Fw: Dvar Torah from the Rosh HaYeshiva

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From: "Rabbi Moshe Revah" <htcnews-htc.edu@shared1.ccsend.com>

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Sent: Thu, Nov 14, 2024 at 5:52 PM

Subject: Dvar Torah from the Rosh HaYeshiva

Parshas Vayeira

Dear Yeshiva Family: In this week's parsha, we read: "And he said, Hashem, if it pleases You that I find favor in Your eyes, please do not pass from before Your servant" (Bereishis 18:3). Rashi explains that Avraham was asking Hashem to wait while he went to welcome his visitors.  As Avraham Avinu recovered from his bris milah, Hashem Himself visited him. During this extraordinary encounter, Avraham noticed three men approaching and realized he had an opportunity to fulfill the mitzvah of hachnasas orchim, welcoming guests. He respectfully asked Hashem to wait so he could attend to them. From here, the Gemara (Shabbos 127a) derives that hachnasas orchim is so significant it can even take precedence over receiving the Shechinah. Apparently, while both are mitzvos, one holds a higher priority. Rav Shlomo Heiman zt"l (Michtavim 37) raises a question: If Avraham was already engaged in the mitzvah of receiving the Shechinah, why would he interrupt it for hachnasas orchim? The halacha states that when someone is already occupied with one mitzvah (osek b'mitzvah), they are, patur, not required to stop to perform a second. Therefore, if hosting the Shechinah is classified as a mitzvah, Avraham was not obligated to interrupt it for hachnasas orchim. So why did he choose to stop one mitzvah to perform another? Rav Shlomo explains that there are two types of mitzvos: mitzvah chiyuvis, an obligatory mitzvah such as tefillin or lulav, which must be performed; and mitzvah kiyumis, a mitzvah that is optional—such as eating in the sukkah after the first night of Sukkos. One may perform a mitzvah kiyumis but is not obligated to. Thus, the rule of osek b'mitzvah patur min hamitzvah only applies to a mitzvah chiyuvis, an obligatory mitzvah. When one is performing a mitzvah kiyumis, in this case hachnasas orchim, he is allowed to stop and attend to another mitzvah if he so chooses, as the first mitzvah wasn't compulsory. This distinction might also help explain why it is generally permitted to pause to daven maariv during a wedding celebration. Ordinarily, one might think that they are too involved with the mitzvah of rejoicing with the chassan to take on another mitzvah. However, because rejoicing at a wedding is considered a mitzvah kiyumis, one is allowed to pause it for the purpose of davening, even though he is technically already involved in another mitzvah. However, this view seems to clash with a Gemara (Sukkah 26a) which states that someone involved in selling tefillin—certainly not a mitzvah chiyuvis—is still considered to be engaged in a mitzvah and need not stop for another mitzvah. How, then, could Rav Shlomo claim that one can interrupt a mitzvah kiyumis? We can reconcile this by understanding the osek b'mitzvah rule in two ways: there is a rule that one is not obligated to stop a mitzvah for another, and there's a prohibition against halting the first mitzvah for the second (Ritva, Sukkah 26a). Rav Shlomo may mean that although one performing a mitzvah kiyumis is not required to fulfill other mitzvos, he may, if he wishes, stop to perform a different mitzvah because he was not compelled to start the first. In contrast, when involved in a mitzvah chiyuvis, an obligatory mitzvah, he is not permitted to interrupt it for another mitzvah. Therefore, while selling tefillin, one does not have to perform other mitzvos but may do so if desired, similar to Avraham who chose to pause receiving the Shechinah for hachnasas orchim. The Acharonim (later commentaries), however, debate this approach and disagree on both ends. The Nesivos (72:19) asserts that someone collecting tzedakah should still give tzedakah if asked by another, since fundraising is a mitzvah kiyumis that cannot override other mitzvos and does not obviate one from performing other mitzvos at all. The Imrei Binah (O.C. 13:3), argues on the other end that even a mitzvah kiyumis should be protected by the full strength of the osek b'mitzvah rule. If so, we are back to our question of how do we explain Avraham's behavior? Moreover, what does the Gemara mean by saying hachnasas orchim is greater than receiving the Shechinah? The Mishna Berurah (38:29) teaches that one is not obligated to stop a mitzvah even if the other mitzvah is "bigger?" The Mishmeres Chayim (1:Tefilla:3) raises an interesting question: why is it permitted to respond "Yehei Shmei Rabbah" (a powerful declaration of Hashem's greatness) in the middle of reciting Krias Shema, as the halacha (O.C. 63:3) indicates? After all, when a person is already involved in the mitzvah of reciting Shema, we might expect that they should neither be obligated nor even permitted to interrupt it for a different mitzvah. The Mishmeres Chayim answers by suggesting that the principle of "osek b'mitzvah patur min hamitzvah"—the exemption from a second mitzvah while engaged in the first—stems from the concern that pausing one mitzvah to perform another can seem dismissive, as if implying that something is more valuable than the initial mitzvah. But in this case, the concept of Shema itself is about accepting Hashem's sovereignty and committing to His mitzvos. Thus, pausing to praise Hashem with "Yehei Shmei Rabbah" is not a slight against the Shema but rather a powerful expression and even a completion of its essence—acknowledging Hashem's greatness publicly. Similarly, there's a parallel case in the context of Torah learning. Although learning Torah is a mitzvah of the highest importance, one is sometimes required to pause if another mitzvah arises that only he can perform. This is because the purpose of Torah study is to understand Hashem's commandments and put them into action. Therefore, if an opportunity to perform a mitzvah arises during learning, it doesn't detract from the Torah study itself; rather, it actualizes it by putting the Torah's lessons into practice. Applying this idea to Avraham, we might say that his decision to pause welcoming the Shechina to greet guests wasn't a diminishment of the mitzvah of welcoming Hashem. Instead, it could be seen as an elevation, fulfilling the divine will in a new way. By hosting guests—an act Hashem Himself values and exemplifies—Avraham wasn't abandoning the Shechina but rather embodying its teachings. So, in this sense, Avraham's shift to hachnasas orchim was an integral fulfillment of the mitzvah of welcoming Hashem, rather than a distraction from it. But perhaps we can go one step further in understanding this concept. To do so, let's take a closer look at the specific mitzvah Avraham Avinu was performing by "hosting" the Shechina. What is the nature of this mitzvah? Could it be considered part of the mitzvah of loving Hashem? Not necessarily. While it's a remote possibility that Avraham's interaction with the Shechina might be connected to an obligation to appear before Hashem, similar to the mitzvah of aliyah l'regel (appearing in the Temple on pilgrimage festivals, such as Pesach), as this encounter occurred on Pesach, this seems unlikely in this context. More likely, Avraham's mitzvah of engaging with the Shechina aligns with the mitzvah of Ledavka Bo—the commandment to "cling" to Hashem. The Sefer HaChinuch (Mitzvah 434) discusses Ledavka Bo as an obligation to develop a deep attachment to Hashem, to seek closeness with Him in every aspect of life. Understanding this, we can examine the mitzvah of hachnasas orchim, which Avraham was so eager to fulfill. The Rambam lists this mitzvah under the commandment of Vehalachta B'drachav—to "walk in Hashem's ways" (Mitzvah 8). This mitzvah is not merely about kindness; it's about emulating Hashem by acting with compassion and care, as Hashem does. In essence, it's a way of drawing near to Hashem by emulating His attributes. Perhaps this distinction sheds light on the teaching of the Gemara in Shabbos, which says that hachnasas orchim is greater than receiving the Shechina. Both of these mitzvos—the mitzvah of clinging to Hashem and the mitzvah of following in His ways—are rooted in a shared concept: getting close to Hashem. Yet, they approach this closeness from different angles. One way, Ledavka Bo, is about direct attachment to Hashem; the other way, Vehalachta B'drachav, involves following in His ways and acting as He acts. The chiddush, or insight, that the Gemara reveals is that while Avraham was already engaged in one form of closeness with Hashem, he saw hachnasas orchim as an even more profound way to connect. Walking in Hashem's ways, by emulating His acts of kindness, is an even greater expression of closeness than simply basking in the divine presence. Therefore, when Avraham paused his interaction with the Shechina to greet his guests, he was not abandoning one mitzvah for another but actually fulfilling his current mitzvah in a higher, more complete form. Have an amazing Shabbos, Rabbi Moshe Revah Rosh HaYeshiva, HTC - Beis HaMidrash LaTorah moshe.revah@htc.edu HTC  Hebrew Theological College is a member of Touro University and a partner with the Jewish United Fund in serving our community

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