Parshat Shavua Thoughts, Is "Vayelech" Connected to "Lech Lecha?"

Genesis/Bereishit 12
לך לך Lech Lecha
1 וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהוָה֙ אֶל־אַבְרָ֔ם לֶךְ־לְךָ֛ מֵאַרְצְךָ֥ וּמִמּֽוֹלַדְתְּךָ֖ וּמִבֵּ֣ית אָבִ֑יךָ אֶל־הָאָ֖רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֥ר אַרְאֶֽךָּ׃
The LORD said to Abram, “Go forth from your native land and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you.
2 וְאֶֽעֶשְׂךָ֙ לְג֣וֹי גָּד֔וֹל וַאֲבָ֣רֶכְךָ֔ וַאֲגַדְּלָ֖ה שְׁמֶ֑ךָ וֶהְיֵ֖ה בְּרָכָֽה׃
I will make of you a great nation, And I will bless you; I will make your name great, And you shall be a blessing.

Dvarim 31
וילך Vayelech1 וַיֵּ֖לֶךְ מֹשֶׁ֑ה וַיְדַבֵּ֛ר אֶת־הַדְּבָרִ֥ים הָאֵ֖לֶּה אֶל־כָּל־יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃
Moses went and spoke these things to all Israel.
...
וַֽיהוָ֞ה ה֣וּא ׀ הַהֹלֵ֣ךְ לְפָנֶ֗יךָ ה֚וּא יִהְיֶ֣ה עִמָּ֔ךְ לֹ֥א יַרְפְּךָ֖ וְלֹ֣א יַֽעַזְבֶ֑ךָּ לֹ֥א תִירָ֖א וְלֹ֥א תֵחָֽת׃ 8
And the LORD Himself will go before you. He will be with you; He will not fail you or forsake you. Fear not and be not dismayed!”

Both Lech Lecha and Vayelech have the same linguistic root, (ה ל כ (ך heh, lamed, chof, to go.

In Bereishit, which is in the beginning of the Bible/Torah, Gd tells Abram (Abraham) to go to a land of Gd's choosing, and Gd will make him a great nation. Then in one of the very last lines in the Torah, Moshe went (past tense of "go") to the Jewish People, those descended from Abram and reminds them that Gd will always be with them, and they shouldn't lose confidence.

While the politicians here in Israel are fighting over positions and honors, we must never forget that our TRUE LEADER  is GD ALMIGHTY. It's Gd who protects us, not the IDF or Iron Dome. Last week we celebrated, Rosh Hashanah, the beginning of the Jewish Year, and this week we'll be praying and fasting on Yom Kippur, beseeching Gd to forgive our sins.

May all the Jewish People return to genuine Jewish Life, of Mitzvot and kindness to one another here in the Land Gd gave us.

גמר חתימה טובה

Gmar Chatimah Tovah

May Gd Accept Our Prayers 

Parshat Lech-Lecha, Jews Out of Israel Miss The Forest for The Trees

This is one of the most important lines in the entire Bible:

Genesis Chapter 12

1And the Lord said to Abram, "Go forth from your land and from your birthplace and from your father's house, to the land that I will show you.

אוַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהֹוָה֙ אֶל־אַבְרָ֔ם לֶךְ־לְךָ֛ מֵֽאַרְצְךָ֥ וּמִמּֽוֹלַדְתְּךָ֖ וּמִבֵּ֣ית אָבִ֑יךָ אֶל־הָאָ֖רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֥ר אַרְאֶֽךָּ:

Look at its chiastic structure:

A-B-B-A
A- land
B- birthplace
B- father's house
A- land

Here we have the first commandment that is specifically to Abraham, the first Jew. It's the land that frames this verse. Leave your old land to a new land that I will show you, says Gd to Abram, as he was called then.

Standard interpretations of the middle of that line explain that it means changing culture, religion etc. As I see it, the Jews who concentrate only on the religious observance, kashrut, Shabbat, holidays, and so on, but do that living in Chu"L, outside of the Land Gd showed us, the Land of Israel, have missed the forest for the trees. They just don't see, or live, the full Judaism for which one is required to be in the Holy Land.

The "big picture," the "forest" is living as a Jew here in the Land of Israel. And that is the rationale why in some of the Mitzvah counts to see what makes up the 613 Commandments, living in Israel isn't included. That's because it's taken for granted. Think of painting a picture without a canvas or paper. The Land of Israel is that canvas on which we paint a full Jewish Life with the Help of Gd Almighty.

Shavua Tov

Have a Wonderful Week

Did Abraham Err in Buying The Land in Hebron? Is it Like Celebrating November 29, 1947?

Many times I've blogged that I consider the Israeli celebration of the "29th of November," the anniversary of the day when the infant United Nations member states approved the establishment of the State of Israel to be a terrible mistake.  We, Jewish Zionists, should never have asked the world permission to establish our state. It has made us dependent on international approval and seriously undermines our sovereignty.

I admit that some people may find what I'm now going to say rather "sacrilegious," but I feel it must be said.

In this week's Parshat Shavua, Weekly Torah Portion, Chayei Sarah, we read of the Matriarch Sarah's death and that Abraham, her husband goes to great lengths to buy a specific piece of  Land in Hebron with a burial cave, now known as Ma'arat HaMachpela.

Genesis Chapter 23 בְּרֵאשִׁית

יא  לֹא-אֲדֹנִי שְׁמָעֵנִי--הַשָּׂדֶה נָתַתִּי לָךְ, וְהַמְּעָרָה אֲשֶׁר-בּוֹ לְךָ נְתַתִּיהָ; לְעֵינֵי בְנֵי-עַמִּי נְתַתִּיהָ לָּךְ, קְבֹר מֵתֶךָ.	11 'Nay, my lord, hear me: the field give I thee, and the cave that is therein, I give it thee; in the presence of the sons of my people give I it thee; bury thy dead.'
יב  וַיִּשְׁתַּחוּ, אַבְרָהָם, לִפְנֵי, עַם הָאָרֶץ.	12 And Abraham bowed down before the people of the land.
יג  וַיְדַבֵּר אֶל-עֶפְרוֹן בְּאָזְנֵי עַם-הָאָרֶץ, לֵאמֹר, אַךְ אִם-אַתָּה לוּ, שְׁמָעֵנִי:  נָתַתִּי כֶּסֶף הַשָּׂדֶה, קַח מִמֶּנִּי, וְאֶקְבְּרָה אֶת-מֵתִי, שָׁמָּה.	13 And he spoke unto Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, saying: 'But if thou wilt, I pray thee, hear me: I will give the price of the field; take it of me, and I will bury my dead there.'
יד  וַיַּעַן עֶפְרוֹן אֶת-אַבְרָהָם, לֵאמֹר לוֹ.	14 And Ephron answered Abraham, saying unto him:
טו  אֲדֹנִי שְׁמָעֵנִי, אֶרֶץ אַרְבַּע מֵאֹת שֶׁקֶל-כֶּסֶף בֵּינִי וּבֵינְךָ מַה-הִוא; וְאֶת-מֵתְךָ, קְבֹר.	15 'My lord, hearken unto me: a piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver, what is that betwixt me and thee? bury therefore thy dead.'
טז  וַיִּשְׁמַע אַבְרָהָם, אֶל-עֶפְרוֹן, וַיִּשְׁקֹל אַבְרָהָם לְעֶפְרֹן, אֶת-הַכֶּסֶף אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר בְּאָזְנֵי בְנֵי-חֵת--אַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת שֶׁקֶל כֶּסֶף, עֹבֵר לַסֹּחֵר.	16 And Abraham hearkened unto Ephron; and Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver, which he had named in the hearing of the children of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, current money with the merchant.

Now please think about it.  There are three places in the Land of Israel that were bought by Jewish Leaders in Biblical times.  It's all in the Bible.  They are that piece of land in Hebron, Har Habayit (the Temple Mount,) and Shechem.  I remember going to a shiur, class, a few years ago that brought up the subject that davka those three places which were legally, according to the laws of man, were repurchased by Jews.  But davka, those three places are most contested.

If the purchase had been the correct thing to do, then those locations would be recognized as Jewish owned over the millennium to this very day.  The fact that no other religion or people take those purchases seriously, including the Christians who "swear on the Bible" makes me wonder about the wisdom of paying people for our Land.

Davka, it was Abraham who had followed G-d's instructions in Lech Lecha to go the Land G-d would show him, which G-d would give to him and all his descendants. G-d is the true owner of all of the Land and all of the earth.  By making such a point to buy the piece of land to bury Sarah there, and getting permission from a human being for this denies G-d's ultimate ownership.

We're still making the same mistakes.  Our Israeli courts are making it more difficult for Jews to prove Land ownership than for Arabs.  That is what's behind the Givat Asaf and Migron problems and various other plots of land and buildings in Jerusalem, Hebron and other locations.

We still haven't fully accepted G-d's Lech Lecha challenge.  G-d has given the Land to us, and we do not need the approval or purchase receipt from humans.

Shavua Tov

Have a Wonderful Week

Judaism Made Simple

A few posts ago I mentioned that if I was to summarize Judaism with a few lines from the Torah, I'd pick these:

Genesis Chapter 12 בְּרֵאשִׁית א

א  וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֶל-אַבְרָם, לֶךְ-לְךָ מֵאַרְצְךָ וּמִמּוֹלַדְתְּךָ וּמִבֵּית אָבִיךָ, אֶל-הָאָרֶץ, אֲשֶׁר אַרְאֶךָּ.	1 Now the LORD said unto Abram: 'Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto the land that I will show thee.
ב  וְאֶעֶשְׂךָ, לְגוֹי גָּדוֹל, וַאֲבָרֶכְךָ, וַאֲגַדְּלָה שְׁמֶךָ; וֶהְיֵה, בְּרָכָה.	2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and be thou a blessing.
ג  וַאֲבָרְכָה, מְבָרְכֶיךָ, וּמְקַלֶּלְךָ, אָאֹר; וְנִבְרְכוּ בְךָ, כֹּל מִשְׁפְּחֹת הָאֲדָמָה.	3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and him that curseth thee will I curse; and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed.'

Yes, that's the gist of it.  The first line is amazingly full of meaning.
 Now the LORD said-This is not a human invented religion.
'Get thee out of thy country- You must change locations; you can't completely follow Judaism anyplace you wish.
from thy kindred/homeland/culture- They are the false ones.  It's not enough just to move.  You must change your way of doing things.  Don't demand/expect Israel to be America.
from thy father's house- My demands override your father's.  Your father should also live according to my rules, the mitzvot. 
unto the land that I will show thee.- There is only one Land you should live in.

And when we obey G-d's commands, He will make us a great nation and bless us.

I'll never forget how alone the State of Israel was in the spring of 1967.  At the time, no country or foreign leader claimed to be our friend and ally.  It was just like in 1948; they were expecting us to be defeated.  And just like in 1948, we were miraculously victorious.  Our only ally was the most important one, the One Who is all powerful and able to make the few defeat the many.  Yes, I'm referring to G-d.

Unfortunately in a sense, this great victory in the 1967 Yom Kippur War made the State of Israel more internationally popular and and it also made many  Israelis believe the praise being heaped on it.  Instead of growing closer to G-d, Israeli leaders took credit for the victory and thanked Tzahal, the IDF Israeli army.

And then in 1973, we were given another chance to prove ourselves.  We failed.  We believed the politicians and not the facts on the ground. All of the signs of impending war were explained away by our "experts" and foreign friends.  The Yom Kippur War was the worst one yet.  We were close to defeat, but instead of fighting to destroy the enemy and praying to G-d, the Israeli Government begged the Americans for assistance.  The American Government didn't want us to destroy Egypt and Syria, so they controlled the outcome to a "safe standstill." 

 And I will bless them that bless thee, and him that curseth thee will I curse; - Those three countries involved in the 1973 Yom Kippur War are all in forms of crises today, Syria, Egypt and the United States.  G-d has been giving us more and more chances to repent.  I guess that G-d doesn't want us to start all over again. We had been exiled for two thousand years, and the State of Israel is a great success in many ways.  We do have the potential for the greatness G-d created us for.  I didn't end the previous sentence with "G-d willing," because I believe that the impetus of the Redemption will be through our free will and not G-d's maneuvering. 

May we see our beautiful Land built up and full of Jews who observe the Mitzvot according to G-d's instructions.

Rosh Hashannah Torah Reading, Akeidat Yitzchak, The "Sacrifice" sic of Isaac, Another Look

Last Shabbat I attended a women's class, שיעור נשים Shiur Nashim, led by Rachel Sella, a neighbor of mine.  Unfortunately I got there a bit late and missed the beginning.  They were discussing Akeidat Yitzchak, which is translated as  The "Sacrifice" sic of Isaac.  My mind went spinning, inspired.  The following thoughts are my own though Rachel sent me on this track, she didn't say what I'm now writing.

I personally don't like that translation. Isaac lived; he didn't die.  The story of the עקידה Akeida aka עקידת יצחק or  "Sacrifice" sic of Isaac, Bereishit, Genesis 22 is what is read on Rosh Hashanah.

ז  וַיֹּאמֶר יִצְחָק אֶל-אַבְרָהָם אָבִיו, וַיֹּאמֶר אָבִי, וַיֹּאמֶר, הִנֶּנִּי בְנִי; וַיֹּאמֶר, הִנֵּה הָאֵשׁ וְהָעֵצִים, וְאַיֵּה הַשֶּׂה, לְעֹלָה.	7 And Isaac spoke unto Abraham his father, and said: 'My father.' And he said: 'Here am I, my son.' And he said: 'Behold the fire and the wood; but where is the lamb for a burnt-offering?'
ח  וַיֹּאמֶר, אַבְרָהָם, אֱלֹהִים יִרְאֶה-לּוֹ הַשֶּׂה לְעֹלָה, בְּנִי; וַיֵּלְכוּ שְׁנֵיהֶם, יַחְדָּו.	8 And Abraham said: 'God will provide* Himself the lamb for a burnt-offering, my son.' So they went both of them together.
ט  וַיָּבֹאוּ, אֶל-הַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר אָמַר-לוֹ הָאֱלֹהִים, וַיִּבֶן שָׁם אַבְרָהָם אֶת-הַמִּזְבֵּחַ, וַיַּעֲרֹךְ אֶת-הָעֵצִים; וַיַּעֲקֹד, אֶת-יִצְחָק בְּנוֹ, וַיָּשֶׂם אֹתוֹ עַל-הַמִּזְבֵּחַ, מִמַּעַל לָעֵצִים.	9 And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built the altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar, upon the wood.
י  וַיִּשְׁלַח אַבְרָהָם אֶת-יָדוֹ, וַיִּקַּח אֶת-הַמַּאֲכֶלֶת, לִשְׁחֹט, אֶת-בְּנוֹ.	10 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.
יא  וַיִּקְרָא אֵלָיו מַלְאַךְ יְהוָה, מִן-הַשָּׁמַיִם, וַיֹּאמֶר, אַבְרָהָם אַבְרָהָם; וַיֹּאמֶר, הִנֵּנִי.	11 And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said: 'Abraham, Abraham.' And he said: 'Here am I.'
יב  וַיֹּאמֶר, אַל-תִּשְׁלַח יָדְךָ אֶל-הַנַּעַר, וְאַל-תַּעַשׂ לוֹ, מְאוּמָה:  כִּי עַתָּה יָדַעְתִּי, כִּי-יְרֵא אֱלֹהִים אַתָּה, וְלֹא חָשַׂכְתָּ אֶת-בִּנְךָ אֶת-יְחִידְךָ, מִמֶּנִּי.	12 And he said: 'Lay not thy hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him; for now I know that thou art a God-fearing man, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, from Me.'
יג  וַיִּשָּׂא אַבְרָהָם אֶת-עֵינָיו, וַיַּרְא וְהִנֵּה-אַיִל, אַחַר, נֶאֱחַז בַּסְּבַךְ בְּקַרְנָיו; וַיֵּלֶךְ אַבְרָהָם וַיִּקַּח אֶת-הָאַיִל, וַיַּעֲלֵהוּ לְעֹלָה תַּחַת בְּנוֹ.	13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt-offering in the stead of his son.
יד  וַיִּקְרָא אַבְרָהָם שֵׁם-הַמָּקוֹם הַהוּא, יְהוָה יִרְאֶה, אֲשֶׁר יֵאָמֵר הַיּוֹם, בְּהַר יְהוָה יֵרָאֶה.	14 And Abraham called the name of that place Adonai-jireh; as it is said to this day: 'In the mount where the LORD is seen.'

It's no secret that Yitzchak (Isaac) wasn't sacrificed, killed and I also can't stand when people refer to him as a young boy when he was a grown man in his thirties.  Of course to Abraham, his younger son was a "lad;" I refer to my youngest child who is about to celebrate his thirtieth birthday as my "baby."  But Isaac was a grown man and he was the one G-d was testing.  He asked the crucial question, and Abraham gave him the answer we must learn to accept:

ח  וַיֹּאמֶר, אַבְרָהָם, אֱלֹהִים יִרְאֶה-לּוֹ הַשֶּׂה לְעֹלָה, בְּנִי; וַיֵּלְכוּ שְׁנֵיהֶם, יַחְדָּו.

8 And Abraham said: 'God will provide* Himself the lamb for a burnt-offering, my son.' So they went both of them together.

*bad translation, יִרְאֶה means "to show," as in the Torah Portion לך לך

א  וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֶל-אַבְרָם, לֶךְ-לְךָ מֵאַרְצְךָ וּמִמּוֹלַדְתְּךָ וּמִבֵּית אָבִיךָ, אֶל-הָאָרֶץ, אֲשֶׁר אַרְאֶךָּ.

1 Now the LORD said unto Abram: 'Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto the land that I will show thee.

The entire  אַבְרָהָם Abraham story is about showing and seeing.  The Hebrew root of the word is ראה and those very same letters can be found in Abraham's name. 

This is the story of Isaac's acceptance of G-d and that G-d would show him how to lead and what to do.  Isaac bound himself to G-d taking on the dynastic responsibility.  I also saw this scene as parallel to when King David begged G-d to allow him to build a proper "house" for G-d.  G-d's reply was that He would do something even better for David.  David's son would build the house, the Beit Hamikdash, Holy Temple, and that would establish David's dynasty.

The Place, המקום HaMakom,  was the very same place, הר מורי'ה Har Moriah, today known as Har Habayit The Temple Mount.

Catriel Sugarman

Shannah Tovah U'Mutzlachat

May you Have a Good and Successful Year

And May We Be Speedily Redeemed and The Temple be Built

Focusing on Our Goal

It's Parshat Lech Lecha, the week we read the Torah Portion where Abram, no, I didn't leave out a couple of letters, that was his name at the time, listened to G-d and began the adventure to end all adventures. Thousands of years later, we're still on that trail.

The end picture will be grand.

"Now the LORD said unto Abram: 'Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto the land that I will show thee. And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and be thou a blessing. And I will bless them that bless thee, and him that curseth thee will I curse; and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed.' So Abram went, as the LORD had spoken unto him..."

This was great PR. G-d barely hints about the difficulties on the way. If we do what G-d says, our enemies, those who curse us, will be cursed as a result.

Some people tried to argue with me when I said that I wasn't voting in the American Elections, but here in the pshat, simple wording of the Bible, G-d tells us "Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house." My voting in American Elections would have indicated that I hadn't really left.

• country-physical location
• kindred-culture
• father's house-recognizing that G-d's laws are most important

The message of Lech Lecha is to focus, concentrate on our goal, a strong Jewish State in the HolyLand, and not allow anybody to push us off-track.

Shabbat Shalom u'Mevorach

May you have a true and blessed Shabbat.