Parshat Chayei Sarah and the Importance of Clarity

Abbott: I say, Who’s on first, What’s on second, I Don’t Know’s on third and then you… 

Costello: You the manager?Abbott: Yes. 

Costello: You know the guys’ names? 

Abbott: I’m telling you their names! 

Costello: Well who’s on first? 

Abbott: Yeah. 

Costello: Go ahead and tell me. 

Abbott: Who. 

Costello: The guy on first. 

Abbott: Who. 

Costello: The guy playin’ first base. 

Abbott: Who. 

Costello: The guy on first. 

Abbott: Who is on first! 

The dialogue I just referenced is of course not my own but rather that of Abbott and Costello from the classic 1930s skit “Who’s On First?” Besides being a hilarious episode between two particularly humorous comedians, it is also a classic tale of miscommunication. Another moment that comes to mind is the scene from Fiddler on the Roof where Tevye goes to talk with the butcher about his milk cow and the butcher thinks he is talking about the prospect of marrying his daughter. In both instances what would have tremendously helped was an infusion of clarity. The difference between a moment of understanding and a moment of conflict can rest many times on the precise discourse of those involved.


In this week’s parsha we confront the death of the patriarch and matriarch of our people. The great risk-taking, iconoclasts who began forging a new approach to human conduct and our relationship to the Divine pass away and in so doing leave open the potential for a real void in leadership, succession and continuity. History is full of stories of failed movements after the death of the charismatic founder or founders. Perhaps the most difficult task a leader has before their retirement or passing away is to successfully pass the mantle on to the next generation of leadership. 


It is at the very end of our parsha that we find the moment where Avraham ensured a successful transfer of the covenantal destiny to Yitzchak. In Genesis 25:5 the Torah states: “And Avraham gave all that he possessed to Yitzchak.” The next verse records Avraham giving gifts to his other children and then immediately after we encounter the death of Avraham. That is to say that this bequeathing of his possessions to Yitzchak was his last living act; the future vitality of this ethical monotheistic endeavor hinged on the success of this action. I also believe that if we examine this moment a bit closer we can learn some important lessons for our own lives as well. 


Rashi commenting on this verse quotes the Midrash in Bereshit Rabbah to say that Avraham bestowed an everlasting blessing on Yitzchak. Earlier in the Divine selection process of Avraham, God declares that “and you shall be a blessing,” and the Midrash here understands that to mean that Avraham had the ability to bless whomever he chose and he chose to offer his final and full blessing to his son Yitzchak. Perhaps the most effective way in appointing a successor is by taking them under your wing, mentoring them and guiding them and a bracha from one person to the next is the deepest expression of relationship and connection. 


However, when we turn to the Torah Temimah, the insightful commentary authored by the great early 20th century Lithuanian rabbi, Rav Baruch Epstein zt"l, we find a tremendous teaching with great relevance for our own lives. The Torah Temimah conceives of Avraham’s last act as essentially a way of resolving all doubt before his passing: “For the children of Yishmael come into adjudication with Yisrael and they said, the Land of Israel is ours and theirs as it says, ‘These are the generations of Yishmael the son of Avraham’ and ‘These are the generations of Yitzchak the son of Avraham.'” In other words, we are both the heirs to Avraham – the legacy must be split down the middle; one father, one leader becomes two sons and two competing legacies. 


This scenario though is both anticipated and rejected by Avraham. The act of bequeathing all that he possessed to Yitzchak right before his death was a clear and unequivocal method of eliminating confusion that would subsequently arise after he passed away. The last thing Avraham does with his few remaining breaths of life than is nothing less than guaranteeing and establishing clarity; clarity of vision and clarity of succession. 


The goal the parsha challenges us to work towards is not to live an Abbott and Costello life but rather to strive towards achieving a holistic precision in what we want to do or what we say and what we actually accomplish. We do not need to wait for our last breath to achieve this but rather every transitional period in our lives, from college graduation to retirement, offers us the opportunity to achieve a bit more clarity in our actions with others and in our own inner life.

The Holiness of the Unexpected

“If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life

he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.”

- Henry David Thoreau

This quote from Thoreau aptly describes the juncture in life that Ya'akov finds himself in as he begins his exile from family and home. "Va'yetzei Ya'akov - Ya'akov leaves," on his journey away from the quickly

unraveling family dynamics at home. Rashi comments on this verse to tell us that the reason why it includes both the language of "va'yeitze" and "va'yeleikh" is to inform us of the tremendous impact a righteous person has on a place, and, when they leave, the place they have left becomes notably worse. The language of "va'yeitzei" can mean more than just going away; va'yeitzei is indicative of the immediacy and necessity of the departure. He is not only going towards, "va'yeleikh," Haran, he is exiting Be'er Sheva. While the note by Rashi is certainly true, the inclusion of the language of "va'yeitze" hints at the abrupt and unexpectedness of this move. Ya'akov was suddenly thrust away from the safety and comfort of his known world and now finds himself on the road, by himself.

It is precisely in this moment of tension and disjointedness that Ya'akov experiences transcendence. "Va'yifgah ba'Makom - And he encounters the place." Rashi informs us that this "place" is none other than The Place - Mount Moriah, the foundation stone of the world and the place where Heaven and Earth meet. It is in encountering this place that Ya'akov comes to encounter God. Furthermore, this specific encounter becomes the paradigm for the Divine encounter we as a community experience every day, that of the evening tefillah. It is paramount that we take a moment and probe deeper into the word that defines this moment. This moment is encapsulated in the phrase "va'yifgah," an encounter or a meeting. The language of pegiah comes up in a few other places in Tanakh. In both Joshua 16:7 and 19:11 we find the term being used in the allocation of portions of the Land of Israel to the tribes. The usage of a word that has been defined by Hazal, our Sages, to be a prayerful word, in what appears to be a wholly mundane activity of allocating land is very telling. The term also comes up in Jeremiah 7:16 in the midst of a rebuke of the Jewish people for their departure from the ways of Torah.

The theme that unites both the Joshua texts and the narrative in our Parsha is experiencing a Divine encounter when you least expect it. One might consider the division of lands and the setting up of borders to be an act totally devoid of holiness. One can imagine a terrified Ya'akov, alone for the first time, fearing the revenge of his brother and the disappointment of his father not expecting to experience Divine transcendence at that moment. What is most striking is the rebuke that Jeremiah offers the people in chapter seven is for their transgressions against one another; in their acts of theft, oppression, murder and other violations against their fellow person. Jeremiah rails against the false separation between those acts which are a violation against God and those against other people. All misdeeds impact on our ability to encounter God. The opposite is of course also true. All actions we perform that help others impact positively our encounter with God. Whether the action we are speaking about is the proper division of land or refraining from stealing both fall within the prayerful category of pegiah.

May we strive to encounter God not only in shul but in every area of our lives.

Shabbat Shalom.

A Parshat Vayeira Dvar Torah

This week’s Parsha is rich with both narrative and depth and there is much that could be said on many points within the text. I would like to focus on a couple lines in particular. In 18:17 the Torah records God in the midst of a reflective moment. These reflective moments are not that common as usually the text takes note of God’s communication with people and not the actual private reflections of the Divine. The verse states, “And the Lord said: Shall I conceal from Abraham what I am doing?” The action being contemplated is of course the destruction of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Rashi filling in the picture a bit more states that “לא יפה לי לעשות דבר זה שלא מדעתו – It would not be nice (or pleasant or proper) for me to do this without his [Abraham’s] knowledge.” This one moment of reflection conveys a great deal about the importance of the bilateral relationship between God and humanity. As Heschel famously argued, “God is in search of man as much as man is in search of God.” There is no doubt that the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were overrun with depravity and that if the course of action chosen by God was utter destruction then that was the proper course of action to bring an end to the rampant wickedness. Yet, God wants even a decision of this magnitude and gravity to be in relationship with Abraham.

Perhaps though the most instructive point in this process is what occurs only three verses later: “And the Lord said: Since the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah has become great…” Rashi has a remarkable statement when he mentions, “שעשה כאשר אמר שלא יכסה ממנו – for He [God] did as He said, not to hide it from him.” In these three short verses we have the movement from planning to full completion. It was not going to be an easy dialogue for God to have when He declares to Abraham that the time has come to annihilate two cities. Indeed, Abraham’s response could be seen as challenging and provocative (e.g. “Will the Judge of the entire earth not perform justice?”). However, God demonstrates to us the fundamentally important lesson to not let difficulty or challenge stop us from doing what needs to be done and saying what needs to be said. It is vital that when the time calls for it that we do not shy away from hard conversations with those we care about. To pursue a path of concealment and deception is not healthy nor is it the path put forward for us by God in this week’s Parsha.

May we find strength and encouragement from the model God sets forth for us and do and say what is right even when it is challenging.