A THOUGHT ON PARSHAS LECH LECHA
A Thought on Parshas Lech Lecha
"...ba'meh aida ki arishena..."
"...how will I know that I shall inherit it?..." (15:8)
HaShem makes a covenant with his servant Avraham. He promises him many descendants and an ultimate homeland. Avraham replies with the above words.
Ba'meh aida has been understood in different ways. Some sources view it as "how will I know" and some view it as "with what will I know." Either Avraham is asking for assurance of the promise or he is wondering about what merit will assure him the promise's fulfillment.
The former interpretation views the question as an almost inappropriate one, and opines that the consequence of his asking HaShem for a "guarantee" was that his people would have to experience an exile and oppression. The second view also notes that indeed, the Jewish people did end up undergoing bondage in Egypt.
Rabbeinu Chaim Paltiel ponders the second approach but asks "the world's question", which is, "if Avraham innocently wondered what special merit had earned him this promise, why would there be a negative consequence?" Surely he accepted and believed that HaShem would actualize His covenant, and his question was what he had done to deserve such a future. Why the punishment? What did he say or do which might have been wrong?
He answers by analyzing the scope of Avraham's question. As our verse states, he asked "with what merit shall I inherit it?" His emphasis was on the land, rather than on the promise of having children and descendants. Rabbeinu Chaim Paltiel suggests that even though the question did not imply that he had any doubt that HaShem would fulfill His covenant, the question appeared to prioritize the promise of land over the promise of heirs and family. Had Avraham asked, "with what merit have I earned the gift of having children?", the fate of our nation might have been different.
A lesson to be derived from this interpretation is that we must take stock of what we value and what we hold important in life. When faced with choices, our priorities need to shape our decisions. Do we value our family or do we focus on our finances? Do we make time for our spouses and our children, or do we pursue our hobbies and pastimes? Do we wonder about our merits and how our deeds will bring us bracha, or do we somehow believe that we are the authors of our own bracha and create our futures at the expense of our present?
Wishing you a good Shabbos. D Fox
"...ba'meh aida ki arishena..."
"...how will I know that I shall inherit it?..." (15:8)
HaShem makes a covenant with his servant Avraham. He promises him many descendants and an ultimate homeland. Avraham replies with the above words.
Ba'meh aida has been understood in different ways. Some sources view it as "how will I know" and some view it as "with what will I know." Either Avraham is asking for assurance of the promise or he is wondering about what merit will assure him the promise's fulfillment.
The former interpretation views the question as an almost inappropriate one, and opines that the consequence of his asking HaShem for a "guarantee" was that his people would have to experience an exile and oppression. The second view also notes that indeed, the Jewish people did end up undergoing bondage in Egypt.
Rabbeinu Chaim Paltiel ponders the second approach but asks "the world's question", which is, "if Avraham innocently wondered what special merit had earned him this promise, why would there be a negative consequence?" Surely he accepted and believed that HaShem would actualize His covenant, and his question was what he had done to deserve such a future. Why the punishment? What did he say or do which might have been wrong?
He answers by analyzing the scope of Avraham's question. As our verse states, he asked "with what merit shall I inherit it?" His emphasis was on the land, rather than on the promise of having children and descendants. Rabbeinu Chaim Paltiel suggests that even though the question did not imply that he had any doubt that HaShem would fulfill His covenant, the question appeared to prioritize the promise of land over the promise of heirs and family. Had Avraham asked, "with what merit have I earned the gift of having children?", the fate of our nation might have been different.
A lesson to be derived from this interpretation is that we must take stock of what we value and what we hold important in life. When faced with choices, our priorities need to shape our decisions. Do we value our family or do we focus on our finances? Do we make time for our spouses and our children, or do we pursue our hobbies and pastimes? Do we wonder about our merits and how our deeds will bring us bracha, or do we somehow believe that we are the authors of our own bracha and create our futures at the expense of our present?
Wishing you a good Shabbos. D Fox
posted by Rabbi Dr. Fox at 11:01 PM
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