Vayera Part 3 (GEN 18:1 - 22:24) Back to Part 2 or Part 1, Torah Lesson Plan, or YHVH Homepage
We must learn a directive for our conduct from the weekly Torah reading. This concept can be readily understood. Since we have a God who is eternally alive, and He has given us a Torah which is a source of eternal life, by continually studying the Torah, we can derive a lesson that applies to our daily lives. This in turn endows us with eternal vitality, enabling us to overcome any and all difficulties.
This Torah reading describes Abraham, the first Jew. He was one man, alone, and the entire world opposed him until it became obvious that God supported him in everything which he did. At that point, the king of the Philistines desired to establish a covenant with him, which enabled him to live securely in that land.
With regard to the time during which Abraham lived in the land of the Philistines, this Torah portion tells us, "Abraham planted an eshel, a tamarisk tree... and there, he called in the name of God, Lord of the world" - i.e., he publicized God's presence - "Abraham lived in the land of the Philistines for an extended period." After these verses, the Torah tells us about the binding of Yitzchak his son.
The question arises: What lesson can we learn from the fact that Abraham planted a tamarisk tree? Previously, the Torah described the greatness of Abraham, relating how although he was a one and only Jew, he spread faith in the one God. After such heights of devotion, what does the fact that he planted a tamarisk tree add? How does planting a tamarisk tree prepare for the narrative of the binding of Yitzchak which follows? A tamarisk tree is a large tree with broad branches. Since Abraham was living in a desert land, he planted such a tree to provide wayfarers with protection from the scorching sun.
The Talmud interprets the Hebrew word eshel differently, explaining that it refers, not to only one tree, but to an orchard with many fruit trees. Abraham planted such an orchard so that the passersby could refresh themselves with the fruit.
The Talmud also offers a second interpretation, stating that eshel refers to an inn. Besides fruit, Abraham gave wayfarers food, including meat and wine, drink, and lodging. Indeed, the Midrash states that Abraham provided his guests with a court of law to settle all the disputes that might arise among the guests.
Abraham did not content himself with providing his guests with bread, salt, and water, so that their basic needs would be satiated. He did not provide only the bare minimum; he gave his guests items which brought them pleasure: fruit, wine, delicacies, and lodging; and he gave them also a court to resolve their difficulties. For whom did he do this? For absolute strangers, people whom he did not know at all.
This provides a lesson for every Jew. Within the heart of every Jew has been implanted the attributes of charity and the desire to perform deeds of kindness. This is the heritage which we have received from Abraham our Patriarch, not to provide another person with merely the bare necessities, but rather to enable him to derive pleasure, and not merely material pleasure, but also the personal satisfaction that comes from the resolution of one's problems.
The above approach to charity is particularly relevant to parents in their relationship with their children. Children are unable to provide for themselves. Parents have an inherent drive to give their children everything they need (without questioning whether their children will every repay them for what they gave them). And they will give them more than their needs. For example, in the sphere of education, parents endeavor to give their children everything they need so that they will develop and grow to the full extent of their potential in both material and spiritual affairs.
For Jews, following the example of Abraham our Patriarch, this approach is not confined to one's own children; it is extended to others as well. In every Jewish heart, there is an inherent tendency to share what one has earned through hard work and much effort to an utter stranger. This involves not only providing for his material needs, but also addressing his personal problems.
This approach transcends the bounds of reason. Our minds understand that we should give another person what he is lacking; it's a pity that a person should suffer real need. The willingness to give a person something he doesn't need, something that is intended to give him pleasure, stems from a type of generosity which surpasses an intellectual imperative. A person's attributes of kindness motivate to seek out the ultimate in the other person's welfare.
If these concepts apply with regard to material things, surely they are relevant with regard to the spiritual. For a spiritual deficiency, a lack felt by the soul, causes much more pain, and is much more difficult to correct than a deficiency of a material nature. Therefore, whenever the Jews reached a new place - regardless of whether it was a free country, or a country which oppressed them - the very first matter to which they addressed themselves was the establishment of yeshivos and Torah schools. The approach was always not merely to give the students the minimum, but to develop them to the fullest extent of their potential, "to make the Torah great and glorious."
On this basis, we can appreciate the connection between Abraham’s planting a tamarisk tree (and all the broader implications of the word eshel) and the binding of Yitzchak. The power of mesirus nefesh, self-sacrifice, which motivated Abraham and Yitzchak to carry out the akeidah (the offering of his son Yitzchak) came from the tamarisk tree which Abraham had planted, i.e., from his willingness to do good and spread kindness in a manner which transcended the bounds of reason. Although Abraham and Yitzchak had lived freely in the land of the Philistines for many years and did not suffer oppression, their unbounded kindness enabled them to summon up the self-sacrifice necessary for the akeidah with joy.
This serves as a lesson for the subsequent generations. Today, what is demanded of the Jewish people is mesirus nefesh, self-sacrifice, and in particular, this holds true with regard to chinuch, education. The resources for which we have labored for years must be dedicated to the education of our children. The intent is not only one's own children, but also the children of others. Moreover, the intent must be not to give them the bare necessities, but to advance their education to the most complete degree, giving them everything possible in the realms of Yiddishkeit (Jewishness), Torah, and mitzvos.
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