Answers to this Week’s Riddles
(For the questions, please see second to back page)
1) In Yoreh De’ah (252:1) by pidyon shevuyim [redeeming captives] and Choshen Mishpot (97:1) in regard to lending money to the poor. In each case, the beneficiary of the mitzvah is in a status or state from which he cannot escape without the help of the benefactor. Respectively, the captive is in imprisonment; the poor in poverty; and the deceased stationary and in limbo i.e., a “omed” who cannot move. The deceased cannot achieve any higher levels in Shomayim than that he had reached when he left this world. Any further iluy neshomah is only possible if he his assisted by his children and those that hear his hesped improving or adding to their avodas Hashem as a result of being inspired by the actions of the deceased to follow in his ways. (Ovi Mori shlita, le’iluy nishmas my grandfather Kasriel ben Pesach.)
2) i) The Medrash Tanchuma (4) says that Avraham eulogized Sorah by composing the chapter in Mishlei (31:10-31) known as אשת חיל as an expression of his appreciation for his woman of valor, and the Medrash explains how each line corresponds to an event from Sorah’s life.
ii) Rav Meir Shapiro cites the Medrash’s statement (Bereishis Rabbah 58:5) that Avraham came to eulogize Sorah from Har HaMoriah, where he had just finished the Akeidah. Chazal are hinting to us that he eulogized her by invoking her merit in raising a child who was ready to give up his life to sanctify Hashem’s name.
iii) Rav Chaim Shmulevitz quotes Rashi’s comment (Bereishis 23:1) that Sorah’s entire life was equally good and suggests that this praise was the text of the eulogy, as no greater accolade can be said about a person than that her entire life was equally good, without a single transgression, error, or period of ups and downs.
3) i) The Shu”t Afraksa Denya (Vol. 3, Yoreh De’ah 217) asks this question and says as follows: Even without the question of birchas haTorah, we have to understand how an oinen is allowed to learn Torah, as an oinen is forbidden to do enjoyable things, and the Magen Avraham (548:8) writes that an oinen isn’t allowed to learn Torah, as: פקודי ה' ישרים משמחי לב – “The enactments of Hashem are just and bring joy to the heart”? It must be that a hesped is different, as it adds to the aveilus. The Afraksa Denya then concludes that one may be maspid with words of Torah even without birchas haTorah, and since an oinen is exempt from birchas haTorah he isn’t allowed to say it even if he wants to, just like we find that an oinen is allowed to eat and is not allowed to recite berachos.
ii) The Chashukei Chemed (Berachos 13a) suggests another heter. The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 46, s.k. 9) says: One shouldn’t read pasukim before birchas haTorah, even if they are said as tachanunim [supplications]. Some say, there is no need to worry about this, since they are only being said derech tachanunim [by way of supplication, and not as learning]. The Shulchan Aruch concludes: It is fitting to be cautious for the first opinion. The Rema writes: The minhag is like the latter opinion, as we find during the days of selichos that we first daven selichos and only then recite birchas haTorah. We see that there is a heter to say selichos before birchas haTorah. R’ Zilberstein suggests that perhaps when an oinen says words of Torah in a hesped to arouse people to cry etc. it is comparable to selichos which may be said before birchas haTorah.
4) In this week’s parsha we have the pasuk: ויבא אברהם לספוד לשרה ולבכותה- “Avraham came to mourn over Sorah and to cry over her.” The כ of the word ולבכותה is written in small. The Chasam Sofer (Toras Moshe) explains: The reason the כ is written in small is based on the Gemara in Bava Basra (16b). The Gemara learns from the pasuk, וה׳ ברך את אברהם בכל, that Avraham had a daughter, and her name was בכל. The Chasam Sofer explains, that as long as Sorah was alive Avraham never felt the loss of his daughter, however, once he lost his wife, he began to feel the loss of his daughter as well. The Chasam Sofer says, if one takes away the כ of the word ולבכתה then what is left is ולבתה – and his daughter, and the reason the כ is written in small is to hint to us to read the pasuk without it, therefore, the pasuk is saying: ויבא אברהם לספוד לשרה ולבתה – “Avraham came to give a hesped on Sorah and on his daughter”, as now that he lost his wife he felt the loss of both his wife and daughter. We see from here that one can give a hesped for two people in one go. This leaves us with a question, however, which is that why is it not a problem of אין עושין מצות חבילות חבילות – the prohibition against bundling mitzvos together, and performing many mitzvos at once?
5) When Noach sobered up and discovered what his son Canaan did while he was drunk, Noach cursed him by saying (Bereishis 9:26), “Boruch Hashem, the G-d of Shem; let Canaan be a slave to them.” After Rivkah passed Eliezer’s test and demonstrated her suitability as a wife for Yitzchak, Eliezer remarked (24:27), “Boruch Hashem, G-d of my master Avraham, Who has not withheld His kindness and truth from my master.” After Moshe told Yisro about all the miracles Hashem performed in redeeming the Jews from slavery in Egypt, Yisro exclaimed (Shemos 18:10), “Boruch Hashem for rescuing you from the hand of Egypt and Pharaoh. When Lavan saw Rivkah’s jewelry and heard about her encounter with Eliezer, he called Eliezer “Boruch Hashem” and invited him into his house (Bereishis 24:31). After the people in Gerar fought with Yitzchak’s men over the wells they dug, Yitzchak traveled to Be’er Sheva, where Avimelech came to him and expressed interest in strengthening the peace treaty between himself and Yitzchak, whom he called (26:29) “Boruch Hashem.” (Parsha Challenge)
6) i) This is why the Torah introduces the parsha of sending out Eliezer with the words: ואברהם זקן בא בימים – “Avraham was old and coming of age”, as it is coming to explain why Avraham sent Eliezer and didn’t go himself. It was because he was old and wasn’t up to travelling himself to distant places. (Alshich and Chizkuni)
ii) Hashem told Avraham Avinu: לך לך מארצך וגו' – “Go for yourself, from your homeland etc.” therefore, he didn’t want to return until Hashem granted him explicit permission to do so. (Imrei Emes, cited in Likutei Yehudah)
iii) Avraham was looking for someone with middos tovos and a ba’alas chesed, and he thought that Eliezer was a greater expert in this area, as he knew the nature of people much better. (R’ Moshe Sternbuch shlita, Chochmah V’Daas)
iv) Avraham was זקן בא בימים – “old and coming of days”, and he thought he didn’t have so much longer to live, and was scared of dying on the way, therefore, he sent someone else instead. (He’emek Dovar)
v) Avraham Avinu was busy taking care of everyone’s issues, this one came to him with question of emunah, and this one to ask him to daven for him etc., and he carried many burdens, therefore, he was unable to leave his place. By telling us that Avraham had to send Eliezer as an agent as he was too busy to go himself, the pasuk highlights how much Avraham Avinu did for everyone else.
vi) Avraham Avinu couldn’t go himself, as when making shidduchim one needs to use a shadchan, and Eliezer served as the shadchan. His reward for making the shidduch was: שיצא מכלל ארור לכלל ברוך – he left his cursed state and entered into a state of blessing. (See Medrash 60, 9, so answers the Sefer Emes, cited by his son the Imrei Emes in Likutei Yehudah) The Imrei Emes adds derech tzachus [jokingly]: The oilam [world] says that sometimes a shadchan needs to lie, therefore, Avraham Avinu himself couldn’t be the shadchan as Avraham Avinu could never lie, therefore, he needed to send someone else instead.
