Category: Torah

Express Yourself before It’s Too Late

Author: Rabbi Moshe Pruzansky

WHEN YAAKOV WAS impersonating Eisav in order to receive Yitzchak’s blessings, he politely asked his father to “please stand up.” The verse states that when Yitzchak heard this,he immediately became suspicious of his son’s true identity (27:22). Rashi explains that when Yaakov spoke respectfully and said “please,” this aroused Yitzchak’s suspicion. After all, Eisav always simply said, “Stand up” when he wanted his father to rise.

How can this be? The Zohar states that (for whatever reason)Eisav mastered the mitzvah of kibbud av to the greatest degree in history (Chelek Alef 146). In fact, even great Tannaim attest that as hard as they tried to excel in this area, their actions of honoring  their father never rivaled the incredible actions performed by Eisav (Bereishis Rabbah 65:12,13). If so, how could it be that the very same man who performed legendary acts of love and respect for his father never expressed it verbally, so much so that Yitzchak was surprised to even hear the word “please” from him? Is it possible for someone to love and respect another through actions, and yet to never artic- ulate his love through the art of speech?

Calm, Cool, and Collected

Author: Rabbi Moshe Pruzansky

THE TORAH RELATES that after Sarah passed away, Avraham’s in- tense desire was to give her a proper burial in a place befitting her greatness: Me’aras  HaMachpeilah. In order to acquire it, he had to first negotiate with Ephron. The process was far from enjoy- able. In front of a large crowd that had gathered, Ephron toyed with Avraham in his time of need. First — in order to impress his gen- erosity upon the onlookers — he informed Avraham that he would give him Me’aras HaMachpeilah for free. Afterward (in private), he demanded an exorbitant price of one million shekels (Bava Metzia 87a). Ephron made his falsely generous offer for the sole purpose of winning over the masses, who indeed crowned him to be their leader after watching his “charismatic” actions of “caring” for the great Avraham Avinu (Rashi 29:10). Despite knowing all of this, Avraham acted humbly and respectfully toward him — he even bowed to Ephron ceremoniously multiple times.

Rabbeinu Yonah (Avos 5:3) records this as Avraham’s tenth and final test. In fact, the Midrash attests that Avraham’s behavior and self-control here were so impressive that afterward the Satan himself declared, “I now know that Avraham Avinu is truly perfect.”

The Secret behind Every Billionaire

Author: Rabbi Moshe Pruzansky

CONTRARY TO POPULAR belief, the very first World War in re- corded history did not occur in 1914. Rather, it occurred in this week’s parashah, when four of the mightiest countries battled five equally powerful countries. When Lot, Avraham’s nephew, was taken captive by the four kings, Avraham gathered a tiny group of men to wage war against them and rescue him. Avraham’s “army” was minuscule — according to one opinion, it consisted of only 318 men. According to another opinion, it consisted of even less — merely Avraham and his trusted servant Eliezer. Incredibly, Avraham won the battle in a stunning triumph, thereby rescuing Lot as well as the five kings. The king of Sedom was one of the captives who Avraham rescued. In a seemingly gracious gesture, he offered to reward Avraham with all the spoils he had won in battle and asked that Avraham simply return his subjects to him.

Strangely, Avraham vehemently declined the gesture. He did not stop there either. Avraham went on to raise his arm and state (14:22), “I lift my hand to Hashem, G-d [as an oath]… if I take anything from you! So you shall not say, ‘It is I who made Avraham rich.’”Avraham’s reaction, at first glance, seems a bit dramatic. Was anyone accusing Avraham of taking the spoils for the wrong reasons? Furthermore, was there really such a great concern that the king of Sedom, who had publicly been rescued by Avraham, would take credit for making Avraham wealthy? Everyone had seen Avraham publicly win the battle. All the king of Sedom had offered was for Avraham to keep the loot that he had rightfully won in battle. Why, then, did Avraham refuse to keep it? Furthermore, why the seemingly over-dramatic raising of his arm and statement?

What Were They Thinking?

Author: Rabbi Moshe Pruzansky

THE TORAH RELATES that civilization decayed so terribly in  the eyes of Hashem, that He regretted having ever created man in the first place and decided to destroy all of mankind. In this week’s parashah, we learn in detail that Hashem destroyed the entire planet — except for those on the teivah — through the mabul.

Toward the end of our parashah, the Torah tells us about another disappointing occurrence in Man’s history — Migdal Bavel, The Tower of Bavel (11:1–9). After the mabul, the nations of the world recognized that Hashem was in full control. They also understood that He rewards those who do good and, as the mabul demonstrated, punishes those who do bad. They began to fear that if they sinned, they too would suffer the same fate. In an attempt to break free of Hashem’s control, the leaders of the nations devised a “sophisticated” plan: to build a very tall tower that would reach Heaven and utilize it to wage war against G-d Himself. Hashem stopped them by changing the language that each one understood to an entirely new language, causing them to mis- understand each other, and thus bringing an end to their wicked plans. What were these people thinking? If the nations recognized that G-d is real and almighty, how could they even fantasize about the idea of fighting Him — and by building a tall tower no less! Were they out of their minds? There must have been more to their strategy than meets the eye. What was it?

Earning a Living

Author: Rabbi Moshe Pruzansky

THE TORAH STATES that vegetation was created on the third day of creation. Yet, the Torah also states that the vegetation did not actually sprout and bloom until the sixth day of creation. Why  didn’t the vegetation sprout immediately? Rashi explains (2:6) that on the sixth day Adam was created, and the grass only sprouted after he had davened for it. This is to teach us that the world only receives sustenance in the merit of tefillah — in the merit of recognizing that all of our sustenance is solely in the hands of Hashem.