Parshas Lech Lecha

 

Hi there my favourite SIT’s (Shluchim in Training),
Did I ever tell you how I ended up in our lovely State of Iowa? To tell you the truth, for the longest time after I arrived here, I couldn’t remember myself! I think that was partly because I am so absent-minded and partly because when we were moving into our new house one of the movers dropped a box on my head and it took me quite a long time to remember anything after that!
As you may know, in my spare time, in between Chitas, Rambam, my other shiurim, davening, mivtzoim and, of course, sleeping and eating, I happen to be one of the few Seeing and Lens Making Professors in the world. Of course, it is very difficult to make lenses without the proper tools, and so I was looking for a place that would pay me to make my lenses. As my lenses became more popular, I started getting more and more letters from different Schools and Universities who wanted to host one of the only Seeing and Lens Making Professors in the world.
After a while, I decided I’d better consult with my mashpia. After much too-ing and fro-ing we decided that I should move to Iowa and start working in the University of Iowa. And so it was that a few years after we were married, Mrs Getzel and I and our little Getzel’ites packed up and moved to Iowa.
Why am I telling you all this, you may be wondering. Well, of course, this week is the week that Avraham Avinu packed up home and moved to Eretz Yisroel. To tell you the truth, I kinda wish we could have moved to Eretz Yisroel too instead of Iowa. But of course Eretz Yisroel in the days of Avraham Avinu wasn’t a very friendly place, and Avraham was leaving his family behind. And he didn’t even have a telephone to call them every Friday afternoon! And Boruch Hashem, we had a nice house waiting for us in Iowa, and we have not moved out of it since – well apart from, for short breaks after some of my experiments went wrong, but that is not for now. But Avraham Avinu had only just arrived there when he had to pick up and move because of a terrible famine. I can’t even begin to imagine what we would do if our local supermarket ran out of Tropicana, never mind if we actually didn’t have any food! But I guess that is why Avraham Avinu was one of the Avos who got to write the first chapter in the history of the Yidden and even had Hashem come to visit him when he wasn’t well and I am just plain old Dr Getzel who only gets to write a weekly column for Connections (that is great fun though)! And the only visitors I got last time I was sick was my einaklach (who are really cute)!
Anyway, I gotta go to the store. I think our Tropicana’s run out!

Have a good Shabbos,
Dr. Getzel

 

Four people were named by ה‘ before they were born.

1.  יצחק אבינו
2. שלמה המלך
3. ישעיהו הנביא
4. ישמעאל
The fact that each of these four people got a name from ה‘ before they were born shows something great about them.

יצחק אבינו was named before he was born because he was one of the אבות and the first child born from parents who were both אידן .

שלמה המלך built the בית המקדש .

In ישעיהו ’s time, the 10 שבטים returned to ארץ ישראל , which is a hint to the נס of קיבוץ גלויות , that will happen when משיח comes — that all the אידן , from all 4 corners of the world will return to ארץ ישראל .

ישמעאל was named before he was born which shows that he had great potential. If his descendants had controlled and overcome their יצר הרע , they could have been worthy to receive the תורה .

(Adapted from ‘The Midrash Says’)

 

 

In this week’s פרשה , ה‘ promises אברהם that He will make his children into a great nation, He will bless him and make him famous and that אברהם will be a ברכה . רש“י tells us that this is why in שמונה עשרה we say:

 “אלוקי אברהם אלוקי יצחק ואלוקי יעקב ” but we end the ברכה only with “מגן אברהם ”. Wouldn't it have made אברהם happier if יצחק and יעקב could have been mentioned at the end of the ברכה too, instead of just him?

In פרקי אבות we learn that the world stands on three things: תורה , עבודה and גמילת חסדים . The אבות each refer to one of these pillars. אברהם refers to גמילת חסדים (חסד ), יצחק to עבודה (תפילה ) and יעקב to תורה .

There was a time that the main connection between ה‘ and the אידן was through תורה (אלוקי יעקב ), a time when it was through תפילה (אלוקי יצחק ).

Now, at the end of גלות , and when משיח comes, we won’t be dependant on all three pillars but only on the זכות of חסד which is represented by אברהם .

(Adapted from ‘Vedibarta Bam’)

 

 

Here’s what happened and when:         

י“ז חשון   נח enters the תיבה and the מבול starts.
כ“ז כסלו  The end of the forty days and nights of rain.
א‘ סיון      The water calms and begins going down.
י“ז סיון     The bottom of the תיבה stops on הר אררט .
א‘ אב        The tops of the mountains can be seen above the water.
י‘ אלול     Forty days later, נח sends the raven out of the תיבה .
י“ז אלול   נח sends out the dove.
כ“ג אלול  The dove goes out for a second time and comes back with an olive leaf in its beak.
א‘ תשרי    The dove is sent out for the third time, and doesn’t return.
כ“ז חשון  The ground is fully dried and נח leaves the תיבה .

 

For twelve years the מלמד had not seen his wife and children. He had no money, not even to pay the rent on the small inn where he lived. So he decided to travel to far-away towns to teach alef-beis to little children. Coin by coin, he collected his wages until he finally saved 900 rubles which was a lot of money in those days. It would be enough to go home, pay his debt to the Poretz who owned the inn, marry off his daughters and even enough to spend the rest of his life living comfortably with his poor wife who had waited so long for him.

The מלמד was a חסיד , and before he set out on his journey home, he went to Berditchev, and davened in the שול of the great Rebbe, ר‘ לוי יצחק of Berditchev. To his joy, the Rebbe greeted him warmly after the תפילות , and invited him to eat at his table before he continued on his way. Throughout the meal, the מלמד thought about his journey home and how exciting it would be to finally be at home, with his family. He decided to ask the Rebbe for a ברכה for a safe trip.

Suddenly the Rebbe turned to the מלמד , and said:

"If you wish, I will tell you three pieces of advice." The heart of the מלמד jumped with excitement and pride that the Rebbe was going to give him advice. "But for each you must pay me. For the first piece, you must give me three hundred rubles."

The מלמד couldn’t believe what he heard. Three hundred rubles?! But he listened straight away. Doesn’t it say, about the תורה , "הנחמדים מזהב ומפז רב ", that it is more precious than fine gold?

"When a man does not know which way to turn," said the Rebbe, "he should always turn to the right, as it is written, 'All your turnings should be to the right.' If you want to hear the second, you must pay another three hundred."

The מלמד froze in his seat, his heart beating wildly. For these few words he had paid three hundred rubles? And three hundred for the next? And what would happen to his wife? His many daughters who needed to get married and needed money for their חתונות ? His debt to the Poretz? His years of hard work, saving every spare penny? But his Rebbe had spoken, and the מלמד could not refuse. He counted the second 300 rubles out on the table, and waited.

"An old man and a young wife is dangerous," spoke the Rebbe. "If you wish to hear the last piece of advice, you must pay again the same amount."

Completely confused, the מלמד sat stunned for a long moment. Then, with trembling fingers, he opened his money-bag for the third time and emptied its contents on the table. He was filled with a strange feeling but was happy at the same time. It was his Rebbe speaking. Whatever would happen, he would listen to him.

"My son, only believe what you see with your own eyes. This is the last advice I give you. Now go in peace, and may ה‘ bless your journey home."

Confused and not knowing what to do, the מלמד started on his way. He didn’t doubt the Rebbe for a second but how could he now go home, empty-handed, after being away for twelve long years.

Deep in thought as he walked, he didn’t hear sound of men galloping by on horses until they were right behind him.

"Where are they? The thieves, which way did they go? Did you see them? Which way did they turn? To the right or to the left?"

The מלמד hesitated only for a moment. "To the right!" he said firmly, remembering his Rebbe's words.

A few hours later, the מלמד walked further, his steps light and happy now. In his hands was a bundle of 600 rubles, his share of the reward for the capture of the thieves. In his excitement and eagerness he could have walked all night. But it was getting dark, the road was deserted, and rain was falling. The מלמד stopped at the first inn he passed, and asked the old innkeeper if he could sleep there for the night. The old man was about to let him in, when a young woman appeared next to him, and, to her husband’s surprise, firmly refused.

"There is no room for you here tonight!" she said sharply. "Find somewhere else to sleep."

"An old man with a young wife," thought the מלמד . He decided not to travel further, but to sleep huddled close to a corner of the inn, in a dry spot under the roof.

(To be continued)

 

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