He Was Commanded to Continue on His Way to Eretz Yisroel
The Darchei Teshuva of Munkatch zy”a (quoted in Sefer Sichos Yekarim) relates the following story:
One of the students of the Magid of Mezheritch zy”a was the Rov and Av Bais Din of a large city. He led his community justly and righteously and made a lot of improvements in regards to kashrus, the educational system for the children, organizing shiurim for men, etc.
As he got older, he thought to himself: My children are all married and I don’t know how much longer I have to live. I am still busy all day taking care of the needs of my community members. When will I find the time to rectify my own neshama?
He decided to leave his position and travel Eretz Yisroel, and to dedicate his remaining time on this world to avodas Hashem. He sold his house and all of his possessions, took whatever money he had, and set out on his journey.
However, he did not tell his rebbi, the Magid of Mezheritch, of his plans, as he was afraid that the Magid would not grant him permission to leave his community without his leadership.
He traveled by carriage until he reached the port, where he boarded a boat headed towards Istanbul. Along his entire journey, there were no other Jewish travelers besides for the Rov and his wife.
He arrived in Istanbul but he still couldn’t find any other Jew to speak with. He then thought to himself: What have I done? I left my city and my children – all of whom loved me and respected me for many years – and traveled to a place where no one knows me and where I won’t have any ability to influence others to improve their learning and avodas Hashem like I did back home. Who knows if even I will be able to learn and daven as well here, as I have no source of parnassah like I used to have.
He was plagued by these depressing thoughts for quite some time until he decided that the best course of action would be to return home.
וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֶל אַבְרָם לֶךְ לְךָ מֵאַרְ צְךָ וּמִמּוֹלַדְתְּךָ וּמִבֵּית אָבִיךָ וגו' (יב, א)
And Hashem said to Avram, “Go for yourself from your land and from your birthplace and from your father’s house.” (12:1)
Suddenly, he saw a Jewish man walking in his direction
They were both very happy to meet another Yid, and they greeted each other warmly. The man told the Rov that he came from Poland and had also recently traveled to Istanbul by ship.
In the course of their conversation, the man mentioned that he had been in Mezheritch for Shabbos Parshas Noach and he had heard incredible divrei Torah from the Magid. The Rov told him that he was a student of the Magid and would love to hear the divrei Torah, so the man began to repeat the following:
At the end of Parshas Noach, it says: “And Terach took Avram his son and Lot the son of Haran his grandson, and he took them away from Ur Kasdim to go to the land of Canaan and they lived there.” The next verse continues: “And Hashem said to Avram: ‘Go for yourself from your land and from your birthplace and from your father’s house...to the land that I will show you.’”
The Magid asked several questions.
- Avrohom was doing exceptionally good work in his homeland. He was bringing many people to recognize Hashem’s presence and working with his wife, Sarah, to convert the men and women. He didn’t know if he could do the same in Eretz Yisroel, so why did he abandon his home to move there?
- They left home to travel to Canaan, so why were they living in Charan?
- Why did Hashem tell Avrohom to “go for yourself” if he had already left home to go to Canaan? What was He commanding him to do?
The Magid answered that when the Satan saw the great things that Avrohom was doing in Ur Kasdim and how he was bringing many people to recognize Hashem, he became very upset. His solution was to convince him to leave Canaan in order to work on improving himself. This is hinted to by the verse that says that “Terach took”, as “Terach” is a reference to the yeitzer hara. Thus, the pasuk is saying that the yeitzer hara convinced Avrohom to travel to Eretz Yisroel.
Once they got to Charan, the Satan was satisfied. Since he had succeeded in getting Avrohom to leave the place where he was doing so much good, he didn’t care if he continued on to Canaan or not. So, he went on his way and left Avrohom in Charan.
After the Satan left, Avrohom thought to himself: What have I done? Why did I leave the place where so many people depended on me? Who knows if I’ll succeed like that in my new place?
He then decided to return home
At that point, Hashem came to him and said that he should go to the place He would show him. Until then, he was going with the yeitzer hara. From then on, he was going with Hashem.
When the Rov heard this, he got very happy. He understood that the Magid was speaking about him and saying that he should continue his journey.
Sent to Golus in Oder to Fulfill The Mitzvah of Hachnasas Orchim
Rashi states: “Go for yourself: For your pleasure and for your benefit.”
My ancestor, Rav Meshulim Zishe of Chernobyl zy”a (Sefer Tzur Tzadik) relates the following in regards to Rashi’s words:
My grandfather, the Me’or Einayim zy”a, was involved with the mitzvah of pidyon shevuyim. He would travel from place to place to collect money for this mitzvah. At one point, someone informed on him that he was bribing officials to let prisoners go free and that he was also sending funds to Eretz Yisroel, which at that time was under the colonial rule of Turkey, a country that was an enemy of Russia. He was arrested and placed in a prison in the city of Zhitomir.
Rav Wolf of Zhitomir zy”a (author of Ohr Hameir) made a lot of efforts to try to free the Me’oh Einayim. He succeeded in getting permission for him to leave the jail in order to go to the mikvah and daven with minyan, as well as to collect funds once a week to distribute to poor people who had become dependent on his help. He also obtained permission for his chasidim to visit him.
Rav Wolf was once sitting with the Me’or Einayim in prison when a woman entered. She asked, “What does Rashi mean when he says that Avrohom was told to go ‘for his pleasure and his benefit.’ What pleasure and benefit could he derive from wandering around in exile?”
The Me’or Einayim remained silent, recognizing that the woman had an answer that she wanted to say.
She said, “The meaning of Rashi’s words is that Avrohom Avinu was a great machnis orchim. His home was open to all. It even had four doors, one in each direction, so that every guest should find a way in, no matter where he was coming from. Still and all, he had not yet reached a level of perfection in this mitzvah. Hashem told him to go into exile and said that it would be for his pleasure and benefit because it would allow him to feel the pain of someone who needs a place to stay and has no home. Once he knew what they felt like, he would be able to perform this mitzvah to perfection.”
She continued, “So too, the Rebbe is always busy with the mitzvah of pidyon shevuyim but because he had never been in jail, he couldn’t truly feel the pain of the imprisoned and he could not fulfill the mitzvah to perfection. That’s why Hashem caused him to be thrown into jail – so that he could understand exactly how a prisoner feels and fulfill the mitzvah perfectly.”
After the woman left, the Me’or Einayim told Rav Wolf, “That woman was Sarah Imeinu. She came to tell me why I was locked up in prison. Now that I know the reason, I can be released.”
And so it was.
Thrown Into The Furnace to Purify His Body
The Sanzer Rov zy”a would occasionally relate the famous story of the ger tzedek, Count Pototsky. When he would say the story, he would become very emotional and fiery. He would relate how after the ger was arrested for converting to Judaism, imprisoned and sentenced to death, his family visited him and begged him to renounce his new religion, which was a great source of shame for them.
The ger tzedek told them, “One may ask why some gentiles convert to Judaism, while some Jews sadly convert to Christianity. Why would someone want to change his entire identity?”
He answered this question by quoting a Medrash that says that before Hashem gave the Torah to Klal Yisroel, He went around to all of the nations and asked if they wanted it. They all rejected it and only the Jewish people accepted it with love.
Does this mean that there wasn’t a single non-Jew who wanted to accept the Torah and that there wasn’t a single Jew who didn’t want it? No. There was a minority that did not agree with the consensus but Hashem goes with the majority. Since the majority of gentiles did not want the Torah, they couldn’t get it, and since the majority of Jews wanted it, they did get it.
However, the non-Jews who wanted the Torah deserve to receive it. Therefore, Hashem caused their souls to return to this world and convert to Judaism. So too, the souls of the Jews who didn’t want the Torah were destined to return to this world and to convert out of Judaism.
He continued, “From the time that the Torah was given, my soul yearned to be a Jew. This has now been proven by my conversion. Therefore, you cannot change me. Now, I have a Jewish soul but my body was born impure and needs to be purified. If you want to burn my body and purify that as well, that is fine with me. Then my soul and body will be completely cleansed and purified.”
As the Sanzer Rov related this story, he would place his hand upon his heart and say numerous times, “Our souls are holy but our bodies are impure. How can we purify our bodies as well?”
My father the Kreitchnifer Rebbe of Yerushalaim shlita (Gilyon Divrei Torah Kretchnif-Yerushalaim) used this story to explain Hashem’s command to Avrohom Avinu. When Avrohom was in Charan, his avodah was to eradicate evil. He broke his father’s idols and stood in opposition to the entire world. He convinced people that Hashem created and guided the world.
While he succeeded in purifying his neshama, he was still bothered by the fact that he had been born with an impure body as the son of Terach. Since he greatly desired to purify his body, he willingly entered the fiery furnace in Ur Kasdim, which purified his body and removed all traces of impurity.
This answers the question of how Avrohom could leave his father’s house. What about the mitzvah of kibud av v’eim?
The answer is that after he purified his body in the fiery furnace, he was pure like a newborn child. He no longer was considered to be Terach’s son and no longer had a mitzvah to honor him.
After emerging from the fire with a pure body and soul, Hashem told Avrohom to leave his homeland. He no longer had any connection to his father’s house and no longer had to work on eradicating evil. Rather, he now had to start a new avodah of increasing kedusha and connecting to the loftiest levels of holiness.
And that is what he did. He came to Eretz Yisroel and opened his home to all passersby, bringing them close to their Father in Heaven and teaching them how to be pure and holy.
Avrohom Himself Was The Bracha
The Chidushei Harim zy”a asks what the pasuk means when it says that Avrohom “shall be a blessing.” Why doesn’t it simply say that he will be blessed?
He answers that the pasuk is saying that Avrohom himself was the bracha. So too, whenever anyone emulates Avrohom’s middos, which are to have “a good eye, a lowly sprit and a humble soul” (Avos 5:19), he himself is a bracha, meaning that blessings will rest upon him at all times.
וַיֵּלֶךְ לְמַסָּעָיו מִנֶּגֶב וְעַד בֵּית אֵל וגו' (יג, ג)
And he went on his journeys, from the south and until Bais Keil. (13:3)קַּח אַבְרָם אֶת שָׂרַי אִשְׁתּוֹ וְאֶת לוֹט בֶּן אָחִיו וגו' וְאֶת הַנֶּפֶשׁ אֲשֶׁר עָשׂוּ בְחָרָן וגו'
וַיִּ (יב, ה)
And Avram took Sarai his wife and Lot the son of his brother...and the souls that he made in Charan (12:5)וְאֶעֶשְׂךָ לְגוֹי גָּדוֹל וַאֲבָרֶכְךָ וַאֲגַדְּלָה שְׁמֶךָ וֶהְיֵה בְּרָכָה (יב, ב)
And I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you, and I will make your name great, and you shall be a blessing. (12:2)
The Converts Did Not Accept Yitzchok’s Authority
Rashi says that the souls that Avrohom made in Charan were the converts that he brought under the wings of the Shechinah. Since he brought them close to Hashem, it was considered as if “made” them.
Rav Henoch of Alexander zy”a (Sefer CHashbah L’Tova) asks what ultimately happened to these people. Why are they never mentioned again?
He answers that after Avrohom died, they did not want to accept the authority of his son, Yitzchok. This was because Avrohom only showed them kindness and charity, and they were unable to tolerate the middah of “pachad” and strength of Yitzchok. They therefore thought that they no longer had a rebbi, so they left and went back to their old ways.
Because of His Wealth, He Separated From Lot
Rashi states: “He went on his journeys: He paid his debts.”
The Chasam Sofer explains that the scoffers of the generation mocked Avrohom because Hashem made him go to chutz la’aretz. He paid his debts as a show of saying: Look how Hashem granted me so much wealth!
The Chasam Sofer further states that although this show of wealth, which proved that he benefited from being sent to chutz la’aretz, was enough to silence the scoffers, it still wasn’t sufficient to answer Avrohom’s own questions, as he wondered why he had to leave Eretz Yisroel and travel to Egypt just to make some money. Afterwards, however, he saw that this was for his benefit, as it led to Lot separating from him. When Avrohom saw this, he understood why he had to go to Egypt.
On The Way There, He Paid Like a Pauer; On The Way Back, He Paid Like a Wealthy Man
The Chida (Sefer Pnei Dovid) asks how Avrohom had debts. Did people give loans to a wanderer whom they didn’t even know? Furthermore, why would Avrohom leave home without any money?
He answers that Avrohom had money and he did pay for everything he purchased. However, he did not have a lot of money, so he rented the cheapest rooms and paid as little as possible. He paid the amount a poor person would be expected to pay. On the way back, however, he went back to the inns and paid everyone the difference between the amount a poor man pays and the amount a rich man pays.
פָּרְ דוּ אִישׁ מֵעַל אָחִיו (יג, יא)
וַיִּסַּע לוֹט מִקֶּדֶם וַיִּפָּרְדוּ אִישׁ מֵעַל אָחִיו
And Lot traveled from the east, and they parted from one another. (13:11)
Lot Did Not Improve Himself
Rashi states: “From the east (m’kedem): He distanced himself from the ‘Kadmono shel Olam’ (the Ancient One, i.e., Hashem) of the world. He said, ‘I care neither for Avram nor for his G-d.’”
Rav Yechezkel Levenstein zt”l (Sefer Yad Yechezkel) asks how this could be possible. Lot was constantly together with Avrohom and Sarah and saw how they served Hashem with their entire hearts, influenced others for the betters, and spread the glory of Hashem throughout the world. It is certain that he also was instilled with fear and love of Hashem. How could he fall so suddenly to such as a low level of heresy?
He answers that Lot possessed inherent negative qualities. He desired money and earthly pleasures. As long as he was living with Avrohom, he was embarrassed to display his desires, but he also never eradicated these desires from within his heart. Therefore, the second he left Avrohom’s company, his bad middos came to the fore and his true self emerged.
Rav Yechezkel used this idea to explain why some bochurim excel in yeshiva, both in Torah and yiras shomayim, but as soon as they leave yeshiva, they have a very swift downfall.
The way to avoid such a downfall is to learn mussar, which purifies one’s soul. It is known that the Chasam Sofer zy”a said that on a day that he didn’t learn mussar, he could feel a laxity in his avodas Hashem. It is also said in the name of the Vilna Gaon zy”a that one is obligated to learn mussar every day just like one is obligated to learn Gemara.
וּמַלְכִּי צֶדֶק מֶלֶךְ שָׁלֵם הוֹצִיא לֶחֶם וָיָיִן וְהוּא כֹהֵן לְקל עֶלְיוֹן (יד, יח)
And Malkitzedek the king of Shalem brought out bread and wine, and he was a kohen to the Most High G-d. (14:18)
Because He Brought Out Bread and Wine, He Became Kohen Gadol
The Chasam Sofer asks that the pasuk is seemingly written backwards, as it should have said: “And Malkitzedek the king of Shalem, who was a kohen... brought out bread and wine.”
He answers that the pasuk is saying that because he brought out bread and wine, he became a kohen to Hashem. This is similar to the words of the Gemara (Yoma 71A): “If one wants to pour wine on the Mizbeach in our times, he should fill the mouths of talmidei chochomim with wine.”
Serving Hashem Through Eating
Rashi says that Malkitzedek was Shem, the son of Noach.
Rav Menachem Mendel of Vorka zy”a (quoted in Sefer Bais Yitzchok) says that Shem-Malkitzedek taught us a new type of avodas Hashem. He taught us that even when we are eating – when we eat bread and wine at the Shabbos seudah – we can be like a kohen to Hashem because eating for a mitzvah is a means of serving Hashem.
Each One Learned a Good Middah From The Other
Rav Meir of Premishlan zy”a (quoted in Sefer Shem M’Shimon) asks why the pasuk mentions that he was a kohen to Hashem after saying that he brought out bread and wine. How is this relevant? He also asks the Chasam Sofer’s question of why it first says that he brought bread and wine and then says that he was a kohen to Hashem.
He answers that Shem-Malkitzedek sat and learned Torah day and night and was immersed in serving Hashem. Avrohom, on the other hand, spent a lot of time doing chesed for others and welcoming guests into his home. When these two tzadikim met, each one wanted to learn from the others’ greatness in order to improve their avodas Hashem.
The pasuk is saying that Malkitzedek brought out bread and wine, meaning that he learned from Avrohom’s middah of hachnasas orchim and doing chesed. It then says that “he”, meaning Avrohom, learned how to be a kohen to Hashem, meaning to sit and learn and serve Hashem like a kohen, from Malkitzedek.
One Who Gives Bread to a Poor Man is Rewarded
My grandfather, the Kretchnifer Rebbe zy”a (quoted in Gilyon Kol Emunah) explains this pasuk by quoting the Gemara (Tainis 23B) that the greatest form of tzedakah is done by woman, who give poor people food that they can eat immediately (as opposed to me, who give money to poor people, which they can use to buy food). Accordingly, their tefillos are answered immediately.
So too, Malkitzedek did the mitzvah of tzedakah in its highest form by giving bread and wine, as opposed to giving money. Therefore, he was rewarded immediately by being given maaser from all of Avrohom’s belongings.
The Holy Power of Avrohom’s Food
