TA: Vayera 5780 – The System of Avraham Avinu

RASHI

Part I. Recognizing Hashem

A SIGHT TO SEE

It was a tremendous sight, something remarkable to witness: וְהוּא יֹשֵׁב פֶּתַח הָאֹהֶל כְּחֹם הַיּוֹם – “Avraham was sitting at the entrance of the tent in the heat of the day” (Bereishis 18:1). The possuk here is relating to us about an extraordinarily hot day in Eretz Cana’an, and Avraham Avinu, a ninety-nine year old man recovering from a bris milah, is sitting near the door of his tent waiting; he’s bandaging his wound and he’s looking out for wayfarers who may be in need of some shade or a meal.

But who ventures out on a day like that? All desert travel was delayed until the heat wave would pass, and the roads were empty. And yet, Avraham Avinu was so anxious to bestow kindness upon his fellow man that he sat by the door looking over the horizon and hoping. And he sat there until Hashem had pity on him, and sent malachim to travel the road that led past Avraham’s tent.

When Avraham saw these wayfarers coming – even though they appeared to him as plain Arabs – he ran out into the heat towards them; and he fell down on the ground and begged them: אַל נָא תַעֲבֹר – My masters, please don’t go away from your servant (ibid. 18:2).

It was something to see! Avraham; the wealthy man, the nesi Elokim (the prince of Hashem) and the successful general – everything he was – and this important personality threw himself on the ground and begged these simple nomads to partake of his hospitality.

RELIGIOUS EXTREMISM

Now, there’s no doubt that had we been standing there watching Avraham we would have considered his actions excessive – and I use the word excessive in deference to our own honor. Chesed is wonderful, we say, but to be so wild, so extreme about it?! It seems to be too much.

Suppose a traveler, a meshulach, would come to Rav Pam’s street in Kensington. And so Rav Pam would run out of his house: אַל נָא תַעֲבֹר – “Please don’t go away from me,” begs Rav Pam. “Please, I want you to be a guest in my house.” And if the meshulach would say, “No, thank you; it’s fine. I don’t feel like going inside to eat right now,” so Rav Pam falls down on the street; he falls down on his face to plead, “Please my master, don’t pass by. Please don’t go away from your servant.” The old rosh yeshiva is lying on the street begging this stranger to come into his house to eat something.

Suppose the people in Kensington would see that. What would they think of Rav Pam? They would think that he’s nuts. It’s hard to say such a thing, but it’s the truth – that’s what we would think; absolutely. Great people are sometimes so great that others can’t appreciate them. מְשֻׁגָּע אִישׁ הָרוּחַ – The man of spirit – the man who is dedicated fully to Hashem – is a madman (Hoshea 9:7). It means that he appears to be a madman, a meshuganeh, in the eyes of others. The navi is saying that the avodas Hashem of great men is considered extreme by men of lesser stature.

Now, it’s important to note that the Torah’s story of Avraham sitting at the doorway of his tent was not a one-time event. No, that’s not how to learn chumash. When the Torah tells us this story it’s revealing a derech hachaim, a way of life that Avraham always followed. וְהוּא יֹשֵׁב – And Avraham was sitting, really means: “Avraham was always sitting.” Avraham always sat at his tent entrance in the hope that he would find wayfarers upon whom to bestow hospitality. He was meshuga for chesed; he lived a life that was permeated with the desire to make others happy.

AVRAHAM AVINU STUDIED THE WORLD

Now, such a madreigah, such a level of service of Hashem, doesn’t grow on its own. It was only after many years of thought that Avraham arrived at such a level of avodas Hashem. Avraham Avinu was a great student of nature. He studied everything! All of the details of Creation that we take for granted, everything that we ignore, Avraham thought about.

He looked at the trees and the fruits and the plants and the seeds. He studied the processes of the bodies of animals and humans. He studied the emotions of human beings. He studied the vast sky, and the sun and the moon and the clouds and the rain. For hours upon hours, for days and years he studied everything around him and he saw the infinite intelligence of a Creator wherever he looked.

But Avraham wasn’t satisfied with merely recognizing the infinite intelligence in all of Creation. Of course he saw supreme intelligence and design everywhere but that was only the first step. Because when he studied the details of what he saw he realized that they all pointed in one direction – that Hakodosh Boruch Hu is a Chafeitz Chesed; that this world is a place where Hashem is doing chesed for us.

THE UNDERLYING PURPOSE OF EVERYTHING

As Avraham made his way in this world, he took notice of the endless variety of tastes available to mankind. Avraham knew that man could exist quite well without pepper, ginger and cinnamon. “Why then,” asked Avraham, “did Hashem plant in His world cloves, and saffron, and sage, and mustard and all the multitude of spices? It’s seems so superfluous; we could do just fine without the endless variety.”

After much thought about these various pleasures of taste, Avraham concluded that the one and only purpose of all these things is pleasure! The pleasure of Mankind; that’s what Hashem is interested in! By means of studying the world, Avraham understood that the Great Designer desires the happiness of His creations.

What does He do in the world? Does He make apples grow bitter and poisonous or do the apples eventually become sweet and red, beautiful and soft? Does He make grapes ripen into poison or do they become full of sweet juice and provide grape juice and wine? Don’t the bees produce honey for us? And don’t they fructify the plants? They cause the plants to germinate and become the fruits that we enjoy. Aren’t all the phenomena of the world beneficial? Nuts and drinks and sensations and fragrances of all kinds, that’s what we see all around us.

Everywhere that Avraham turned to look in the Creation, he saw the kindness of the Creator and he came to the conclusion that עוֹלָם חֶסֶד יִבָּנֶה – The world was built for the purpose of kindliness (Tehillim 89:3). “It’s a world built for kindliness, to provide mankind with an endless variety of pleasures,” said Avraham. “That’s the sole reason for everything.” עוֹלָם חֶסֶד יִבָּנֶה! Hashem had built a world of chesed!

IT’S ALL IN THE DETAILS

Now, I know that when I say these words it doesn’t register in our minds; it seems like an exaggeration. And that’s because we don’t spend time thinking like Avraham did. We almost never make time to think about the chesed Hashem that is so abundant in His creation. But Avraham was a seeker, a giant thinker, and when he looked around at Hashem’s world he saw a world of kindliness; he saw chesed everywhere. Every detail he observed pointed in one direction: Not only is there a Creator, but that the Creator is a Chafeitz Chesed whose sole intention is to bestow happiness on Mankind.

When Avraham passed an orchard he saw the red apples hanging from the tree. Sometimes he saw yellow bananas and pink peaches, and berries. All the luscious fruits, each one with a different taste. Avraham stood in awe before the various tastes that Hashem was making available to man. Taste is not an accident; it’s a kindness. Did you ever taste the brown earth? Try it once; you’ll see that it’s not so delectable. And out of this brown earth, Hashem brought forth a multitude of fruits and vegetables, each one with its own special taste.

The taste of an orange is different than the taste of a pineapple. The taste of strawberries is different than the taste of blueberries. A walnut doesn’t taste the same as a peanut. And cherries and bananas and pineapples and grapes and tomatoes and onions. Onions! Onions add taste to so many foods. Boruch Hashem for onions! Onions and potatoes make us happy! And it’s an endless variety!

THE COLORFUL WORLD

“Even the colors are a chesed,” thought Avraham. “What was the Creator’s purpose in making apples red?” If Hashem had made apples the same bland color as potatoes, people would still eat them. What can you do if you have nothing better to eat? A bland colored apple can also taste sweet. Do oranges have to become a golden yellow? Why can’t they remain colorless?”

And so Avraham realized that color is a chesed. He saw that when the fruits aren’t ready, so they’re not colored yet. Only when they became edible they changed color. “The purpose of the color is to let people know that the fruit are ripe; that they’re ready to be eaten,” said Avraham. It’s a kindliness so that people shouldn’t have to risk biting into a raw banana or an unripe apple. The beautiful colors, the shades of red, the yellow hues, are there to attract your attention. “I’m ready to be eaten now,” the fruit calls out to you when the color turns attractive.

And Avraham saw even more than that. Because there were hundreds of various shades of color in the food that Hashem was providing. Red and pink and purple and yellow and orange; some dark, some bright. What for? Avraham saw that the colors make eating more fun, more enjoyable. Because anything that looks beautiful is more enjoyable to eat. Avraham saw that Hashem wants to make eating fun!

Not only eating. When Avraham woke in the morning, and looked up at the sky, he saw a beautiful sight. Hashem had painted for him the clear blue sky, spotted with clouds over the horizon. It was a pleasure. And the beautiful blue sky was only the beginning of a most colorful day. The green of the trees and the grass. You know how beautiful the color green is?! It’s a pleasure. It’s a sweet and soft color and that’s why Hashem chose it for the grass and the leaves that are in abundance. And the beautiful hues of the various flowers, the gold orange glory of sunrise and sunset, the magic of the moonlight – so many beautiful things to see!

And for what? That’s what Avraham asked himself. For what purpose are all these beautiful colors that Hashem is painting for us? And Avraham came to the conclusion that it’s nothing but for the sole purpose of the pleasure of man. All of the colors and tastes and pleasures of this world, left not the slightest doubt in the mind of Avraham that Hakodosh Boruch Hu was busy doing kindliness with Mankind.

Part II. Emulating Hashem

SEEING SOMETHING OF HASHEM

Now, when Avraham recognized this, he came to a life-changing conclusion: “Everyone knows,” said Avraham, “That Hakodosh Boruch Hu is יֹשֵׁב בְּסֵתֶר – He sits in concealment (Tehillim 91:1). That means that He doesn’t show Mankind anything of Himself; He’s entirely invisible. “But,” said Abraham, “There’s one thing that He does show of Himself – He shows us His chesed! That’s what we see of Him. Creation is filled with an endless list of useful and pleasurable objects and processes that fill our lives with all forms of enjoyment.”

Now Avraham understood that Hashem could have chosen to reveal Himself to us in any way He wished. “So why is it,” asked Avraham, “that Hakodosh Boruch Hu shows nothing of Himself except for strawberries and gooseberries and blueberries and cherries and oranges and apples and peaches and onions?!”

There’s no accident here! Chesed is the most prominent thing in nature because that’s what He wants we should know about Him. It won’t help you to know more about Him! More than what He shows us, we’re not capable of understanding anyhow. But this one fact we are capable of understanding; that Hakodosh Boruch Hu is intent on giving everyone the things that will make him happy. The world is fully stocked with all good things and He shows us, by means of tens of thousands of examples, that He wishes to make people happy, to give people enjoyment.

THE ONE THING I SEE OF HASHEM

“At least one thing I know about Hashem,” said Avraham, “That He desires kindliness, כִּי חָפֵץ חֶסֶד הוּא (Michah 7:18). And that’s what Avraham came along and taught the world: “The ways of Hakodosh Boruch Hu are not hidden. It’s no secret; they are open in the world. On all sides you can see the great principle that He is a Chafeitz Chesed. There is nothing in the world that is more conspicuous than this demonstration, that Hashem wishes to do kindness to mankind.” And therefore Avraham saw that the most prominent attribute of Hashem is that He’s a אֵ-ל חֶסֶד, He’s a G-d of kindliness.

And why is He showing us that? Avraham said that it’s not only for the purpose of letting us know that He desires to do good to us. And it’s not even so that I should learn to love Hashem because of this kindliness; that’s important too but it’s not the only thing. Avraham understood that Hashem is showing us that He’s the Chafeitz Chesed primarily because He wants us to learn to imitate Him; that we also should be desirous of doing chesed.

Not only that He is kind to us, but it’s what He wants from us. Avraham learned from the world, from the briah of chesed, what Hashem wants from us most. Once Avraham saw that everything in the world was kindliness he became obsessed with this model that Hashem was showing him. Hashem became his rebbi in chesed. “He does kindliness,” said Avraham, “and I’m going to emulate Him. Hakodosh Boruch Hu practices hachnasas orchim on us, doesn’t He? He made a beautiful hostel for us – that’s this world – and He gives us food and lodging, so why shouldn’t we emulate Him and do the same? I’m going to do the same as He does, and I’m going to bestow chesed on the world.”

And that’s why he sat פֶּתַח הָאֹהֶל כְּחֹם הַיּוֹם – At the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day looking out into the desert for wayfarers. That’s why he ran out to the three guests and begged them to come into his tent. It was because he saw that Hashem went all out for Mankind, so he too became מְשֻׁגָּע אִישׁ הָרוּחַ; he became extreme, wild with enthusiasm about doing chesed in order to emulate Hashem.

PLANTING TREES L’SHEIM SHAMAYIM

Avraham saw that Hashem had created trees so to provide food and shade for mankind, so he got busy planting trees. וַיִּטַּע אֶשֶׁל בִּבְאֵר שָׁבַע – He planted an orchard in Be’er Sheva and invited the guests to enjoy the chesed (Vayera 21:33). And when Avraham drank a refreshing cup of water, he thought about the chesed Hashem and he looked to do that chesed with others as well. יֻקַּח נָא מְעַט מַיִם וְרַחֲצוּ רַגְלֵיכֶם – Take some water, he told all of his guests, and wash yourselves off and refresh yourselves with a cup of water.

He saw that the trunk of a tree was a chesed Hashem; a place to lean back and rest one’s weary body, and so he offered his tree as a place to rest: וְהִשָּׁעֲנוּ תַּחַת הָעֵץ – Please rest here under the tree, he said (ibid. 18:3). And because Hashem was giving the world bread and butter and milk and meat, so Avraham didn’t only lend his visitors the real estate under his trees. וְאֶקְחָה פַת לֶחֶם וְסַעֲדוּ לִבְּכֶם — “Lean back and relax while I bring you some food to eat,” he said, and he got busy feeding his guests.

LEARNING SPRING WITH TOSFOS

When Avraham was encouraged by a comfortable breeze, a nice spring day, so he said, “That’s a lesson from Hashem.” You know, a nice breeze is like a Tosfos; it’s teaching you something. And Avraham didn’t skip over that Tosfos. He said, “I’m also going to be a me’odeid anavim. I’m going to encourage people, and make them feel good, make them happy, like Hashem does.” Wherever Avraham was, it was oz v’chedvah, encouragement and simchah, just like b’mkomo, in the place of Hashem.

Avraham transformed himself into a chafeitz chesed— he made it a career of being kindly to everybody. He taught his family to be kind to people because he understood that politeness, being respectful to others, is a subcategory of chesed. When he had to buy a grave for Sarah and he went to negotiate a price with the people who owned the Me’aras Hamachpeilah, he bowed down to the ground and spoke politely to them. It’s remarkable to see how Avraham did business with politeness. Avraham was a man who was a chafeitz chesed to everybody because He saw that it was the ratzon Hashem in this world.

And therefore Avraham went out into the world with his new teaching; he taught the world the chiddush that Hakodosh Boruch demonstrates to us that He is a אֵ-ל חֶסֶד in order that we should emulate Him. It was one of the very great achievements of our first father Avraham to introduce to the world the concept that Hakodosh Boruch Hu does not want anything except compassion. And not only compassion; He wants you to bestow happiness on others. Hakodosh Boruch Hu desires of you that you should be devoted to the ideal that He is devoted to – the ideal that you see all around you of a world that is making people happy.