Friday, November 15, 2019

Parsha Vayeira, miracles, story and too much news.


This week is the week of the Shabbos Project worldwide.





What’s a few miracles between us and G-D? 1) A man heard the siren and stopped his car a braced himself on a side of a wall. His car was riddled with shrapnel. 2) In Israel even the chickens get miracles. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/271603



Parsha Lech Lecha Part 2


15:1 After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying: 'Fear not, Abram, I am thy shield, thy reward shall be exceeding great.'

From here we get the blessing ‘Magen Avraham’ in the Amidah Prayer. But the shield of Avram in the war of the kings was not enough as he felt like a dead man being rich but childless so nobody would get his riches.

2 And Abram said: 'O Lord GOD, what wilt Thou give me, seeing I go hence childless, and he that shall be possessor of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?'

Will my faithful servant inherit me?

3 And Abram said: 'Behold, to me Thou hast given no seed, and, lo, one born in my house is to be mine heir.' 4 And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying: 'This man shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.'

You are now 70 but you will in the future father a man who will be you heir.

5 And He brought him forth abroad, and said: 'Look now toward heaven, and count the stars, if thou be able to count them'; and He said unto him: 'So shall thy seed be.' 6 And he believed in the LORD; and He counted it to him for righteousness. 7 And He said unto him: 'I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.' 8 And he said: 'O Lord GOD, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?'

From the Medrash there was a dialogue between Avram and G-D. Look my birth sign according to Astrology says that Avram cannot give birth because of the position of Jupiter (Tzeddek) in my chart. G-D then gave him sort of an out of body or out of earth experience and we went above. Jupiter and the other planets sort of above the Ecliptic Plane. 

9 And He said unto him: 'Take Me a heifer of three years old, and a she-goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtle-dove, and a young pigeon.' 10 And he took him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each half over against the other; but the birds divided he not. 11 And the birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away. 12 And it came to pass, that, when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, a dread, even a great darkness, fell upon him.

The battle, freeing the captives, tithing and chasing the birds made Avram very tired to the point that as night fell, he went into a deep sleep.

13 And He said unto Abram: 'Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; 14 and also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge; and afterward shall they come out with great substance. 15 But thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. 16 And in the fourth generation they shall come back hither; for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet full.'

Unlike the pleading for Sodom, Avram does not plead for his forthcoming children. Why is this? Avram realizes that everything that happens to him and his seed is to mold him and them into the best possible situation even if souls must die on a Kiddush HASHEM in a Shoah! As I said to my friend Jack K. who saw his family die at Auschwitz that not everything we understand why better people died and some weaker and less righteous on the surface survived and lived in slavery until liberated.

17 And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and there was thick darkness, behold a smoking furnace, and a flaming torch that passed between these pieces. 18 In that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying: 'Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates; 19 the Kenite, and the Kenizzite, and the Kadmonite, 20 and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Rephaim, 21 and the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Girgashite, and the Jebusite.'

Your seed will become a nation and you will inherit the rich land where all these nations live.

16:1 Now Sarai Abram's wife bore him no children; and she had a handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. 2 And Sarai said unto Abram: 'Behold now, the LORD has restrained me from bearing; go in, I pray thee, unto my handmaid; it may be that I shall be built up through her.' And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.

He did not think at all about having relations with Hagar. Now his wife wanted to forester a child. For he must have told her what G-D had promised him. She might also have had menopause.

3 And Sarai Abram's wife took Hagar the Egyptian, her handmaid, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to Abram her husband to be his wife.

This is 15 years after the Bris between the pieces. He was now 85 as at 75 he left Haran.

4 And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived; and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.

From a maid servant she looked down on her barren mistress and felt superior as she had become pregnant.

5 And Sarai said unto Abram: 'My wrong be upon thee: I gave my handmaid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the LORD judge between me and thee.'

Unto this day, we need the L-RD to judge between Yishmael and Yisrael.

6 But Abram said unto Sarai: 'Behold, thy maid is in thy hand; do to her that which is good in thine eyes.' And Sarai dealt harshly with her, and she fled from her face.

Avram had many servants and they were loyal to Sarah and Hagar having been put into her place and perhaps beaten fled.

7 And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur. 8 And he said: 'Hagar, Sarai's handmaid, whence came thou? and whither goes thou?' And she said: 'I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai.' 9 And the angel of the LORD said unto her: 'Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands.'

Having heard this from the Angel, she had no choice but to return.

10 And the angel of the LORD said unto her: 'I will greatly multiply thy seed, that it shall not be numbered for multitude. 11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her: 'Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son; and thou shalt call his name Ishmael, because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.

G-D has heard you or will hear you = Yishmael.

12 And he shall be a wild ass of a man: his hand shall be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the face of all his brethren.'

Yishmael will be first a donkey and then a man. He will put his hand(s) upon everybody and everything and the people will be against him. He will get into the face of his brethren.

13 And she called the name of the LORD that spoke unto her, Thou art a God of seeing; for she said: 'Have I even here seen Him that sees Me?' 14 Wherefore the well was called 'Beer-lahai-roi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.

Literally G-D sees me.

15 And Hagar bore Abram a son; and Abram called the name of his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael. 16 And Abram was fourscore and six years old, when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram.

17: 1 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him: 'I am God Almighty; walk before Me, and be thou wholehearted. 2 And I will make My covenant between Me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.' 3 And Abram fell on his face; and God talked with him, saying: 4 'As for Me, behold, My covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be the father of a multitude of nations. 5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for the father of a multitude of nations have I made thee.

From this day on, you have a new name and a new horoscope and you will bear a child who will be likened unto you.

6 And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. 7 And I will establish My covenant between Me and thee and thy seed after thee throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee and to thy seed after thee. 8 And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land of thy sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.'

This one will inherit you physically and spiritually.

9 And God said unto Abraham: 'And as for thee, thou shalt keep My covenant, thou, and thy seed after thee throughout their generations. 10 This is My covenant, which ye shall keep, between Me and you and thy seed after thee: every male among you shall be circumcised.

There was an exception with families where the first two boys died of hemophilia and then the rest were not circumcised. They did not call it hemophilia but that the boys died from the Bris.

11 And ye shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of a covenant betwixt Me and you. 12 And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every male throughout your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any foreigner, that is not of thy seed.

So this included all the non-Jewish servants (slaves) born in the house.

13 He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised; and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. 14 And the uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken My covenant.'

The implication is clear that these servant-slaves would have a portion with Yisrael in the next world.

15 And God said unto Abraham: 'As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. 16 And I will bless her, and moreover I will give thee a son of her; yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be of her.'

Why is Sarah being called a mother of nations seeing that she only had one son, Yitzchak? The answer is that Yitzchak sired also Esav and he became the father of many tribes and that became nations.

17 Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart: 'Shall a child be born unto him that is a hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?'

Avraham laughed for joy for he believed pure and simple in miracles.

18 And Abraham said unto God: 'Oh that Ishmael might live before Thee!' 19 And God said: 'Nay, but Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son; and thou shalt call his name Isaac; and I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his seed after him.

The son that spiritually inherits you will be Yitzchak.

20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee; behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.

Yishmael will have 12 kingdoms or princedoms in his life time. He will inherit an oil rich area and be given wealth.

21 But My covenant will I establish with Isaac; whom Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.'

But your heir both in this world and the next is Yitzchak and he will be the spiritual leader of his generation.

22 And He left off talking with him, and God went up from Abraham.

Just as G-D or HIS Angel came suddenly, when HE finished speaking, he disappeared.
This is the thing I spoke about in Kaboom Creation on Beresheis as he returned from the three dimensional world unto a higher dimension.

23 And Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all that were born in his house, and all that were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham's house, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the selfsame day, as God had said unto him.

This is the way of Tzaddikim in their time. Noach and Moshe also did the bidding of G-D immediately as we saw in the past and will see in the future.

24 And Abraham was ninety years old and nine, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 25 And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.

Because he circumcised at the age of 13 years, our modern Rabbis teach that Yishmael will be blessed in the far future ruling 1300 years over Har HaBeis.

26 In the selfsame day was Abraham circumcised, and Ishmael his son. 27 And all the men of his house, those born in the house, and those bought with money of a foreigner, were circumcised with him.

For this they would be with Avraham sometime in the afterlife. This could be immediately upon their demise or after their souls were purified.


Parsha Vayeira


18:1 And the LORD appeared unto him by the terebinths of Mamre, as he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;

From here we learn the Mitzvah of visiting the sick as it was the most painful day after the Bris, the third day. – Medrash and Rashi.

2 and he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood over against him; and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed down to the earth,

Avraham would try to convert every idol worshipper that passed by to a believer in one G-D.

3 and said: 'My lord, if now I have found favor in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant. 4 Let now a little water be fetched, and wash your feet, and recline yourselves under the tree. 5 And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and stay ye your heart; after that ye shall pass on; forasmuch as ye are come to your servant.' And they said: 'So do, as thou hast said.'

This is the difference between a righteous man and a wicked man. The Tzaddik will say little and do a lot. The wicked will say a lot and do little. Before you vote in the next election ask yourself what politician has been true to his word and which one all talk.

6 And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said: 'Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes.'

Not what he promised a morsel of bread (usually course black bread over the centuries) but the best farina cakes which were probably made with eggs and honey aka the original Challah.

7 And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetched a calf tender and good, and gave it unto the servant; and he hastened to dress it. 8 And he took curd, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat.

They started off the meal eating Challah and butter.

9 And they said unto him: 'Where is Sarah thy wife?' And he said: 'Behold, in the tent.'

This is an odd request as it is the custom of Arabs and Nomads not to inquire about the wife of their friend or host lest she become suspect. An exception might be a father or brother. Above and beyond this they call Sarah by name. This is an odd behavior for three complete strangers whom one just met to inquire by name of one’s wife!

10 And He said: 'I will certainly return unto thee when the season comes round; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son.' And Sarah heard in the tent door, which was behind him.

It is the nature of a wife to listen to the conversations of her husband. When I learned with my late friend Meir in his house, his wife did not like hearing of the Sanhedrin death penalties and due to his illness we only learned there. I changed the learning to Beitzah (an egg that was born on Yom Tov). When I learned with Rabbi Mimran Shlita this past Hoshana Rabbah, the Rebbitzen discussed the subject with him.

11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, and well stricken in age; it had ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. 12 And Sarah laughed within herself, saying: 'After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?'

I am 27 years younger than Avraham was then and forestering a 14.5year old and it is extremely difficult at the generation gap is two generations and the energy to raise a child is no longer there. I assume that Avraham, who would live 175 years, had at the time of Yishmael and Yitzchak the strength of that of a 40 to 50year old of today. The definition of an older lady back then and in the days of the Talmud was a woman who reached menopause.

13 And the LORD said unto Abraham: 'Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying: Shall I of a surety bear a child, who am old?

He purposely left out the part of her saying that Avraham is old so as not to upset him and for Shalom Beis (peace between husband and wife). One can omit the full truth for the sake of peace and the Beisei Dinim today often take this one step further and outright lie in divorce cases. (I do not approve of this on a personal level but stretching the truth a bit to prevent a divorce is OK.)

14 Is anything too hard for the LORD. At the set time I will return unto thee, when the season cometh round, and Sarah shall have a son.'

Nothing is too hard for the CREATOR of man.

15 Then Sarah denied, saying: 'I laughed not'; for she was afraid. And He said: 'Nay; but thou didst laugh.'

She realized that they were either holy men or Angels and wanted to appear w

16 And the men rose up from thence, and looked out toward Sodom; and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way. 17 And the LORD said: 'Shall I hide from Abraham that which I am doing;

From here we learn that one should accompany his guest to see that they are safely on their way. This is the root of the reason for the Mitzvah of Egel Arufa (the cow whose neck is broken where the town elders confess that they did everything to make the way safe).

18 seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? 19 For I have known him, to the end that he may command his children and his household after him, that they may keep the way of the LORD, to do righteousness and justice; to the end that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which He hath spoken of him.'

This is more prophecy from the dimension that is above time and ordinary three dimensional space.

20 And the LORD said: 'Verily, the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and, verily, their sin is exceeding grievous. 21 I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto Me; and if not, I will know.'

Sodom is a relatively large city of its day. Probably it had many hundreds or thousands of people. Like any larger city develops entertainment and lust as more and more men and women come together to find out if the grass is greener by the neighbor. As we see further on men also went with men and women with women.8

22 And the men turned from thence, and went toward Sodom; but Abraham stood yet before the LORD. 23 And Abraham drew near, and said: 'Wilt Thou indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 Peradventure there are fifty righteous … 26 And the LORD said: 'If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will forgive all the place for their sake.' 27 And Abraham answered and said: 'Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the LORD, who am but dust and ashes. 28 Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous; wilt Thou destroy all the city for lack of five?' And He said: 'I will not destroy it, if I find there forty and five.' 29 …'Peradventure there shall be forty found there.' … Peradventure there shall thirty be found there… 31 And he said: 'Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the LORD. Peradventure there shall be twenty found there … 32 And he said: 'Oh, let not the LORD be angry, and I will speak yet but this once. Peradventure ten shall be found there.' And He said: 'I will not destroy it for the ten's sake.' 33 And the LORD went His way, as soon as He had left off speaking to Abraham; and Abraham returned unto his place.

This is the way of the righteous to pray or request from G-D about lives of strangers.

19:1 And the two angels came to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom; and Lot saw them, and rose up to meet them; and he fell down on his face to the earth; 2 and he said: 'Behold now, my lords, turn aside, I pray you, into your servant's house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your way.' And they said: 'Nay; but we will abide in the broad place all night.'

There were at the start three angels sent to Avraham. Rafael to cure him and he left. Gavriel to destroy Sodom and Michael to rescue Lot for two reasons: 1) For the sake of Avraham and 2) The Moshiach would come from a daughter of Moav. Rashi notes that each Angel does one mission at a time. Thus we see with Yacov one going back and forth to Esav, others for the delivery of various animals.

3 And he urged them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat. 4 But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both young and old, all the people from every quarter. 5 And they called unto Lot, and said unto him: 'Where are the men that came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them.'

For a wealthy and modern town this was their pleasure and entertainment.

6 And Lot went out unto them to the door, and shut the door after him. 7 And he said: 'I pray you, my brethren, do not so wickedly. 8 Behold now, I have two daughters that have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes; only unto these men do nothing; forasmuch as they are come under the shadow of my roof.'

It is the custom unto this day of Arabs not to attack people under the roof of another and for the host to protect them.

9 And they said: 'Stand back.' And they said: 'This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs play the judge; now will we deal worse with thee, than with them.' And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and drew near to break the door.

They became infuriate at Lot.

10 But the men put forth their hand, and brought Lot into the house to them, and the door they shut. 11 And they smote the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great; so that they wearied themselves to find the door.

They exposed their arms and burnt out the retina of each eye of everyman.  

12 And the men said unto Lot: 'Hast thou here any besides? son-in-law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whomsoever thou hast in the city; bring them out of the place; 13 for we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxed great before the LORD; and the LORD hath sent us to destroy it.' 14 And Lot went out, and spoke unto his sons-in-law, who married his daughters, and said: 'Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD will destroy the city.' But he seemed unto his sons-in-law as one that jested.

They could have been saved by the merit of Avraham and Lot but they did not deserve and thought Lot to have gone mad with fear of the locals.

15 And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying: 'Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters that are here; lest thou be swept away in the iniquity of the city.' 16 But he lingered; and the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the LORD being merciful unto him. And they brought him forth, and set him without the city.

He was not like his uncle Avraham who rose early for the Akeda. Instead, he and his wife liked the city.

17 And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said: 'Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the Plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be swept away.' 18 And Lot said unto them: 'Oh, not so, my lord; 19 behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shown unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest the evil overtake me, and I die. 20 Behold now, this city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one; oh, let me escape thither--is it not a little one? and my soul shall live.' 21 And he said unto him: 'See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow the city of which thou hast spoken. 22 Hasten thou, escape thither; for I cannot do anything till thou become thither.'--Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.

This does not appear to be the ruins by that name on the Israeli side of the road as one goes down to Yam HaMelach (Salt Sea or Dead Sea) from Arad. Seeing that Ammon and Moav are located on the Jordanian side of the Dead Sea, it appears to me that the smaller town would be that side. Lot uses the word Na aka please. The word Na in Gematria is 51. Remember Avram was 48 when the nations were dispersed. In Gemara Shabbos it is mentioned that the sins of Sodom were in their 52nd year but Zoar was in its 51st year and still had some merits.

23 The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot came unto Zoar. 24 Then the LORD caused to rain upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven; 25 and He overthrow those cities, and all the Plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground. 26 But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.

My father told me that it sounds like an atomic bomb going off.

27 And Abraham got up early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the LORD. 28 And he looked out toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the Plain, and beheld, and, lo, the smoke of the land went up as the smoke of a furnace.

A large mushroom cloud with like a furnace continuing in the cloud.

29 And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the Plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot dwelt. 30 And Lot went up out of Zoar, and dwelt in the mountain, and his two daughters with him; for he feared to dwell in Zoar; and he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters.

After losing his wife and others, why not return to his uncle Avraham? My guess is that he had become corrupted by the people of Sodom and not interested in a very pious life any more.

31 And the first-born said unto the younger: 'Our father is old, and there is not a man in the earth to come in unto us after the manner of all the earth.

Did they not know of Avraham? People of Zoar? Why did they do this act? They were born and educated in Sodom and it is their schooling that brought them to this. Have you ever seen or heard of somebody Jew or Goy from a religious school or private school commit a mass school shooting? What is wrong with public education? This was how Lot Educated his daughters and this is the results.

32 Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.' 33 And they made their father drink wine that night. And the first-born went in, and lay with her father; and he knew not when she lay down, nor when she arose. 34 And it came to pass on the morrow, that the first-born said unto the younger: 'Behold, I lay yesternight with my father. Let us make him drink wine this night also; and go thou in, and lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.' 35 And they made their father drink wine that night also. And the younger arose, and lay with him; and he knew not when she lay down, nor when she arose. 36 Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father. 37 And the first-born bore a son, and called his name Moab--the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day. 38 And the younger, she also bore a son, and called his name Ben-ammi--the same is the father of the children of Ammon unto this day.

This whole story is to show the roots of these two nations and that they would ignore the Bnei Yisrael on the way back home after the Exodus.

20: 1 And Abraham journeyed from thence toward the land of the South, and dwelt between Kadesh and Shur; and he sojourned in Gerar. …

This year I shall skip the story of Avimelech and the seizure of Sarah etc.
21:1 And the LORD remembered Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as He had spoken. 2 And Sarah conceived, and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. 3 And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac. 4 And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. 5 And Abraham was a hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him. 6 And Sarah said: 'God hath made laughter for me; every one that hears will laugh on account of me.' ... 9 And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne unto Abraham, making sport.

Rashi says that he was giving Yitzchak small idols – I add to play with so that Avraham would love only Yishmael.

10 Wherefore she said unto Abraham: 'Cast out this bondwoman and her son; for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac.' …

Hagar was thrown out with enough water for traveling. However, Yishmael was 16 and unruly and wild (see above that his hand is upon everything). He got heat stroke and dried out.

16 And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bow-shot; for she said: 'Let me not look upon the death of the child.' And she sat over against him, and lifted up her voice, and wept. 17 And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her: 'What ails thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is. 18 Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him fast by thy hand; for I will make him a great nation.' 19 And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink.

It was not complete heat stroke but a drying out like happens every so often to Bedouin.  

20 And God was with the lad, and he grew; and he dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer. 21 And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran; and his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt.

Since she was from Egypt, she wanted a daughter-in-law like herself.

22 And it came to pass at that time, that Abimelech and Phicol the captain of his host spoke unto Abraham, saying: 'God is with thee in all that thou do. 23 Now therefore swear unto me here by God that thou wilt not deal falsely with me, nor with my son, nor with my son's son; but according to the kindness that I have done unto thee, thou shalt do unto me, and to the land wherein thou hast sojourned.' 24 And Abraham said: 'I will swear.' 25 And Abraham reproved Abimelech because of the well of water, which Abimelech's servants had violently taken away… 32 So they made a covenant at Beer-sheba; and Abimelech rose up, and Phicol the captain of his host, and they returned into the land of the Philistines.

Beer Sheva literally the well of the vow.

33 And Abraham planted a tamarisk-tree in Beer-sheba, and called there on the name of the LORD, the Everlasting God. 34 And Abraham sojourned in the land of the Philistines many days.
22:1 And it came to pass after these things, that God did prove Abraham, and said unto him: 'Abraham'; and he said: 'Here am I.' 2 And He said: 'Take now thy son, thine only son, whom thou love, even Isaac, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt-offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.' 3 And Abraham rose early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he cleaved the wood for the burnt-offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him. 4 On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. …

This year to make the commentary and blog not so long I will skip the Akeda. For greater understand read past blogs in the archives.

15 And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham a second time out of heaven, 16 and said: 'By Myself have I sworn, says the LORD, because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, 17 that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the seashore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; 18 and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast hearkened to My voice.' 19 So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beer-sheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beer-sheba.

This is he Pshat but the Drash says that Sarah heard about the Akeda on her way to stop Avraham and she collapsed and died on the spot in a place called Chevron.

20 And it came to pass after these things, that it was told Abraham, saying: 'Behold, Milcah, she also hath borne children unto thy brother Nahor: 21 Uz his first-born, and Buz his brother, and Kemuel the father of Aram; 22 and Chesed, and Hazo, and Pildash, and Jidlaph, and Bethuel.' 23 And Bethuel begot Rebekah; these eight did Milcah bear to Nahor, Abraham's brother. 24 And his concubine, whose name was Reumah, she also bore Tebah, and Gaham, and Tahash, and Maacah.

This whole section is for birth of Rivka.


For Generations to Come by Rabbi Yerachmiel Tilles


In 1973, just before the outbreak of the Yom Kippur War, I [Mrs. Zlata (Freiman) Hertzel] had traveled from Israel where I was living to New York to attend my brother's wedding, and while there, I came to see the Rebbe.

Before the audience was to take place, Rabbi Leibel Groner, the Rebbe's secretary, instructed me to write down my requests on a piece of paper which would be handed into the Rebbe in advance. I did as he instructed - I wrote that I was married with children, that I was teaching in the Chabad school in Lod, and that my children were in daycare which was costing more than the money I was making. I wanted the Rebbe's advice - should I leave my job and stay home with my kids, instead of borrowing every month to make ends meet?

When I walked into the Rebbe's office, he had a big pile of letters on his desk and he reached into it to extract my letter - he pulled it out just like that without even looking for it. He read it quickly and then answered my question with this statement:

"I see you are teaching the children of Israel at the school Reshet Oholei Yosef Yitzchak, which is named after my holy father-in law," he began. "You should know that the education of Jewish children is a conduit for blessing - both material and spiritual - for you and your family for generations to come."

Then he repeated those words again, and I felt that the audience was over.

It was only after I left that the Rebbe's words started sinking in. I thought: "The Rebbe is telling me that my job educating children is a conduit for blessings. So clearly, there is only one thing I can do - keep working." I called my husband, Meir, and after I told him what the Rebbe said, he concurred with my decision.

Before I could return to Israel, however, the Yom Kippur War broke out and the news we were hearing was not good.

My husband was drafted into a combat unit on a moment's notice and, because I was still in New York, he distributed our children amongst our neighbors and relatives. I was informed that he was sent to the front lines at Ismailia, Egypt but that's all I knew. I immediately asked Rabbi Groner for another audience with the Rebbe, but he could not schedule it as I had just been to see the Rebbe a few days before. However, after I broke down in tears, he suggested that I wait outside the office and ask for a blessing for my husband when the Rebbe came out.

My heart was pounding, but I mustered the courage to approach the Rebbe as he passed by and make my plea. The Rebbe responded, "When you return to the Holy Land, you will find that all your loved ones are healthy and whole. Be sure to keep in touch with me and let me know the good news. You can call me collect."

He said this three times - once in English, once in Yiddish and once in Hebrew - and I knew his words would come true. I was trembling with excitement because I was sure it was going to happen exactly as he said. And indeed it did.

I had a hard time getting a plane ticket back to Israel because all the flights were commandeered for returning soldiers, doctors and other essential personnel. But I begged the airline - telling them that my husband was in combat and I had no idea where my children were - and so they let me on the plane, even though I would have to sit on the floor.

Once I was on the plane, a soldier gave up his seat for me, and I told all the other passengers what the Rebbe had said. I believe they were greatly encouraged by his words. Even people who were not religious. All the men present put on their yarmulkes - those who didn't have them covered their heads with napkins - and the plane turned into one praying synagogue. It was very amazing and moving to see this.

At some point during our flight, the plane started zig-zagging in the sky because we had encountered a dogfight between our planes and Egyptian planes. I was so scared that I burst out crying when this was happening, but one of the soldiers said to me, "Why are you crying? Your Rebbe told you that everything would turn out all right for you and your loved ones." And that reminder calmed me down.

When we landed, the airport was absolutely dark, and there was no public transportation of any kind - everything had been turned over to the war effort. But I managed to make my way home, and I located my children.

The war lasted close to three weeks. When the dust settled, though many Israeli soldiers had been killed and injured, my husband came home safe and sound just as the Rebbe said he would. As the Rebbe had requested, I made sure to call New York to report that all was well with my family.

After the war, I returned to work, and I kept on working. I have now been a teacher in the Oholei Yosef Yitzchak system for thirty-five years. I never wanted to block the conduit that was bringing blessings to me and my family. Yes, there were financial difficulties at the beginning, but after a time, my salary increased and I no longer needed to borrow money to send my children to daycare. I saw the blessings increase from year to year. I saw my children growing up, being educated, becoming successful in marriage, in raising their own children. I saw the Rebbe's blessing in action from generation to generation.

And today I would say to anyone involved in Jewish education: "It's a huge thing that you are doing; it's the most important thing in the world. Our children are our most valuable treasure, and they are in your hands."

For this reason, I never retired. People say to me, "What? At your age, you are still working? How do you have the energy for this?" And I answer, "I do it for the blessing and for the happiness it brings me."

Today, I live in Upper Nazareth (Nazareth Illit) where I am the principal of a girls' high school. The girls are bussed in from the entire region, and they are so pleased to come, so pleased with the school - the good education, the good teachers, the good atmosphere. Our school even won a regional prize for excellence. And I really see the Rebbe's blessing all around me, still flowing after more than forty years.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Source: Adapted by Yerachmiel Tilles from a mailing of "JEM - Here's My Story" (jemedia.org), as part of their extraordinary "My Encounter with the Rebbe" project, documenting the life of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi M. M. Schneerson of righteous memory, in one of the 1000+ videotaped interviews conducted to date.

Mrs. Zlata (Freiman) Hertzel is the principal of the Chabad Girls School in Nazereth Illit, in 1996 her husband, Meir, passed away. She was remarried to Rabbi Yeshayau Hertzel, the Chief Rabbi of Nazaereth Illit where she was interviewed in May of 2015.

Connection: Weekly Reading of Vayeira -- "I have known him [Avraham], so that he will command his children and his household after him, and they will keep G-d's way, doing charity and justice" (see Gen.18:18-19).

Biographical note: Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the Lubavitcher Rebbe: [11 Nissan 5662 - 3 Tammuz 5754 (April 1902 - June 1994 C.E.)], became the seventh Rebbe of the Chabad dynasty after his father-in-law's passing on 10 Shvat 5710 (1950 C.E.). He is widely acknowledged as the greatest Jewish leader of the second half of the 20th century. Although a dominant scholar in both the revealed and hidden aspects of Torah and fluent in many languages and scientific subjects, the Rebbe is best known for his extraordinary love and concern for every Jew on the planet. His emissaries around the globe dedicated to strengthening Judaism number in the thousands. Hundreds of volumes of his teachings have been printed, as well as dozens of English renditions.



Cable Car to old city disturbs Arabs. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5621253,00.html


Israel the worst investor in health care. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/271447


Inyanay Diyoma



Bodies and two live Israelis progress. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/271346


30 years to fall of Berlin Wall but 81 years since Crystal Night. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/271340


Turkey’s role against ISIS a joke. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/271304






Need a national security government. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/271639

Before the afternoon and evening attacks making more than 400 rockets the number of injured was like the article but two people running to shelter injured by falls. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/271590

Gaza Death toll is not all from the IDF as Fox Reporter saw their own rocket explode on them. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/271602


IDF denies antitank missile fired at vehicle. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/271596

Indonesia suspected homicide bomber. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/271572


Afghan Prisoner exchange and Australian bush fires in the news but so much from Israel.


US will leave 500 soldiers in Syria. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/271430

US concerned over Euro labeling of Israeli goods. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/271609

After the cease fire was called with the Jihad, they fired about 10 rockets into Israel and more rocket production areas and other military places were bombed.

Have a healthy, restful and peaceful Shabbos,
Rachamim Pauli
Posted by Rabbi Rachamim Pauli at 12:20 PM