A thought on פרשת תולדות
"...va'yimtza...me'ah sh'arim...""...and he reaped a hundred times as much as he had sowed..." (26:12)
The Torah relates that Yitzchak sowed his fields and that the harvest yielded one hundred times more than he had planted! This was great prosperity for him and was clearly a sign that HaShem was kind to him. Imagine that: reaping one hundred times more than he had planted!On the other hand, don't imagine it. Yitzchak did not imagine it. The accounting was real and it was accurate. Yitzchak was aware of how much seed he had planted and how much yield he could anticipate, just as any farmer or gardener would do. He then harvested his fields and could clearly see that there was far more of a crop than he had expected. That in and of itself was a wonder and a marvel. The question is: why didn't the Torah leave it at that, and say that "he harvested far more than he had planted"?
The Ralbag sees in this an instructive lesson. Yitzchak could have been awestruck and appreciative that HaShem had been kind and generous, and left it at that. No doubt he would have praised HaShem, and probably have told others about this grace and bounty.
The Ralbag writes that Yitzchak did more. He took the harvest and then counted it. He made a precise calculation of the planting:reaping ratio, and found that it was 1:100. The reason he did this was to understand the extent of HaShem's love for those who seek to follow Him and to cling to His ways. Then, Yitzchak could be accurate and precise in sharing this wondrous sign with others.
It was not enough to broadcast to his family, disciples and community that "HaShem is good and was good to me." Yitzchak wanted to spread the word in great detail, to magnify the impression that telling the miracle would have upon others. The number ratio was very great, and needed to be shared. Moreover, the number "100" showed that there was a plan, a precision, in what HaShem was doing. One hundred is not a random number, the way that "57" or "83" might be. Had Yitzchak counted the grain and said, "there was about forty one times as much as I had expected", the people would have been impressed but might have chalked it up to a fluke or to some agricultural factor. The finding of one hundred times as much was both significant and telling. Clearly a miracle had occurred and clearly there was a Divine Omnipotence masterminding this change in the natural order.
Every day, we declare in our prayers things such as "Your awesome abundant power and deeds I shall praise and tell" (Ashrei, Psalm 144) and "we shall relate Your praise and Your miracles which are with us at all times" (Modim). How often, though, do we declare that we will speak of these things but never really do so? How often do we even think about how HaShem shows us care and kindness, and do we ever really attempt to count the ways and times when we can spot evidence of Divine compassion? Do we look? Do we see? Does it register with us?
The Torah tells us that Yitzchak looked for signs, and found them. He was able to show others that HaShem was a Presence in his life, and that good things are not random, and must be noticed and declared as a means of giving praise to HaShem.
Good Shabbos. D Fox
The Torah relates that Yitzchak sowed his fields and that the harvest yielded one hundred times more than he had planted! This was great prosperity for him and was clearly a sign that HaShem was kind to him. Imagine that: reaping one hundred times more than he had planted!On the other hand, don't imagine it. Yitzchak did not imagine it. The accounting was real and it was accurate. Yitzchak was aware of how much seed he had planted and how much yield he could anticipate, just as any farmer or gardener would do. He then harvested his fields and could clearly see that there was far more of a crop than he had expected. That in and of itself was a wonder and a marvel. The question is: why didn't the Torah leave it at that, and say that "he harvested far more than he had planted"?
The Ralbag sees in this an instructive lesson. Yitzchak could have been awestruck and appreciative that HaShem had been kind and generous, and left it at that. No doubt he would have praised HaShem, and probably have told others about this grace and bounty.
The Ralbag writes that Yitzchak did more. He took the harvest and then counted it. He made a precise calculation of the planting:reaping ratio, and found that it was 1:100. The reason he did this was to understand the extent of HaShem's love for those who seek to follow Him and to cling to His ways. Then, Yitzchak could be accurate and precise in sharing this wondrous sign with others.
It was not enough to broadcast to his family, disciples and community that "HaShem is good and was good to me." Yitzchak wanted to spread the word in great detail, to magnify the impression that telling the miracle would have upon others. The number ratio was very great, and needed to be shared. Moreover, the number "100" showed that there was a plan, a precision, in what HaShem was doing. One hundred is not a random number, the way that "57" or "83" might be. Had Yitzchak counted the grain and said, "there was about forty one times as much as I had expected", the people would have been impressed but might have chalked it up to a fluke or to some agricultural factor. The finding of one hundred times as much was both significant and telling. Clearly a miracle had occurred and clearly there was a Divine Omnipotence masterminding this change in the natural order.
Every day, we declare in our prayers things such as "Your awesome abundant power and deeds I shall praise and tell" (Ashrei, Psalm 144) and "we shall relate Your praise and Your miracles which are with us at all times" (Modim). How often, though, do we declare that we will speak of these things but never really do so? How often do we even think about how HaShem shows us care and kindness, and do we ever really attempt to count the ways and times when we can spot evidence of Divine compassion? Do we look? Do we see? Does it register with us?
The Torah tells us that Yitzchak looked for signs, and found them. He was able to show others that HaShem was a Presence in his life, and that good things are not random, and must be noticed and declared as a means of giving praise to HaShem.
Good Shabbos. D Fox
posted by Rabbi Dr. Fox at 9:50 AM
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