Parshat Vayera 5769
© 2008 Rabbi Ari D. Kahn
Elevation
It is frightening: “Some time later God tested Avraham.”
It is dramatic and haunting: "Take your son, your only son, Yitzchak whom you love”
It is life - altering and chilling: “and go to the region of Moriah”
Perhaps most of all, it is confusing: “and elevate him there as an olah on one of the mountains that I will tell you."
When we consider the ‘‘Akeida we need to read the text carefully, and note what it does say, and what the text does not say. Is it our imagination or is it our faulty memory? Things we think are in the text are absent, and things we don’t remember suddenly “appear”.
Let us begin without any preconceived notions.
ספר בראשית פרק כב
(א) וַיְהִי אַחַר הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה וְהָאֱלֹהִים נִסָּה אֶת אַבְרָהָם וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו אַבְרָהָם וַיֹּאמֶר הִנֵּנִי: (ב) 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: (ג) וַיַּשְׁכֵּם אַבְרָהָם בַּבֹּקֶר וַיַּחֲבשׁ אֶת חֲמֹרוֹ וַיִּקַּח אֶת שְׁנֵי נְעָרָיו אִתּוֹ וְאֵת יִצְחָק בְּנוֹ וַיְבַקַּע עֲצֵי עֹלָה וַיָּקָם וַיֵּלֶךְ אֶל הַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר אָמַר לוֹ הָאֱלֹהִים:
(1) Some time later God tested Avraham. He said to him, "Avraham!" "Here I am," he replied. (2) Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, Yitzchak, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Bring him up there as an olah on one of the mountains that I will tell you." (3) Early the next morning Avraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Yitzchak. He cut olah wood, and he arose and set out for the place God had told him about. (Bereishit 22)
The first noteworthy term is “test”. While we have learned that Avraham was tested ten different ways, the only instance which is explicitly called a test, and the only instance in which the nature of the test is explicit, is the ‘‘Akeida. This, then is the quintessential test, the ultimate test.
When we continue to read the text we are left searching for something which is not there. In fact, nowhere in the entire set of instructions do we find the word that is most closely associated with this series of events: God never does command Avraham to bind Yitzchak or to tie his son in any way. Despite this, for all time this section is known as “the binding (‘‘Akeida) of Yitzchak”.
There is something else missing, something far more troubling: At no point in the narrative does God command Avraham to kill Yitzchak. The exact words are “v’ha’alyahu sham l’olah “elevate him there as an olah”
Rashi comments on this verse, pointing out that God never said to slaughter Yitzchak. God did not want Yitzchak’s life to be ended. He wanted Yitzchak to be “raised up”, designating him as an “olah”. Once he was uplifted, He commanded Avraham to take Yitzchak down[1].
Were we to conclude from our cursory reading that God had indeed commanded Avraham to slaughter his son, we would be justifiably disturbed: elderly, saintly, loving, kind Avraham is asked to perform a grotesque and horrifying act – to kill is own son. Clearly, the episode’s finale would allow us to modify our understanding: When God tells Avraham to take Yitzchak down from the altar, the larger ultimate message and lesson would be God’s declaration against human sacrifice.
If God never did ask for the slaughter, why did Avraham seem to think He had? What was on Avraham’s mind? Might we say that if God did not command him to slaughter Yitzchak, then Avraham should be seen as so bloodthirsty a man that he pulled a knife on his own son? Or might we say that God did command the death of Yitzchak, but subsequently He changed His mind?
We should note that, prior to the ‘Akeida, Avraham erected numerous altars, but never brought an offering upon them.
(ז) וַיֵּרָא ה’ אֶל אַבְרָם וַיֹּאמֶר לְזַרְעֲךָ אֶתֵּן אֶת הָאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת וַיִּבֶן שָׁם מִזְבֵּחַ לה’ הַנִּרְאֶה אֵלָיו:
(7) God appeared to Avram and said, "To your offspring I will give this land." So he built an altar there to God who had appeared to him.
In these verses, Avraham receives confirmation that indeed he has found the holy place that God had spoken of. He is granted revelation, and to express his thanks he builds an altar. But quite significantly, nothing is placed upon it. In subsequent chapters Avraham builds altars on various occasions, and never puts anything on them. Instead, he “calls out to God”; he prays.
(ח) וַיַּעְתֵּק מִשָּׁם הָהָרָה מִקֶּדֶם לְבֵית אֵל וַיֵּט אָהֳלֹה בֵּית אֵל מִיָּם וְהָעַי מִקֶּדֶם וַיִּבֶן שָׁם מִזְבֵּחַ לה’ וַיִּקְרָא בְּשֵׁם ה’:
(8) From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to God and called on the name of God.
ספר בראשית פרק יג
(ג) וַיֵּלֶךְ לְמַסָּעָיו מִנֶּגֶב וְעַד בֵּית אֵל עַד הַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר הָיָה שָׁם אָהֳלֹה בַּתְּחִלָּה בֵּין בֵּית אֵל וּבֵין הָעָי: (ד) אֶל מְקוֹם הַמִּזְבֵּחַ אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה שָׁם בָּרִאשֹׁנָה וַיִּקְרָא שָׁם אַבְרָם בְּשֵׁם ה’:
(3) From the Negev he went from place to place until he came to Bethel, to the place between Bethel and Ai where his tent had been earlier (4) and where he had first built an altar. There Avram called on the name of God.
If Avraham had never brought a korban (sacrifice) prior to the ‘Akeida, why would he assume that now God requires a sacrifice?
There is another, more subtle point to consider: The name of God used in the text which commands the ‘Akeida is Elokim. This name is never used in the Torah in association with sacrifices:
תלמוד בבלי מסכת מנחות דף קי/א
תַּנְיָא, אָמַר רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן עַזַּאי, בּוֹא וּרְאֵה מַה כְּתִיב בְּפָרָשַׁת קָרְבָּנוֹת, שֶׁלֹּא נֶּאֱמַר בָּהֶם, לֹא "אֵל", וְלֹא "אֱלֹהִים", אֶלָּא "לַה'". שֶׁלֹּא לִתֵּן פִּתְחוֹן פֶּה לְבַעַל הַדִּין לַחֲלֹק.
It was taught: R. Simeon b. ‘Azzai said, ‘Come and see what is written in the chapter of the sacrifices. Neither (the names) el nor elohim are found there, but only (the Tetragramaton) ‘(YHVH)’, so as not to give sectarians any occasion to rebel. (Talmud Menachot 110a)
It is interesting that in the ‘Akeida story an offering is eventually brought – but only after an angel of God (YHVH) interceded.
In fact, Rabenu Bachya clearly states,[2] as did Rashi, that God never did ask Avraham to slaughter Yitzchak, but he buttresses his argument with a subtle grammatical point. Had Yitzchak been meant to be an actual offering, the text should have read “haleyhu olah,” but instead it says l’olah, which is understood -“as on olah” or “instead of an olah”.[3] Had God in fact commanded Avraham to sacrifice Yitzchak, it is theologically impossibility that He “changed His mind”. Rabenu Bachya therefore draws the conclusion that Avraham, motivated by love of God, goes farther than God’s command, and is prepared to slaughter Yitzchak.[4]
The next term which catches our attention is “lech l’cha”, translated as “go – for you” or “go for your sake”. This is not the first usage of this phrase. These, in fact, are very likely the first words God says to Avraham.
ספר בראשית פרק יב
(א) וַיֹּאמֶר ה’ אֶל אַבְרָם לֶךְ לְךָ מֵאַרְצְךָ וּמִמּוֹלַדְתְּךָ וּמִבֵּית אָבִיךָ אֶל הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר אַרְאֶךָּ:
(ד) וַיֵּלֶךְ אַבְרָם כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר אֵלָיו ה’ וַיֵּלֶךְ אִתּוֹ לוֹט וְאַבְרָם בֶּן חָמֵשׁ שָׁנִים וְשִׁבְעִים שָׁנָה בְּצֵאתוֹ מֵחָרָן:
(1) God said to Avram, "Leave your country, your birthplace and your father's household and go to the land I will show you.
(4) So Avram left, as God had told him; and Lot went with him. Avram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Charan. Bereishit 12
We should therefore expect that there be some connection –or contrast –between the two uses of the phrase “lech l’cha”. There should be something about this new mission which should echo the previous mission. In both instances the precise location is withheld and an element of faith or trust is needed. In both cases there is a clear commandment to do something, but in both cases there is something lacking regarding knowledge of the implementation.
We should also note Avraham’s zeal: Avraham does not merely accept the mission, he wakes up early in the morning and busies himself with his task with purposefulness. This is one of three instances where it is recorded that Avraham rises early.[5] His faith and his enthusiasm combine to push Avraham forward, to single-mindedly fulfill his mandate. It may be somewhat surprising that in the case of the other lech l’cha, when God’s first communication with Avraham is recorded, we have no reason to believe that Avraham set off immediately to fulfill God’s command. The text does not say that Avraham arose early the next morning and set off on his journey. In fact, the only information we have is that Avraham was seventy five years old when he set out. How old was he when God commanded “lech l’cha” ?
There is no clear answer to this question, but the text offers us ancillary information as clues to constructing a time-line. When God tells Avraham "Leave your country, your birthplace and your father's household,” we understand “father’s household” and perhaps “country” but “birthplace” is perplexing: Avraham was born in Ur Kasdim, but left his birthplace when he followed his father Terah on an aborted mission to the land of Cannan – which only took Avraham as far as Charan.
(לא) וַיִּקַּח תֶּרַח אֶת אַבְרָם בְּנוֹ וְאֶת לוֹט בֶּן הָרָן בֶּן בְּנוֹ וְאֵת שָׂרַי כַּלָּתוֹ אֵשֶׁת אַבְרָם בְּנוֹ וַיֵּצְאוּ אִתָּם מֵאוּר כַּשְׂדִּים לָלֶכֶת אַרְצָה כְּנַעַן וַיָּבֹאוּ עַד חָרָן וַיֵּשְׁבוּ שָׁם:(לב) וַיִּהְיוּ יְמֵי תֶרַח חָמֵשׁ שָׁנִים וּמָאתַיִם שָׁנָה וַיָּמָת תֶּרַח בְּחָרָן: ספר בראשית פרק יא
(31) Terah took his son Avram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Avram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. They came to Charan and they settled there. (32) Terah lived 205 years, and he died in Charan. (Bereishit 11: 27-32)
It seems unequivocal that Avraham was born in Ur Kasdim[6], and that Terah took him and other family members away from there, and the family settled in Charan. We are mystified as to why idolatrous Terah was on his way to Canaan – Israel. The Ramban[7] offers a partial solution when he notes that the text is inverted: The natural order would be to leave the most immediate context, his father’s household, followed by the larger circle, his birthplace or home town, and then the larger and less personal context of country. The Ramban posits that the verse is written in the inverse order, for Avraham had in act already left his country and birthplace, along with his father and the other family members who joined this entourage, and God’s commandment at this juncture is to “finish the job” and leave his father’s sphere of influence as well. While this solution does explain the peculiarity in the syntax, we are left none the wiser as to Terah’s motivation to travel to Canaan[8].
Later in the text, we become even more confused:
ספר בראשית פרק טו
(ז) וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו אֲנִי ה’ אֲשֶׁר הוֹצֵאתִיךָ מֵאוּר כַּשְׂדִּים לָתֶת לְךָ אֶת הָאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת לְרִשְׁתָּהּ:
(7) He said to him, "I am God who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it."
Who took Avraham out of Ur Kasdim? Was it Terah, or was it God?[9] Whose idea was this, Avraham’s, Terah’s, or God’s? We don’t know why Terah was on the way to Canaan, which is part of the reason we don’t know when God spoke to Avraham and told him “lech l’cha”.
The Ibn Ezra[10] suggests that the command of “lech l’cha” was given while Avraham was still in Ur Kasdim, which means that while we don’t have a clear time line, at least in this instance Avraham did not get up early the next morning and immediately obey the Divine imperative. But now we understand why God asks Avraham to leave his country and birthplace – he was still there. This reading of the text leads to the conclusion that God “gets the credit” for taking Avraham out of Ur Kasdim, and Terah was a facilitator of God’s will. We thus vey neatly reconcile the syntax of the verses, the timeline issues and the question of motive, but we create a different problem: If God spoke to Avraham and commanded him to go to Canaan at that juncture, why did he need Terah to help him out?
Let us re-frame the issue of the sequence of events. How old was Avraham when God spoke with him the first time, commanding him to leave his entire past behind and journey to an unnamed destination? A cursory reading of the text reveals that “lech l’cha” is the first recorded communication, and Avraham was seventy five years old when he left on this journey. “Lech l’cha” is not fixed anywhere on the timeline of Avraham’s life. While various rabbinic opinions mark off significant stages in Avraham’s religious development, with benchmarks at three years of age, forty-eight, and again at fifty-two[11] years of age, we do not know at what point in Avraham’s life he receives his first revelation, when God first confirms for Avraham his beliefs and convictions.
Rashi raises the possibility that there was a direct communication from God before “lech l’cha”. When God tells Avraham about the slavery of the Jews He speaks of 400 years.
ספר בראשית פרק טו
(יג) וַיֹּאמֶר לְאַבְרָם יָדֹעַ תֵּדַע כִּי גֵר יִהְיֶה זַרְעֲךָ בְּאֶרֶץ לֹא לָהֶם וַעֲבָדוּם וְעִנּוּ אֹתָם אַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת שָׁנָה:
Then God said to him, "Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years.
According to accepted Rabbinic chronology, the Jews were in Egypt for 210 years. Commentators who explain God’s reference to 400 years of slavery point back to the birth of Yitzchak: As any parent knows, this is where the worrying begins. When Avraham and Sarah have a child, they begin to view the world from a new perspective, considering the larger context. From this point Avraham and Sara begin worrying about their descendants. They have a child, the subject and the vehicle for their angst.
To make matters more interesting, another set of figures is thrown into the mix when the story of the Exodus from Egypt is told:
ספר שמות פרק יב
(מא) וַיְהִי מִקֵּץ שְׁלשִׁים שָׁנָה וְאַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת שָׁנָה וַיְהִי בְּעֶצֶם הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה יָצְאוּ כָּל צִבְאוֹת ה' מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם:
At the end of the 430 years, to the very day, all God’s divisions left Egypt. (Shmot 12:41)
We see that 210 years of slavery[12] become 400 of emotional distress, when counted from the birth of Yitzchak. But how do the 400 years become 430? Where are the extra 30 years from? Rashi[13] explains that while we count the four hundred years from the birth of Yitzchak, 30 years prior to that is when God spoke to Avraham at the “Brit bein hab’tarim ” the covenant of the splitting in two[14]. We know that Avraham was 100 years of age when Yitzchak was born, which would mean that he was 70 years old when he had this epiphany– five years prior to his arrival in the land of Canaan, and therefore prior to “lech l’cha”.
Rashi’s reading of the text is based on a book of Biblical chronology called Seder Olam Rabbah, a comprehensive, over-arching time-line drawn from biblical narrative and midrashic traditions. One of the most dramatic episodes in Avraham’s life is when he is thrown into the furnace, an episode embedded in our collective memory, recorded in midrashic and Talmudic sources but absent from the biblical text in any explicit way. However, the furnace episode may be subliminally encoded in the biblical text, within the name of Avraham’s place of birth, Ur Kasdim. What was this place and why was it so named? The Targum (pseudo) Yonatan[15] translates Ur Kasdim as “the furnace of fire in Kasdim.” Thus, when God speaks to Avraham at the Brit bein hab’tarim and says “"I am God, who brought you out of Ur Kasdim,” what God is really saying is “I am the One who saved you from the fiery furnace.” This reading forces us to conclude that “lech l’cha” preceded the Brit bein ha’btarim.
According to the Seder Olam Rabbah, Avraham was at the tower of Bavel and was forty eight years old at the time. The Torah tells us of the use of furnaces to forge the bricks used to build the tower, [16] and it is into one of these furnaces that the nefarious Nimrod throws Avraham, who has rejected the idolatrous overtones of Nimrod’s rule. It is from that furnace that Avraham is saved.
Nimrod and his followers become known as the “Generation of the Dispersion.” Can Terah’s sudden departure for Canaan be understood in this context? Did he quit Ur Kasdim out of a nascent sense of Zionism, or was his move part of the general atmosphere in that generation? Did Terah, like others of his time, get some sort of Divine inspiration that told him it was time to move on, or did he recognize and seek out some inherent spirituality in Canaan?
The Netz”iv concurs with Rashi and follows the same chronology, positing that the Brit bein hab’tarim transpired when Avraham was seventy years old. The Netz”iv then proceeds to describe the Brit bein hab’tarim as more of a dreamlike experience, an “awakening” or “enlightenment”, rather than a full-fledged prophetic experience.[17] God whispered into Avraham’s heart and told him that he should leave Ur Kasdim and head to Israel. Perhaps Avraham was not the only one to receive such an “awakening”; perhaps Terah did as well.
The Ramban’s line of thought is of a similar vein:[18] Avraham built an altar upon arriving in Israel, because only then did he receive actual prophecy, as opposed to the dreams, or Ruach Hakodesh he had experienced up to that point. The Kli Yakar[19] reminds us of the more general principle that outside the Land of Israel prophecy may be all but impossible.
We have seen, then, that according to both the Ramban and the Netz”iv “lech l’cha” was not a clear prophetic command but rather a “feeling”, even an intuition. This would explain why Avraham did not “pick up and go” early the next morning. Terah’s journey may also be the result of a similar awakening. We might even dare to say that God spreads this type of feeling among all of humanity, but only Avraham was willing to take up the challenge. This is reminiscent of the midrashic[20] insight regarding receiving the Torah: God called out to many nations but only the Jews accepted the Torah.
Terah never completes the journey. Though he and Avraham ostensibly travel the same path, we do not find a description similar to the relationship between father and son that characterizes the ‘‘Akeida, “and the two of them went together”. Instead, we get the feeling that Avraham and Terah took the same trip – separately, as opposed to Avraham and Yitzchak travelling together on the way to the ‘Akeida.
ספר בראשית פרק כב
(ו) … וַיֵּלְכוּ שְׁנֵיהֶם יַחְדָּו:(ז) וַיֹּאמֶר יִצְחָק אֶל אַבְרָהָם אָבִיו וַיֹּאמֶר אָבִי וַיֹּאמֶר הִנֶּנִּי בְנִי וַיֹּאמֶר הִנֵּה הָאֵשׁ וְהָעֵצִים וְאַיֵּה הַשֶּׂה לְעֹלָה:(ח) וַיֹּאמֶר אַבְרָהָם אֱלֹהִים יִרְאֶה לּוֹ הַשֶּׂה לְעֹלָה בְּנִי וַיֵּלְכוּ שְׁנֵיהֶם יַחְדָּו:
(6 )… the two of them went on together. 7 Yitzchak spoke up and said to his father Avraham, "Father?" "Here I am, my son" Avraham replied. "The fire and wood are here," Yitzchak said, "but where is the lamb for the olah?"
8 Avraham answered, "God will provide the lamb for the olah, my son." And the two of them went on together. (Bereshit 22:6-8)
They walk together, two people on one mission. If there is a binding, it is between Avraham and Yitzchak. With the words “ha’aleyhu sham l’olah” Avraham is commanded to elevate his son. The two will be joined, unlike Avraham and Terah.
Avraham receives the awakening, accepts the challenge, leaves his homeland and sets off on his way, destination unknown. The Ramban[21] notes that Avraham travels from place to place waiting for the right feeling, for confirmation from God that he has arrived at the intended place. He doesn’t build an altar until he arrives in Israel. Now he knows and feels that he has found the place of holiness. He can build an altar, but he doesn’t feel as of yet that it is the right place to put an offering on the altar; he continues his quest.[22] He has found a holy place – but it is not quite holy enough. He receives prophesy, revelation, but the places he has found are not quite holy enough for an offering. Finally, God tells him of a place that he can bring an olah. We know the name and location of that place: Har HaMoriah, the place that one day would be called Jerusalem. Now, marching together with his son, Avraham knows he has found the right place - and so does Yitzchak. They march together, father and son. Overwhelmed by the holiness, both father and son know that this is a place where one can be completely consumed by God. And instead of simple physical elevation - of lifting Yitzchak on top of a glorious mountain and having Yitzchak join him in the covenant that he has with God, Avraham seeks complete, permanent elevation. He thinks this is the place for a sacrifice. Indeed, he is correct: The offering would soon be revealed, and the place they found would one day be the Beit Hamikdash, where so many offerings would be brought, and elevation achieved on a grand scale for all of Avraham’s descendents.
The Shla Hakadosh suggests that in fact Avraham found the holiest place, the inner sanctum, the Kodesh Hakdoshim, citing the Midrashic tradition that the voice that calls out to Avraham comes from between the two Keruvim. Such a voice, says the Shla, could only be heard in the Kodesh Hakdoshim. There, deep in the holiest place, no sacrifices are offered, only incense. The command Avraham received was, in actuality, to enter the Kodesh Hakdoshim, to assume the role of Kohen Gadol (High Priest) and to pass it on to Yitzchak.[23] The ‘Akeida thus unlocks for us an understanding of the core of the Beit Hamikdash: Har HaMoriah is named for mor, one of the spices used to make the incense offering brought in the Kodesh Hakdoshim. The very core of the Beit HaMikdash, of Har HaMoriah, of the Kodesh Hakdoshim itself, is incense and not sacrifice. This is the core of the ‘Akeida as well.[24]
So much for the message of the ‘Akeida. But what of the test? If this was to be a test of Avraham and Yitzchak’s relationship with one another, or of their relationship with God, they clearly passed with flying colors: Would the two walk together, clinging to one another and clinging to their faith in God? Yes. But their love of God pushed them beyond the actual command of God: If the commandment was to elevate Yitzchak, then Avraham certainly succeeded. God did not require Avraham to elevate Yitzchak in a traumatic manner. Perhaps Avraham, who entered Nimrod’s fiery furnace because of his love of God, did not find it strange that at times God may require such heroic action. But Avraham should have paid closer attention to God’s words: “I am the one who took you out of the furnace”. God did not ask Avraham to sacrifice himself in this way. On the other hand, Avraham, who almost met his death in the furnace, knew of God’s miracles and His salvation, knew that somehow Yitzchak, too, would survive. In the end, he was not wrong.
After the ‘Akeida, Avraham and Yitzchak had even more in common than before: Both were willing to give up their lives for their love of God. They were both almost burnt offerings, and they were both elevated by that experience. Most importantly, they walked together.
[1] Rashi Bereishit 22:2
רש"י על בראשית פרק כב פסוק ב
והעלהו - לא אמר לו שחטהו לפי שלא היה חפץ הקב"ה לשחטו אלא להעלהו להר לעשותו עולה ומשהעלהו אמר לו הורידהו:
[2] The Tosafists make the same observation in their comments on Bereishit 22:2:
פירוש בעלי התוספות על בראשית פרק כב פסוק ב
והעלהו שם לעולה. אבל לא אמר ושחטהו שלא נתכוון המקום אלא לעלייה בלבד:
[3] Rabenu Bachya Berishit 22:2
רבינו בחיי על בראשית פרק כב פסוק ב
והעלהו שם לעולה – היה ראוי שיאמר והעלהו שם עולה. אבל על דרך הפשט הלמ"ד הזאת באורה במקום כלומר שתעלה אותו שם במקום עולה. וכמוהו (בראשית ו) הלבנה לאבן במקום אבן. שאם תפרש לעולה עולה ממש איך יצוה הקב"ה ואח"כ יחזור מצוויו. ואברהם מתוך תוקף האהבה הבין עולה ממש והקב"ה שבא לנסות לא כוון אלא במקום עולה.
[4] Shla Hakodesh Vayera Torah Ohr 4
ספר השל"ה הקדוש – ספר בראשית – פרשת וירא תורה אור (ד)
זה היה ענין קטרוג של שטן שבכל סעודה שעשה ליצחק לא הקריב קרבן, ואף בסעודה שעשה בעת בשורת יצחק שהיה כקרבן לא הקריב לפניך, אף שהקריב לשם המיוחד היה לו להיות לפניך בלי אמצעית מלאך. והשיב לו הקב"ה כבר הקריב לפני, כי ענין המילה היא קרבן, הן המילה שמל את יצחק בנו הן המילה שמל אברהם את עצמו, וקיים אדם כי יקריב, כי הקריב את עצמו. ורמז לדבר בפרשת לך לך ואברהם הקריב (בראשית יב, יא) נתקיים אחר כך ואברהם הקריב את עצמו, וכבר נודע כי המילה היא קרבן. ואמר הקב"ה להשטן כדרך שהשיב יצחק לישמעאל שהתפאר נגד יצחק על שלא עיכב למול את עצמו, באבר אחד אתה מייראני, אילו אמר ליה הקב"ה זבח עצמך וכו'. ואחר הדברים האלה והאלהים נסה את אברהם, פירוש אחר דבריו של ישמעאל ואחר דבריו של שטן, כי כל הפירושים הם אמת, ואלו ואלו דברי אלהים חיים כאשר יתבאר:
[5] The first recorded instance of Avraham getting up early is Bereishit 19:27,28, when Avraham arises and witnesses the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah go up in smoke. The next instance is Bereishit 21:14 when Yishmael will be sent away.
ספר בראשית פרק יט
(כז) וַיַּשְׁכֵּם אַבְרָהָם בַּבֹּקֶר אֶל הַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר עָמַד שָׁם אֶת פְּנֵי ה’: (כח) וַיַּשְׁקֵף עַל פְּנֵי סְדֹם וַעֲמֹרָה וְעַל כָּל פְּנֵי אֶרֶץ הַכִּכָּר וַיַּרְא וְהִנֵּה עָלָה קִיטֹר הָאָרֶץ כְּקִיטֹר הַכִּבְשָׁן:
27 Early the next morning Abraham got up and returned to the place where he had stood before the LORD. 28 He looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah, toward all the land of the plain, and he saw dense smoke rising from the land, like smoke from a furnace.
[6] There are those who do debate this point – see the comments of the Raman.
[7] The Ramban proposes that Avraham was born in Charan; that was his birthplace, and he had subsequently travelled to Ur Kasdim (comments on Bereishit 12:1).
[8] In a separate comment the Ramban states that the journey from Ur Kasdim to Canaan was Avraham’s idea, not Terach’s. See Ramban 11:31. Also note as stated above the Ramban has different theory regarding the birthplace of Avraham.
רמב"ן על בראשית פרק יא פסוק לא
(לא) ויצאו אתם מאור כשדים בעבור כי אברם נכבד מאביו, וההולכים בעצתו ובעבורו ילכו, אמר הכתוב ויצאו אתם ואף על פי שאמר "ויקח תרח", אבל לוט ושרי בעבור אברם הלכו אתם, כי גם אחרי שנפרד אברם מאביו הלכו אתו:
[9] The Netziv makes a suggestion that Terach was travelling at Avraham’s request, but Avraham was a luftmensch – his head was in the clouds – and therefore Terach “drove” so as not to disturb Avraham’s meditations about God. While this presents an idyllic description of the Avraham Terech relationship, such a description is not really supported by the text, especially regarding the crucial point was Avraham leading or did Terach take Avraham.
העמק דבר על בראשית פרק יא פסוק לא
(לא) ויקח תרח את אברם בנו וגו' ללכת ארצה כנען. אע"ג שלא הי' עוד מאמר ה' לא"א. מכ"מ כבר הי' הערה מן השמים וראה מרחוק קדושת הארץ וכמש" להלן ט"ו ז' והא דכתיב ויקח תרח וגו' אע"ג דעיקר רצון אותה יציאה הי' אברם ובעצתו מכ"מ כיון שיה' אברם שקוע ברעיונות אלקיות או חכמות ולא יכול להנהיג נסיעה הוא וביתו ע"כ נמסר הנסיעה לאביו והוא לקח את אברם וכל הכבודה על ידו:
[10] Ibn Ezra 12:1
אבן עזרא על בראשית פרק יב פסוק א
השם צוה לאברהם ועודנו באור כשדים שיעזוב ארצו ומקום מולדתו גם בית אביו. והטעם שידע השם שתרח אחר שיצא ללכת אל ארץ כנען ישב בחרן. ותרח לא מת עד אחר ששים שנה שיצא אברהם מבית אביו מחרן רק הכתוב לא פירש שניו בצאתו מאור כשדים.ואחר שאמר אשר אראך – גלה לו הסוד כי כן כתוב ויצאו ללכת ארצה כנען. או יהיה טעם אראך הוא שאמר לו כי את כל הארץ אשר אתה רואה לך אתננה:
[11] See below for the significance of some of these junctures on the timeline, and the seminal events that are linked to them.
[12] According to Rabbinic tradition, of the 210 years in Egypt only 86 were years of actual slavery.
[13] Rashi’s source is a braita in Seder Olam Rabah, the definitive book on biblical chronology, Chapter 1.
ברייתא דסדר עולם רבה פרק א
אברהם אבינו הי' בשעה שנדבר עמו בין הבתרים בן ע' שנה שנאמר (שמות י"ב מ"א) ויהי מקץ שלשים שנה וארבע מאות שנה וגו'. לאחר שנדבר עמו ירד לחרן ועשה שם חמש שנים שנאמר (בראשית י"ב ד') ואברהם בן חמש שנים ושבעים שנה בצאתו מחרן
[14] We should note that here Avraham does kill animals, at God’s request. (Bereishit 15:9,10) However subsequent to this covenant all the altars that Avraham builds remain empty - devoid of flesh and blood – until the Akaida.
[15] Berieshit 15:7.
יונתן בראשית פרק טו פסוק ז
ז וַאֲמַר לֵיהּ אֲנָא יְיָ דְאַפֵיקְתָּךְ מֵאַתּוּן נוּרָא דְכַשְׂדָאֵי לְמִתַּן לָךְ יַת אַרְעָא הֲדָא לְמֵירְתָהּ:
כתר יונתן בראשית פרק טו פסוק ז
ז ויאמר לו אני יי שהוצאתיך מכבשן האש של כשדים לתת לך את הארץ הזאת לרִשׁתה:
Also see the comments of the Rosh on the Torah and the Ketab VKabbala.
הכתב והקבלה על בראשית פרק טו פסוק ז
מאור כשדים. היותר נכון מ"ש הרא"ש שאין המקום נקרא אור כשדים, אבל פי' אש כשדים, כמו שלישית באור תבעיר (יחזקאל) וכן אור לו בציון ותנור (ישעיה), ואמר קרא וימת הרן באור כשדים כלומר מת בעיר מולדתו ארם נהרים ע"י האש ששרפוהו הכשדים, וכמו שספרו לנו רבותינו (ערש"י).
[16] Bereishit 11:3
בראשית פרק יא
ג) וַיֹּאמְרוּ אִישׁ אֶל רֵעֵהוּ הָבָה נִלְבְּנָה לְבֵנִים וְנִשְׂרְפָה לִשְׂרֵפָה וַתְּהִי לָהֶם הַלְּבֵנָה לְאָבֶן וְהַחֵמָר הָיָה לָהֶם לַחֹמֶר:
3 They said to each other, "Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly." They used brick instead of stone, and clay for mortar.
[17] Ha’amek Davar Bereishit 15:7
העמק דבר על בראשית פרק טו פסוק ז
(ז) ויאמר אליו. רש"י בפ' בא כ' דברית בה"ב נאמר שלשים שנה קודם שנולד יצחק ומיישב בזה הכתוב ומושב ב"י אשר ישבו במצרים שלשים שנה וארבע מאות שנה. … ונ"ל שגם בסדר עולם אין הכוונה שהי' הדבור כמשמעו אלא בהיותו בן שבעים שנה הי' לו הערה וקול דודו ית' דופק על לבו לצאת מאור כשדים ומשם לא"י. והערה זו מפורש בישעיה מ"א מי העיר ממזרח וגו' ומשום שאז עלה ברצון כל ענין בה"ב. אבל לא הי' שום דבור מפורש עד שהגיע לבן חמש ושבעים והגיע דבור הראשון לזרעך אתן את הארץ הזאת. ובמלחמת המלכים בא דבור של הקב"ה בשלימות בשעה שעלה במחשבת א"א שהוא צדקה בלי טעם.
[18] See Ramban Bereishit 12:7
רמב"ן על בראשית פרק יב פסוק ז
וטעם לה' הנראה אליו, כי הודה לשם הנכבד וזבח לו זבח תודה על שנראה אליו, כי עד הנה לא נראה אליו השם ולא נתודע אליו במראה ולא במחזה, אבל נאמר לו "לך לך מארצך" בחלום הלילה או ברוח הקדש
[19] Kli Yakar Bereishit 12:7, the Netziv concurs.
כלי יקר על בראשית פרק יב פסוק ז
וירא ה' אל אברם. מה שלא נראה אליו ה' מיד כשאמר לו לך לך מארצך, לפי שאז היה עדיין בחו"ל כדעת הראב"ע ובחו"ל אין שכינתו ית' נגלה וראיה מיונה, (מכילתא בא יב ד) וא"כ לא נראה אליו שם ה' במראה כי אם קול דברים לבד היה שומע וע"כ לא בנה שם מזבח, רק לה' הנראה אליו. אבל בעוד שלא היה נראה אליו לא רצה לבנות מזבח במקום שאין השכינה שורה. וזה"ש במשה (שמות ד א) כי יאמרו לא נראה אליך ה'. כי אין דרכו להתראות בחו"ל ובזה יכחישו לומר שגם קול לא שמעת:
[20] Sifri 343.
[21] Ramban Bereishit 12:1
[22] See comments of the Meshech Chochma to Bereishit 12:1 (which is the first Lech L’cha) that Avraham’s entire sojourn in Israel was in search of Holiness and the right place for serving God.
משך חכמה על בראשית פרק יב פסוק א
אל הארץ אשר אראך – יתכן לפרש כי צווהו לילך לארץ מקום המיועד לעבודה ולקרבנות ששם הקריבו אדה"ר ונח קרבנותיהם ושם יפרסם אלקות ויקדש שמו בשחוט בנו ויראה את הכחות הטמונים בסתר לבבו אשר מצא נאמן לפניו (נחמיה ט, ח) וזה שאמר אראך פועל יוצא שיראה את הטמון בלב אברהם לאחרים וכמו שאמר המלאך (בראשית כב, יב) כי עתה ידעתי כו' והנה לפ"ז אברהם יתראה ויהיה הנראה לאחרים ודו"ק.
[23] Shla Hakosesh Vayera Torah Ohr 4
ספר השל"ה הקדוש – ספר בראשית – פרשת וירא תורה אור (ד)
וכולהו נתקיימו בעקידת יצחק, כי אברהם עקדו וקשרו גם שם אותו לעולה בהר המוריה. ואפשר שהמזבח אשר בנה אברהם אבינו בהר המוריה היה במקום מזבח הפנימי שמקטירין הקטורת, כי הקטורת חביב מכל הקרבנות שבעולם, ולא היה קרבן חביב בעולם כיצחק עולה תמימה. וכן משמע קצת במדרש (פרקי דר"א לא) שאמר ויקרא אליו מלאך ה' מן השמים, מבין שני הכרובים יצא הקול. הרי שענין העקידה היה הכל במקום המקודש ביותר, שקרא אליו המלאך ממקום קדשי קדשים, ממילא מסתבר שנעקד על גבי מזבח הפנימי. וכן מצינו כשהוקם המשכן היה הקול נפסק ולא יצא מחוץ לאהל מועד, וזהו ענין שנקרא הר המוריה על שם הקטורת כי שם נעקד יצחק.
[24] Rashi Berishit 22:2
רש"י על בראשית פרק כב פסוק ב
בהר המוריה. ורבותינו פירשו על שם שמשם הוראה יוצאה לישראל. ואונקלוס תרגמו על שם עבודת הקטורת שיש בו מור נרד ושאר בשמים:
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Friday, October 31, 2008
Lech L'cha 5769
Lech L’cha 5769
Rabbi Ari Kahn
© 2008
It begins with a word, a command - or perhaps a test:
ספר בראשית פרק יב
(א) וַיֹּאמֶר ה’ אֶל אַבְרָם לֶךְ לְךָ מֵאַרְצְךָ וּמִמּוֹלַדְתְּךָ וּמִבֵּית אָבִיךָ אֶל הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר אַרְאֶךָּ: (ב) וְאֶעֶשְׂךָ לְגוֹי גָּדוֹל וַאֲבָרֶכְךָ וַאֲגַדְּלָה שְׁמֶךָ וֶהְיֵה בְּרָכָה: (ג) וַאֲבָרְכָה מְבָרֲכֶיךָ וּמְקַלֶּלְךָ אָאֹר וְנִבְרְכוּ בְךָ כֹּל מִשְׁפְּחֹת הָאֲדָמָה:
(1) The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. (2) "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. (3) I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." (Bereishit 12)
According to at least one rabbinic source, contained in this verse are two tests:[1]
אבות דרבי נתן פרק שלשה ושלשים
עשר נסיונות נתנסה אברהם אבינו לפני הקב"ה ובכולן נמצא שלם ואלו הן שנים בלך לך ב' בשתי בניו ב' בשתי נשיו אחד עם המלכים ואחד בין הבתרים אחד באור כשדים ואחד בברית מילה (בין הבתרים).
…two trials at the time he was bidden to leave Haran, two with his two sons, two with his two wives, one in the wars of the Kings, one at the covenant ‘between the pieces’ (Gen. XV). One in Ur of the Chaldees (where, according to a tradition, he had been thrown into a furnace from whence he emerged unharmed). (Avot Drebbi Natan chapter 33)
Upon contemplation, we might ask a simple question: Why was leaving his hometown a test? Avraham was not exactly the most popular character back home; in fact the opposite seems true. He was vilified, persecuted, attacked and almost killed – until he was miraculously saved from a fiery furnace. Why would leaving such a place be considered a “test”? When we continue our reading of the next two verses, the “test” seems mitigated by a bounty of blessings:
(2) "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. (3) I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."
This certainly doesn’t sound like a challenge; in fact, it sounds as if Avraham has “hit the jackpot”! The promises are of incredible proportions. Where is the test?
A more careful reading of these verses reveals an almost untenable tension, which may be the key to understanding the angst which Avraham experiences in fulfilling the Divine imperative. Verse 2 is a blessing which introduces a new entity, a new concept which from this point on becomes the focus of the biblical narrative: the nation, specifically “the Nation of Israel”.
The joyous, nearly incredible news that a nation will emerge from the loins of Avraham, is tempered by the knowledge that a certain tension will always surround this nation. As this nation emerges, we learn that others will never be indifferent. The nation of Avraham’s children will never be “pareve” in the eyes of the world. They will always elicit some sort of reaction from others, always will serve as a source of blessing or a curse for others.
Furthermore, this blessing may be limiting: it is particular in nature, it is directed exclusively to the people who will become known as the Jewish People. In Avraham’s eyes, universal dreams may be challenged by particular nationalistic aspirations. Whereas Avraham has seen himself as a citizen of the world on a mission to help elevate all of mankind, his mission now becomes linked exclusively with this new entity, “the Children of Avraham.”
At this juncture, what are Avraham’s aspirations? Is his dream to start his own nation, or does he wish to impact the people of his hometown? Has his initial failure dissuaded him from continuing his original mission, or does he still dream of local success?
Avraham makes his journey to Israel but he doesn’t come alone. His partner Sarah (Sarai) accompanies him, as does Lot, his heir apparent. In addition, we are told of another group who follow their leader:
ספר בראשית פרק יב
(ה) וַיִּקַּח אַבְרָם אֶת שָׂרַי אִשְׁתּוֹ וְאֶת לוֹט בֶּן אָחִיו וְאֶת כָּל רְכוּשָׁם אֲשֶׁר רָכָשׁוּ וְאֶת הַנֶּפֶשׁ אֲשֶׁר עָשׂוּ בְחָרָן וַיֵּצְאוּ לָלֶכֶת אַרְצָה כְּנַעַן וַיָּבֹאוּ אַרְצָה כְּנָעַן:
(5) He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had made[2] (acquired) in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan[3], and they arrived there.
Avraham has an entourage, which is not all that unusual. What is interesting is that these are not people from Ur Kasdim (Aram Naharaim), they are people collected in Haran. They are not from his hometown, but from his latest temporary abode. In his hometown he seems to have had made no impact.
They arrive in Israel at a specific place, an intentional destination: Their first stop in the Land is at a place called Shechem[4]. The Ramban[5] points out that the “acts of the Father’s are a sign for the children”, for it is in Shechem that nationhood will emerge. This is where Dina is abused, and where the local residents offer the family of Israel to join destinies, to join them and form one nation. This offer is rejected, and a process is set in motion: A nation with its own unique history begins to chart its path, undertaking the long march to fulfill its particular, unique destiny. A nation, indeed; but at this point a small, vulnerable nation that rejects the benefits of assimilation into a strong, well-established local clan. This is a defining moment, a decision that crystallizes and forms the Nation of Israel.
Let us take a step back: Avraham’s great work in Haran, the monumental educational challenge he has undertaken, has been described by the Talmud as no less than the end of the dark ages:
תלמוד בבלי מסכת עבודה זרה דף ט/א
תנא דבי אליהו ששת אלפים שנה הוי העולם שני אלפים תוהו שני אלפים תורה שני אלפים ימות המשיח בעונותינו שרבו יצאו מהן מה שיצאו מהן שני אלפים תורה מאימת אי נימא ממתן תורה עד השתא ליכא כולי האי דכי מעיינת בהו תרי אלפי פרטי דהאי אלפא הוא דהואי אלא מואת הנפש אשר עשו בחרן וגמירי דאברהם בההיא שעתא בר חמשין ותרתי הוה כמה בצרן מדתני תנא ארבע מאה וארבעים ותמניא שנין הויין כי מעיינת ביה מהנפש אשר עשו בחרן עד מתן תורה
The Tanna debe Eliyahu taught: The world is to exist six thousand years; the first two thousand years are to be void; the next two thousand years are the period of the Torah, and the following two thousand years are the period of the Messiah. Through our many sins a number of these have already passed [and the Messiah is not yet here]. From when are the two thousand years of the Torah to be reckoned? Shall we say from the Giving of the Torah at Sinai? In that case, you will find that there are not quite two thousand years from then till now [i.e., the year four thousand after the Creation], for if you compute the years [from the Creation to the Giving of the Torah] you will find that they comprise two thousand and a part of the third thousand; the period is therefore to be reckoned from the time when Abraham and Sarah had gotten souls in Haran for we have it as a tradition that Abraham was at that time fifty-two years old. (Talmud Bavli Avoda Zara 9a)
Biblical chronology is an important key to understanding this gemara: Avraham was born in the year 1948 (from creation of the world). Therefore, when he was 52 years old the world was precisely 2000 year old, and at this point Avraham began teaching and attempting to influence the entire world. But what was the nature of the “Torah” that Avraham taught and practiced? There is a Talmudic discussion which examines the implications of tradition that Avraham “kept the Torah”:
תלמוד בבלי מסכת יומא דף כח/ב
אָמַר רַב, קִיֵּם אַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ אֶת כָּל הַתּוֹרָה כֻּלָּהּ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר, (בראשית כו) "עֵקֶב אֲשֶׁר שָׁמַע אַבְרָהָם בְּקֹלִי" [וְגוֹ']. אָמַר לֵיהּ, רַב שִׁימִי בַר חִיָּא לְרַב, וְאֵימָא שֶׁבַע מִצְוֹת? (ותו לא?) הָא הֲוַאִי נַמִי מִילָה. (אלא) וְאֵימָא שֶׁבַע מִצְוֹת וּמִילָה? אָמַר לֵיהּ, אִם כֵּן - "מִצְוֹתַי וְתוֹרֹתַי" לָמָּה לִי?. אָמַר (רב) [רָבָא], וְאִיתֵימָא רַב (אסי) [אַשִׁי], קִיֵּם אַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ אֲפִלּוּ עֵירוּבֵי תַבְשִׁילִין, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר, "וְתוֹרֹתָי", אֶחָד דִּבְרֵי תוֹרָה וְאֶחָד דִּבְרֵי סוֹפְרִים:
Rab said: Our father Abraham kept the whole Torah[6], as it is said: Because that Abraham hearkened to My voice [kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws]. R. Shimi b. Hiyya said to Rab: Say, perhaps, that this refers to the seven laws? — Surely there was also that of circumcision! Then say that it refers to the seven laws and circumcision [and not to the whole Torah]? — If that were so, why does Scripture say: ‘My commandments and My laws’? Raba or R. Ashi said: Abraham, our father, kept even the law concerning the ‘eruv of the dishes,’ as it is said: ‘My Torahs’: one being the written Torah, the other the oral Torah. (Talmud Bavli Yoma 28b)
There are certain sources that would seem to maintain that Avraham and Sarah’s spiritual lifestyle was no different from our own. On the other hand, many authorities[7] prefer to read these sources for the symbolic[8] or deeper[9] understanding,[10] rather than in a literal way. The latter approach maintains that only after Sinai did people begin to observe the 613 commandments, but the forefathers’ acute spiritual perception and close relationship with God enabled them to fulfill the spirit of the entire Torah while not necessarily obeying the letter of the laws of the Torah as they became formulated at Sinai and thereafter. Thus, the Meshech Chochma explains that when the Talmud says Avraham kept Eruv Tavshilin, it doesn’t mean that he observed even the minutiae of halachic observance. Rather, what the Talmud means is that Avraham comprehended and fulfilled the philosophical concept that is the underpinning of this law. An Eruv Tavshilin enables us to cook for unexpected guests on a holiday which falls on the eve of Shabbat. This approach encapsulates the open personality of Avraham, always waiting for the unexpected guest,[11] who would be fed and bidden to make a blessing. To Avraham, the spirit of the law was as natural, clear and possessed of internal “spiritual logic” as our present practice and the accompanying text recited before the onset of a festival was to the rabbis who formulated it.
An alternative opinion resolves the question of Avraham’s observance with a much less complicated approach: Avraham was the first monotheist. He taught monotheism and the seven Noachide laws, [12] and that was the content of his spiritual world.[13]
All this being said, we know of one particular commandment which Avraham received and fulfilled, namely circumcision.
ספר תפארת שלמה על מועדים - לחג הסוכות
איתא בגמרא (יומא כח, ב) קיים אברהם אבינו כל התורה כולה עד שלא ניתנה. והקשו הראשונים למה לא קיים ג"כ מצות מילה תחלה. אך הנה ידוע כי אברהם אבינו ע"ה הי' מדת החסד וזה הי' מדתו להמשיך השפעות וחסדים לכל באי עולם בלי שום גבול. והנה כל זמן שלא מל את עצמו הי' לו איזה השתתפות עם בני דורו והי' יכול להוריק עליהם ברכה וחסד והאכילם והשקם וקרבם תחת כפני השכינה. אכן כאשר בא בברית המילה אח"כ נתעלה ונסתלק לו למעלה מהם ויראו מגשת אליו ע"כ א"א ע"ה בגודל טובו כי חפץ חסד הוא הנה ידע זאת מתחלה כי ענין קדושת המילה הוא כדי שעי"ז יעלה במדריגה גבוה ויבוא מדת החסד בבחי' גבול וצמצום אשר לא כן הי' דרכו מאז רק שיהי' החסד לכל בלי שום צמצום לכן נתעכב עם מצות מילה עד שיצטווה עלי' מהש"י. וזה שאמרו במד"ר אמר אברהם עד שלא מלתי היו עוברים ושבים באים אלי פי' גם העוברים עבירות ושבו בתשובה באו אלי לקרב אותם תחת כנפי השכינה ע"י ועכשיו אין לי עוד מדור והתקרבות עמהם. ולזה נסמך מיד אחר המילה ענין הפיכת סדום ולא יקומו רשעים במשפט הצדיקים כי חלץ לו מהם ואין מגין עליהם ומש"ה כולם נאבדו ולא קודם לכן כי מאז נתקדש מדת היסוד להריק ברכה רק על זרע קודש יחי"ס והן הנה האבות אברהם בחי' החסדים להשפיע רב טוב.
If Avraham fulfilled all the commandments of the Torah, there are many who have asked why Avraham didn’t perform circumcision prior to his being commanded. Prior to being circumcised Avraham had something in common with the people of his generation. He was able to reach out to them and shower them with blessings and kindness, to feed them and give them drink and to bring them close to the shekhina. However once he was circumcised he was elevated to a different level, and now people were afraid to come near him… and in place of kindness (chesed) now there were boundaries and strictness… (Tiferet Shlomo Moadim Sukkot)
Avraham’s basic approach was inclusive. His tent was open on all sides; he placed no limits, erected no boundaries[14]. In fact, The Meshech Chochma[15] sees this universalism as Avraham’s motivation to travel to Egypt. He went to Egypt at a time of drought, choosing Egypt not despite its reputation for corruption but precisely because of its reputation as a morally corrupt society. In Avraham’s worldview, if Egypt can be redeemed, the entire world will be elevated, and by a quantum leap. Avraham saw Egypt as a boundary, a spiritual and ethical border to be crossed and dismantled. This, like so much else in his biography, reflects a deep humanism: Avraham did not want to push away his wayward son Yishmael. He interceded on behalf of the inhabitants of Sodom, despite the knowledge that their beliefs and behavior contradicted everything he himself believed and practiced. A lesser man would have accepted God’s judgment and anticipated the annihilation of Sodom with satisfaction, a sense of moral superiority, perhaps a sense of validation. These people, after all, were the living antithesis to Avraham’s weltanschauung and to the message of morality and kindness he was working to spread. The destruction of Sodom would have made his job so much easier. But for Avraham, these were not evil, corrupt enemies of his faith. They were misguided people who simply had not yet found truth.
With the command to perform the Brit Milah Avraham’s life will change. There will now be a boundary between him and everyone else[16]. He will now be viewed even more suspiciously by his neighbors. In fact, the rabbis express their sensitivity to Avraham’s conflict between universalism and nationhood as a “hesitation” on Avraham’s part when he was commanded to perform circumcision.
מדרש רבה בראשית פרשה מו פסקה ב,ג
אמר אם חביבה היא המילה מפני מה לא נתנה לאדם הראשון: אמר לו הקדוש ב"ה לאברהם דייך אני ואתה בעולם ואם אין את מקבל עליך לימול דיי לעולמי עד כאן ודייה לערלה עד כאן ודייה למילה שתהא עגומה עד כאן אמר עד שלא מלתי היו באים ומזדווגים לי תאמר משמלתי הן באין ומזדווגים לי אמר לו הקב"ה אברהם דייך שאני אלוהך דייך שאני פטרונך:
[Abraham] asked: ' If circumcision is so precious, why was it not given to Adam? ' Said the Holy One, blessed be He, to him: ‘Let it suffice thee that I and thou are in the world.’ If thou wilt not undergo circumcision, it is enough for My world to have existed until now, and it is enough for the uncircumcised state to have existed until now, and it is enough for circumcision to have been forlorn until now.’’ Said he: ' Before I circumcised myself, men came and joined me [in my new faith]. Will they come and join me when I am circumcised?’" ‘Abraham,’ said God to him, ' let it suffice thee that I am thy God; let it suffice thee that I am thy Patron, and not only for thee alone, but it is sufficient for My world that I am its God and its Patron.’ (Midrash Rabbah - Genesis 46:2,3)
מדרש רבה בראשית פרשה מז פסקה י
אמר אברהם עד שלא מלתי היו העוברים והשבים באים אצלי תאמר משמלתי אינן באים אצלי אמר לו הקב"ה עד שלא מלת היו בני אדם באים אצלך עכשיו אני בכבודי בא ונגלה עליך הה"ד וירא אליו ה' באלוני ממרא:
Abraham said: ' Before I became circumcised, travellers used to visit me; now that I am circumcised, perhaps they will no longer visit me? ' Said the Holy One, blessed be He, to him: ' Before thou wast circumcised, uncircumcised mortals visited thee; now I in My glory will appear to thee.’ Hence it is written, And the Lord appeared unto him (Gen. XVIII, 1) (Midrash Rabbah - Genesis 47:10)
Amazingly enough, here Avraham hesitates.[17] When commanded to offer up his long-awaited son, his heir, the key to the fulfillment of all that God has promised him, Avraham marches forward like a knight of faith. But here, in this test, Avraham questions: If circumcision is so precious, why was it not given to Adam? Why isn’t this a universal command? Why is this command only being given to Avraham and his descendants? He worries that this new status will jeopardize his mission, setting him apart from those he has hoped to impact. He fears this will put an end to his stream of visitors. God’s response is telling: “I will visit you, and that is truly enough. Your relationship with Me is more important, and your mission is less universal and more particular than you know.”
Clearly, then, the Brit Milah is a test. The challenge may be heightened by the paradoxical nature of the command which he receives:
ספר בראשית פרק יז
(א) וַיְהִי אַבְרָם בֶּן תִּשְׁעִים שָׁנָה וְתֵשַׁע שָׁנִים וַיֵּרָא ה’ אֶל אַבְרָם וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו אֲנִי אֵל שַׁדַּי הִתְהַלֵּךְ לְפָנַי וֶהְיֵה תָמִים: (ב) וְאֶתְּנָה בְרִיתִי בֵּינִי וּבֵינֶךָ וְאַרְבֶּה אוֹתְךָ בִּמְאֹד מְאֹד: (ג) וַיִּפֹּל אַבְרָם עַל פָּנָיו וַיְדַבֵּר אִתּוֹ אֱלֹהִים לֵאמֹר: (ד) אֲנִי הִנֵּה בְרִיתִי אִתָּךְ וְהָיִיתָ לְאַב הֲמוֹן גּוֹיִם: (ה) וְלֹא יִקָּרֵא עוֹד אֶת שִׁמְךָ אַבְרָם וְהָיָה שִׁמְךָ אַבְרָהָם כִּי אַב הֲמוֹן גּוֹיִם נְתַתִּיךָ: (ו) וְהִפְרֵתִי אֹתְךָ בִּמְאֹד מְאֹד וּנְתַתִּיךָ לְגוֹיִם וּמְלָכִים מִמְּךָ יֵצֵאוּ: (ז) וַהֲקִמֹתִי אֶת בְּרִיתִי בֵּינִי וּבֵינֶךָ וּבֵין זַרְעֲךָ אַחֲרֶיךָ לְדֹרֹתָם לִבְרִית עוֹלָם לִהְיוֹת לְךָ לֵאלֹהִים וּלְזַרְעֲךָ אַחֲרֶיךָ: (ח) וְנָתַתִּי לְךָ וּלְזַרְעֲךָ אַחֲרֶיךָ אֵת אֶרֶץ מְגֻרֶיךָ אֵת כָּל אֶרֶץ כְּנַעַן לַאֲחֻזַּת עוֹלָם וְהָיִיתִי לָהֶם לֵאלֹהִים: (ט) וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים אֶל אַבְרָהָם וְאַתָּה אֶת בְּרִיתִי תִשְׁמֹר אַתָּה וְזַרְעֲךָ אַחֲרֶיךָ לְדֹרֹתָם: (י) זֹאת בְּרִיתִי אֲשֶׁר תִּשְׁמְרוּ בֵּינִי וּבֵינֵיכֶם וּבֵין זַרְעֲךָ אַחֲרֶיךָ הִמּוֹל לָכֶם כָּל זָכָר: (יא) וּנְמַלְתֶּם אֵת בְּשַׂר עָרְלַתְכֶם וְהָיָה לְאוֹת בְּרִית בֵּינִי וּבֵינֵיכֶם: (יב) וּבֶן שְׁמֹנַת יָמִים יִמּוֹל לָכֶם כָּל זָכָר לְדֹרֹתֵיכֶם יְלִיד בָּיִת וּמִקְנַת כֶּסֶף מִכֹּל בֶּן נֵכָר אֲשֶׁר לֹא מִזַּרְעֲךָ הוּא: (יג) הִמּוֹל יִמּוֹל יְלִיד בֵּיתְךָ וּמִקְנַת כַּסְפֶּךָ וְהָיְתָה בְרִיתִי בִּבְשַׂרְכֶם לִבְרִית עוֹלָם: (יד) וְעָרֵל זָכָר אֲשֶׁר לֹא יִמּוֹל אֶת בְּשַׂר עָרְלָתוֹ וְנִכְרְתָה הַנֶּפֶשׁ הַהִוא מֵעַמֶּיהָ אֶת בְּרִיתִי הֵפַר:
(1) When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, "I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless. (2) I will confirm my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers." (3) Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, (4) "As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. (5) No longer will you be called Avram ; your name will be Avraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. (6) I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. (7) I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. (8) The whole land of Canaan, where you are now an alien, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God."
(9) Then God said to Avraham, "As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. (10) This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. (11) You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. (12) For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner—those who are not your offspring. (13) Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant. (14) Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant." Bereishit 17:1-14
Avram is told that from now on his name will be Avraham, signifying that he will be a father of many nations -Av Hamon Goyim. This would seem to be the ultimate universal message: Not only will Avraham be a part of the larger universal existence, he will bring nations toward God. And in the next breath he is told to perform circumcision which creates boundaries and will forever separate Avraham and his descendents from all others. In one fell swoop, the universal vision and the narrow, parochial, particular approach. Apparently, Avraham is confused. How can he impact the entire world when he must first perform an act of self - mutilation that people will view as grotesque? Hachnasat Orchim, and Eruv Tavshilin (welcoming guests and making accommodations to feed them on holidays and Shabbat) were much easier.
Apparently, what Avraham still lacks is “holiness” – kedusha - which is literally rendered as “set apart”. This separateness is a new phase for Avraham, and not one to which he would have come without God’s command. This separateness may be seen as that which contradicts Avraham’s innate attribute of hesed, the attribute through which he has served God up to this point in his life.
How is he to reconcile hesed with kedusha? How is he to be a part of the world - involved, engaged, interested, even responsible for the world - and live a life of kedusha, set apart, indelibly marked by “differentness”? How will he and his descendents reconcile living in a mundane world with their unique destiny and closeness to God?
The answer presents itself later on in the text, as Avraham finds himself enmeshed in his next paradoxical challenge: the Akeida, the Binding of Isaac. Here, too, logic is defeated. If Yitzchak is to be offered, how can he effectively be the living progeny destined to carry on the family line? Avraham and Yitzchak nonetheless set out to fulfill God’s command, and they bring two other people along. Our Sages[18] identify them as Yishmael and Eliezer - Avraham’s first son, and man who was like a son. Rashi, citing the Midrash, tells us that as they approach the appointed place Avraham sees something that appears to him to be ethereal, but he is unsure if it is real or surreal, physical or spiritual. He sees a cloud, he sees the shechina; he turns to question Yishamel and Eliezer, but they see only the mountain. He turns to Yitzchak, who sees the cloud, tied as if by rope to the mountain. Avraham then turns to the other two and says, “Wait here with the chamor (donkey).” My teacher Rabbi Soloveitchik pointed out that at times we neglect the rest of the verse:
ספר בראשית פרק כב
(ד) בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁלִישִׁי וַיִּשָּׂא אַבְרָהָם אֶת עֵינָיו וַיַּרְא אֶת הַמָּקוֹם מֵרָחֹק:(ה) וַיֹּאמֶר אַבְרָהָם אֶל נְעָרָיו שְׁבוּ לָכֶם פֹּה עִם הַחֲמוֹר וַאֲנִי וְהַנַּעַר נֵלְכָה עַד כֹּה וְנִשְׁתַּחֲוֶה וְנָשׁוּבָה אֲלֵיכֶם:
(4) Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place far away. (5) And Abraham said to his young men, ‘Stay here with the donkey; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come back to you.’ Bereishit 22:4,5
Those last words, “and come back to you”, cannot be ignored. Avraham encapsulates a unique religious experience in this short statement, and we should take note of every element: This awesome religious experience would not be complete until Avraham came down the mountain and shared with others his epiphany, his feelings and his enlightenment. Avraham would have the greatest impact on the two men he left behind only after parting ways, dedicating himself to the more particular religious experience at the summit, and then returning to their company. Similarly, for the Jewish People to have an impact on the world, we must first disengage, separate ourselves, and fully explore our unique relationship with God. There will be times when we must wrest ourselves away from our deep involvement, even our responsibility for the world. We must climb lofty mountains, even engage in divinely-mandated, though seemingly paradoxical, behavior. But we must always remember that eventually we must come down from the mountain, re-engage, return to the people that we left at the foot of the mountain. We must find the language and establish the relationship that will allow us to share with them what we learned at the summit.
Avraham learns to resolve the tension. Both the universal and the particular are important, but they are intertwined. The way we can accomplish our universal responsibility is by first becoming separate, different - as holy as we can possibly become. Only this will enable us to fulfill our mission of tikun olam, to enlighten, to educate, to heal and repair the world.
What is interesting is that the Nefesh asher asu b’Haran, the people “acquired” in Haran,[19], the people attracted by a spirituality devoid of holiness, all disappeared. In fact, the prototypical outreach that Avraham was famous for, his open tent and encouraging people to bless God, is recorded after the circumcision was performed.
ספר בראשית פרק כא
(לג) וַיִּטַּע אֵשֶׁל בִּבְאֵר שָׁבַע וַיִּקְרָא שָׁם בְּשֵׁם ה’ אֵל עוֹלָם:
33. And Abraham planted a grove in Beersheba, and called there on the name of the Lord, the everlasting God. (Bereishit 21:33)
רש"י על בראשית פרק כא פסוק לג
(לג) אשל - רב ושמואל חד אמר פרדס להביא ממנו פירות לאורחים בסעודה. וחד אמר פונדק לאכסניא ובו כל מיני פירות…
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):
‘A grove’ - Rav and Shmuel, one said an orchard to bring fruits for guests’ meals, and one said an inn for guests and it had all kinds of produce.
‘And called there’ – he used the eshel to call God master of the universe: After people would eat and drink, Avraham would instruct them to bless the One who provides food. He would say, “You think the food came from me? It came from He who spoke and caused the world to exist. (Rashi Bereishit 21:33)
The house of Avraham and Sarah was both open to all, yet set apart; universal and separate at one and the same time. Only now were they able to impact others in a permanent way.
Our world, then, is not so different from that of Avraham and Sarah after all. The world still lacks holiness. By observing the commandments, both those we understand and those that seem to us paradoxical, we add holiness to our lives. We set ourselves on a higher rung, as it were. And as holiness accrues, we will find our spiritual, ethical and social abilities exponentially increased, and thus our ability to effect change and fix a broken world.
[1] Though there is a consensus in Rabbinic thought that Avraham was tested ten times, there is no consensus as to what the ten tests were.
[2] Rashi, in his first interpretation, tells us that these were the men and women whom Avraham and Sara (respectively) taught and “converted”. However, in a second explanation --which Rashi labels “p’shat” - the straightforward meaning of the text – Rashi explains that these were the people that were acquired; i.e., slaves and members of the household staff.
רש"י על בראשית פרק יב פסוק ה
אשר עשו בחרן - שהכניסן תחת כנפי השכינה אברהם מגייר את האנשים ושרה מגיירת הנשים ומעלה עליהם הכתוב כאלו עשאום (לכך כתיב אשר עשו) ופשוטו של מקרא עבדים ושפחות שקנו להם כמו (שם לא) עשה את כל הכבוד הזה (לשון קנין) (במדבר כד) וישראל עושה חיל לשון קונה וכונס:
[3] Previously Avraham’s father Terach started to make his way to Canaan. The Seforno (12:5), posits that both Avraham and Terach choose Canaan as their destination because it was known as a spiritual place.
ספורנו עה"ת ספר בראשית פרק יב פסוק ה
ויצאו ללכת ארצה כנען. שהיתה מפורסמת אצלם לארץ מוכנת להתבוננות ולעבודת האל ית':
[4] Bereishit 12:6
[5] Ramban Bereishit 12:6
[6] The Midrash, which takes the same basic approach, nonetheless states that Avraham did not keep Shabbat. See Midrash Rabbah Bereishit 11:7:
מדרש רבה בראשית פרשה יא פסקה ז
ר' יוחנן בשם ר' יוסי בר חלפתא אמר אברהם שאין כתוב בו שמירת שבת ירש את העולם במדה שנאמר (בראשית יב) קום התהלך בארץ לארכה ולרחבה וגו' אבל יעקב שכתוב בו שמירת שבת שנאמר (שם לג) ויחן את פני העיר נכנס עם דמדומי חמה וקבע תחומין מבעוד יום ירש את העולם שלא במדה שנאמר (שם כח) והיה זרעך כעפר הארץ וגו':
R. Johanan said in R. Jose's name: Abraham, who is not reported to have kept the Sabbath, inherited the world in [limited] measure, as it is written, ‘Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it’ (Gen. XIII, 17). But Jacob, of whom the keeping of the Sabbath is mentioned, viz. And he rested [E.V. ’encamped’] before the city (ib. XXXIII, 18), Which means that he entered at twilight and set boundaries before sunset,6 inherited the world without measure, [as it is written], And thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, etc. (ib. XXVIII, 14).
[7] The Ohr Hachaim (Bereishit 49:3) maintains that the forefathers only kept laws that he found useful, or more precisely would not keep lows that they found an impediment to them.
אור החיים על בראשית פרק מט פסוק ג
והאבות לצד חביבותם בה' וחשקם באושר עליון קיימו הכל כאומרו (לעיל כו ה) עקב אשר שמע וגו', ואמרו ז"ל (יומא כח:) קיים אברהם אבינו אפילו עירוב תבשילין, ואת בניו הקים תחתיו להרויח תועלת המצות ועסק התורה, אבל במקום שהיו רואים תועלת דבר ההצלחה להם, כמו שתאמר יעקב כשהרגיש בהצלחתו בנשואי ב' האחיות העלים עין מרווח הנמשך מקיום המצוה ההיא, כיון שאין לו עונש אם לא יקיימנה, כל עוד שלא נתנה תורה, ומה גם אם נאמר שהיו עושים על פי הדיבור, כי האבות נביאים היו (מגילה יד) וה' אמר להם לעשות כן:
[8] The Shem MiShmuel understands that Yaakov fulfilled the commandments – even if he didn’t quite perform them. He explains that commandments have bodies and souls, and Avraham was attuned to the souls and therefore didn’t need the “body” of the physical performance.
ספר שם משמואל פרשת בהר - פסח שני
ובודאי גם אברהם קיים ענין תפילין אבל הי' בלבוש אחר כי באשר היו יחידים לא הוצרכה ההתאחדות ע"י המעשה, והי' לכל אחד מעשה וכלי מיוחד.
[9] The Noam Elimelech Parshat Dvarim, states that Avraham had certainly achieved the spiritual perfection of someone who had performed all the commandments.
ספר נועם אלימלך - פרשת הדברים
דאיתא בגמרא קיים אברהם אבינו עליו השלום כו' אפילו עירוב תבשילין והיינו שהיה מקדש ומטהר את כל רמ"ח אבריו ושס"ה גידיו כל אבר במצוה השייך לה דכל מצוה ומצוה יש לה עולם בפני עצמה ואברהם אבינו על ידי שהיה עובד השם יתברך מאהבה השיג את כל מצוה ומצוה בשורשה ואפילו מצוה דרבנן יש לה שורש ועיקר בדאורייתא בעולם המיוחד לה
[10] The Degel Machane Efraim (Aharaie Mot SV Vod, and in Ekev SV Vrak) understands that the ultimate objective of the commandments is the understanding that there is One God, and the rejection of all pagan entities, and that Avraham fulfilled with a vengeance, he was cognizant iof this truth all his days. A similar idea is found in Moar Vshemesh Rimzey first day of Sukkot.
ספר דגל מחנה אפרים - פרשת אחרי ד"ה עוד
וכל מצוה ומצוה שייך לשורש נשמות של ישראל והוא היודע ומבין זה והוא שורש השרשים ואין עוד מלבדו ולכך קיים אברהם אבינו כל התורה כולה עד שלא ניתנה (קידושין פ"ב.) כי הגיע לאמיתת אלוהות כי כל המצוות הם שער ומבוא לבא אל אמיתת אלוהות שהוא אנכי ולא יהיה לך כמו שכתבתי מזה כבר במקום אחר אך זעירין אינון שיוכלו לבא אל אמיתת אלוהות
ספר דגל מחנה אפרים - פרשת עקב ד"ה רק
ולהם לא היה צריך התורה להכתב כלל אך מה שנכתב כל התורה הוא לדידן שאין לנו מוחין כהם ולכך הוצרך להכתב כל התורה והמצוות שעל ידם השיגו בחינת אנכי אבל האבות ידעו הנקודה אמיתית שכל התורה והמצוות תלוין בה,
ספר מאור ושמש - רמזי יום א' של סוכות ד"ה או
אמנם הצדיק אשר כבר הגיע למעלת הדביקות באין סוף ב"ה והוא קשור במחשבתו בכל עת, עיקר עבודתו הוא במחשבה כמאמרם ז"ל קיים אברהם אבינו כל התורה כולה עד שלא ניתנה, הגם שלא מצאנו שעשה בפועל מעשה המצות כהנחת תפילין ועשית סוכה וכדומיהן, מכל מקום המשיך על עצמו פנימיות הקדושות שרומזת אליהם המעשים ההם על ידי מחשבתו הקדושה אשר היתה דבוקה באין סוף ב"ה.
[11] See Rashi’s comments to Berishet 21:33 where he explains that one of the reasons for Avraham’s magnanimous hosting of guests aside from imitatio dei is his desire to teach people to bless God and thank God.
רש"י על בראשית פרק כא פסוק לג
(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):
[12] The Arvei Nahal understands that all 613 commandments are subsumed within the seven Noachide laws.
ספר ערבי נחל - פרשת תולדות
דע, כי כל מצוה כלולה מכל התרי"ג, וא"כ בכל מצוה יש כלל ופרט כי בכח יש בה כל התרי"ג, ובפועל הוא פרטיותה לבד, ומיד שנברא האדם נצטווה בשבע מצות וקיימו אותם האבות ויתר צדיקי הדורות עד מתן תורה וכל התרי"ג כלולים בכל מצוה מהם. ואם תקשה א"כ האבות לא הוציאו הכללות מן הכח אל הפועל, דע שהוציאו והוציאו, בכח הכנתם ר"ל שהיו דבוקים בו ית"ש והיו ששים ושמחים לעשות רצון קונם בכל מה שיצוום והיו מוכנים לזה בתכלית ההכנה בשמחה רבה,
[13] See Rambam Laws of Idolatry chapter 1
[14] According to the Meshech Chochma, Yaakov personifies setting up boundaries, to prevent assimilation. Hence Yaakov keeps even Eruv Tehumin.
[15] Meshech Chochma Bereishit 33:18.
משך חכמה על בראשית פרק לג פסוק יח
והציור בזה. דבאמת כמו שלהחי די במזון מהצומח והמדבר ניזון מהחי כן נפש המשכלת מבני נכר די לו בשבע מצות אולם נפש הישראלי מקורו ממקום גבוה חלק ד' ממעל אם אין לו כל התורה בכללה ופרטה אז אינו בחיותו. כי עם הישראלי המה מעון ומכון לאלקות בעולם השפל ואין השכינה שורה אלא באלפי רבבות ישראל (יבמות סד). וזה סו"ד מה שאמרו ש"ס רבוא. (אולי צ"ל ס' רבוא אותיות. ע' זוהר חדש סוף שה"ש) המה כללות הפרצופים ולכן אברהם חפש להפיץ שיטתו ודיעותיו באלקות לכל באי עולם באשר חשב כי הוא יחידי ואח"כ ראה כי ישמעאל יצא ממנו ולכן נטע אשל להכניס כל באי עולם לברית ואמרו בריש עו"ג (דף ט) שני אלפים תורה מוהנפש אשר עשו בחרן דשעבידו לאורייתא. וגם היה זה בכוונה שהלך למצרים מקום החכמה והחרטומים לפלפל ולקרבם לשיטותיו באחדות ובתורה. לא כן יעקב ראה שמטתו שלמה (ויקרא רבה לו-ד) ובזרעו די שיהיו מעון ומרכבה לשכינה וכמו שהבטיחו וראה שה' נצב עליו ראה להיפוך כי בניו יהיו נפרדים מעמים אחרים מוגבלים בתחום ואף ללבן חותנו הניחו בטעותו וכעס על רחל שגנבה התרפים להבדילו מעו"ג כן במצרים היו יושבים בארץ גושן נפרדים מהעמים. וכן לדורות באומה אין מקבלין גרים בימי דוד ושלמה (יבמות כד:) שזה כהכרח או למקנא לגדולתם וזה מליצתם שאברהם קיים עירובי תבשילין (יומא כח:) להכניס אורחים ולקבל גרים תחת כנפי השכינה אבל לא קבע תחומין שמא ימנע אחד מלבוא לשמוע דיעותיו. לא כן יעקב קבע תחומין להגביל ולתחום בין עם ישראל לעמים.
[16] See the comments of the Beit Halevi Bereishit 17:1
בית הלוי על בראשית פרק יז פסוק א
והנה איתא במדרש פרשה זו (נ"ו תרג) שאמר אברהם עד שלא מלתי היו באים הכותים ומזדווגים לי תאמר משמלתי יהיו באים ומזדווגים לי א"ל הקב"ה די שאני פטרונך. הרי מבואר כמש"כ דהמילה נותנת הבדל גדול בין ישראל לכותים והיא גורמת שנאה ביניהם והשיב לו הקב"ה די לך שאני פטרונך ולא יועילו ולא יפסידו לך לא בקרבתם ולא בשנאתם אחרי שאני אוהבך,
[17] The Alshich Hakadosh notes that here because Avraham senses that others would be impacted Avraham hesitates, but with regards to the Binding if Yitzchak, where only he will suffer he doesn’t hesitate.
ספר תורת משה על בראשית - פרק יח פסוק ב-ג
והנה ראוי להעיר מה ראה על ככה אברהם לטעון נגד מאמרו יתברך, מי שלא פצה את פיו באמור אליו ה' קח נא את בנך את יחידך כו' לאמר לו הלא אתה אמרת כי ביצחק יקרא לך זרע, איך בציווי זה בקש טענה ליפטר, וגם מה לו ולעוברים ושבים ערביים ערלים נגד צוויו יתברך. …
ונבא אל הענין והוא כי בעל המאמר הוקשה לו אומרו וירא אליו ולא אמר אל אברהם. על כן אמר כי עברו דברים בין אברהם ובינו יתברך, כי אברהם בענותנותו היה חש יותר על קיום העולם מהנוגע אל עצמו, על כן על אומרו יתברך קח נא את בנך כו' לא דבר מאומה. אך על ענין המילה להיותה דבר זר בעיני ההמון, באומרם היתכן ברא אלהים אדם שיחשוב לבעל מום עד החסיר מאשר ברא אלהים לשיהיה שלם.
[18] See Rashi ad loc.
[19] See Meshech Chochma Bereishit 21:33 and the sources he cites.
משך חכמה על בראשית פרק כא פסוק לג
(לג) ויקרא שם בשם ה' אל עולם - יתכן דהוי כמו דכתיב לעולם, דקודם שנולד יצחק ופרסם אברהם מציאות השם והשגחתו הפרטיות ואחדותו שהוא בלתי מושג אם מת הלא נשכח כל לימודיו ועיקריו וכמו שאמרו במדרש שהנפש אשר עשו בחרן חזרו לסורן, (ע' פרקי דר"א פ' כט) אולם כאשר נולד יצחק אשר הבטיח השי"ת והקימותי להיות לך לאלקים ולזרעך אחריך וכדאמרו יבמות ק: המיוחס אחריך וידע שהוא ינחיל הדיעות האמיתיות ויפרסם אלקותו לכן אמר שהוא עכשיו אל לעולם ולא יופסק ידיעתו יתברך לדור דור והבן.
Rabbi Ari Kahn
© 2008
It begins with a word, a command - or perhaps a test:
ספר בראשית פרק יב
(א) וַיֹּאמֶר ה’ אֶל אַבְרָם לֶךְ לְךָ מֵאַרְצְךָ וּמִמּוֹלַדְתְּךָ וּמִבֵּית אָבִיךָ אֶל הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר אַרְאֶךָּ: (ב) וְאֶעֶשְׂךָ לְגוֹי גָּדוֹל וַאֲבָרֶכְךָ וַאֲגַדְּלָה שְׁמֶךָ וֶהְיֵה בְּרָכָה: (ג) וַאֲבָרְכָה מְבָרֲכֶיךָ וּמְקַלֶּלְךָ אָאֹר וְנִבְרְכוּ בְךָ כֹּל מִשְׁפְּחֹת הָאֲדָמָה:
(1) The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. (2) "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. (3) I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." (Bereishit 12)
According to at least one rabbinic source, contained in this verse are two tests:[1]
אבות דרבי נתן פרק שלשה ושלשים
עשר נסיונות נתנסה אברהם אבינו לפני הקב"ה ובכולן נמצא שלם ואלו הן שנים בלך לך ב' בשתי בניו ב' בשתי נשיו אחד עם המלכים ואחד בין הבתרים אחד באור כשדים ואחד בברית מילה (בין הבתרים).
…two trials at the time he was bidden to leave Haran, two with his two sons, two with his two wives, one in the wars of the Kings, one at the covenant ‘between the pieces’ (Gen. XV). One in Ur of the Chaldees (where, according to a tradition, he had been thrown into a furnace from whence he emerged unharmed). (Avot Drebbi Natan chapter 33)
Upon contemplation, we might ask a simple question: Why was leaving his hometown a test? Avraham was not exactly the most popular character back home; in fact the opposite seems true. He was vilified, persecuted, attacked and almost killed – until he was miraculously saved from a fiery furnace. Why would leaving such a place be considered a “test”? When we continue our reading of the next two verses, the “test” seems mitigated by a bounty of blessings:
(2) "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. (3) I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."
This certainly doesn’t sound like a challenge; in fact, it sounds as if Avraham has “hit the jackpot”! The promises are of incredible proportions. Where is the test?
A more careful reading of these verses reveals an almost untenable tension, which may be the key to understanding the angst which Avraham experiences in fulfilling the Divine imperative. Verse 2 is a blessing which introduces a new entity, a new concept which from this point on becomes the focus of the biblical narrative: the nation, specifically “the Nation of Israel”.
The joyous, nearly incredible news that a nation will emerge from the loins of Avraham, is tempered by the knowledge that a certain tension will always surround this nation. As this nation emerges, we learn that others will never be indifferent. The nation of Avraham’s children will never be “pareve” in the eyes of the world. They will always elicit some sort of reaction from others, always will serve as a source of blessing or a curse for others.
Furthermore, this blessing may be limiting: it is particular in nature, it is directed exclusively to the people who will become known as the Jewish People. In Avraham’s eyes, universal dreams may be challenged by particular nationalistic aspirations. Whereas Avraham has seen himself as a citizen of the world on a mission to help elevate all of mankind, his mission now becomes linked exclusively with this new entity, “the Children of Avraham.”
At this juncture, what are Avraham’s aspirations? Is his dream to start his own nation, or does he wish to impact the people of his hometown? Has his initial failure dissuaded him from continuing his original mission, or does he still dream of local success?
Avraham makes his journey to Israel but he doesn’t come alone. His partner Sarah (Sarai) accompanies him, as does Lot, his heir apparent. In addition, we are told of another group who follow their leader:
ספר בראשית פרק יב
(ה) וַיִּקַּח אַבְרָם אֶת שָׂרַי אִשְׁתּוֹ וְאֶת לוֹט בֶּן אָחִיו וְאֶת כָּל רְכוּשָׁם אֲשֶׁר רָכָשׁוּ וְאֶת הַנֶּפֶשׁ אֲשֶׁר עָשׂוּ בְחָרָן וַיֵּצְאוּ לָלֶכֶת אַרְצָה כְּנַעַן וַיָּבֹאוּ אַרְצָה כְּנָעַן:
(5) He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had made[2] (acquired) in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan[3], and they arrived there.
Avraham has an entourage, which is not all that unusual. What is interesting is that these are not people from Ur Kasdim (Aram Naharaim), they are people collected in Haran. They are not from his hometown, but from his latest temporary abode. In his hometown he seems to have had made no impact.
They arrive in Israel at a specific place, an intentional destination: Their first stop in the Land is at a place called Shechem[4]. The Ramban[5] points out that the “acts of the Father’s are a sign for the children”, for it is in Shechem that nationhood will emerge. This is where Dina is abused, and where the local residents offer the family of Israel to join destinies, to join them and form one nation. This offer is rejected, and a process is set in motion: A nation with its own unique history begins to chart its path, undertaking the long march to fulfill its particular, unique destiny. A nation, indeed; but at this point a small, vulnerable nation that rejects the benefits of assimilation into a strong, well-established local clan. This is a defining moment, a decision that crystallizes and forms the Nation of Israel.
Let us take a step back: Avraham’s great work in Haran, the monumental educational challenge he has undertaken, has been described by the Talmud as no less than the end of the dark ages:
תלמוד בבלי מסכת עבודה זרה דף ט/א
תנא דבי אליהו ששת אלפים שנה הוי העולם שני אלפים תוהו שני אלפים תורה שני אלפים ימות המשיח בעונותינו שרבו יצאו מהן מה שיצאו מהן שני אלפים תורה מאימת אי נימא ממתן תורה עד השתא ליכא כולי האי דכי מעיינת בהו תרי אלפי פרטי דהאי אלפא הוא דהואי אלא מואת הנפש אשר עשו בחרן וגמירי דאברהם בההיא שעתא בר חמשין ותרתי הוה כמה בצרן מדתני תנא ארבע מאה וארבעים ותמניא שנין הויין כי מעיינת ביה מהנפש אשר עשו בחרן עד מתן תורה
The Tanna debe Eliyahu taught: The world is to exist six thousand years; the first two thousand years are to be void; the next two thousand years are the period of the Torah, and the following two thousand years are the period of the Messiah. Through our many sins a number of these have already passed [and the Messiah is not yet here]. From when are the two thousand years of the Torah to be reckoned? Shall we say from the Giving of the Torah at Sinai? In that case, you will find that there are not quite two thousand years from then till now [i.e., the year four thousand after the Creation], for if you compute the years [from the Creation to the Giving of the Torah] you will find that they comprise two thousand and a part of the third thousand; the period is therefore to be reckoned from the time when Abraham and Sarah had gotten souls in Haran for we have it as a tradition that Abraham was at that time fifty-two years old. (Talmud Bavli Avoda Zara 9a)
Biblical chronology is an important key to understanding this gemara: Avraham was born in the year 1948 (from creation of the world). Therefore, when he was 52 years old the world was precisely 2000 year old, and at this point Avraham began teaching and attempting to influence the entire world. But what was the nature of the “Torah” that Avraham taught and practiced? There is a Talmudic discussion which examines the implications of tradition that Avraham “kept the Torah”:
תלמוד בבלי מסכת יומא דף כח/ב
אָמַר רַב, קִיֵּם אַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ אֶת כָּל הַתּוֹרָה כֻּלָּהּ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר, (בראשית כו) "עֵקֶב אֲשֶׁר שָׁמַע אַבְרָהָם בְּקֹלִי" [וְגוֹ']. אָמַר לֵיהּ, רַב שִׁימִי בַר חִיָּא לְרַב, וְאֵימָא שֶׁבַע מִצְוֹת? (ותו לא?) הָא הֲוַאִי נַמִי מִילָה. (אלא) וְאֵימָא שֶׁבַע מִצְוֹת וּמִילָה? אָמַר לֵיהּ, אִם כֵּן - "מִצְוֹתַי וְתוֹרֹתַי" לָמָּה לִי?. אָמַר (רב) [רָבָא], וְאִיתֵימָא רַב (אסי) [אַשִׁי], קִיֵּם אַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ אֲפִלּוּ עֵירוּבֵי תַבְשִׁילִין, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר, "וְתוֹרֹתָי", אֶחָד דִּבְרֵי תוֹרָה וְאֶחָד דִּבְרֵי סוֹפְרִים:
Rab said: Our father Abraham kept the whole Torah[6], as it is said: Because that Abraham hearkened to My voice [kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws]. R. Shimi b. Hiyya said to Rab: Say, perhaps, that this refers to the seven laws? — Surely there was also that of circumcision! Then say that it refers to the seven laws and circumcision [and not to the whole Torah]? — If that were so, why does Scripture say: ‘My commandments and My laws’? Raba or R. Ashi said: Abraham, our father, kept even the law concerning the ‘eruv of the dishes,’ as it is said: ‘My Torahs’: one being the written Torah, the other the oral Torah. (Talmud Bavli Yoma 28b)
There are certain sources that would seem to maintain that Avraham and Sarah’s spiritual lifestyle was no different from our own. On the other hand, many authorities[7] prefer to read these sources for the symbolic[8] or deeper[9] understanding,[10] rather than in a literal way. The latter approach maintains that only after Sinai did people begin to observe the 613 commandments, but the forefathers’ acute spiritual perception and close relationship with God enabled them to fulfill the spirit of the entire Torah while not necessarily obeying the letter of the laws of the Torah as they became formulated at Sinai and thereafter. Thus, the Meshech Chochma explains that when the Talmud says Avraham kept Eruv Tavshilin, it doesn’t mean that he observed even the minutiae of halachic observance. Rather, what the Talmud means is that Avraham comprehended and fulfilled the philosophical concept that is the underpinning of this law. An Eruv Tavshilin enables us to cook for unexpected guests on a holiday which falls on the eve of Shabbat. This approach encapsulates the open personality of Avraham, always waiting for the unexpected guest,[11] who would be fed and bidden to make a blessing. To Avraham, the spirit of the law was as natural, clear and possessed of internal “spiritual logic” as our present practice and the accompanying text recited before the onset of a festival was to the rabbis who formulated it.
An alternative opinion resolves the question of Avraham’s observance with a much less complicated approach: Avraham was the first monotheist. He taught monotheism and the seven Noachide laws, [12] and that was the content of his spiritual world.[13]
All this being said, we know of one particular commandment which Avraham received and fulfilled, namely circumcision.
ספר תפארת שלמה על מועדים - לחג הסוכות
איתא בגמרא (יומא כח, ב) קיים אברהם אבינו כל התורה כולה עד שלא ניתנה. והקשו הראשונים למה לא קיים ג"כ מצות מילה תחלה. אך הנה ידוע כי אברהם אבינו ע"ה הי' מדת החסד וזה הי' מדתו להמשיך השפעות וחסדים לכל באי עולם בלי שום גבול. והנה כל זמן שלא מל את עצמו הי' לו איזה השתתפות עם בני דורו והי' יכול להוריק עליהם ברכה וחסד והאכילם והשקם וקרבם תחת כפני השכינה. אכן כאשר בא בברית המילה אח"כ נתעלה ונסתלק לו למעלה מהם ויראו מגשת אליו ע"כ א"א ע"ה בגודל טובו כי חפץ חסד הוא הנה ידע זאת מתחלה כי ענין קדושת המילה הוא כדי שעי"ז יעלה במדריגה גבוה ויבוא מדת החסד בבחי' גבול וצמצום אשר לא כן הי' דרכו מאז רק שיהי' החסד לכל בלי שום צמצום לכן נתעכב עם מצות מילה עד שיצטווה עלי' מהש"י. וזה שאמרו במד"ר אמר אברהם עד שלא מלתי היו עוברים ושבים באים אלי פי' גם העוברים עבירות ושבו בתשובה באו אלי לקרב אותם תחת כנפי השכינה ע"י ועכשיו אין לי עוד מדור והתקרבות עמהם. ולזה נסמך מיד אחר המילה ענין הפיכת סדום ולא יקומו רשעים במשפט הצדיקים כי חלץ לו מהם ואין מגין עליהם ומש"ה כולם נאבדו ולא קודם לכן כי מאז נתקדש מדת היסוד להריק ברכה רק על זרע קודש יחי"ס והן הנה האבות אברהם בחי' החסדים להשפיע רב טוב.
If Avraham fulfilled all the commandments of the Torah, there are many who have asked why Avraham didn’t perform circumcision prior to his being commanded. Prior to being circumcised Avraham had something in common with the people of his generation. He was able to reach out to them and shower them with blessings and kindness, to feed them and give them drink and to bring them close to the shekhina. However once he was circumcised he was elevated to a different level, and now people were afraid to come near him… and in place of kindness (chesed) now there were boundaries and strictness… (Tiferet Shlomo Moadim Sukkot)
Avraham’s basic approach was inclusive. His tent was open on all sides; he placed no limits, erected no boundaries[14]. In fact, The Meshech Chochma[15] sees this universalism as Avraham’s motivation to travel to Egypt. He went to Egypt at a time of drought, choosing Egypt not despite its reputation for corruption but precisely because of its reputation as a morally corrupt society. In Avraham’s worldview, if Egypt can be redeemed, the entire world will be elevated, and by a quantum leap. Avraham saw Egypt as a boundary, a spiritual and ethical border to be crossed and dismantled. This, like so much else in his biography, reflects a deep humanism: Avraham did not want to push away his wayward son Yishmael. He interceded on behalf of the inhabitants of Sodom, despite the knowledge that their beliefs and behavior contradicted everything he himself believed and practiced. A lesser man would have accepted God’s judgment and anticipated the annihilation of Sodom with satisfaction, a sense of moral superiority, perhaps a sense of validation. These people, after all, were the living antithesis to Avraham’s weltanschauung and to the message of morality and kindness he was working to spread. The destruction of Sodom would have made his job so much easier. But for Avraham, these were not evil, corrupt enemies of his faith. They were misguided people who simply had not yet found truth.
With the command to perform the Brit Milah Avraham’s life will change. There will now be a boundary between him and everyone else[16]. He will now be viewed even more suspiciously by his neighbors. In fact, the rabbis express their sensitivity to Avraham’s conflict between universalism and nationhood as a “hesitation” on Avraham’s part when he was commanded to perform circumcision.
מדרש רבה בראשית פרשה מו פסקה ב,ג
אמר אם חביבה היא המילה מפני מה לא נתנה לאדם הראשון: אמר לו הקדוש ב"ה לאברהם דייך אני ואתה בעולם ואם אין את מקבל עליך לימול דיי לעולמי עד כאן ודייה לערלה עד כאן ודייה למילה שתהא עגומה עד כאן אמר עד שלא מלתי היו באים ומזדווגים לי תאמר משמלתי הן באין ומזדווגים לי אמר לו הקב"ה אברהם דייך שאני אלוהך דייך שאני פטרונך:
[Abraham] asked: ' If circumcision is so precious, why was it not given to Adam? ' Said the Holy One, blessed be He, to him: ‘Let it suffice thee that I and thou are in the world.’ If thou wilt not undergo circumcision, it is enough for My world to have existed until now, and it is enough for the uncircumcised state to have existed until now, and it is enough for circumcision to have been forlorn until now.’’ Said he: ' Before I circumcised myself, men came and joined me [in my new faith]. Will they come and join me when I am circumcised?’" ‘Abraham,’ said God to him, ' let it suffice thee that I am thy God; let it suffice thee that I am thy Patron, and not only for thee alone, but it is sufficient for My world that I am its God and its Patron.’ (Midrash Rabbah - Genesis 46:2,3)
מדרש רבה בראשית פרשה מז פסקה י
אמר אברהם עד שלא מלתי היו העוברים והשבים באים אצלי תאמר משמלתי אינן באים אצלי אמר לו הקב"ה עד שלא מלת היו בני אדם באים אצלך עכשיו אני בכבודי בא ונגלה עליך הה"ד וירא אליו ה' באלוני ממרא:
Abraham said: ' Before I became circumcised, travellers used to visit me; now that I am circumcised, perhaps they will no longer visit me? ' Said the Holy One, blessed be He, to him: ' Before thou wast circumcised, uncircumcised mortals visited thee; now I in My glory will appear to thee.’ Hence it is written, And the Lord appeared unto him (Gen. XVIII, 1) (Midrash Rabbah - Genesis 47:10)
Amazingly enough, here Avraham hesitates.[17] When commanded to offer up his long-awaited son, his heir, the key to the fulfillment of all that God has promised him, Avraham marches forward like a knight of faith. But here, in this test, Avraham questions: If circumcision is so precious, why was it not given to Adam? Why isn’t this a universal command? Why is this command only being given to Avraham and his descendants? He worries that this new status will jeopardize his mission, setting him apart from those he has hoped to impact. He fears this will put an end to his stream of visitors. God’s response is telling: “I will visit you, and that is truly enough. Your relationship with Me is more important, and your mission is less universal and more particular than you know.”
Clearly, then, the Brit Milah is a test. The challenge may be heightened by the paradoxical nature of the command which he receives:
ספר בראשית פרק יז
(א) וַיְהִי אַבְרָם בֶּן תִּשְׁעִים שָׁנָה וְתֵשַׁע שָׁנִים וַיֵּרָא ה’ אֶל אַבְרָם וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו אֲנִי אֵל שַׁדַּי הִתְהַלֵּךְ לְפָנַי וֶהְיֵה תָמִים: (ב) וְאֶתְּנָה בְרִיתִי בֵּינִי וּבֵינֶךָ וְאַרְבֶּה אוֹתְךָ בִּמְאֹד מְאֹד: (ג) וַיִּפֹּל אַבְרָם עַל פָּנָיו וַיְדַבֵּר אִתּוֹ אֱלֹהִים לֵאמֹר: (ד) אֲנִי הִנֵּה בְרִיתִי אִתָּךְ וְהָיִיתָ לְאַב הֲמוֹן גּוֹיִם: (ה) וְלֹא יִקָּרֵא עוֹד אֶת שִׁמְךָ אַבְרָם וְהָיָה שִׁמְךָ אַבְרָהָם כִּי אַב הֲמוֹן גּוֹיִם נְתַתִּיךָ: (ו) וְהִפְרֵתִי אֹתְךָ בִּמְאֹד מְאֹד וּנְתַתִּיךָ לְגוֹיִם וּמְלָכִים מִמְּךָ יֵצֵאוּ: (ז) וַהֲקִמֹתִי אֶת בְּרִיתִי בֵּינִי וּבֵינֶךָ וּבֵין זַרְעֲךָ אַחֲרֶיךָ לְדֹרֹתָם לִבְרִית עוֹלָם לִהְיוֹת לְךָ לֵאלֹהִים וּלְזַרְעֲךָ אַחֲרֶיךָ: (ח) וְנָתַתִּי לְךָ וּלְזַרְעֲךָ אַחֲרֶיךָ אֵת אֶרֶץ מְגֻרֶיךָ אֵת כָּל אֶרֶץ כְּנַעַן לַאֲחֻזַּת עוֹלָם וְהָיִיתִי לָהֶם לֵאלֹהִים: (ט) וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים אֶל אַבְרָהָם וְאַתָּה אֶת בְּרִיתִי תִשְׁמֹר אַתָּה וְזַרְעֲךָ אַחֲרֶיךָ לְדֹרֹתָם: (י) זֹאת בְּרִיתִי אֲשֶׁר תִּשְׁמְרוּ בֵּינִי וּבֵינֵיכֶם וּבֵין זַרְעֲךָ אַחֲרֶיךָ הִמּוֹל לָכֶם כָּל זָכָר: (יא) וּנְמַלְתֶּם אֵת בְּשַׂר עָרְלַתְכֶם וְהָיָה לְאוֹת בְּרִית בֵּינִי וּבֵינֵיכֶם: (יב) וּבֶן שְׁמֹנַת יָמִים יִמּוֹל לָכֶם כָּל זָכָר לְדֹרֹתֵיכֶם יְלִיד בָּיִת וּמִקְנַת כֶּסֶף מִכֹּל בֶּן נֵכָר אֲשֶׁר לֹא מִזַּרְעֲךָ הוּא: (יג) הִמּוֹל יִמּוֹל יְלִיד בֵּיתְךָ וּמִקְנַת כַּסְפֶּךָ וְהָיְתָה בְרִיתִי בִּבְשַׂרְכֶם לִבְרִית עוֹלָם: (יד) וְעָרֵל זָכָר אֲשֶׁר לֹא יִמּוֹל אֶת בְּשַׂר עָרְלָתוֹ וְנִכְרְתָה הַנֶּפֶשׁ הַהִוא מֵעַמֶּיהָ אֶת בְּרִיתִי הֵפַר:
(1) When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, "I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless. (2) I will confirm my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers." (3) Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, (4) "As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. (5) No longer will you be called Avram ; your name will be Avraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. (6) I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. (7) I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. (8) The whole land of Canaan, where you are now an alien, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God."
(9) Then God said to Avraham, "As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. (10) This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. (11) You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. (12) For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner—those who are not your offspring. (13) Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant. (14) Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant." Bereishit 17:1-14
Avram is told that from now on his name will be Avraham, signifying that he will be a father of many nations -Av Hamon Goyim. This would seem to be the ultimate universal message: Not only will Avraham be a part of the larger universal existence, he will bring nations toward God. And in the next breath he is told to perform circumcision which creates boundaries and will forever separate Avraham and his descendents from all others. In one fell swoop, the universal vision and the narrow, parochial, particular approach. Apparently, Avraham is confused. How can he impact the entire world when he must first perform an act of self - mutilation that people will view as grotesque? Hachnasat Orchim, and Eruv Tavshilin (welcoming guests and making accommodations to feed them on holidays and Shabbat) were much easier.
Apparently, what Avraham still lacks is “holiness” – kedusha - which is literally rendered as “set apart”. This separateness is a new phase for Avraham, and not one to which he would have come without God’s command. This separateness may be seen as that which contradicts Avraham’s innate attribute of hesed, the attribute through which he has served God up to this point in his life.
How is he to reconcile hesed with kedusha? How is he to be a part of the world - involved, engaged, interested, even responsible for the world - and live a life of kedusha, set apart, indelibly marked by “differentness”? How will he and his descendents reconcile living in a mundane world with their unique destiny and closeness to God?
The answer presents itself later on in the text, as Avraham finds himself enmeshed in his next paradoxical challenge: the Akeida, the Binding of Isaac. Here, too, logic is defeated. If Yitzchak is to be offered, how can he effectively be the living progeny destined to carry on the family line? Avraham and Yitzchak nonetheless set out to fulfill God’s command, and they bring two other people along. Our Sages[18] identify them as Yishmael and Eliezer - Avraham’s first son, and man who was like a son. Rashi, citing the Midrash, tells us that as they approach the appointed place Avraham sees something that appears to him to be ethereal, but he is unsure if it is real or surreal, physical or spiritual. He sees a cloud, he sees the shechina; he turns to question Yishamel and Eliezer, but they see only the mountain. He turns to Yitzchak, who sees the cloud, tied as if by rope to the mountain. Avraham then turns to the other two and says, “Wait here with the chamor (donkey).” My teacher Rabbi Soloveitchik pointed out that at times we neglect the rest of the verse:
ספר בראשית פרק כב
(ד) בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁלִישִׁי וַיִּשָּׂא אַבְרָהָם אֶת עֵינָיו וַיַּרְא אֶת הַמָּקוֹם מֵרָחֹק:(ה) וַיֹּאמֶר אַבְרָהָם אֶל נְעָרָיו שְׁבוּ לָכֶם פֹּה עִם הַחֲמוֹר וַאֲנִי וְהַנַּעַר נֵלְכָה עַד כֹּה וְנִשְׁתַּחֲוֶה וְנָשׁוּבָה אֲלֵיכֶם:
(4) Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place far away. (5) And Abraham said to his young men, ‘Stay here with the donkey; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come back to you.’ Bereishit 22:4,5
Those last words, “and come back to you”, cannot be ignored. Avraham encapsulates a unique religious experience in this short statement, and we should take note of every element: This awesome religious experience would not be complete until Avraham came down the mountain and shared with others his epiphany, his feelings and his enlightenment. Avraham would have the greatest impact on the two men he left behind only after parting ways, dedicating himself to the more particular religious experience at the summit, and then returning to their company. Similarly, for the Jewish People to have an impact on the world, we must first disengage, separate ourselves, and fully explore our unique relationship with God. There will be times when we must wrest ourselves away from our deep involvement, even our responsibility for the world. We must climb lofty mountains, even engage in divinely-mandated, though seemingly paradoxical, behavior. But we must always remember that eventually we must come down from the mountain, re-engage, return to the people that we left at the foot of the mountain. We must find the language and establish the relationship that will allow us to share with them what we learned at the summit.
Avraham learns to resolve the tension. Both the universal and the particular are important, but they are intertwined. The way we can accomplish our universal responsibility is by first becoming separate, different - as holy as we can possibly become. Only this will enable us to fulfill our mission of tikun olam, to enlighten, to educate, to heal and repair the world.
What is interesting is that the Nefesh asher asu b’Haran, the people “acquired” in Haran,[19], the people attracted by a spirituality devoid of holiness, all disappeared. In fact, the prototypical outreach that Avraham was famous for, his open tent and encouraging people to bless God, is recorded after the circumcision was performed.
ספר בראשית פרק כא
(לג) וַיִּטַּע אֵשֶׁל בִּבְאֵר שָׁבַע וַיִּקְרָא שָׁם בְּשֵׁם ה’ אֵל עוֹלָם:
33. And Abraham planted a grove in Beersheba, and called there on the name of the Lord, the everlasting God. (Bereishit 21:33)
רש"י על בראשית פרק כא פסוק לג
(לג) אשל - רב ושמואל חד אמר פרדס להביא ממנו פירות לאורחים בסעודה. וחד אמר פונדק לאכסניא ובו כל מיני פירות…
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):
‘A grove’ - Rav and Shmuel, one said an orchard to bring fruits for guests’ meals, and one said an inn for guests and it had all kinds of produce.
‘And called there’ – he used the eshel to call God master of the universe: After people would eat and drink, Avraham would instruct them to bless the One who provides food. He would say, “You think the food came from me? It came from He who spoke and caused the world to exist. (Rashi Bereishit 21:33)
The house of Avraham and Sarah was both open to all, yet set apart; universal and separate at one and the same time. Only now were they able to impact others in a permanent way.
Our world, then, is not so different from that of Avraham and Sarah after all. The world still lacks holiness. By observing the commandments, both those we understand and those that seem to us paradoxical, we add holiness to our lives. We set ourselves on a higher rung, as it were. And as holiness accrues, we will find our spiritual, ethical and social abilities exponentially increased, and thus our ability to effect change and fix a broken world.
[1] Though there is a consensus in Rabbinic thought that Avraham was tested ten times, there is no consensus as to what the ten tests were.
[2] Rashi, in his first interpretation, tells us that these were the men and women whom Avraham and Sara (respectively) taught and “converted”. However, in a second explanation --which Rashi labels “p’shat” - the straightforward meaning of the text – Rashi explains that these were the people that were acquired; i.e., slaves and members of the household staff.
רש"י על בראשית פרק יב פסוק ה
אשר עשו בחרן - שהכניסן תחת כנפי השכינה אברהם מגייר את האנשים ושרה מגיירת הנשים ומעלה עליהם הכתוב כאלו עשאום (לכך כתיב אשר עשו) ופשוטו של מקרא עבדים ושפחות שקנו להם כמו (שם לא) עשה את כל הכבוד הזה (לשון קנין) (במדבר כד) וישראל עושה חיל לשון קונה וכונס:
[3] Previously Avraham’s father Terach started to make his way to Canaan. The Seforno (12:5), posits that both Avraham and Terach choose Canaan as their destination because it was known as a spiritual place.
ספורנו עה"ת ספר בראשית פרק יב פסוק ה
ויצאו ללכת ארצה כנען. שהיתה מפורסמת אצלם לארץ מוכנת להתבוננות ולעבודת האל ית':
[4] Bereishit 12:6
[5] Ramban Bereishit 12:6
[6] The Midrash, which takes the same basic approach, nonetheless states that Avraham did not keep Shabbat. See Midrash Rabbah Bereishit 11:7:
מדרש רבה בראשית פרשה יא פסקה ז
ר' יוחנן בשם ר' יוסי בר חלפתא אמר אברהם שאין כתוב בו שמירת שבת ירש את העולם במדה שנאמר (בראשית יב) קום התהלך בארץ לארכה ולרחבה וגו' אבל יעקב שכתוב בו שמירת שבת שנאמר (שם לג) ויחן את פני העיר נכנס עם דמדומי חמה וקבע תחומין מבעוד יום ירש את העולם שלא במדה שנאמר (שם כח) והיה זרעך כעפר הארץ וגו':
R. Johanan said in R. Jose's name: Abraham, who is not reported to have kept the Sabbath, inherited the world in [limited] measure, as it is written, ‘Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it’ (Gen. XIII, 17). But Jacob, of whom the keeping of the Sabbath is mentioned, viz. And he rested [E.V. ’encamped’] before the city (ib. XXXIII, 18), Which means that he entered at twilight and set boundaries before sunset,6 inherited the world without measure, [as it is written], And thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, etc. (ib. XXVIII, 14).
[7] The Ohr Hachaim (Bereishit 49:3) maintains that the forefathers only kept laws that he found useful, or more precisely would not keep lows that they found an impediment to them.
אור החיים על בראשית פרק מט פסוק ג
והאבות לצד חביבותם בה' וחשקם באושר עליון קיימו הכל כאומרו (לעיל כו ה) עקב אשר שמע וגו', ואמרו ז"ל (יומא כח:) קיים אברהם אבינו אפילו עירוב תבשילין, ואת בניו הקים תחתיו להרויח תועלת המצות ועסק התורה, אבל במקום שהיו רואים תועלת דבר ההצלחה להם, כמו שתאמר יעקב כשהרגיש בהצלחתו בנשואי ב' האחיות העלים עין מרווח הנמשך מקיום המצוה ההיא, כיון שאין לו עונש אם לא יקיימנה, כל עוד שלא נתנה תורה, ומה גם אם נאמר שהיו עושים על פי הדיבור, כי האבות נביאים היו (מגילה יד) וה' אמר להם לעשות כן:
[8] The Shem MiShmuel understands that Yaakov fulfilled the commandments – even if he didn’t quite perform them. He explains that commandments have bodies and souls, and Avraham was attuned to the souls and therefore didn’t need the “body” of the physical performance.
ספר שם משמואל פרשת בהר - פסח שני
ובודאי גם אברהם קיים ענין תפילין אבל הי' בלבוש אחר כי באשר היו יחידים לא הוצרכה ההתאחדות ע"י המעשה, והי' לכל אחד מעשה וכלי מיוחד.
[9] The Noam Elimelech Parshat Dvarim, states that Avraham had certainly achieved the spiritual perfection of someone who had performed all the commandments.
ספר נועם אלימלך - פרשת הדברים
דאיתא בגמרא קיים אברהם אבינו עליו השלום כו' אפילו עירוב תבשילין והיינו שהיה מקדש ומטהר את כל רמ"ח אבריו ושס"ה גידיו כל אבר במצוה השייך לה דכל מצוה ומצוה יש לה עולם בפני עצמה ואברהם אבינו על ידי שהיה עובד השם יתברך מאהבה השיג את כל מצוה ומצוה בשורשה ואפילו מצוה דרבנן יש לה שורש ועיקר בדאורייתא בעולם המיוחד לה
[10] The Degel Machane Efraim (Aharaie Mot SV Vod, and in Ekev SV Vrak) understands that the ultimate objective of the commandments is the understanding that there is One God, and the rejection of all pagan entities, and that Avraham fulfilled with a vengeance, he was cognizant iof this truth all his days. A similar idea is found in Moar Vshemesh Rimzey first day of Sukkot.
ספר דגל מחנה אפרים - פרשת אחרי ד"ה עוד
וכל מצוה ומצוה שייך לשורש נשמות של ישראל והוא היודע ומבין זה והוא שורש השרשים ואין עוד מלבדו ולכך קיים אברהם אבינו כל התורה כולה עד שלא ניתנה (קידושין פ"ב.) כי הגיע לאמיתת אלוהות כי כל המצוות הם שער ומבוא לבא אל אמיתת אלוהות שהוא אנכי ולא יהיה לך כמו שכתבתי מזה כבר במקום אחר אך זעירין אינון שיוכלו לבא אל אמיתת אלוהות
ספר דגל מחנה אפרים - פרשת עקב ד"ה רק
ולהם לא היה צריך התורה להכתב כלל אך מה שנכתב כל התורה הוא לדידן שאין לנו מוחין כהם ולכך הוצרך להכתב כל התורה והמצוות שעל ידם השיגו בחינת אנכי אבל האבות ידעו הנקודה אמיתית שכל התורה והמצוות תלוין בה,
ספר מאור ושמש - רמזי יום א' של סוכות ד"ה או
אמנם הצדיק אשר כבר הגיע למעלת הדביקות באין סוף ב"ה והוא קשור במחשבתו בכל עת, עיקר עבודתו הוא במחשבה כמאמרם ז"ל קיים אברהם אבינו כל התורה כולה עד שלא ניתנה, הגם שלא מצאנו שעשה בפועל מעשה המצות כהנחת תפילין ועשית סוכה וכדומיהן, מכל מקום המשיך על עצמו פנימיות הקדושות שרומזת אליהם המעשים ההם על ידי מחשבתו הקדושה אשר היתה דבוקה באין סוף ב"ה.
[11] See Rashi’s comments to Berishet 21:33 where he explains that one of the reasons for Avraham’s magnanimous hosting of guests aside from imitatio dei is his desire to teach people to bless God and thank God.
רש"י על בראשית פרק כא פסוק לג
(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):
[12] The Arvei Nahal understands that all 613 commandments are subsumed within the seven Noachide laws.
ספר ערבי נחל - פרשת תולדות
דע, כי כל מצוה כלולה מכל התרי"ג, וא"כ בכל מצוה יש כלל ופרט כי בכח יש בה כל התרי"ג, ובפועל הוא פרטיותה לבד, ומיד שנברא האדם נצטווה בשבע מצות וקיימו אותם האבות ויתר צדיקי הדורות עד מתן תורה וכל התרי"ג כלולים בכל מצוה מהם. ואם תקשה א"כ האבות לא הוציאו הכללות מן הכח אל הפועל, דע שהוציאו והוציאו, בכח הכנתם ר"ל שהיו דבוקים בו ית"ש והיו ששים ושמחים לעשות רצון קונם בכל מה שיצוום והיו מוכנים לזה בתכלית ההכנה בשמחה רבה,
[13] See Rambam Laws of Idolatry chapter 1
[14] According to the Meshech Chochma, Yaakov personifies setting up boundaries, to prevent assimilation. Hence Yaakov keeps even Eruv Tehumin.
[15] Meshech Chochma Bereishit 33:18.
משך חכמה על בראשית פרק לג פסוק יח
והציור בזה. דבאמת כמו שלהחי די במזון מהצומח והמדבר ניזון מהחי כן נפש המשכלת מבני נכר די לו בשבע מצות אולם נפש הישראלי מקורו ממקום גבוה חלק ד' ממעל אם אין לו כל התורה בכללה ופרטה אז אינו בחיותו. כי עם הישראלי המה מעון ומכון לאלקות בעולם השפל ואין השכינה שורה אלא באלפי רבבות ישראל (יבמות סד). וזה סו"ד מה שאמרו ש"ס רבוא. (אולי צ"ל ס' רבוא אותיות. ע' זוהר חדש סוף שה"ש) המה כללות הפרצופים ולכן אברהם חפש להפיץ שיטתו ודיעותיו באלקות לכל באי עולם באשר חשב כי הוא יחידי ואח"כ ראה כי ישמעאל יצא ממנו ולכן נטע אשל להכניס כל באי עולם לברית ואמרו בריש עו"ג (דף ט) שני אלפים תורה מוהנפש אשר עשו בחרן דשעבידו לאורייתא. וגם היה זה בכוונה שהלך למצרים מקום החכמה והחרטומים לפלפל ולקרבם לשיטותיו באחדות ובתורה. לא כן יעקב ראה שמטתו שלמה (ויקרא רבה לו-ד) ובזרעו די שיהיו מעון ומרכבה לשכינה וכמו שהבטיחו וראה שה' נצב עליו ראה להיפוך כי בניו יהיו נפרדים מעמים אחרים מוגבלים בתחום ואף ללבן חותנו הניחו בטעותו וכעס על רחל שגנבה התרפים להבדילו מעו"ג כן במצרים היו יושבים בארץ גושן נפרדים מהעמים. וכן לדורות באומה אין מקבלין גרים בימי דוד ושלמה (יבמות כד:) שזה כהכרח או למקנא לגדולתם וזה מליצתם שאברהם קיים עירובי תבשילין (יומא כח:) להכניס אורחים ולקבל גרים תחת כנפי השכינה אבל לא קבע תחומין שמא ימנע אחד מלבוא לשמוע דיעותיו. לא כן יעקב קבע תחומין להגביל ולתחום בין עם ישראל לעמים.
[16] See the comments of the Beit Halevi Bereishit 17:1
בית הלוי על בראשית פרק יז פסוק א
והנה איתא במדרש פרשה זו (נ"ו תרג) שאמר אברהם עד שלא מלתי היו באים הכותים ומזדווגים לי תאמר משמלתי יהיו באים ומזדווגים לי א"ל הקב"ה די שאני פטרונך. הרי מבואר כמש"כ דהמילה נותנת הבדל גדול בין ישראל לכותים והיא גורמת שנאה ביניהם והשיב לו הקב"ה די לך שאני פטרונך ולא יועילו ולא יפסידו לך לא בקרבתם ולא בשנאתם אחרי שאני אוהבך,
[17] The Alshich Hakadosh notes that here because Avraham senses that others would be impacted Avraham hesitates, but with regards to the Binding if Yitzchak, where only he will suffer he doesn’t hesitate.
ספר תורת משה על בראשית - פרק יח פסוק ב-ג
והנה ראוי להעיר מה ראה על ככה אברהם לטעון נגד מאמרו יתברך, מי שלא פצה את פיו באמור אליו ה' קח נא את בנך את יחידך כו' לאמר לו הלא אתה אמרת כי ביצחק יקרא לך זרע, איך בציווי זה בקש טענה ליפטר, וגם מה לו ולעוברים ושבים ערביים ערלים נגד צוויו יתברך. …
ונבא אל הענין והוא כי בעל המאמר הוקשה לו אומרו וירא אליו ולא אמר אל אברהם. על כן אמר כי עברו דברים בין אברהם ובינו יתברך, כי אברהם בענותנותו היה חש יותר על קיום העולם מהנוגע אל עצמו, על כן על אומרו יתברך קח נא את בנך כו' לא דבר מאומה. אך על ענין המילה להיותה דבר זר בעיני ההמון, באומרם היתכן ברא אלהים אדם שיחשוב לבעל מום עד החסיר מאשר ברא אלהים לשיהיה שלם.
[18] See Rashi ad loc.
[19] See Meshech Chochma Bereishit 21:33 and the sources he cites.
משך חכמה על בראשית פרק כא פסוק לג
(לג) ויקרא שם בשם ה' אל עולם - יתכן דהוי כמו דכתיב לעולם, דקודם שנולד יצחק ופרסם אברהם מציאות השם והשגחתו הפרטיות ואחדותו שהוא בלתי מושג אם מת הלא נשכח כל לימודיו ועיקריו וכמו שאמרו במדרש שהנפש אשר עשו בחרן חזרו לסורן, (ע' פרקי דר"א פ' כט) אולם כאשר נולד יצחק אשר הבטיח השי"ת והקימותי להיות לך לאלקים ולזרעך אחריך וכדאמרו יבמות ק: המיוחס אחריך וידע שהוא ינחיל הדיעות האמיתיות ויפרסם אלקותו לכן אמר שהוא עכשיו אל לעולם ולא יופסק ידיעתו יתברך לדור דור והבן.
Friday, October 24, 2008
New Shiur Noach
Noach 5769
The Raven- Nevermore?
Rabbi Ari D. Kahn
© 2008
…"Prophet!" said I, "thing of evil! — prophet still, if bird or devil! —Whether Tempter sent, or whether tempest tossed thee here ashore,Desolate yet all undaunted, on this desert land enchanted —On this home by horror haunted — tell me truly, I implore —Is there — is there balm in Gilead— tell me — tell me, I implore!" Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore."
The Raven, by Edgar Allan Poe[1]
In the aftermath of the destruction, as Noach floats along on his Ark, the waters have become eerily still, and a strange silence has replaced the angry, deadly, destructive storm. Now the Torah reports that Noach and all of creation have been remembered:
ספר בראשית פרק ח
(א) וַיִּזְכֹּר אֱלֹקים אֶת נֹחַ וְאֵת כָּל הַחַיָּה וְאֶת כָּל הַבְּהֵמָה אֲשֶׁר אִתּוֹ בַּתֵּבָה וַיַּעֲבֵר אֱלֹקים רוּחַ עַל הָאָרֶץ וַיָּשֹׁכּוּ הַמָּיִם:
(1) But the Almighty remembered Noach and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark, and the Almighty sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded. (Bereishit 8)
The name of God utilized in this section is Elokim. The connotation of this name is “God of Judgment”,[2] as opposed to “God of Mercy”. We might have thought that a “harsh and angry God” punished humankind and then a kind (albeit perhaps fickle) God changed his mind, but the Torah informs us that now that judgment has been meted out, Elokim, the very same aspect of Judgment, remembers Noach. At the end of 40 days Noach opens the window and sends forth a raven:
ספר בראשית פרק ח
(ו) וַיְהִי מִקֵּץ אַרְבָּעִים יוֹם וַיִּפְתַּח נֹחַ אֶת חַלּוֹן הַתֵּבָה אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה: (ז) וַיְשַׁלַּח אֶת הָעֹרֵב וַיֵּצֵא יָצוֹא וָשׁוֹב עַד יְבשֶׁת הַמַּיִם מֵעַל הָאָרֶץ:
(6) After forty days Noach opened the window he had made in the ark (7) and sent out a raven, and it kept flying back and forth until the water had dried up from the earth.
The raven suffers from a negative reputation, associated in both Rabbinic and general Western literature with demonic forces[3]. In the unforgettable words of Edgar Allan Poe, quoted above:
…"Prophet!" said I, "thing of evil! — prophet still, if bird or devil![4]
While we can leave it to scholars of American Poetry to reveal Poe’s sources of information and attitude, the negativity toward the raven apparently goes all the way back to chapter 8 of Bereishit. But why the antagonism? What dastardly deed did the raven commit to deserve this reputation? Compare the raven to the dove, which is regarded as a loving, faithful, loyal harbinger of peace. The contrast is stark – as stark as black verses white. While in fact the raven is dark and the dove is white, can the Torah actually ascribe such significance to pigmentation? Let us continue the story and see what happens with the dove.
(ח) וַיְשַׁלַּח אֶת הַיּוֹנָה מֵאִתּוֹ לִרְאוֹת הֲקַלּוּ הַמַּיִם מֵעַל פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה: (ט) וְלֹא מָצְאָה הַיּוֹנָה מָנוֹחַ לְכַף רַגְלָהּ וַתָּשָׁב אֵלָיו אֶל הַתֵּבָה כִּי מַיִם עַל פְּנֵי כָל הָאָרֶץ וַיִּשְׁלַח יָדוֹ וַיִּקָּחֶהָ וַיָּבֵא אֹתָהּ אֵלָיו אֶל הַתֵּבָה: (י) וַיָּחֶל עוֹד שִׁבְעַת יָמִים אֲחֵרִים וַיֹּסֶף שַׁלַּח אֶת הַיּוֹנָה מִן הַתֵּבָה: (יא) וַתָּבֹא אֵלָיו הַיּוֹנָה לְעֵת עֶרֶב וְהִנֵּה עֲלֵה זַיִת טָרָף בְּפִיהָ וַיֵּדַע נֹחַ כִּי קַלּוּ הַמַּיִם מֵעַל הָאָרֶץ: (יב) וַיִּיָּחֶל עוֹד שִׁבְעַת יָמִים אֲחֵרִים וַיְשַׁלַּח אֶת הַיּוֹנָה וְלֹא יָסְפָה שׁוּב אֵלָיו עוֹד:
(8) Then he sent out a dove to see if the water had receded from the surface of the ground. (9) But the dove could find no place to set its feet because there was water over all the surface of the earth; so it returned to Noach in the ark. He reached out his hand and took the dove and brought it back to himself in the ark. (10) He waited seven more days and again sent out the dove from the ark. (11) When the dove returned to him in the evening, there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf! Then Noach knew that the water had receded from the earth. (12) He waited seven more days and sent the dove out again, but this time it did not return to him. (Bereishit 8)
A careful reading of the verses brings several problems to light: While the objective of the dove’s mission is clearly stated, “to see if the water had receded”, the text does not reveal the motivation for sending the raven. While the juxtaposition of the two birds might suggest a common mission, the lack of explanation for the raven’s mission is nonetheless striking. This leads to additional questions about the raven: We don’t know why specifically the raven was chosen or if the mission was successful or aborted. Was this Noach’s idea, or was he commanded to send the raven out? Did Noach perhaps seek permission or approval for his initiative? The text is silent.
When we compare the two verses which describe the sending of the raven and dove respectively, we notice a second difference: When Noach sends the dove, the word used is מֵאִתּוֹ me’ito: literally rendered, he sent the dove “from himself” (an idiom that is difficult to translate). The reader is left with the impression that Noach had a close relationship with this dove – perhaps it was his personal pet. This sort of modifier is totally absent in the case of the raven.
The dove’s mission was successfully completed when it returned with the olive branch in its beak, creating the enduring image of peace. But what of the raven? Why was it sent and how did it fare? The Chizzkuni suggests an ominous mandate for the raven:
חזקוני על בראשית פרק ח פסוק ז
(ז) וישלח את הערב - לפי שדרכו לאכול נבלות ואם קלו המים ימצא מתי מבול מושלכים על פני שפת המים.
The raven was sent because its nature is to eat carcasses, and if the water subsided, it would find corpses strewn on the shore. (Chizzkuni Bereishit 8:7)
In contrast to the olive branch in the mouth of the dove, eternal symbol of peace, we have a vivid image of the predatory, carnivorous raven descending upon corpses, perhaps even mutilating one to bring something back to Noach. The image persists even though the raven apparently fails to even leave the immediate vicinity of the Ark – and doesn’t bring back any flesh. While the Chizzkuni’s may be the correct reading of the text and of Noach’s motivation for sending the raven, we are still baffled as to why this is not stated explicitly – namely that the raven was also sent to see if the water had subsided. This, coupled with the other outstanding textual oddity – the dove described as having been sent “from him” - leaves us searching for the deeper meaning of the narrative. Rabbi Naftali Zvi Yehudah Berlin (“The Netziv”) in his Torah commentary Ha’amek Davar[5] raises some important questions: Why were the raven and dove singled out? There are many birds that fly farther and better then these two. Furthermore, who gave Noach permission to release these birds prior to the time when all the other inhabitants of the Ark would be released? The Netziv theorizes that these two birds were not of the “two by two” brought to the Ark, rather they were Noach’s pets. With this suggestion, the Netziv solves one problem, but exchanges it for another: While we may now know why Noach was permitted to send these birds, we don’t know how he brought them to the Ark in the first place.
The Ohr Hachaim (Hakadosh) also questions why the raven was sent, but rejects the suggestion that it was in order to check the water level: The Torah surely would have stated this, as it does subsequently regarding the dove’s mission. Rather, in keeping with a Talmudic tradition,[6] the Ohr Hachaim reveals why the raven was sent: because Noach didn’t want it around. The Talmud suggests that the raven was cast out because it broke protocol and had relations on the Ark. While the dove was sent on a reconnaissance mission, the raven was simply expelled. The raven, for his part, refused to leave.
The Talmud recounts that the raven lodges a complaint: He accuses Noach of acting with cruelty and prejudice, for his expulsion would result in the extinction of the species[7]. In fact, that is just one of many accusations the raven puts forth:
עין יעקב על מסכת סנהדרין קח ב
"וַיְשַׁלַּח אֶת הָעֹרֵב" - אָמַר רֵישׁ לָקִישׁ, תְּשׁוּבָה נִצַּחַת הֱשִׁיבוֹ עוֹרֵב לְנֹחַ. אָמַר לוֹ, רַבְּךָ שׂוֹנְאֵנִי, וְאַתָּה שְׂנֵאתַנִי, רַבְּךָ שׂוֹנְאֵנִי - "מִן הַטְּהוֹרִים שִׁבְעָה, מִן הַטְּמֵאִים שְׁנַיִם". וְאַתָּה שְׂנֵאתַנִי - שֶׁאַתָּה מֵנִיחַ מִמִּין שִׁבְעָה, וְשׁוֹלֵחַ מִמִּין שְׁנַיִם, אִם פָּגַע בִּי שַׂר חַמָּה אוֹ שַׂר צִנָּה, (ומת) לֹא נִמְצָא עוֹלָם חָסֵר בְּרִיָּה אַחַת?!
“And he sent forth a raven.” Resh Lakish said: The raven gave Noach a triumphant retort. It said to him, ‘Thy Master hateth me, and thou hatest me. Thy Master hateth me — [since He commanded] seven [pairs to be taken] of the clean [creatures], but only two of the unclean. Thou hatest me — seeing that thou leavest the species of which there are seven, and sendest one of which there are only two. Should the angel of heat or of cold smite me, would not the world be short of one kind? (Talmud Sanhedrin 108b)
The Talmud describes the raven as having a winning argument. He accuses both Noach and God of hating him: God had shown an obvious preference for other species, commanding Noach to preserve seven of each. And surely it would have been more prudent for Noach to send a bird from one of the species of which more than two of a kind had been on board the Ark.
מדרש רבה בראשית פרשה לג פסקה ה
(ה) ויהי מקץ ארבעים יום ויפתח נח הדא מסייעא לההוא דא"ר אבא בר כהנא חלון וישלח את העורב הה"ד (תהלים קה) שלח חשך ויחשיך ויצא יצא ושוב ר' יודן בשם ר' יודה ב"ר סימון התחיל משיבו תשובות א"ל מכל בהמה חיה ועוף שיש כאן אין אתה משלח אלא לי א"ל מה צורך לעולם בך לא לאכילה לא לקרבן
“And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noach opened the halon [e.v. ‘window’] of the Ark.” This supports the view that it was a window [trapdoor]. “and he sent forth a raven”: thus it is written, He sent darkness, and it was dark” (Ps. CV, 28). “And it went forth to and fro (yatzo va’shov). R. Judan said in the name of R. Judah b. R. Simon: It began arguing with him: 'Of all the birds that thou hast here thou sendest none but me!’ ‘What need then has the world of thee?' he retorted; 'For food? For a sacrifice[8]?’ (Midrash Rabbah 33:5)
Perhaps Noach sees the world through utilitarian eyes: Either something can be used or it has no value. If a raven can’t be eaten and can’t be used as an offering, the world simply doesn’t need it.
Then the raven goes even further and hurls a bizarre accusation:
וְעוֹד אָמַר לוֹ, שֶׁמָּא לְאִשְׁתִּי אַתָּה צָרִיךְ? אָמַר לוֹ, רָשָׁע, בַּמֻּתָּר לִי, נֶאֱסַר לִי, בַּנֶּאֱסַר לִי - לֹא כָּל שֶׁכֵּן?! וּמְנָא לָן דְּנֶאֶסְרוּ, (עליו)? דִּכְתִיב, (בראשית ו) "וּבָאתָ אֶל הַתֵּבָה אַתָּה וּבָנֶיךָ וְאִשְׁתְּךָ וּנְשֵׁי בָנֶיךָ אִתָּךְ". וּכְתִיב, (שם ח) "צֵא מִן הַתֵּבָה אַתָּה וְאִשְׁתְּךָ וּבָנֶיךָ וּנְשֵׁי בָנֶיךָ אִתָּךְ". וְאָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן, מִכָּאן [אָמְרוּ], שֶׁנֶּאֶסְרוּ בְּתַשְׁמִישׁ הַמִּטָּה.
Or perhaps thou desirest my mate!’ — ‘Thou evil one!’ he exclaimed; ‘even that which is [usually] permitted me has [now] been forbidden: how much more so that which is [always] forbidden me!’ And whence do we know that they were forbidden? — From the verse, And thou shalt enter into the Ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and the wives of thy sons with thee; whilst further on it is written, Go forth from the Ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons’ wives with thee. Whereon R. Johanan observed: From this we deduce that cohabitation had been forbidden. (Talmud Sanhedrin 108b)
The raven accuses Noach of fancying his spouse; Noach honors the accusation with a response, proving the raven’s charge outrageous: If, while on the Ark, he has maintained abstinence from his own wife, how much more so would he avoid intimacy with the raven’s spouse, who is always off limits! What could have made the raven construe the situation in this manner? The Talmud portrays this as a case of projection. The raven was one of three who broke boundaries on the ark and engaged in illicit sexual behavior:
תָּנוּ רַבָּנָן, שְׁלֹשָׁה שִׁמְּשׁוּ בַּתֵּבָה, וְכֻלָּם לָקוּ; כֶּלֶב, וְעוֹרֵב, וְחָם. כֶּלֶב - נִקְשָׁר. עוֹרֵב - רוֹקֵק. חָם - לָקָה בְּעוֹרוֹ.
Our Rabbis taught: Three copulated in the ark, and they were all punished — the dog, the raven, and Ham. The dog was doomed to be tied, the raven expectorates [his seed into his mate's mouth]. And Ham was smitten in his skin. (Talmud Sanhedrin 108b)
Noach’s perspective of the raven is negative, but of the three transgressors, surely the one who bore the most responsibility was Ham, though some commentaries suggest that only after seeing the raven engaging in this behavior did Ham “heat up[9]” and follow suit. While Noach doesn’t have much use for the raven, seeing him as dark and devoid of utility, he also may not have much use for his son Ham, whose outrageous and immoral behavior in the following verses leads Noach to cast a dire curse upon one of Ham’s sons. [10] In citing Ham’s punishment by affliction of the skin, the analogy between Ham and the raven is drawn on more than one level, and we return to the theme of pigment. Later in the narrative we are also told that one of Ham’s children is Kush – which means black.
Noach sees the raven as a symbol of the darkness and cruelty that surround him and that have led to the massive, nearly total destruction of the world and its inhabitants[11]. Noach believes that God has abandoned the world[12]. God’s kindness has disappeared and the attribute of Elokim[13] reigns. For his first overture in the ante-deluvian world Noach sends forth a symbol of cruelty and darkness. Only later does he explore the possibility of kindness, loyalty and peace, sending the white dove which represents God’s merciful and kind attributes, even with it’s name (the Hebrew word yona is composed of three of the four letters of the Divine Name denoting omnipresence). Noach rejects the raven, casts it away, and identifies with the dove that he sends “me’ito” – of or from himself.
There is, however, someone who does not concur with Noach’s judgment and attitude toward the raven: God, the Creator of this dark, maligned creature.
מדרש רבה בראשית פרשה לג פסקה ה
רבי ברכיה בשם רבי אבא בר כהנא אמר אמר לו הקב"ה קבלו שעתיד העולם להצטרך לו אמר לו אימתי אמר לו עד יבשת המים מעל הארץ עתיד צדיק אחד לעמוד ולייבש את העולם ואני מצריכו לו הה"ד (מלכים א יז) והעורבים מביאים לו לחם ובשר בבקר ולחם ובשר בערב
R. Berekiah said in R. Abba's name: The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him [Noach]: ‘Take it back, because the world will need it in the future.’ ' When? ' he asked. ’ When the waters dry off from on the earth ' (ib.). He replied: ‘A righteous man will arise and dry up the world, and will cause him to have need of them [the ravens],’ as it is written, And the ravens (‘orvim) brought him bread and flesh, etc. (I Kings XVII, 6). (Midrash Rabbah 33:5)
This Midrash refers to an episode that we may consider an inverse of the flood – a time of drought. The raven comes into its’ own, as it were, and rises to the occasion.
מלכים א פרק יז
(א) וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלִיָּהוּ הַתִּשְׁבִּי מִתֹּשָׁבֵי גִלְעָד אֶל אַחְאָב חַי יְקֹוָק אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר עָמַדְתִּי לְפָנָיו אִם יִהְיֶה הַשָּׁנִים הָאֵלֶּה טַל וּמָטָר כִּי אִם לְפִי דְבָרִי: ס
(ב) וַיְהִי דְבַר יְקֹוָק אֵלָיו לֵאמֹר: (ג) לֵךְ מִזֶּה וּפָנִיתָ לְּךָ קֵדְמָה וְנִסְתַּרְתָּ בְּנַחַל כְּרִית אֲשֶׁר עַל פְּנֵי הַיַּרְדֵּן: (ד) וְהָיָה מֵהַנַּחַל תִּשְׁתֶּה וְאֶת הָעֹרְבִים צִוִּיתִי לְכַלְכֶּלְךָ שָׁם: (ה) וַיֵּלֶךְ וַיַּעַשׂ כִּדְבַר יְקֹוָק וַיֵּלֶךְ וַיֵּשֶׁב בְּנַחַל כְּרִית אֲשֶׁר עַל פְּנֵי הַיַּרְדֵּן: (ו) וְהָעֹרְבִים מְבִיאִים לוֹ לֶחֶם וּבָשָׂר בַּבֹּקֶר וְלֶחֶם וּבָשָׂר בָּעָרֶב
(1) Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, "By the God of Israel (YHVH) whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word." (2) Then the word of God came to Elijah: (3) "Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. (4) You will drink from the brook, and I have ordered the ravens to feed you there." (5) So he did what God had told him. He went to the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan, and stayed there. (6) The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook.
God’s answer to Noach is, “I have a plan for the raven. He will be needed in the future.” The name of the raven in Hebrew, orev, does not mean “black”; it comes from the root word meaning “mixture”[14]. While Noach may treat the raven as black[15], especially when compared to the fair dove, whose name and nature possess a hint of the Divine, the raven is apparently far more complex – reflecting the mixture of good and bad, a representation of post- Eden reality. Noach chooses to reject and expel the raven. He does not accept the merger of good and evil. He sees his own survival as testimony to the eradication of evil and the triumph of good. God sees things differently.
There is another book that grapples with this same tension: Should an imperfect society be saved or eradicated? The prophet who chooses to see the world in black and white is none other than the prophet named Yona, the Hebrew word for dove.
יונה פרק א
(א) וַיְהִי דְּבַר יְקֹוָק אֶל יוֹנָה בֶן אֲמִתַּי לֵאמֹר: (ב) קוּם לֵךְ אֶל נִינְוֵה הָעִיר הַגְּדוֹלָה וּקְרָא עָלֶיהָ כִּי עָלְתָה רָעָתָם לְפָנָי: (ג) וַיָּקָם יוֹנָה לִבְרֹחַ תַּרְשִׁישָׁה מִלִּפְנֵי יְקֹוָק וַיֵּרֶד יָפוֹ וַיִּמְצָא אֲנִיָּה בָּאָה תַרְשִׁישׁ וַיִּתֵּן שְׂכָרָהּ וַיֵּרֶד בָּהּ לָבוֹא עִמָּהֶם תַּרְשִׁישָׁה מִלִּפְנֵי יְקֹוָק: (ד) וַיקֹוָק הֵטִיל רוּחַ גְּדוֹלָה אֶל הַיָּם וַיְהִי סַעַר גָּדוֹל בַּיָּם וְהָאֳנִיָּה חִשְּׁבָה לְהִשָּׁבֵר:
(1) The word of the God came to Yona son of Amittai: (2) "Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me." (3)But Yona ran away from God and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Jaffa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from God. (4)Then God sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up.
The name of God used here indicates compassion. Yona runs away from God’s compassion; he thinks that he would prefer pure justice.
יונה פרק ד
(א) וַיֵּרַע אֶל יוֹנָה רָעָה גְדוֹלָה וַיִּחַר לוֹ: (ב) וַיִּתְפַּלֵּל אֶל יְקֹוָק וַיֹּאמַר אָנָּה יְקֹוָק הֲלוֹא זֶה דְבָרִי עַד הֱיוֹתִי עַל אַדְמָתִי עַל כֵּן קִדַּמְתִּי לִבְרֹחַ תַּרְשִׁישָׁה כִּי יָדַעְתִּי כִּי אַתָּה אֵל חַנּוּן וְרַחוּם אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם וְרַב חֶסֶד וְנִחָם עַל הָרָעָה: (ג) וְעַתָּה יְקֹוָק קַח נָא אֶת נַפְשִׁי מִמֶּנִּי כִּי טוֹב מוֹתִי מֵחַיָּי: ס
(1) But Yona was greatly displeased and became angry. (2) He prayed to God, "O God, is this not what I said when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. (3 )Now, O God, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live." (Yona chapter 4)
In order to appreciate the irony, and to fully understand the connection, we must take a closer look at the other main protagonists in the Book of Yona, namely the inhabitants of the city of Ninveh. What is their lineage – from which dark place did they emerge?
בראשית פרק י
(ח) וְכוּשׁ יָלַד אֶת נִמְרֹד הוּא הֵחֵל לִהְיוֹת גִּבֹּר בָּאָרֶץ: (ט) הוּא הָיָה גִבֹּר צַיִד לִפְנֵי יְקֹוָק עַל כֵּן יֵאָמַר כְּנִמְרֹד גִּבּוֹר צַיִד לִפְנֵי יְקֹוָק: (י) וַתְּהִי רֵאשִׁית מַמְלַכְתּוֹ בָּבֶל וְאֶרֶךְ וְאַכַּד וְכַלְנֵה בְּאֶרֶץ שִׁנְעָר: (יא) מִן הָאָרֶץ הַהִוא יָצָא אַשּׁוּר וַיִּבֶן אֶת נִינְוֵה וְאֶת רְחֹבֹת עִיר וְאֶת כָּלַח: (יב) וְאֶת רֶסֶן בֵּין נִינְוֵה וּבֵין כָּלַח הִוא הָעִיר הַגְּדֹלָה:
(8) Kush (the son of Ham) was the father of Nimrod, who grew to be a mighty warrior on the earth. (9) He was a mighty hunter before God; that is why it is said, "Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before God." (10) The first centers of his kingdom were Babylon, Erech, Akkad and Calneh, in Shinar. (11) From that land he went to Assyria, where he built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah (12) and Resen, which is between Nineveh and Calah; that is the great city. (Bereishit 10)
The city of Ninveh is built and populated by descendants of Ham, his son Kush and his grandson Nimrod[16]-- quite an unholy trinity of forebears. Such a city should certainly be destroyed; what justification could possibly exist for its salvation? This seems to be Yona’s perspective. The rebellious prophet tries to escape God’s call to judgment on a boat, just as Noach did all those years before. Now Ninveh, which is thematically connected with the raven, has as its adversary Yona – the thematic continuation of Noach and the dove. Yona, like Noach, sees the world as black and white, while the city of Ninveh represents the raven - the orev - the combination of good and evil. When Yona looks at Ninveh - its past, present and future - he sees evil. God sees the more complex reality, the confusion of good and evil represented in the figure and personality of the raven.
How appropriate that the symbol of God’s covenant with Noach, and through him with all of humanity, is the many-colored rainbow: The world is not black and white, it is multi-colored, and each color melts into the next. Good is merged with Evil, and Evil with Good. The very existence of the world in the aftermath of the deluge is a testament to the Merciful God, and the symbol of His covenant is a spectacular mosaic of color. Even when the world seems foreboding, dark and evil, we must learn from God and not from Noach or Yona: We must look more carefully and learn to distinguish between the elements of the mixture. Good may be found amongst the evil, and things that don’t look completely good are not necessarily completely bad. That is the lesson taught by the raven.
[1] First published on January 29, 1845, in the New York Evening Mirror.
[2] See Shmot 20:1 and Rashi’s comments, as well as Rashi ‘s comments to Psalms 58:12. Occasionally the word elohim refers to a human judge. See Exodus 22:28. This name denotes “possessing power”, hence my use in translation of the name “Almighty”.
[3] The Be’er Mayim Chaim points out that the word raven in Hebrew is spelled ayin resh bet, the same letters which spell b’rah in reverse, which means “in evil”:
ספר באר מים חיים פרשת נח - פרק ח
ואולם הנה כבר כתבנו אשר העורב לא נשלח כלל בשליחות כי אם שלחו מן התיבה שלא יהיה עמו עבור שראה אותו ברע, אותיות ערב.
[4] See note 1, above.
[5] Haemek Davar Bereishit 8:7
העמק דבר על בראשית פרק ח פסוק ז
(ז) את העורב: יש להתבונן למה שלח שני עופות הללו, דוקא עורב ויונה. והלא יש הרבה עופות שפורחים טוב יותר מהם. והתו מאין הי' רשות לנח להוציאם מן התבה לפני זמן היציאה לכולם. ע"כ היה נראה לפי הפשט דעורב ויונה הללו לא היו מן הזוגות שנכנסו להחיות זרע בדבר ה'. אלא בשביל שהי' נח לפני מי המבול כאחד מן השרים שמנהגם הי' גם אז לגדל עורבים ויונים.
[6] Sanhedrin 108b.
[7] In his commentary to Sanhedrin 108, The Ben Y’hoyada points out that once the raven had relations, a new generation of raven was now on the way, and there was no danger of extinction.
[8] Apparently Noach is not troubled by the potential extinction of the raven.
[9] The name Ham means hot. See comments of Rav Shimshon ben Rafael Hirsch to this section.
[10] See 9:24-26
[11] See Rav Zadok Hakohen, Kometz Mincha part 2 section 24, where sources are cited that the raven hates it own offspring.
ספר קומץ המנחה חלק ב - אות כד
והעורב שונא בנו כמו שאמרו בכתובות (מ"ט ע"ב) ובשאר דוכתי הוא כמו שאמרו ז"ל (בבא בתרא ט"ז.) הוא שטן הוא יצר הרע הוא מלאך המות ורשעים תרדף רעה. ולכך הקדים נח שליחות העורב לעולם מן היונה כמו שקדם עשו ליעקב כי לעולם הקליפה קדמה לפרי.
[12] See Zohar Chadash, Bereishit 38b.
זוהר חדש כרך א (תורה) פרשת נח דף לח עמוד ב
אלא א"ר חייא למה שלח את העורב דא"ר חייא מצטער הוה נח טפי על אובדא דעלמא אמר רבש"ע ידעתי כי אתה רחום ואתה לא רחמת על עולמך ונהפך רחמנותך לאכזרות אתה לא רחמת על בניך יצא זה שאינו מרחם על בניו ונהפך להם לאכזרי ולפיכך שלח את העורב רמז הוא דקא רמז.
[13] The issue of the use of the different names of God, used as an intellectual battering ram by certain students of Biblical criticism, sheds much light on Bibilical study when properly understood, particularly when studying Bereishit and Noach. If one keeps in mind that the Torah always uses YHVH in connection with offerings, some insight may be achieved. The commandment to bring certain animals to the Ark “two by two”, simply to insure survival of the species, is ordered by Elokim – a name associated with nature. The command to bring ritually pure animals on to the Ark seven by seven, to facilitate the bringing of offerings after the flood, is commanded by YHVH. The two names are merged in 9:26, 27
[14] The raven represents the mixture or confusion of good and evil that is the result of eating from the Tree of Knowledge. See comments of Noam Elimelech to Parshat Ki Tavo.
ספר נועם אלימלך - פרשת כי תבא
וזהו דמצינו באליהו הנביא ז"ל וישב בנחל כרית והעורבים מביאים לו לחם. ולכאורה למה בחר ה' בעורבים שהם אכזרים על בניהם שהם יביאו לו לחם ועל פי דברינו הנ"ל כך פירושו וישב בנחל שהיה ממשיך השפעות מנחל העליון. ודרכי העורבים הם הקליפות לטרוף טרף ההשפעות אלא העובד ד' מאהבה גם הם ישלימו ויסכימו עמו לבלתי יגעו בהשפעה וזהו רמז שהעורבים הביאו לו לחם רוצה לומר שגם הקליפות הסכימו עמו …
...או יאמר בדרך הרמז וישלח את העורב ויצא יצוא ושוב. על דרך שפירש הרב הגלאנטי ז"ל (והבאתיו למעלה בפסוק קץ כל בשר) את מאמר חז"ל (ברכות נ"ט.) הקב"ה מוריד שתי דמעות לים הגדול על דרך משל שבא אחד ומרד כנגדו והמלך מתכעס על ידי זה ועל ידי זה יכאב ח"ו לב המלך בעת כעסו, מה עושה לוקח איש הלזה ושולח אותו למקום המשפט שיגמרו דינו שם והם עושים המשפט להשיב גמולו בראשו, ועל ידי זה נדחה מלב המלך כל בחינת הכעס וכאיבת לב כיון ששולחו לקבל משפטו. וכן הרשע המורד נגד מלך מלכי המלכים הקב"ה הוא מערב רע בטוב וטוב ברע והוא נקרא דמע מלשון עירוב כמו שאמרו (גיטין נ"ב ע"ב) המטמא והמדמע וכו', וכדי שלא יהיה פגם במדות העליונות מוריד אותן הדמעות לים הגדול מקום הצדק והמשפט שיוחרץ שם משפטו וישולם לו שכרו משלם, וכסא המלוכה נקי, עד כאן דבריו. והנה כשזכה נח לפתוח פתח המ"ם להאיר באורה על יושבי הארץ, ירא לנפשו פן אולי יחטאו עוד בני האדם ויערבו רע בטוב וטוב ברע ויהיה פגם במדות העליונות חלילה, אשר על כן ביקש רחמים על זה, ופעל זאת. וישלח את העורב כלומר זה הדמע והעירוב רע בטוב ויצא יצוא ושוב כלומר לצאת ממדות העליונות אל מדות התחתונות אשר הם בבחינת יצוא ושוב…
[15] It is important to note that black is not a primary color – but rather a lack of color.
[16] According to tradition it was Nimrod who threw Avraham into the fiery furnace. See Bereishit Rabbah 38:13.
The Raven- Nevermore?
Rabbi Ari D. Kahn
© 2008
…"Prophet!" said I, "thing of evil! — prophet still, if bird or devil! —Whether Tempter sent, or whether tempest tossed thee here ashore,Desolate yet all undaunted, on this desert land enchanted —On this home by horror haunted — tell me truly, I implore —Is there — is there balm in Gilead— tell me — tell me, I implore!" Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore."
The Raven, by Edgar Allan Poe[1]
In the aftermath of the destruction, as Noach floats along on his Ark, the waters have become eerily still, and a strange silence has replaced the angry, deadly, destructive storm. Now the Torah reports that Noach and all of creation have been remembered:
ספר בראשית פרק ח
(א) וַיִּזְכֹּר אֱלֹקים אֶת נֹחַ וְאֵת כָּל הַחַיָּה וְאֶת כָּל הַבְּהֵמָה אֲשֶׁר אִתּוֹ בַּתֵּבָה וַיַּעֲבֵר אֱלֹקים רוּחַ עַל הָאָרֶץ וַיָּשֹׁכּוּ הַמָּיִם:
(1) But the Almighty remembered Noach and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark, and the Almighty sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded. (Bereishit 8)
The name of God utilized in this section is Elokim. The connotation of this name is “God of Judgment”,[2] as opposed to “God of Mercy”. We might have thought that a “harsh and angry God” punished humankind and then a kind (albeit perhaps fickle) God changed his mind, but the Torah informs us that now that judgment has been meted out, Elokim, the very same aspect of Judgment, remembers Noach. At the end of 40 days Noach opens the window and sends forth a raven:
ספר בראשית פרק ח
(ו) וַיְהִי מִקֵּץ אַרְבָּעִים יוֹם וַיִּפְתַּח נֹחַ אֶת חַלּוֹן הַתֵּבָה אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה: (ז) וַיְשַׁלַּח אֶת הָעֹרֵב וַיֵּצֵא יָצוֹא וָשׁוֹב עַד יְבשֶׁת הַמַּיִם מֵעַל הָאָרֶץ:
(6) After forty days Noach opened the window he had made in the ark (7) and sent out a raven, and it kept flying back and forth until the water had dried up from the earth.
The raven suffers from a negative reputation, associated in both Rabbinic and general Western literature with demonic forces[3]. In the unforgettable words of Edgar Allan Poe, quoted above:
…"Prophet!" said I, "thing of evil! — prophet still, if bird or devil![4]
While we can leave it to scholars of American Poetry to reveal Poe’s sources of information and attitude, the negativity toward the raven apparently goes all the way back to chapter 8 of Bereishit. But why the antagonism? What dastardly deed did the raven commit to deserve this reputation? Compare the raven to the dove, which is regarded as a loving, faithful, loyal harbinger of peace. The contrast is stark – as stark as black verses white. While in fact the raven is dark and the dove is white, can the Torah actually ascribe such significance to pigmentation? Let us continue the story and see what happens with the dove.
(ח) וַיְשַׁלַּח אֶת הַיּוֹנָה מֵאִתּוֹ לִרְאוֹת הֲקַלּוּ הַמַּיִם מֵעַל פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה: (ט) וְלֹא מָצְאָה הַיּוֹנָה מָנוֹחַ לְכַף רַגְלָהּ וַתָּשָׁב אֵלָיו אֶל הַתֵּבָה כִּי מַיִם עַל פְּנֵי כָל הָאָרֶץ וַיִּשְׁלַח יָדוֹ וַיִּקָּחֶהָ וַיָּבֵא אֹתָהּ אֵלָיו אֶל הַתֵּבָה: (י) וַיָּחֶל עוֹד שִׁבְעַת יָמִים אֲחֵרִים וַיֹּסֶף שַׁלַּח אֶת הַיּוֹנָה מִן הַתֵּבָה: (יא) וַתָּבֹא אֵלָיו הַיּוֹנָה לְעֵת עֶרֶב וְהִנֵּה עֲלֵה זַיִת טָרָף בְּפִיהָ וַיֵּדַע נֹחַ כִּי קַלּוּ הַמַּיִם מֵעַל הָאָרֶץ: (יב) וַיִּיָּחֶל עוֹד שִׁבְעַת יָמִים אֲחֵרִים וַיְשַׁלַּח אֶת הַיּוֹנָה וְלֹא יָסְפָה שׁוּב אֵלָיו עוֹד:
(8) Then he sent out a dove to see if the water had receded from the surface of the ground. (9) But the dove could find no place to set its feet because there was water over all the surface of the earth; so it returned to Noach in the ark. He reached out his hand and took the dove and brought it back to himself in the ark. (10) He waited seven more days and again sent out the dove from the ark. (11) When the dove returned to him in the evening, there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf! Then Noach knew that the water had receded from the earth. (12) He waited seven more days and sent the dove out again, but this time it did not return to him. (Bereishit 8)
A careful reading of the verses brings several problems to light: While the objective of the dove’s mission is clearly stated, “to see if the water had receded”, the text does not reveal the motivation for sending the raven. While the juxtaposition of the two birds might suggest a common mission, the lack of explanation for the raven’s mission is nonetheless striking. This leads to additional questions about the raven: We don’t know why specifically the raven was chosen or if the mission was successful or aborted. Was this Noach’s idea, or was he commanded to send the raven out? Did Noach perhaps seek permission or approval for his initiative? The text is silent.
When we compare the two verses which describe the sending of the raven and dove respectively, we notice a second difference: When Noach sends the dove, the word used is מֵאִתּוֹ me’ito: literally rendered, he sent the dove “from himself” (an idiom that is difficult to translate). The reader is left with the impression that Noach had a close relationship with this dove – perhaps it was his personal pet. This sort of modifier is totally absent in the case of the raven.
The dove’s mission was successfully completed when it returned with the olive branch in its beak, creating the enduring image of peace. But what of the raven? Why was it sent and how did it fare? The Chizzkuni suggests an ominous mandate for the raven:
חזקוני על בראשית פרק ח פסוק ז
(ז) וישלח את הערב - לפי שדרכו לאכול נבלות ואם קלו המים ימצא מתי מבול מושלכים על פני שפת המים.
The raven was sent because its nature is to eat carcasses, and if the water subsided, it would find corpses strewn on the shore. (Chizzkuni Bereishit 8:7)
In contrast to the olive branch in the mouth of the dove, eternal symbol of peace, we have a vivid image of the predatory, carnivorous raven descending upon corpses, perhaps even mutilating one to bring something back to Noach. The image persists even though the raven apparently fails to even leave the immediate vicinity of the Ark – and doesn’t bring back any flesh. While the Chizzkuni’s may be the correct reading of the text and of Noach’s motivation for sending the raven, we are still baffled as to why this is not stated explicitly – namely that the raven was also sent to see if the water had subsided. This, coupled with the other outstanding textual oddity – the dove described as having been sent “from him” - leaves us searching for the deeper meaning of the narrative. Rabbi Naftali Zvi Yehudah Berlin (“The Netziv”) in his Torah commentary Ha’amek Davar[5] raises some important questions: Why were the raven and dove singled out? There are many birds that fly farther and better then these two. Furthermore, who gave Noach permission to release these birds prior to the time when all the other inhabitants of the Ark would be released? The Netziv theorizes that these two birds were not of the “two by two” brought to the Ark, rather they were Noach’s pets. With this suggestion, the Netziv solves one problem, but exchanges it for another: While we may now know why Noach was permitted to send these birds, we don’t know how he brought them to the Ark in the first place.
The Ohr Hachaim (Hakadosh) also questions why the raven was sent, but rejects the suggestion that it was in order to check the water level: The Torah surely would have stated this, as it does subsequently regarding the dove’s mission. Rather, in keeping with a Talmudic tradition,[6] the Ohr Hachaim reveals why the raven was sent: because Noach didn’t want it around. The Talmud suggests that the raven was cast out because it broke protocol and had relations on the Ark. While the dove was sent on a reconnaissance mission, the raven was simply expelled. The raven, for his part, refused to leave.
The Talmud recounts that the raven lodges a complaint: He accuses Noach of acting with cruelty and prejudice, for his expulsion would result in the extinction of the species[7]. In fact, that is just one of many accusations the raven puts forth:
עין יעקב על מסכת סנהדרין קח ב
"וַיְשַׁלַּח אֶת הָעֹרֵב" - אָמַר רֵישׁ לָקִישׁ, תְּשׁוּבָה נִצַּחַת הֱשִׁיבוֹ עוֹרֵב לְנֹחַ. אָמַר לוֹ, רַבְּךָ שׂוֹנְאֵנִי, וְאַתָּה שְׂנֵאתַנִי, רַבְּךָ שׂוֹנְאֵנִי - "מִן הַטְּהוֹרִים שִׁבְעָה, מִן הַטְּמֵאִים שְׁנַיִם". וְאַתָּה שְׂנֵאתַנִי - שֶׁאַתָּה מֵנִיחַ מִמִּין שִׁבְעָה, וְשׁוֹלֵחַ מִמִּין שְׁנַיִם, אִם פָּגַע בִּי שַׂר חַמָּה אוֹ שַׂר צִנָּה, (ומת) לֹא נִמְצָא עוֹלָם חָסֵר בְּרִיָּה אַחַת?!
“And he sent forth a raven.” Resh Lakish said: The raven gave Noach a triumphant retort. It said to him, ‘Thy Master hateth me, and thou hatest me. Thy Master hateth me — [since He commanded] seven [pairs to be taken] of the clean [creatures], but only two of the unclean. Thou hatest me — seeing that thou leavest the species of which there are seven, and sendest one of which there are only two. Should the angel of heat or of cold smite me, would not the world be short of one kind? (Talmud Sanhedrin 108b)
The Talmud describes the raven as having a winning argument. He accuses both Noach and God of hating him: God had shown an obvious preference for other species, commanding Noach to preserve seven of each. And surely it would have been more prudent for Noach to send a bird from one of the species of which more than two of a kind had been on board the Ark.
מדרש רבה בראשית פרשה לג פסקה ה
(ה) ויהי מקץ ארבעים יום ויפתח נח הדא מסייעא לההוא דא"ר אבא בר כהנא חלון וישלח את העורב הה"ד (תהלים קה) שלח חשך ויחשיך ויצא יצא ושוב ר' יודן בשם ר' יודה ב"ר סימון התחיל משיבו תשובות א"ל מכל בהמה חיה ועוף שיש כאן אין אתה משלח אלא לי א"ל מה צורך לעולם בך לא לאכילה לא לקרבן
“And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noach opened the halon [e.v. ‘window’] of the Ark.” This supports the view that it was a window [trapdoor]. “and he sent forth a raven”: thus it is written, He sent darkness, and it was dark” (Ps. CV, 28). “And it went forth to and fro (yatzo va’shov). R. Judan said in the name of R. Judah b. R. Simon: It began arguing with him: 'Of all the birds that thou hast here thou sendest none but me!’ ‘What need then has the world of thee?' he retorted; 'For food? For a sacrifice[8]?’ (Midrash Rabbah 33:5)
Perhaps Noach sees the world through utilitarian eyes: Either something can be used or it has no value. If a raven can’t be eaten and can’t be used as an offering, the world simply doesn’t need it.
Then the raven goes even further and hurls a bizarre accusation:
וְעוֹד אָמַר לוֹ, שֶׁמָּא לְאִשְׁתִּי אַתָּה צָרִיךְ? אָמַר לוֹ, רָשָׁע, בַּמֻּתָּר לִי, נֶאֱסַר לִי, בַּנֶּאֱסַר לִי - לֹא כָּל שֶׁכֵּן?! וּמְנָא לָן דְּנֶאֶסְרוּ, (עליו)? דִּכְתִיב, (בראשית ו) "וּבָאתָ אֶל הַתֵּבָה אַתָּה וּבָנֶיךָ וְאִשְׁתְּךָ וּנְשֵׁי בָנֶיךָ אִתָּךְ". וּכְתִיב, (שם ח) "צֵא מִן הַתֵּבָה אַתָּה וְאִשְׁתְּךָ וּבָנֶיךָ וּנְשֵׁי בָנֶיךָ אִתָּךְ". וְאָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן, מִכָּאן [אָמְרוּ], שֶׁנֶּאֶסְרוּ בְּתַשְׁמִישׁ הַמִּטָּה.
Or perhaps thou desirest my mate!’ — ‘Thou evil one!’ he exclaimed; ‘even that which is [usually] permitted me has [now] been forbidden: how much more so that which is [always] forbidden me!’ And whence do we know that they were forbidden? — From the verse, And thou shalt enter into the Ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and the wives of thy sons with thee; whilst further on it is written, Go forth from the Ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons’ wives with thee. Whereon R. Johanan observed: From this we deduce that cohabitation had been forbidden. (Talmud Sanhedrin 108b)
The raven accuses Noach of fancying his spouse; Noach honors the accusation with a response, proving the raven’s charge outrageous: If, while on the Ark, he has maintained abstinence from his own wife, how much more so would he avoid intimacy with the raven’s spouse, who is always off limits! What could have made the raven construe the situation in this manner? The Talmud portrays this as a case of projection. The raven was one of three who broke boundaries on the ark and engaged in illicit sexual behavior:
תָּנוּ רַבָּנָן, שְׁלֹשָׁה שִׁמְּשׁוּ בַּתֵּבָה, וְכֻלָּם לָקוּ; כֶּלֶב, וְעוֹרֵב, וְחָם. כֶּלֶב - נִקְשָׁר. עוֹרֵב - רוֹקֵק. חָם - לָקָה בְּעוֹרוֹ.
Our Rabbis taught: Three copulated in the ark, and they were all punished — the dog, the raven, and Ham. The dog was doomed to be tied, the raven expectorates [his seed into his mate's mouth]. And Ham was smitten in his skin. (Talmud Sanhedrin 108b)
Noach’s perspective of the raven is negative, but of the three transgressors, surely the one who bore the most responsibility was Ham, though some commentaries suggest that only after seeing the raven engaging in this behavior did Ham “heat up[9]” and follow suit. While Noach doesn’t have much use for the raven, seeing him as dark and devoid of utility, he also may not have much use for his son Ham, whose outrageous and immoral behavior in the following verses leads Noach to cast a dire curse upon one of Ham’s sons. [10] In citing Ham’s punishment by affliction of the skin, the analogy between Ham and the raven is drawn on more than one level, and we return to the theme of pigment. Later in the narrative we are also told that one of Ham’s children is Kush – which means black.
Noach sees the raven as a symbol of the darkness and cruelty that surround him and that have led to the massive, nearly total destruction of the world and its inhabitants[11]. Noach believes that God has abandoned the world[12]. God’s kindness has disappeared and the attribute of Elokim[13] reigns. For his first overture in the ante-deluvian world Noach sends forth a symbol of cruelty and darkness. Only later does he explore the possibility of kindness, loyalty and peace, sending the white dove which represents God’s merciful and kind attributes, even with it’s name (the Hebrew word yona is composed of three of the four letters of the Divine Name denoting omnipresence). Noach rejects the raven, casts it away, and identifies with the dove that he sends “me’ito” – of or from himself.
There is, however, someone who does not concur with Noach’s judgment and attitude toward the raven: God, the Creator of this dark, maligned creature.
מדרש רבה בראשית פרשה לג פסקה ה
רבי ברכיה בשם רבי אבא בר כהנא אמר אמר לו הקב"ה קבלו שעתיד העולם להצטרך לו אמר לו אימתי אמר לו עד יבשת המים מעל הארץ עתיד צדיק אחד לעמוד ולייבש את העולם ואני מצריכו לו הה"ד (מלכים א יז) והעורבים מביאים לו לחם ובשר בבקר ולחם ובשר בערב
R. Berekiah said in R. Abba's name: The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him [Noach]: ‘Take it back, because the world will need it in the future.’ ' When? ' he asked. ’ When the waters dry off from on the earth ' (ib.). He replied: ‘A righteous man will arise and dry up the world, and will cause him to have need of them [the ravens],’ as it is written, And the ravens (‘orvim) brought him bread and flesh, etc. (I Kings XVII, 6). (Midrash Rabbah 33:5)
This Midrash refers to an episode that we may consider an inverse of the flood – a time of drought. The raven comes into its’ own, as it were, and rises to the occasion.
מלכים א פרק יז
(א) וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלִיָּהוּ הַתִּשְׁבִּי מִתֹּשָׁבֵי גִלְעָד אֶל אַחְאָב חַי יְקֹוָק אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר עָמַדְתִּי לְפָנָיו אִם יִהְיֶה הַשָּׁנִים הָאֵלֶּה טַל וּמָטָר כִּי אִם לְפִי דְבָרִי: ס
(ב) וַיְהִי דְבַר יְקֹוָק אֵלָיו לֵאמֹר: (ג) לֵךְ מִזֶּה וּפָנִיתָ לְּךָ קֵדְמָה וְנִסְתַּרְתָּ בְּנַחַל כְּרִית אֲשֶׁר עַל פְּנֵי הַיַּרְדֵּן: (ד) וְהָיָה מֵהַנַּחַל תִּשְׁתֶּה וְאֶת הָעֹרְבִים צִוִּיתִי לְכַלְכֶּלְךָ שָׁם: (ה) וַיֵּלֶךְ וַיַּעַשׂ כִּדְבַר יְקֹוָק וַיֵּלֶךְ וַיֵּשֶׁב בְּנַחַל כְּרִית אֲשֶׁר עַל פְּנֵי הַיַּרְדֵּן: (ו) וְהָעֹרְבִים מְבִיאִים לוֹ לֶחֶם וּבָשָׂר בַּבֹּקֶר וְלֶחֶם וּבָשָׂר בָּעָרֶב
(1) Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, "By the God of Israel (YHVH) whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word." (2) Then the word of God came to Elijah: (3) "Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. (4) You will drink from the brook, and I have ordered the ravens to feed you there." (5) So he did what God had told him. He went to the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan, and stayed there. (6) The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook.
God’s answer to Noach is, “I have a plan for the raven. He will be needed in the future.” The name of the raven in Hebrew, orev, does not mean “black”; it comes from the root word meaning “mixture”[14]. While Noach may treat the raven as black[15], especially when compared to the fair dove, whose name and nature possess a hint of the Divine, the raven is apparently far more complex – reflecting the mixture of good and bad, a representation of post- Eden reality. Noach chooses to reject and expel the raven. He does not accept the merger of good and evil. He sees his own survival as testimony to the eradication of evil and the triumph of good. God sees things differently.
There is another book that grapples with this same tension: Should an imperfect society be saved or eradicated? The prophet who chooses to see the world in black and white is none other than the prophet named Yona, the Hebrew word for dove.
יונה פרק א
(א) וַיְהִי דְּבַר יְקֹוָק אֶל יוֹנָה בֶן אֲמִתַּי לֵאמֹר: (ב) קוּם לֵךְ אֶל נִינְוֵה הָעִיר הַגְּדוֹלָה וּקְרָא עָלֶיהָ כִּי עָלְתָה רָעָתָם לְפָנָי: (ג) וַיָּקָם יוֹנָה לִבְרֹחַ תַּרְשִׁישָׁה מִלִּפְנֵי יְקֹוָק וַיֵּרֶד יָפוֹ וַיִּמְצָא אֲנִיָּה בָּאָה תַרְשִׁישׁ וַיִּתֵּן שְׂכָרָהּ וַיֵּרֶד בָּהּ לָבוֹא עִמָּהֶם תַּרְשִׁישָׁה מִלִּפְנֵי יְקֹוָק: (ד) וַיקֹוָק הֵטִיל רוּחַ גְּדוֹלָה אֶל הַיָּם וַיְהִי סַעַר גָּדוֹל בַּיָּם וְהָאֳנִיָּה חִשְּׁבָה לְהִשָּׁבֵר:
(1) The word of the God came to Yona son of Amittai: (2) "Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me." (3)But Yona ran away from God and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Jaffa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from God. (4)Then God sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up.
The name of God used here indicates compassion. Yona runs away from God’s compassion; he thinks that he would prefer pure justice.
יונה פרק ד
(א) וַיֵּרַע אֶל יוֹנָה רָעָה גְדוֹלָה וַיִּחַר לוֹ: (ב) וַיִּתְפַּלֵּל אֶל יְקֹוָק וַיֹּאמַר אָנָּה יְקֹוָק הֲלוֹא זֶה דְבָרִי עַד הֱיוֹתִי עַל אַדְמָתִי עַל כֵּן קִדַּמְתִּי לִבְרֹחַ תַּרְשִׁישָׁה כִּי יָדַעְתִּי כִּי אַתָּה אֵל חַנּוּן וְרַחוּם אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם וְרַב חֶסֶד וְנִחָם עַל הָרָעָה: (ג) וְעַתָּה יְקֹוָק קַח נָא אֶת נַפְשִׁי מִמֶּנִּי כִּי טוֹב מוֹתִי מֵחַיָּי: ס
(1) But Yona was greatly displeased and became angry. (2) He prayed to God, "O God, is this not what I said when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. (3 )Now, O God, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live." (Yona chapter 4)
In order to appreciate the irony, and to fully understand the connection, we must take a closer look at the other main protagonists in the Book of Yona, namely the inhabitants of the city of Ninveh. What is their lineage – from which dark place did they emerge?
בראשית פרק י
(ח) וְכוּשׁ יָלַד אֶת נִמְרֹד הוּא הֵחֵל לִהְיוֹת גִּבֹּר בָּאָרֶץ: (ט) הוּא הָיָה גִבֹּר צַיִד לִפְנֵי יְקֹוָק עַל כֵּן יֵאָמַר כְּנִמְרֹד גִּבּוֹר צַיִד לִפְנֵי יְקֹוָק: (י) וַתְּהִי רֵאשִׁית מַמְלַכְתּוֹ בָּבֶל וְאֶרֶךְ וְאַכַּד וְכַלְנֵה בְּאֶרֶץ שִׁנְעָר: (יא) מִן הָאָרֶץ הַהִוא יָצָא אַשּׁוּר וַיִּבֶן אֶת נִינְוֵה וְאֶת רְחֹבֹת עִיר וְאֶת כָּלַח: (יב) וְאֶת רֶסֶן בֵּין נִינְוֵה וּבֵין כָּלַח הִוא הָעִיר הַגְּדֹלָה:
(8) Kush (the son of Ham) was the father of Nimrod, who grew to be a mighty warrior on the earth. (9) He was a mighty hunter before God; that is why it is said, "Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before God." (10) The first centers of his kingdom were Babylon, Erech, Akkad and Calneh, in Shinar. (11) From that land he went to Assyria, where he built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah (12) and Resen, which is between Nineveh and Calah; that is the great city. (Bereishit 10)
The city of Ninveh is built and populated by descendants of Ham, his son Kush and his grandson Nimrod[16]-- quite an unholy trinity of forebears. Such a city should certainly be destroyed; what justification could possibly exist for its salvation? This seems to be Yona’s perspective. The rebellious prophet tries to escape God’s call to judgment on a boat, just as Noach did all those years before. Now Ninveh, which is thematically connected with the raven, has as its adversary Yona – the thematic continuation of Noach and the dove. Yona, like Noach, sees the world as black and white, while the city of Ninveh represents the raven - the orev - the combination of good and evil. When Yona looks at Ninveh - its past, present and future - he sees evil. God sees the more complex reality, the confusion of good and evil represented in the figure and personality of the raven.
How appropriate that the symbol of God’s covenant with Noach, and through him with all of humanity, is the many-colored rainbow: The world is not black and white, it is multi-colored, and each color melts into the next. Good is merged with Evil, and Evil with Good. The very existence of the world in the aftermath of the deluge is a testament to the Merciful God, and the symbol of His covenant is a spectacular mosaic of color. Even when the world seems foreboding, dark and evil, we must learn from God and not from Noach or Yona: We must look more carefully and learn to distinguish between the elements of the mixture. Good may be found amongst the evil, and things that don’t look completely good are not necessarily completely bad. That is the lesson taught by the raven.
[1] First published on January 29, 1845, in the New York Evening Mirror.
[2] See Shmot 20:1 and Rashi’s comments, as well as Rashi ‘s comments to Psalms 58:12. Occasionally the word elohim refers to a human judge. See Exodus 22:28. This name denotes “possessing power”, hence my use in translation of the name “Almighty”.
[3] The Be’er Mayim Chaim points out that the word raven in Hebrew is spelled ayin resh bet, the same letters which spell b’rah in reverse, which means “in evil”:
ספר באר מים חיים פרשת נח - פרק ח
ואולם הנה כבר כתבנו אשר העורב לא נשלח כלל בשליחות כי אם שלחו מן התיבה שלא יהיה עמו עבור שראה אותו ברע, אותיות ערב.
[4] See note 1, above.
[5] Haemek Davar Bereishit 8:7
העמק דבר על בראשית פרק ח פסוק ז
(ז) את העורב: יש להתבונן למה שלח שני עופות הללו, דוקא עורב ויונה. והלא יש הרבה עופות שפורחים טוב יותר מהם. והתו מאין הי' רשות לנח להוציאם מן התבה לפני זמן היציאה לכולם. ע"כ היה נראה לפי הפשט דעורב ויונה הללו לא היו מן הזוגות שנכנסו להחיות זרע בדבר ה'. אלא בשביל שהי' נח לפני מי המבול כאחד מן השרים שמנהגם הי' גם אז לגדל עורבים ויונים.
[6] Sanhedrin 108b.
[7] In his commentary to Sanhedrin 108, The Ben Y’hoyada points out that once the raven had relations, a new generation of raven was now on the way, and there was no danger of extinction.
[8] Apparently Noach is not troubled by the potential extinction of the raven.
[9] The name Ham means hot. See comments of Rav Shimshon ben Rafael Hirsch to this section.
[10] See 9:24-26
[11] See Rav Zadok Hakohen, Kometz Mincha part 2 section 24, where sources are cited that the raven hates it own offspring.
ספר קומץ המנחה חלק ב - אות כד
והעורב שונא בנו כמו שאמרו בכתובות (מ"ט ע"ב) ובשאר דוכתי הוא כמו שאמרו ז"ל (בבא בתרא ט"ז.) הוא שטן הוא יצר הרע הוא מלאך המות ורשעים תרדף רעה. ולכך הקדים נח שליחות העורב לעולם מן היונה כמו שקדם עשו ליעקב כי לעולם הקליפה קדמה לפרי.
[12] See Zohar Chadash, Bereishit 38b.
זוהר חדש כרך א (תורה) פרשת נח דף לח עמוד ב
אלא א"ר חייא למה שלח את העורב דא"ר חייא מצטער הוה נח טפי על אובדא דעלמא אמר רבש"ע ידעתי כי אתה רחום ואתה לא רחמת על עולמך ונהפך רחמנותך לאכזרות אתה לא רחמת על בניך יצא זה שאינו מרחם על בניו ונהפך להם לאכזרי ולפיכך שלח את העורב רמז הוא דקא רמז.
[13] The issue of the use of the different names of God, used as an intellectual battering ram by certain students of Biblical criticism, sheds much light on Bibilical study when properly understood, particularly when studying Bereishit and Noach. If one keeps in mind that the Torah always uses YHVH in connection with offerings, some insight may be achieved. The commandment to bring certain animals to the Ark “two by two”, simply to insure survival of the species, is ordered by Elokim – a name associated with nature. The command to bring ritually pure animals on to the Ark seven by seven, to facilitate the bringing of offerings after the flood, is commanded by YHVH. The two names are merged in 9:26, 27
[14] The raven represents the mixture or confusion of good and evil that is the result of eating from the Tree of Knowledge. See comments of Noam Elimelech to Parshat Ki Tavo.
ספר נועם אלימלך - פרשת כי תבא
וזהו דמצינו באליהו הנביא ז"ל וישב בנחל כרית והעורבים מביאים לו לחם. ולכאורה למה בחר ה' בעורבים שהם אכזרים על בניהם שהם יביאו לו לחם ועל פי דברינו הנ"ל כך פירושו וישב בנחל שהיה ממשיך השפעות מנחל העליון. ודרכי העורבים הם הקליפות לטרוף טרף ההשפעות אלא העובד ד' מאהבה גם הם ישלימו ויסכימו עמו לבלתי יגעו בהשפעה וזהו רמז שהעורבים הביאו לו לחם רוצה לומר שגם הקליפות הסכימו עמו …
...או יאמר בדרך הרמז וישלח את העורב ויצא יצוא ושוב. על דרך שפירש הרב הגלאנטי ז"ל (והבאתיו למעלה בפסוק קץ כל בשר) את מאמר חז"ל (ברכות נ"ט.) הקב"ה מוריד שתי דמעות לים הגדול על דרך משל שבא אחד ומרד כנגדו והמלך מתכעס על ידי זה ועל ידי זה יכאב ח"ו לב המלך בעת כעסו, מה עושה לוקח איש הלזה ושולח אותו למקום המשפט שיגמרו דינו שם והם עושים המשפט להשיב גמולו בראשו, ועל ידי זה נדחה מלב המלך כל בחינת הכעס וכאיבת לב כיון ששולחו לקבל משפטו. וכן הרשע המורד נגד מלך מלכי המלכים הקב"ה הוא מערב רע בטוב וטוב ברע והוא נקרא דמע מלשון עירוב כמו שאמרו (גיטין נ"ב ע"ב) המטמא והמדמע וכו', וכדי שלא יהיה פגם במדות העליונות מוריד אותן הדמעות לים הגדול מקום הצדק והמשפט שיוחרץ שם משפטו וישולם לו שכרו משלם, וכסא המלוכה נקי, עד כאן דבריו. והנה כשזכה נח לפתוח פתח המ"ם להאיר באורה על יושבי הארץ, ירא לנפשו פן אולי יחטאו עוד בני האדם ויערבו רע בטוב וטוב ברע ויהיה פגם במדות העליונות חלילה, אשר על כן ביקש רחמים על זה, ופעל זאת. וישלח את העורב כלומר זה הדמע והעירוב רע בטוב ויצא יצוא ושוב כלומר לצאת ממדות העליונות אל מדות התחתונות אשר הם בבחינת יצוא ושוב…
[15] It is important to note that black is not a primary color – but rather a lack of color.
[16] According to tradition it was Nimrod who threw Avraham into the fiery furnace. See Bereishit Rabbah 38:13.
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