Rav Pinchos Koritzer zt'l said: “Until parashas Lech Lecha, the world was unhappy and confused. Afterwards, the chesed of Avraham is aroused, bringing salvation into the world.” In parashas Bereishis, we discuss ובהו תהו, in parashas Noach we deal with a flood and the punishment of dor haflagah. But in parashas Lech Lecha, we discuss Avraham Avinu. It is a time when goodness comes to the world. We hope we will see the goodness revealed at this time and the salvation of Klal Yisrael in Eretz Yisrael and beyond.
Sometimes, events and happenings appear to us as bad initially, but ultimately, we see that everything that transpired was for the good.
The Chovos HaLevavos (Bechinah 5) writes, "When you look at the world, and the episodes that are painful and hard for us, you should look at the outcome, and you will see a great wonder. Many things happen to us that we don't want, but in the end, it turns out to be good for us. Once, travelers slept next to a wall. A dog came and urinated on one of them. He awoke and went to wash up. While he was away, the wall collapsed and fell on all the others. He was the only one to survive. Many times, things like this occur." Initially, we think it is terrible, but it is all for the good.
The Ramban (in his kuntres on emunah) writes that Avraham became the great tzaddik because he passed ten tests. These were tests of his belief in Hashem’s kindness and love, even when everything appeared otherwise. Therefore, it states, 'בה והאמן, that Avraham believed in Hashem. והאמין is written here without a yud. The Agra d'Kalah explains that yud is chachmah, and Avraham's emunah was without chachmos. He could have asked several times, "How can this be good?" Logic defied it. But Avraham believed in Hashem with emunah peshutah, without needing to understand.
Hashem told Avram to go אשר הארץ אל אראך, "To the land that I will show you." The Baal HaTurim writes that אראך is gematriya 222, the same as בעננים, clouds. The Baal HaTurim writes, "This tells us that clouds went before Avram, showing him the way."
As we have discussed, אראך is gematriya בעננים, which means when it is cloudy, when things are dark and unclear, and there are tzaros in the world, at those times, אראך, Hashem is revealing himself to us. Hashem bestows His kindness when it appears to be dark and negative.
The clouds on Har Sinai are called הערפל (Shemos 20:18), and the Baal HaTurim writes that הערפל is gematriya שכינה. The Nesivos Sholom explains that this indicates that Hashem is there when it seems dark and concealed. The Torah says שם אשר הערפל האלקים, "The opaque darkness where Hashem was there." This is as it states (Malachim 1, 8:12) בערפל לשכן אמר 'ה, "Hashem said that He will dwell in the thick darkness." Hashem and His kindness are present when it appears so dark.
Hashem told Avraham לך לך, to come to Eretz Yisrael, and Hashem promised him that he would become wealthy and successful there. Avraham listened and came to Eretz Yisrael; instead of wealth and prestige, he had to deal with poverty and hunger. He traveled to Mitzrayim, where there was food. The leitzanei hador, the scoffers, laughed at Avraham and his beliefs. But after Avram’s short stay in Mitzrayim, he became wealthy, as it states (13:2-3) ,ובזהב בכסף במקנה מאד כבד ואברם למסעיו וילך, "Avram was very loaded with cattle, with silver, and with gold. And he went with his journeys..." Rashi writes, "He went to pay up his debts."
The Chasam Sofer says that the debts were the answers he owed the mockers, their unanswered questions. Now, he was able to pay up and give them answers. He could say, "I arrived in Eretz Yisrael without money, and now I am very wealthy. Now you see that Hashem is leading me."
The Ramchal teaches that a person should set an hour each day to think about the tzaddikim of the past and to ask oneself, "What did they do that caused Hashem to love them so much, and what can I do to be similar to them." He says this is easy to do, and it is the best counsel for fighting the yetzer hara.
So, let us think about Avraham's ways and emulate them. Avraham passed ten difficult tests. He believed in Hashem's kindness even when things appeared terrible. He believed that everything was for the good. Hashem loved Avraham, as it states (Yeshayah 41:8) אהבי אברהם, and when we go in his ways, Hashem will increase His love for us.
