Tuesday, October 31, 2023

Fwd: Weekly lesson in Studies in Parashat HaShavua 5784 (en) #4


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 Attached is the Weekly lesson in Studies in Parashat HaShavua 5784 (en) #4 entitled Vayera | "And the Lord appeared to him". 

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Weekly lesson in Studies in Parashat HaShavua 5784 (en) #4

Vayera | "And the Lord appeared to him"

Rav Yishai Jeselsohn         Tanakh

 

I. A linguistic anomaly

And the Lord appeared to him (vayera eilav Hashem) by the terebinths of Mamre, as he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day. (Bereishit 18:1)  

         The first verse in the parasha contains a linguistic anomaly that caught the eye of the Or Ha-Chaim. Until now, whenever God spoke to someone, the Torah named the "speaker," i.e., God, first, and then the addressee (see Bereishit 12:1; 12:7; 13:14; 15:1; and elsewhere). Here, however, we find a switch: Avraham, the addressee of God's word, is mentioned in the word eilav, "to him" – preceding the name of God, who speaks to him.

         The Or Ha-Chaim suggests several explanations as to what this change comes to teach us. We will try to get at the depths of these proposals.

II. The purpose of the revelation

         Apart from the linguistic issue that the Or Ha-Chaim raises, he adds another question – the type of question that, once it has been raised, becomes impossible to ignore.

Furthermore, we need to know what was told to Avraham in this prophecy. (Or Ha-Chaim18:1)

         Indeed, Scripture reports that God appeared to Avraham, but unlike the previous instances, there is no speech or indication of what He said. This obscurity regarding the content and purpose of the encounter is likely at least part of the motivation behind the many midrashim that describe this revelation as an act of bikur cholim, visiting the sick.[1] With respect to the mitzvaof visiting the sick, the visit itself and the relationship between the visitor and the patient are significant, even if no specific content is communicated thereby – and this is, according to these midrashim, how we can understand what happened with Avraham.

         The Rashbam, known for his focus on the plain meaning of the text, explains these verses in accordance with that general approach. In his view, the revelation of the Shekhina is indeed described – in the following verses, which speak of the angels' arrival at Avraham's door:

"And the Lord appeared to Avraham" – How so? Three men came to him, who turned out to be angels. For in many places where an angel is seen, he is called God. As it is written: "Because My name is within him" (Shemot 23:21) – His agent is like Him. And similarly: "And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush" (Shemot 3:2). And it is written: "And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see" (ibid. v. 4). (Rashbam, Bereishit 18:1) 

         This also follows from the words of the Rambam in his Guide for the Perplexed (II, 42), in a slightly different way. In line with his fundamental position that angels do not reveal themselves in this world to humans, the Rambam argues that the entire story of the angels was a prophetic vision that was part of God's revelation to Avraham.         

         In any event, the Or Ha-Chaim does not accept the Gemara's explanation as the plain meaning, since there is no hint to it in the Scriptural text. As we will see, he tries to identify the content of God's appearance in several other ways.

III. A chariot for the Shekhina

Scripture comes to inform us that God rested His Shekhina on him [=Avraham] and that he became a chariot for the Shekhina. (Or Ha-Chaim, Bereishit 18:1)

         In this first explanation, the Or Ha-Chaim sends us to Midrash Bereishit Rabba:

Reish Lakish said: The patriarchs are themselves the Divine chariot, as it is stated: "And God went up from Avraham" (Bereishit 17:22); "And God went up from him" (Bereishit 35:13); "And behold, the Lord stood above him" (Bereishit 28:13). (Bereishit Rabba 47,7)

         The midrash adduces proofs from verses that the patriarchs served as a chariot for the Shekhina. The term "chariot" is familiar to us from the prophecy of Yechezkel (chap. 1), which describes a vision that represents the "place," as it were, of God, above a chariot consisting of holy animals and wheels. It is not my intention in this shiur to discuss "the work of the chariot," which we are told may not be expounded even in the presence of only one person (Mishna, Chagiga 2:1). Our goal is only to better understand what it means that the patriarchs were the chariot of the Shekhina, and how they merited that honor.

         The term "chariot" is a metaphor for the chariot we are familiar with, whose purpose is to transport the important person sitting in it. In this sense, the kabbalistic term "chariot" refers to people who bear the name of God, and the midrash learns a similar idea from the verses. The Torah states about Avraham: "And God went up from Avraham" (Bereishit 17:22), the plain sense of which implies that before that, God had been upon Avraham, like a horseman riding his chariot. This is also the case later, when it is said about Yaakov: "And behold, the Lord stood above him" (28:13), the literal meaning of the verse being that God was right above Yaakov. Of course, these verses are not to be understood in their plain sense – God does not stand anywhere and does not need anyone to bear Him. What these verses do mean is that these people bore the name of God in the world and represented Him to the entire world. 

         If we follow this interpretation, then indeed the Torah is not recording an experience of revelation with prophetic content, but rather the state of existence that Avraham had reached.

         The Or Ha-Chaim points to another linguistic hint, apart from the change in the order of the words, that supports the uniqueness of this revelation. From this point on, we will not find any more revelations to Avraham that use the wording: "And He appeared," but only: "And He said." The Or Ha-Chaim explains this as follows:

It is because of this that in all of Avraham's [future] prophecies, it never again says: "And He appeared," but rather: "And the Lord said" – because He was already present before him, a crown on his head. (Or Ha-Chaim Bereishit 18:1) 

         The term re'iya ("appearance") implies a new appearance, as if one's friend is suddenly revealed before his eyes. A mention of speech, on the other hand, indicates two people who are already standing face to face, meeting together, so that all they have to do is talk. In the revelation in our parasha, Avraham connects with God in such a significant manner that from now on, Avraham and the Shekhina remain together. There is no longer a need for a new appearance; speaking by itself suffices.

         It may be added that the phrase, "And the Lord appeared to him," as a description of God's revelation to Avraham, is unique. In the previous revelations, we find the phrase, "And he appeared," but it is always "to Avraham," whereas here Scripture uses the term "to him." Targum Yonatan on our verse renders the revelation as follows:

And the glory of God appeared upon him (alohi). (Targum Yonatan, Bereishit 18:1) 

         In the previous revelations, although they are also described with the term "appear," the Targum renders them as:

And the Lord appeared to Avraham (le-Avraham). 

         It is possible that the subtle linguistic difference between appearing lo and appearing eilav, or as the Targum renders it, "alav," is significant, and it may allude to the course drawn by the Or Ha-Chaim.

IV. How does one become a chariot for the Shekhina?

         By virtue of what did Avraham merit to become a chariot for the Shekhina? Which of his noble deeds earned him this special status? More broadly, we will also try to understand – what exactly does the term "chariot for the Shekhina" entail? 

         Several explanations can be found in the writings of the Chasidic masters that discuss why the patriarchs became a chariot for the Shekhina. We will focus on two of them, which represent two aspects of the same concept.

         The Mar'eh Yechezkel, Rabbi Yechezkel Paneth, who was a disciple of Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Raminov and also close to the Chatam Sofer, explains:

The patriarchs were a chariot for the Shekhina because they completely removed themselves from doing anything for themselves and did not consider themselves important in any way, and therefore they were a place upon which to rest the Shekhina. This is what Avraham meant when he said: "Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak to the Lord," though in truth I am not worthy of this, as I am but dust and ashes" (Bereishit 18:27). (Mar'eh Yechezkel, Toldot

         According to his understanding, the ability to be free of any interests and to serve God with immense sincerity is what brings a person to be a chariot for the Shekhina. The chariot has no purpose of its own; its entire purpose is to bear whoever is sitting on it and bring him to his destination. So too here, the patriarchs did not serve God out of personal need or desire, but only with the pure intention of sanctifying His name in the world.

         The Ma'or ve-Shemesh, Rabbi Kalonymus Kalman Epstein, a disciple of Rabbi Elimelekh of Lizhensk and the Seer of Lublin, goes in a slightly different direction:

As we have seen with the holy patriarchs, that until our father Avraham came into the world, the first generations sinned and then God's Shekhina was in the upper worlds, and our father Avraham came into the world, and he was the first to dedicate his life to the sanctification of His name – to publicize His Lordship over the world – and thereby he brought the Shekhina down into the world.  And he merited and became a leg for the Shekhinah, that is, he opened the way for a person to offer himself to the blessed Creator. So too Yitzchak and so too Yaakov – they all dedicated their lives for the sanctification of His name, to publicize His Lordship in the world, and they became a chariot for the Shekhina, that is, through their lofty service they brought the Shekhina down to the world, they being the legs of the throne. So too any person who dedicates his life and spirit to publicize His Lordship in the world merits to become a chariot for the Shekhina. (Ma'or ve-Shemesh, Beshalach)

         According to his understanding, the term "chariot" focuses not on man's cancelling himself before the Shekhina, but on his role as a connection between heaven and earth. In the allegory, the rider is above the chariot, which leads him on the earth. This represents the fact that God is found in heaven above, and is hidden in this world, but the patriarchs – through their actions and devotion – revealed His Shekhina in the world.

V. Circumcision

         We have found two senses of a chariot for the Shekhina – one involving cancellation of the self, and the second involving revelation of the Shekhina in this world. Of course, both of these senses were present in all the patriarchs, but we will try, with the help of the Or Ha-Chaim's commentary, to understand why it was precisely here that Avraham merited this status.

         The last verses in Parashat Lekh Lekha, immediately preceding God's revelation at Avraham's door, describe Avraham's circumcision:

And Avraham was ninety years old and nine, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin… And all the men of his house, those born in the house, and those bought with money of a foreigner, were circumcised with him. (Bereishit 17:24-27)

         Presumably, this juxtaposition of verses led Chazal to see the revelation as a visit to the sick in the aftermath of Avraham's circumcision. The Or Ha-Chaim takes the matter in a different direction, and explains why the sign of the holy covenant of circumcision turned Avraham into a chariot for the Shekhina:

The term "He appeared to him" also alludes to the fact that after Avraham underwent circumcision, the holy impression of the letter yod of God's name became visible on his flesh. This is the meaning of "the Lord appeared to him." This is also what the Zohar says: Anyone upon whom the holy impression rests, the Shekhina rests upon him. (Or Ha-Chaim, Bereishit 18:1)

         These concepts are a bit obscure, but we will try to understand them. The Or Ha-Chaim is referring to the words of the Midrash Tanchuma, which emphasize the importance of circumcision as an "entry pass" into the Garden of Eden:

Moreover, every man of Israel who is circumcised enters the Garden of Eden, since the Holy One, blessed be He, places His name on the Jew so that he can enter the Garden of Eden. And what is the name and the seal that He places upon them? It is Sha-ddai (the Omnipotent): The shin He placed in the nose; the dalet in the hand; and the yod in the circumcision. And therefore, when a Jew goes to his final resting place, there is an appointed angel in the Garden of Eden who takes every Jew that is circumcised and brings him to the Garden of Eden. But those that are not circumcised, even though they have two letters of the name of Sha-ddai – as they have the shin of the nose and the dalet of the hand – they do not have the yod of Sha-ddai, [and so, the letters they have form] the expression, sheid (demon), meaning to say that a demon brings him to Gehinnom. And a Jew who is circumcised but worships idolatry [also] goes to enter the Garden of Eden, but the Holy One, blessed be He, commands the angel, such that he pulls his foreskin and makes his foreskin appear as if it were never circumcised, such that he will not enter the Garden of Eden but rather Gehinnom. (Tanchuma Tzav, 14)

         I don't understand all the allusions found in this midrash, but its general direction seems clear: circumcision is a sign that the Jew belongs to God, and therefore God takes care of him. Turning circumcision into such a sign seems to be based on the verse:

And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a sign [ot] of a covenant between Me and you. (Bereishit 17:11)  

         The word ot can be understood in two senses: as "letter," i.e., one of the letters in the name of God (yod in our case), and as "sign." Of course, the two are related to each other – the fact that the Jew "sacrifices" a part of himself in the wake of God's command demonstrates, in a small way, that he agrees to be wholly subservient to God. Thus, he becomes, as it were, part of the letters that make up the name of God itself.

         After Avraham was circumcised, a part of God was etched within him. Not necessarily in the plain sense of the word, but in the sense that there is now a clear sign in the world that Avraham is wholly subservient to God. Clearly, Avraham's actions indicated this even beforehand – the agreement to leave his country to go to an unknown place, and all the tests that Avraham already underwent, demonstrated that he was indeed completely subservient to the word of God. But circumcision shows this more than anything else, for it remains in his flesh forever.

         Both aspects of the idea of "chariot for the Shekhina" that we saw above can be found in circumcision. On the one hand, as we have just said, circumcision indicates a willingness to sacrifice for the sake of God. Accordingly, we find that the sandak who holds the baby during his circumcision is considered like an altar – in the words of the Maharil:

Mahari Segel, when he was made "ba'al brit" ["master of the circumcision"], or as he is called "sandak" in the language of the Sages, used to bathe and immerse himself in a mikveh in order to bring the baby into the covenant in purity. He would say that the mitzvaof the "master of the circumcision" is greater than the mitzvaof the mohel, the circumciser, because his legs are likened to an altar, as if he were burning incense to heaven. (Maharil, Minhagim, Hilkhot Mila)

         The Maharil also brings a practical ramification of this:

For this reason, Rabbeinu Peretz writes that one does not give his sons two or three times to the same ba'al brit, but rather he chooses a different ba'al brit for each son. This is because it is stated in the first chapter of Yoma that a priest who burned the incense one time would never do so again, because the incense would make a person wealthy, as it is written: "They shall put incense before You," and in the next verse it is written: "Bless, Lord, his substance" (Devarim 33:10-11). Therefore, each time they would make a different priest wealthy. Here too, it is no different.

And for this reason, because the ba'al brit is greater than the mohel, Mahari Segel says he is called to the Torah before the mohel. (ibid.) 

         Seeing the sandak as an altar certainly illustrates the "sacrifice" that is made here to God. The Noda bi-Yehuda finds a foundation for the words of the Maharil in a midrash that describes the stench that arose from the foreskins of the men of Avraham's household after their circumcision:

And it seems that he derived this from a midrash brought in Yalkut Shimoni, end of Parashat Lekh Lekha, that when Avraham circumcised the members of his household, they heaped up the foreskins, and the sun shone on them, and they rotted, and their smell rose up before the Holy One, blessed be He, like the incense offering and like the whole-burnt offering. (Noda bi-Yehuda, Yoreh De'a 86)

         We also find the idea of sacrifice in Yitzchak's words to Yishmael, as they are brought in a midrash:

Yitzchak and Yishmael were arguing with one another. This one [Yishmael] said: "I am more beloved [to God] than you are, as I was circumcised at the age of thirteen years"; and the other one [Yitzchak] said: "I am more beloved [to God] than you are, as I was circumcised at eight days." Yishmael said to him: "I am more beloved because I could have protested, but I did not protest." At that moment, Yitzchak said: "If only the Holy One, blessed be He, would appear to me and say to me that I should sever one of my limbs, I would not refuse." Immediately, "And God tested Avraham." (Bereishit Rabba 55, 4)

         The comparison between the binding of Yitzchak and circumcision shows that an important element in the mitzva of circumcision is the willingness of the people of Israel to "sacrifice" themselves before God.

         The second aspect of the idea of "chariot for the Shekhina" is also found in circumcision. The mitzva of circumcision distinguishes Israel from the nations, as implied in the Midrash Tanchuma cited above. Although it is a mitzva performed on a part of the body that is not visible to others, circumcision has for generations, by virtue of being a sign that cannot be changed, been one of the most distinct Jewish symbols. The uniqueness of the Jewish people that is reflected in this mitzva has accompanied us throughout the generations, whether during the terrible days of the Holocaust when circumcision was a natural "sign" that distinguished been Jews and non-Jews, or in the great determination of the nation to observe this mitzva in our own day.

         It is possible to suggest that Avraham's circumcision combines the two interpretations of the "chariot" – the cancellation of the self, and the connection between the Shekhina and the earth. When he underwent circumvention, Avraham both sacrificed a part of himself to God, without receiving anything in return, and also showed the entire world that his following God is not an organic or temporary matter, but a sign that will exist forever. Up until now, Avraham did these two things, but not in the physical and material sense of circumcision. Only when the ideals represented by Avraham found expression in his flesh, in his practical life, did God's revelation to him become complete. This is how the Or Ha-Chaim concludes his remarks on the matter:

The message is also that by way of his circumcision, God appeared to him in the fullness of supernal light. For regarding the appearance of God, there are different levels, one above the other. That which was comprehended after [Avraham's] circumcision was complete prophecy. This is what Scripture informs us when it says: "Vayera eilav Hashem," and not "Vayera Hashem eilav" [putting "to him" (eilav) before God]. For what was absorbed from this appearance to him was the full name of God, i.e., the Tetragrammaton. For this reason, it says first "to him," and afterwards it mentions what was comprehended, which would not have been understood if it mentioned the name of God before the word "to him." (Or Ha-Chaim18:1)

(Translated by David Strauss) 
 


[1] "What is 'in the heat of the day'? Rabbi Chama son of Rabbi Chanina said: That day was the third day to Avraham's circumcision, and the Holy One, blessed be, came to inquire about Avraham." (Bava Metzia 86b; see also Pesikta Zutrata, Midrash Aggada [Buber], and elsewhere)

 

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