill commandments and to live truth because it is truth.

The Netziv traces this train of thought in other episodes in the parsha:

העמק דבר על בראשית פרק יד פסוק כג

ורק מאהבה הנני עובד והיינו כשבא ישעיה מ"א לאותו ענין אמר ועתה ישראל עבדי וגו' זרע אברהם אוהבי דבאותו מעשה הראה אברהם שעובד מאהבה ולא משום גמול והיה בזה דברו למלך סדום דאחר שאינו מבקש שכר מהקב"ה ממילא. אם אקח מכל אשר לך. האיך אקבל ממך שכר:

And only out of love do I serve, … By acting thus, Avraham demonstrated that he served only out of love and not for any reward. So it was in his words to the King of Sodom, for he did not seek any reward from the Holy One Blessed be He. "If I take anything that is yours:" If I seek no reward from God, I certainly seek no reward from you.(Ha'amek Davar on Bereishit 14:23)

When Avraham declines the reward offered to him by the King of Sodom, it is not because this money is tainted, or because Avraham hopes to receive a much greater reward from God. Avraham seeks no reward for doing what is right, for championing justice. He acts as he does simply out of ahavat Hashem.

And yet, although this school of thought seems to present an extremely intellectual approach, equating ahavat Hashem with  the  search for truth, in this same passage the Rambam describes ahavat Hashem in distinctly emotional terms: ahavat Hashem is an all-consuming emotional state which motivates and animates. It is lovesickness for God's proximity, intimacy, favor.  

This leads us to an underlying question that remains unanswered: Is Avraham's discovery of God an expression or an outgrowth of Avraham's own particular personality? Is he able to relate to God as a God of love because he himself is a person imbued with this outlook? Or does Avraham become the person most identified with loving others because of his discovery of God and his desire to emulate and relate to God? This question becomes most poignant when we consider the akeida, the ultimate test of Avraham's hesed. It is with this test that the Torah throws a spotlight on the entire question of Avraham's personality, his relationship with God, and the very essence of God's hesed. Our dilemma is concentrated on the words of the angel who intervenes at the last moment and stops Avraham from sacrificing his son Yitzchak:

ספר בראשית פרק כב, יא-יב

וַיִּקְרָא אֵלָיו מַלְאַךְ ה' מִן הַשָּׁמַיִם וַיֹּאמֶר אַבְרָהָם אַבְרָהָם וַיֹּאמֶר הִנֵּנִי: וַיֹּאמֶר אַל תִּשְׁלַח יָדְךָ אֶל הַנַּעַר וְאַל תַּעַשׂ לוֹ מְאוּמָה כִּי עַתָּה יָדַעְתִּי כִּי יְרֵא אֱלֹהִים אַתָּה וְלֹא חָשַׂכְתָּ אֶת בִּנְךָ אֶת יְחִידְךָ מִמֶּנִּי:

And an angel of God called out to him from heaven and said, "Avraham, Avraham." And he said, "I am here." And he said, "Do not put your hand to the boy and do not do anything to him, for now I know that you are God-fearing for you did not deny me your only son."(Bereishit 22, 11-12)

Avraham relates to God as the source of all hesed. How, then, does he respond to the commandment to sacrifice his son, the object of all his hopes and prayers, the culmination of 100 years of waiting? At no point does Avraham argue, as he did on behalf of the people of Sodom. At no instant does he doubt God's hesed ; at no time does he invoke justice. How are we to understand this?

Our first response seems to be supported by the text itself: Avraham responded with fear. Avraham's love of God was tested by fear of God, and he passed the test: the angel declared that Avraham had proven that he was God-fearing. In light of everything we have seen, this answer is somehow unsatisfying. Avraham did not respond with fear, nor is his legacy to us one of fear.

The Recanati offers a solution:

פירוש הרקאנאטי על התורה - פרשת וירא

כי עתה ידעתי כי ירא אלהים אתה. יש לשאול כי ידענו כי אברהם היה אוהב שנאמר זרע אברהם אוהבי (ישעיה מא' ח'). ואיך לא שבחו במעלתו הגדולה שהיא מצד החסד רק שבחו במדת היראה כי ידענו כי כל מה שעשה אברהם אבינו ע"ה עשה מאהבה ויש הבדל בין האוהב לירא כיתרון האור מן החושך. ועל כן יש לך לדעת מאמר בעלי הקבלה כי היראה היא על שני דרכים יראה פנימית ויראה חיצונית היראה חיצונה היא למטה מן האהבה והפנימית היא למעלה מן האהבה כיצד יראה חיצונה היא סוד כל הירא לעבור על מצות המלך פן יענש ויתפש במאמר המלך. יראה פנימית בהיות האדם משיג מעלת הבורא יתעלה ורוב התענוגים והעושר והכבוד אשר בהיכלו בהגיע אדם לידיעת מעלה זו יפחד ויבהל ויאמר שמא אינני ראוי לעמוד בהיכל המלך.

This raises a question, for we know that Avraham was God-loving, as it says "descendents of Avraham who loved me." How did he (i.e., the angel) not praise him for his great attribute of hesed and only praised his yir'a? We know that everything that Avraham did, he did out of ahava and the superiority of ahava over yir'a is like the superiority of light over darkness. Thus, we should take note of the kabbalistic teaching that there are two types of yir'a – internal and external. External yir'a is inferior to ahava but internal  but internal yir'a  is greatly superior to ahava. How is this so? External yir'a is the secret of all those who fear transgressing the word of the King, for fear that they will be caught and punished. Internal yir'a stems from comprehension of the true stature of the Creator…When a person reaches this understanding, they become afraid that they are unworthy to stand in the presence of the King. (Recanati on the Torah, Parshat Vayera)

The akeida is not a test designed to break Avraham's natural inclination to hesed. Out of love of God, Avraham proceeds: Even the akeida is ahava because ahava is doing truth because it is truth. What is the definition of truth? Whatever God says it is. God is truth, and His commandment is truth. Sacrificing Yitzchak is truth, a manifestation of love and not of fear. Avraham's ahavat Hashem brings him to the level that the Recanati describes as "internal yir'a": Avraham does not want to cause God any disappointment or separation. Avraham is full of love, both for God and for his own son Yitzchak. When God forces him to choose between these two loves, Avraham chooses the love of God, which necessarily assumes, and subsumes, all other love.

Ultimately, God does not force Avraham to consummate this choice, and the heavenly voice commands Avraham to desist. This, too, is seen by our sages as a test: Avraham does not fear punishment; he fears that he will be unworthy of God's presence. He is almost overcome by his desire to consummate his choice, to act upon his ahavat Hashem. His most concerted effort is in pulling back, stopping short of sacrifice. He overcomes his dread of separation from God; he forces himself to obey the commandment to desist, to override his inclination to give everything he has.  

Avraham, motivated by his great love of God, dedicated his life to emulating God through hesed, and started a relationship which is replicated by his descendants to this very day. Our challenge is to emulate Avraham by finding our own love of God. We hope and pray that martyrdom will not be required of us, and that instead we can manifest our love of God through acts of hesed, through sharing our knowledge of God with others, by calling all of humanity to serve God – with love.

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[1] Regarding the midrashic material describing Avraham's early life see Explorations.