Torah · Weekly Parasha VideoParashat VayeraRabbi Uri Nahum · June 19, 2017 · Vayera · וירא · 15 Min Parasha RoundupSave⌄ShareParasha class with Rabbi Uri Nahum, from BSD Productions’ 15 Min Parasha Roundup.Transcript0:06Parashat Vayera. This week's parasha has 1470:09pesukim, and we know that this week's parasha is famous for the parasha of the Akedah.0:13We divided this week's parasha into six parts.0:16The first part of the Torah tells us about Abraham and the three guests.0:21The second part of the parasha Torah tells us about the destruction of0:24Sedom. The third part of the parasha Torah tells us how Abraham Avinu moved to the land of0:28Pelishtim, and he lived there for over 25 years.0:32The fourth part of the parasha tells us finally how Yitzchak Avinu was born,0:35and when Yitzchak Avinu was born, how Yishmael was thrown out.0:38The fifth part of the parasha Torah tells us about the pact between Avimelech and Abraham,0:42and finally Torah concludes this week's parasha with the famous story of the Akedah,0:48bringing up Yitzchak as a korban to Hashem.0:51No mitzvot in this week's0:54parasha. The next mitzvah, בעזרת השם, will be in Parashat Vayishlach, Gid0:59Hanasheh. Let's get to the parasha in depth.1:01Let's begin with the first part of1:03the parasha. Torah tells us about the three guests who come to visit Abraham1:06Avinu. Here the Torah describes for us the greatness of Abraham1:12Avinu's hachnasat orchim, the mitzvah of bringing in guests.1:14Abraham Avinu always had guests,1:15but the Torah highlights this story to show us how far it extended.1:19In fact, the Gemara says in Masechet Bava Metzia that the meals Abraham Avinu would serve his guests1:26were greater than the meals that Shlomo HaMelech would serve.1:30And it says of the pasuk, Shlomo served great meals,1:32but Shlomo served the great meal, a large meal for many people.1:35Here Abraham Avinu served the great meal for only three people.1:40Now, the Torah tells us that Hashem was speaking to Abraham,1:44and in the middle of this conversation, he notices that there's three guests who come to visit him,1:47and he asks Hashem to wait for a moment while he goes and he invites the guests in.1:52And keep in mind, this was on the third day of his brit milah, and he was in tremendous pain.1:56In fact, Vayera elav Hashem, some say the Rashi, what are oi?2:01He was in tremendous pain on the third day after his brit milah,2:04and he invites the three guests and he gives them full service.2:08He slaughters a calf for each person so he could serve tongue for each person,2:11and he asks Sarah to get involved, and he asks Yishmael to get involved,2:14and everybody's involved in the2:18mitzvah of hachnasat orchim. And these three guests were none other than malachim, than angels.2:21And they come and they ask Avraham Avinu a little bit about himself, about his family,2:25and then they inform Avraham that as you're serving us now this year,2:31exactly next year you will have a son.2:34Sarah Imeinu is listening to the conversation and she laughs.2:37And Hashem comes to tell Avraham, He rebukes2:40Sarah, How could she laugh? How could she think that I will not be able to provide?2:44Even though she says she's old, but I'm able to provide.2:48And the Torah tells us from there the angels split.2:53One angel went back to Shamayim, while the other two angels now faced2:57Sedom. They were headed towards Sedom to see if they should destroy the city of3:01Sedom. But first Hashem had to go and make sure to run it by3:04Avraham Avinu to see if the city of Sedom should be destroyed.3:06And that leads us to the second part of the3:08parashah. Hashem informs Avraham about what he is about to do,3:11the decree of destroying the city of Sedom and3:14Amora. Now really there were five cities over there:3:16Sedom, Amora, Sheboyim, Admah, Tzvoyim, and3:22Tzoar. Those are the five cities.3:24And Avraham, upon hearing that Hashem wants to destroy3:29Sedom, starts bargaining with Hashem.3:30He starts begging Hashem, pleading, Hashem, please don't destroy the city.3:33It cannot be that such a large city and populated city3:38would not have at least ten tzaddikim in each city.3:42And Avraham Avinu is informed, No, they don't even have ten tzaddikim in each city.3:45And Avraham Avinu tries for forty-five tzaddikim in the five cities,3:48and he goes down, keeps on going down, number,3:50until he realizes that there's not even one minyan,3:53not even ten people of tzaddikim in all the five cities of Sedom and3:58Amora. So he realizes that Hashem's decree is4:02emet, and he gave the green light that Hashem could go ahead with the4:05gezeirah. And from there the guests of Avraham, who were really4:09malachim, enter the city of Sedom, and they're greeted by none other than Lot.4:14The nephew of4:16Avraham Avinu. Lot that day happened to be, he was appointed as a judge4:19over all the city of4:21Sedom. And Lot was, when he sees the guests, he runs over to them.4:25He begs them to please come to his house.4:26However, he asks them to take a different route from the normal one4:29because the law in Sedom was4:30you're not allowed to bring any4:32guests. So Lot brings the guests to his house.4:33However, the people of Sedom realize that there's a guest.4:37Somebody broke the rule.4:38And who broke the rule?4:39None other than the judge that we just appointed today broke the rules of the city.4:42He invited guests to his house.4:44So therefore, the people of Sedom, with their wickedness, come4:47and they attack Lot's house.4:50And they demand that these evil guests should be brought out4:54and let us do with them as we wish.4:56And Lot, after pleading with them back and forth,4:59sees that there's to no avail.5:01They're not listening to him.5:02So the malachim, they see that Lot is in danger.5:06He's about to be attacked.5:06They bring him inside the house.5:07They lock the doors,5:08and they strike everybody by the door with blindness.5:11And everybody who came to attack Lot's house was stricken with blindness.5:15Meanwhile, the malachim turn to Lot and they tell him,5:17Pick up whatever you have over here,5:19your family, whoever you have, your family and your5:22sons-in-law, get up and leave the city tomorrow early morning5:25because tomorrow we're destroying this place.5:27When Lot tells his family about this,5:30some take him seriously, some don't.5:33Some of his children and sons-in-law make fun of the whole idea.5:36Yeah, yeah, sure, Hashem's going to destroy5:38Sedom, right? There's a God.5:39Sure, yeah, no problem.5:40However, his daughters are the ones who take him seriously.5:42And the next morning, Lot, his wife, and his two daughters5:47were led by the malachim out of the city of5:49Sedom, and they were warned, Make sure you don't turn around5:51and see how the city is destroyed,5:53because technically you're supposed to be part of the destruction.5:56The only reason you're saved is because in the merit of6:00Avraham Avinu. He shouldn't feel bad that his nephew would be destroyed.6:03So Lot, together with his wife and his two daughters,6:06run out of the city.6:08As they run out, Lot's wife turns around and sees the destruction of6:12Sedom. The Torah tells us that she turns into a pillar of salt.6:15Why a salt?6:16Because she was also like the people of6:18Sedom. When guests would come in, she wouldn't even want to serve them salt.6:22Something so little as salt, she wouldn't want to serve them.6:24So therefore she turned into a pillar of salt.6:27Lot and his two daughters now are running out,6:30and they were told, Go, run away and go live by6:33Avraham Avinu. That's where you'll be protected.6:35However, Lot was scared to go next to6:39Avraham because he realized Avraham was a big tzaddik6:41and it might bring his wickedness in contrast.6:44So therefore he begged that he should go to a city named6:47Tzoar. Even though it's one of the five cities that was supposed to be destroyed,6:49still Lot felt that I could be protected in that city;6:52it doesn't have so many6:53aveirot. The angels agree to Lot, and they send them to6:58Tzoar, and they protect the city of6:59Tzoar. From Tzoar, Lot goes with his two daughters, and they run away from there,7:02and they go into a cave.7:04Into the cave, the daughters think that there's nobody around,7:07that Hashem destroyed the world like the way He destroyed in the times of7:10Noach, and only survivors are Lot and his two daughters.7:13So they come up with a plan that in order for us to populate the world,7:18we have to be with our father.7:19And the Torah tells us that Lot was with his two daughters after being drunk,7:24and they conceived and they had children.7:26Who were these children?7:28One of them was named Moab; the other one was called7:30Ben-Ami, who was really—both of them were the leaders, the fathers of the nation of Moab7:35and the nation of7:37Ammon. And move on now to the third part of this week's7:39parashah. Torah tells us about Abraham moving to7:41Pelishtim. After the news came to Abraham about what happened in7:44Sedom and what happened by Lot and his daughters,7:46that he was with his7:47daughters, out of embarrassment, Abraham picks up his family and he moves over to7:52Pelishtim. But upon entering7:54Pelishtim, the same thing that happened to Abraham in Mitzrayim happens again.7:57They take Abraham's wife, Sarah, to the king.8:00Because he was so beautiful. And this time already Sarah knows better.8:04She was told from the first time that wherever they go, in order to protect Avraham's life,8:10she should claim that she's only his sister.8:13However, Hashem doesn't allow Avimelech to do anything to Sarah.8:17He strikes the whole palace with a plague,8:22and they all get makot.8:23And in the dream, Hashem appears to Avimelech, warning him8:29that you have taken the wife of a great tzaddik, a prophet, and make sure you give her back.8:35And if you don't give her back, you will be in great danger.8:39Avimelech wakes up, gives back Avraham Avinu his wife, Sarah,8:43and Avraham Avinu prays for the welfare of Avimelech and all his family and all his castle,8:48and they're all8:49healed. And from there, Avimelech gives many gifts to Sarah and8:54many to Avraham, and they leave the city.8:56Now we move on to the fourth part of this week's8:59parashah, Toldot, about Yitzchak's birth.9:01Finally, the day that Avraham Avinu was waiting for.9:04Avraham was 100, Sarah was 90 years old, and Yitzchak is born.9:07And Avraham Avinu circumcises him, gives him brit milah when he's eight days old,9:11and two years later, when Yitzchak Avinu already could eat on his own,9:14Avraham Avinu makes a great9:19seudah. And later on, the Torah tells us that Sarah Imenu realizes9:23that Yishmael is being a bad influence on9:26Yitzchak. He's teaching him things that a son of Avraham Avinu should not be doing.9:29And therefore she asks Avraham to throw out Yishmael and his mother.9:33And although it was difficult for Avraham to do because Yishmael is still his son,9:38Avraham Avinu was told by Hashem that Sarah speaks with ruach hakodesh.9:42She's not speaking from a personal level.9:45She's speaking because she's saying the right thing.9:48And Avraham Avinu takes Yishmael and his mother Hagar,9:52and he throws them out of the house, and they leave.9:55Yishmael, when he left the house, left very sick9:57because Sarah Imenu put an ayin hara on him, and he was very, very sick.10:01So therefore, Hagar was carrying him in the desert,10:03and they come to a point when they didn't have anything to drink,10:07and it seems like Yishmael was about to10:09die. She puts him down, and she goes all the way on the side10:12because she didn't want to see the death of her child.10:14However, she was miraculously saved by10:17malachim, who informed her that your son Yishmael will become a great nation in the future.10:23And they open up her eyes, and they show her a discovery of a well10:27where she's able to give her son water.10:29And from there, it says that Hagar and Yishmael went back to their olden ways,10:32not only to the places where they lived in Mitzrayim,10:35they even went back to the old ways of10:38avodah zarah. We move on now to the fifth part of the10:40parashah, where Avimelech comes over to Abraham and he tells him,10:43You know, Abraham, I've been watching you for a while,10:45and I see something different about you.10:46I see that your God is with you. Whatever you do, you're successful.10:49Therefore, I would like to make a pact with you10:51that we should not be enemies, we should not have any wars,10:56not me and you, and not our children.10:59We should have peace amongst us.11:01Abraham Avinu, before agreeing to the pact, rebukes11:05Avimelech. What happened? Abraham used to dig up wells11:08in order that people should drink.11:09However, every time he dug up, the servants of Avimelech would steal from him.11:12So he rebukes Avimelech about this,11:14and then he gives him seven sheep.11:16Avimelech, when sees seven sheep, says,11:18What's the seven sheep? What were they giving me?11:19He says, I want this to be a reminder11:23that these seven sheep are proof that I'm digging up the next well.11:28And that's what happens. The next well is dug up,11:30and Avraham Avinu has the well for him,11:37and nobody fights, nobody takes the well,11:40and therefore the place is called Be'er Sheva,11:41why? For the seven sheep that were given from Abraham to11:44Avimelech as proof that Abraham Avinu was the one who dug it.11:48And finally, we move on to the sixth and final part of this week's11:52parashah, the11:53Akedah. Torah tells us that the Akedah came as a test to Abraham,11:58and the Gemara in Sanhedrin explains12:01that the reason why the Akedah came was three.12:06Number one is because of this parashah that we just finished.12:09It says Abraham Avinu made a pact with12:11Avimelech. Hashem was not happy that Abraham made a pact with12:13Avimelech. Avimelech was a goy and was not a good person,12:16so therefore Hashem tested him with such a great test right now12:19to see if he's really faithful to HaKadosh12:22Baruch Hu. That's one explanation.12:23Another two explanations the Gemara gives12:24is that Abraham Avinu,12:28when he made12:30the seudah when Yitzchak was only two years old,12:32the Satan came and said,12:34Hashem, Abraham made such a big and lavish meal.12:37Did he even offer you a korban?12:38I'm not talking about an animal.12:40Did he even offer you a bird for a korban, for a sacrifice?12:43To that, Hashem responded to the Satan,12:45If I ask him to sacrifice his own son, he'll bring it.12:49And that's exactly what happened.12:51Here Hashem tests Abraham12:52when Yitzchak is the ripe old age of 37,12:56not a little boy, 37 years old,12:58to please offer his son Yitzchak as a korban.13:02The third reason that's given13:03is that Yishmael and Yitzchak were debating13:07who's greater.13:08Yishmael says, I'm greater than you.13:10I had a brit milah, circumcision, 13 years old.13:13He had eight years old.13:13He didn't even know what was going on.13:14He didn't feel anything.13:16So to that Yitzchak responds,13:17If Hashem would tell me to offer my whole body,13:20I'm ready to give it up.13:21So therefore the test came13:23because of all these three reasons.13:24Hashem asked Abraham,13:26Bring up your son,13:27your one and only son that's special to you,13:31Yitzchak, as an offering on the mountain that I show you.13:34And Abraham prepares himself for this mitzvah,13:36and obviously you can imagine13:37what was going through Abraham Avinu's mind.13:39Hashem didn't rush him into it,13:40that people shouldn't think that he jumped into it.13:43Hashem didn't show him the place until three days later.13:45Mino Avraham makes the preparations.13:47He tells Eliezer, I'm going to go teach my son Yitzhak some13:50halachot. He takes a donkey with wood on it.13:52He takes a knife,13:53and he takes Eliezer and Yishmael along the journey13:56to do this great mitzvah,13:58which is really a test.14:01Finally, they reach the mountain,14:03which was really14:04Har Moriah, the area of the Beit HaMikdash.14:05Avraham leaves Eliezer and Yishmael behind with the donkey.14:08He goes with Yitzhak on top of the mountain.14:10He binds Yitzhak,14:11and right before the moment of sacrificing Yitzhak,14:14the Torah tells us14:14Hashem14:15sends him a malach and tells him,14:16Stop.14:17You passed the test with flying colors.14:19Now I know you're a yarei Elokim.14:21You don't have to do14:23any more. There, Avraham Avinu prays for the welfare of all of his future descendants,14:28and Hashem should remember this act14:30that Avraham did.14:31He should remember it for his own children.14:33Avraham Avinu offers a ram in place of Yitzhak14:38Avinu, and afterwards14:39the Midrash says that Avraham sent Yitzhak Avinu to learn.14:42Some say he learned in yeshiva of14:45Shem v'Ever, and some say that he actually went to Gan Eden14:47in order to sit there and to learn about14:51God in his own way.14:52Then we finally,14:53the last part of the14:55parashah, Torah tells us14:57that on the way home,14:59Avraham is informed of the family of his brother15:02Nachor, which it points out that Rivka was born from15:05Nachor's son Betuel,15:07and Avraham realized that the time has come15:09perhaps I should get my son married15:11when the daughter gets a little bit older.15:14Now we get to the lesson of15:16the parashah. What can we learn from this week's15:18parashah? The end of the15:19parashah, Torah says,15:19Attah yadati ki yarei Elokim atah. Hashem15:22tells15:23Avraham, Now I know that you're15:26God-fearing. What do you mean, you're15:27God-fearing? What's so special,15:28now I know that you're15:29God-fearing? That is because15:30Avraham Avinu's whole life was about love.15:32He loved Hashem.15:33He loved people.15:34He brought people in15:35as hachnasat orchim, as we saw in the beginning of the15:38parashah. He taught people about15:40God. Everything that Avraham Avinu lived for15:41was about love and kindness and giving.15:45However, that does not necessarily show15:49Abraham's full commitment to Hashem.15:51Perhaps Abraham Avinu was born15:52with a nature of giving and loving.15:55When Abraham was told to do15:57the most horrific act a person could do,16:00sacrifice his own son, but not because he felt like it, but because God said that you should do it.16:07Avraham Avinu controlled his emotions of love and giving, and he took the knife and he was ready to sacrifice his own son because God said so.16:14Says God, now I see that besides the midah of ahavah, you also have the trait of yirah, fear of Me.16:21When I told you to do something even against your nature, you're able to do it.16:24Atah yadati. Now I know you're a faithful servant, a complete and perfect servant of God.16:30You take all your emotions, you take everything and you put them on the side when it comes to doing the service of God.16:36This is a perfect servant, one who could put all of his emotions on the side and use them or put them on the side in order to serve God.16:45When we serve God even against our nature, that's the greatest proof that we're serving God for the sake of God,16:53and that's what we can take out of this16:56parashah. A true servant of God is one who serves Him in all areas, even in an area which is against his nature.17:32Shabbat shalom.