Eliezer Meir Saidel: Reverse Engineering – Vayeira

 Reverse Engineering – Vayeira 

וַיֹּאמֶר קַח נָא אֶת בִּנְךָ אֶת יְחִידְךָ אֲשֶׁר אָהַבְתָּ אֶת יִצְחָק וְלֶךְ לְךָ אֶל אֶרֶץ הַמֹּרִיָּה וְהַעֲלֵהוּ שָׁם לְעֹלָה עַל אַחַד הֶהָרִים אֲשֶׁר אֹמַר אֵלֶיךָ  (בראשית כב, ב).

 

At the end of this parsha we encounter what most Mefarshim consider the last of Avraham's ten trials – the Akeida. According to three opinions, Avraham's trials began with לֶךְ לְךָ מֵאַרְצְךָ and ended with לֶךְ לְךָ אֶל אֶרֶץ הַמֹּרִיָּה. There are in fact nine different opinions what Avraham's ten trials were –

In this shiur we will be discussing Avraham's ten trials from a completely different perspective, but before that a short introduction.

 

At the end of parshat Noach we were first introduced to Avram, in the listing of the ten generations between Noach and Avram. The Torah is very scant with initial details of Avram, other that he was the son of Terach, brother to Haran and Nachor, he married Sarai (who was barren) and that Terach took his family (including Avram, Sarai and Lot) and moved from Ur Casdim to settle in Charan. That's it. Then the story of Avram begins in earnest, in parshat Lech Lecha, where HKB"H first speaks to Avram.

 

If you look at Noach, the Torah initially introduces him in a completely different way. נֹחַ אִישׁ צַדִּיק תָּמִים הָיָה בְּדֹרֹתָיו אֶת הָאֱלֹהִים הִתְהַלֶּךְ נֹחַ, the Torah provides us with Noach's resume - Noach was a Tzaddik, תָּמִים, Noach walked with HKB"H, etc.

 

With Avraham, there is no resume. Before parshat Lech Lecha the Torah omits any character details about Avraham. The Midrash fills in many of the gaps, about how he grew up in the home of idol worshippers, how he broke all his father's idols, how Terach handed him over to Nimrod who threw Avram in the fiery furnace, how Avram emerged unscathed, etc. That is all in the Midrash, no details are listed in psukkim in the Torah, not that Avram was a Tzaddik, תָּמִים, that he walked with HKB"H. We know that Avraham was much greater than Noach, so why this glaring omission?

 

This is the way things appear on the surface, but appearances are deceptive. In fact, Avraham's character was described quite clearly in the Torah – before he was even born! Already in parshat Breishit the passuk says אֵלֶּה תוֹלְדוֹת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְהָאָרֶץ בְּהִבָּרְאָם (בראשית ב, ד) and the Midrash (ב"ר יב, ח) says "Do not read בְּהִבָּרְאָם but בְּאַבְרָהָם". The Midrash is in fact describing Avraham's character – that Avraham was such a superlative individual that the world was created specifically for him!

 

The Midrash tells us –

 

ר' בּוּן אָמַר: הָיָה רָאוּי אַבְרָהָם לְהִבָּרְאוֹת קֹדֶם אָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן, אֶלָּא אָמַר הקב"ה: אִם אֶבְרָא תְּחִלָּה אֶת אַבְרָהָם שֶׁאִם יְקַלְקֵל אֵין מִי יָבוֹא וִיתַקֵּן אַחֲרָיו, אֶלָּא הֲרֵינִי בּוֹרֵא אָדָם וְאִם יְקַלְקֵל זֶה – יָבֹא אַבְרָהָם אַחֲרָיו וִיתַקֵּן (קהלת רבה ג, טו).

 

Actually, Avraham was supposed to be born before Adam, but HKB"H said "If I first create Avraham and he fails, there will be nobody to repair his failure. So, I will first create Adam HaRishon and if Adam fails, Avraham will repair Adam's failure”.

In other words, the Torah is in fact giving us Avraham's initial resume – that he was the reason that HKB"H created the word. Avraham was the "vision of man" that HKB"H had when He created the world. How's that for a resume? A little better than Noach's, I think.

 

Therefore, Avraham (and Sarah's) entire purpose was repairing the failure of Adam HaRishon (and Chava). The ten trials were the stages of the tikkun for the stages of the sin of Adam and Chava. In a previous shiur (Lech Lecha 2022) we explored that the ten trials were in fact trials not only for Avraham, but also for Sarah.

 

In this shiur I would like to explore all the ten trials and show how each trial repairs some wrong that occurred with Adam and Chava in Gan Eden. In this analysis, I will be using the maximalist approach, i.e. covering every possible permutation of all the different opinions in the above table.

 

Renouncing idolatry and acknowledging HKB"H

Chazal (Sanhedrin 38b) say that Adam HaRishon was an idol worshipper אָמַר רַב יְהוּדָה אָמַר רַב אָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן מִין הָיָה. This does not mean that Adam HaRishon bowed down to stone idols. The נָחָשׁ said to Chava (who then repeated it to Adam) that the עֵץ הַדַּעַת preceded HKB"H, that HKB"H found the tree, ate from it, and acquired the knowledge to create the world (ב"ר יט, ד). Therefore, says the נָחָשׁ, if you eat from this tree, you will be like HKB"H and will be able to create worlds. Such a belief, that there was something before HKB"H, is כּוֹפֵר בָּעִקָּר and is the same as idolatry.

 

Avraham repaired this failure of both Adam and Chava, by growing up in a house and society of idolatry, renouncing it and acknowledging that HKB"H is the One and only G-d.

Ur Casdim

When Adam and Chava were expelled from Gan Eden the passuk says וַיְגָרֶשׁ אֶת הָאָדָם וַיַּשְׁכֵּן מִקֶּדֶם לְגַן עֵדֶן אֶת הַכְּרֻבִים וְאֵת לַהַט הַחֶרֶב הַמִּתְהַפֶּכֶת לִשְׁמֹר אֶת דֶּרֶךְ עֵץ הַחַיִּים (בראשית ג, כד). The Midrash (ילקוט שמעוני) on this passuk says לַהַט הַחֶרֶב עַל שֵׁם "מְשָׁרְתָיו אֵשׁ לֹהֵט" (תהילים קד, ד). HKB"H posted Kruvim at the entrance to Gan Eden carrying "flaming swords", fire. Chazal and the Mefarshim say that this was the fiery furnace of גֵּיהִנֹּם.

 

Avraham's job was to reverse the wrongs of Adam HaRishon. So, if Adam was expelled from Gan Eden, leaving behind a barrier in the form of a fiery furnace, then in order for Avraham to "get back into" Gan Eden, he had to pass through this fiery furnace barrier at the entrance to the Gan. HKB"H posted this defense mechanism at the entrance to Gan Eden, knowing that nobody else except Avraham would be able to transcend it. Avraham willingly stepped into the flames and (with HKB"H's direct aid) emerged unscathed on the other side.

 

Exile

Adam and Chava were exiled in shame from Gan Eden, their home וַיְגָרֶשׁ אֶת הָאָדָם (שם).

Avraham and Sarah were exiled from their home מֵאַרְצְךָ וּמִמּוֹלַדְתְּךָ וּמִבֵּית אָבִיךָ. However, unlike their predecessors, Avraham and Sarah left happily and willingly וַיֵּלֶךְ אַבְרָם כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר אֵלָיו ה' (בראשית יב, ד).

 

Famine

After Adam sinned with the עֵץ הַדַּעַת, he was punished with אֲרוּרָה הָאֲדָמָה בַּעֲבוּרֶךָ בְּעִצָּבוֹן תֹּאכֲלֶנָּה ... וְקוֹץ וְדַרְדַּר תַּצְמִיחַ לָךְ ... בְּזֵעַת אַפֶּיךָ תֹּאכַל לֶחֶם. What does famine mean? It means that there is a serious shortage of food to eat. You will plant wheat, but instead of getting a full field of wheat, you will harvest weeds and thorns. The earth will be cursed and you will have to sweat to eat.

 

Avraham was promised by HKB"H that if he does לֶךְ לְךָ, then HKB"H will bless him. Avraham willingly obeys but as soon as he arrives in Canaan there is a famine! The first famine ever in Canaan's history. Avraham has to traverse the trial of famine before he is blessed וְאַבְרָם כָּבֵד מְאֹד בַּמִּקְנֶה בַּכֶּסֶף וּבַזָּהָב.

 

Pharaoh taking Sarah

The נָחָשׁ tempted Chava, the lashon of the passuk is הַנָּחָשׁ הִשִּׁיאַנִי וָאֹכֵל (בראשית ג, יג). Rashi (Sota 9b) says that the meaning of the word הִשִּׁיאַנִי is לָשׁוֹן תַּשְׁמִישׁ וְנִשּׂוּאִין, that the נָּחָשׁ married and had intercourse with Chava.

 

When Sarah was taken to Pharaoh's palace, the intention was to make her his wife. Pharaoh is a generic name for the king of Egypt. There were many Pharaohs. The Navi has a different expression for Pharaoh פַּרְעֹה מֶלֶךְ מִצְרַיִם הַתַּנִּים הַגָּדוֹל (יחזקאל כט, ג). The Mefarshim (מצודת ציון) explain the meaning of the word תַּנִּים and say הַדּוֹמֶה לְנָחָשׁ בְּמַרְאִיתוֹ, that he looks like a snake. This episode of Sarah being kidnapped by Pharaoh was to do tikkun for Chava's encounter with the נָּחָשׁ. Unlike Chava being dominated by the נָּחָשׁ, Sarah escaped Pharaoh's clutches.

 

War of the Kings

Before Adam HaRishon was created, a "battle" raged in Heaven between HKB"H and the angels. HKB"H, out of derech eretz, decided to consult with the angels before creating Adam HaRishon נַעֲשֶׂה אָדָם בְּצַלְמֵנוּ כִּדְמוּתֵנוּ. HKB"H asked group after group of angels, each who advised against it (ילקוט שמעוני בראשית א, כו) and then HKB"H "burnt them with His finger". A hand has 5 fingers and if one finger is used to "burn", then you have 4 remaining.

 

In the war between the four kings and the five kings, Avraham defeated the four kings, leaving one "finger" remaining, אֶצְבַּע אֶ-לֹקִים, the indisputable miraculous victory by Divine providence. In Gan Eden, there was another remaining "finger" (angel), the ס"מ, who defeated Adam HaRishon. Avraham did tikkun by defeating his yetzer hara, as it says וה' בֵּרַךְ אֶת אַבְרָהָם בַּכֹּל (בראשית כד, א) which the Yalkut Shimoni says שֶׁהִשְׁלִיטוֹ בְּיִצְרוֹ.

 

Brit Bein HaBetarim

In Gan Eden, Adam HaRishon did not fully believe in HKB"H, he did his own calculations and ate from the עֵץ הַדַּעַת, instead of blindly accepting what HKB"H told him, to refrain from eating from it.

 

In his entire life, Avraham made one slipup. HKB"H promised him כִּי אֶת כָּל הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה רֹאֶה לְךָ אֶתְּנֶנָּה וּלְזַרְעֲךָ עַד עוֹלָם (בראשית יג, טו). Despite this promise, Avraham still questioned בַּמָּה אֵדַע כִּי אִירָשֶׁנָּה (בראשית טו, ח). This resulted in Brit Bein HaBetarim and HKB"H telling Avraham that his descendants would be slaves in Egypt. The Kli Yakar says, that if Avraham would not have questioned, the exile in Egypt would not have taken place. It was a tiny slip, but הקב"ה מְדַקְדֵּק עִם הַצַּדִּיקִים כְּחוּט הַשְּׂעָרָה (בבא קמא נ, ע"א). Avraham recovered from this slipup when HKB"H told him גֵר יִהְיֶה זַרְעֲךָ בְּאֶרֶץ לֹא לָהֶם וַעֲבָדוּם וְעִנּוּ אֹתָם אַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת שָׁנָה. Unlike with the people of Sdom, where Avraham negotiated "perhaps 50, 45, 40, 30, etc.", when HKB"H said 400 years, Avraham did not question again. Once burned, twice shy.

 

Sarah being barren

Instead of immediately following HKB"H's commandment of פְּרוּ וּרְבוּ, Adam delayed in this task, because he was lacking in Simcha (Meir Panim, פרק טו). As a result, the first intercourse that took place in Gan Eden was between Chava and the נָּחָשׁ (Shabbat 146a). The result of this union was Kain. After being expelled from Gan Eden Adam "knew" his wife and they had a child together – Hevel. However, the son of the נָּחָשׁ, Kain, killed the son of Adam, Hevel. It took another 130 years before Chava gave birth again. Chazal say that Adam פָּרַשׁ מֵאִשְׁתּוֹ for 130 years (Eruvin 18b) and only after that, Shet was born.

 

Avraham and Sarah corrected this failure at the ripe old ages of 100 and 90 respectively. Unlike Adam who was lacking Simcha, Avraham had Simcha, as it says וַיִּפֹּל אַבְרָהָם עַל פָּנָיו וַיִּצְחָק (בראשית יז, יז).

 

Marriage with Hagar

In the 130 years that Adam HaRishon separated from his wife Chava, in the Gemara (Eruvin 18b), R' Yirmiya says that Adam still had offspring. How is it possible that he had offspring if he separated from Chava? The Gemara answers that it is true that there were no relations between Adam and Chava in those 130 years, but there were incidents of קֶרִי, and these resulted in the birth of רַוּחִין שֵׁדִין וּלִילִין.

 

Avraham was born to a family of idol worshippers and hence his bloodline was not perfectly clean. By marrying Hagar and giving birth to Yishmael, Avraham rid himself of all the סִיגִים, the unclean elements in his bloodline (חיד"א, פרשת לך לך, ד"ה 'כיוצא בזה שמעתי'). Yitzchak's birth had to be delayed until this was accomplished.

 

Sarah tormenting Hagar

Chava had to live in torment for 130 years without a husband, during which, instead of having more children with her, Adam was giving rise to רַוּחִין שֵׁדִין וּלִילִין.

 

Sarah had to endure the torment of Hagar giving birth to Yishmael and Hagar developing "airs", thinking she was now superior to Sarah. By Sarah tormenting Hagar, she was doing tikkun for Chava.

 

Brit Milah

Adam HaRishon was created circumcised. However, by sinning and eating from the עֵץ הַדַּעַת, he grew an עָרְלָה, as it says in the Gemara (Sanhedrin 38b) רַבִּי יִצְחָק אָמַר מוֹשֵׁךְ בְּעָרְלָתוֹ הָיָה.

 

Avraham corrected this wrong by performing a Brit Milah.

 

Avimelech taking Sarah

Adam separating from Chava for 130 years, was in effect "hopping" between "two wives" (קֶרִי giving rise to demons and spirits).

 

Avimelech was the king of the פְּלִשְׁתִּים. Who were the פְּלִשְׁתִּים descended from? וְאֶת פַּתְרֻסִים וְאֶת כַּסְלֻחִים אֲשֶׁר יָצְאוּ מִשָּׁם פְּלִשְׁתִּים (בראשית י, יד) . Rashi there says שֶׁהָיוּ פַּתְרֻסִים וְכַסְלוּחִים מַחֲלִיפִין מִשְׁכַּב נְשׁוֹתֵיהֶם אֵלּוּ לָאֵלּוּ. Sarah being taken by Avimelech did tikkun for this.

 

Banishing Hagar

Adam was so disgusted by Chava who caused him to sin, that he banished her for 130 years and would not have relations with her.

 

Avraham, on Sarah's behest, banished Hagar and only reunited with her (some say Ketura is Hagar), after Sarah died.

 

Banishing Yishmael

After Kain killed Hevel, Kain was banished and forced to roam the land.

 

Avraham banished Yishmael, who was trying to kill Yitzchak.

 

Akeida

The Torah says that HKB"H placed Adam HaRishon in Gan Eden וַיַּנִּחֵהוּ בְגַן עֵדֶן לְעָבְדָהּ וּלְשָׁמְרָהּ. In other words, Adam's role in Gan Eden was to do Avodah, meaning to bring korbanot. Adam only brought his first Korban after he sinned (ילקוט שמעוני סט, תתב).

 

Before the Akeida, the Satan was מְקַטְרֵג after Avraham threw a party to celebrate the birth of Yitzchak. According to Rashi (בראשית כב, א) the Satan said that of all the animals Avraham served in the meal, he did not sacrifice one to HKB"H. By performing the Akeida, Avraham was fixing the negligence of Adam in performing the Avodah.

 

Burying Sarah

Adam and Chava, through their sin, doomed mankind to mortality. They were buried in מְעָרַת הַמַּכְפֵּלָה, which Chazal say is a portal between this world and the next. רַבִּי קִיסְמָא אָמַר: מְעָרַת הַמַּכְפֵּלָה סָמוּךְ לְפֶתַח גַּן עֵדֶן. בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁמֵּתָה חַוָּה בָּא אָדָם לְקָבְרָהּ שָׁם וְשָׁם הֵרִיחַ מְרִיחוֹת גַּן עֵדֶן בְּאוֹתוֹ הָרֵיחַ שֶׁהָיָה שָׁם. רָצָה לַחֲצֹב יוֹתֵר יָצְתָה בַּת קוֹל וְאָמְרָה דַּיְּךָ. בְּאוֹתָהּ שָׁעָה עָמַד וְלֹא חָצַב יוֹתֵר וְשָׁם נִקְבַּר (זהר חדש,מגילת רות כה, ע"ב).

 

By paying an extravagant price to bury Sarah in מְעָרַת הַמַּכְפֵּלָה, Avraham was doing tikkun for Adam and Chava.

 

As we see, the entire series of ten trials of Avraham and Sarah were a tikkun, a reversal of the sin of Adam and Chava. A kind of "reverse engineering".

 

Shabbat Shalom

Eliezer Meir Saidel

Machon Lechem Hapanim

www.machonlechemhapanim.org