Chazal say, anywhere we find the word אֵלֶּה, there is the cessation of a previous idea or story, and a new one begins. The opposite is true as well. Wherever we find the word וְאֵלֶּה, with a vav hachibur, there is continuation, and an addition to the previous topic. An example can be found at the start of Parshat Mishpatim:
וְאֵלֶּה הַמִּשְׁפָּטִים אֲשֶׁר תָּשִׂים לִפְנֵיהֶם׃
And these are the laws that you shall set before them.
Rashi famously says, וְאֵלֶּה teaches us that just as the previous commandments in Parshat Yitro were given at Sinai, so, too, the laws that follow were given at Sinai. Our Parsha begins:
וְאֵלֶּה תּוֹלְדֹת יִצְחָק בֶּן־אַבְרָהָם אַבְרָהָם הוֹלִיד אֶת־יִצְחָק׃
And these are the descendants of Yitzchak son of Avraham. Avraham was the father of Yitzchak.
The Ba’al HaTurim says, the connection relates to the final pasuk we read last week, dealing with the death of Yishmael. עַל־פְּנֵי כׇל־אֶחָיו נָפָל – As soon as the kingdom of Yishmael will fall, the kingdom of David will arise.
The grammar in that first pasuk of our Parsha is somewhat peculiar, including repetition of it being Avraham that fathered Yitzchak. Rashi notes, based on a Midrash (Tanchuma, Toldot 1), the repetition is because the cynics of that time – לֵיצָנֵי הַדּוֹר – said, “Look at how many years Sarah lived with Avraham without becoming pregnant. She now had the child of Avimelech!” Hakadosh Baruch Hu shaped Yitzchak’s facial features exactly similar to those of his father, so that everyone had to admit he was Avraham’s son. The repeated statement of אַבְרָהָם הוֹלִיד אֶת יִצְחָק reflects the proof offered that Avraham fathered Yitzchak.
Since when are we concerned with what the cynics of the generation think or say? We see the same idea during Creation, when Hakadosh Baruch Hu said נַעֲשֶׂה אָדָם and the angels warned that cynics would say the plural form supports their denial of one G-d having created the world. Hakadosh Baruch Hu shut the angels down, however, telling them to disregard what cynics will one day say, because the lesson from this word נַעֲשֶׂה is of greater importance than any risk.
Why are we so worried about what clowns around the world will come along and say? And why when it came to Avraham was that theory not dismissed like it was during Creation, but rather, extra words were added to quash conspiracy theories?
The answer is quite simple. Hakadosh Baruch Hu is not concerned about what cynics will say about Him and His name. They can go ahead and open their mouths, as their words are moot and without impact. For his nevi’im and tzadikim, however, that isn’t the case. Speaking negatively about Avraham Avinu and Yitzchak Avinu was not tolerated, and Hakadosh Baruch Hu silenced it from the get-go.
I’d now like to dive deeper into this subject and derive from it several important learnings.
In Parshat Vayeira, the Torah tells us a bit more about the לֵיצָנֵי הַדּוֹר. Yitzchak was twenty-four months old when Avraham threw a feast – בְּיוֹם הִגָּמֵל אֶת יִצְחָק. We then read:
וַתֵּרֶא שָׂרָה אֶת־בֶּן־הָגָר הַמִּצְרִית אֲשֶׁר־יָלְדָה לְאַבְרָהָם מְצַחֵק׃
Sarah saw that the son of Hagar, the Egyptian, that she had born to Avraham, was mocking.
Rabbi Ovadiah Seforno connects this act to the earlier mentioned cynics who suggested Sarah bore Avimelech’s child. It was Yishmael who made fun of the big feast Avraham had thrown to mark the weaning of Yitzchak – a party that saw the presence of Shem, Ever, and Avimelech, and was thus called a great feast. The presence of Shem and Ever made sense, as they were the gedolei hador, but what was Avimelech doing there? Yishmael decided it was due to his paternal connection to the child, and it was then Yishmael who propagated the idea that Sarah had become pregnant from Avimelech.
Sefer Amudeha Shiva says the feast was called great because Hakadosh Baruch Hu came to the party, proving Yitzchak was Avraham’s son. The presence of Hakadosh Baruch Hu is not found in places of immoral conduct, signalling the virtue of this party and of Yitzchak’s birth.
A wonderful question can now be asked. Why was Avimelech on the guest list? This is akin to one of us inviting Rav Kanievsky, Rav Steinman, Rav Ovadia Yosef, Rav Kaduri, and Jimmy Carter to our Seudat Hoda’a. It makes no sense! Furthermore, he wasn’t invited to the bris, so why did Avraham Avinu suddenly invite him to a subsequent party? I found a beautiful answer to this question in a sefer called Lev Tahor.
הַלְלוּ אֶת־ה' כָּל־גּוֹיִם שַׁבְּחוּהוּ כָּל־הָאֻמִּים׃ כִּי גָבַר עָלֵינוּ חַסְדּוֹ וֶאֱמֶת־ה' לְעוֹלָם הַלְלוּ־יָּהּ׃
O Praise the Lord, all you nations: praise him all you peoples. For his love for us is great: and the truth of the Lord endures for ever. Haleluy-a!
What is the meaning of this pasuk found in Hallel? Who recites these verses? It is the nations of the world. They say it in Gaza, and in Qatar, and in Ramallah, and in plenty of other backward places. There are enemy nations who continuously plan to cause harm to Am Yisrael, but whose plans fail due to technical mishaps such as their explosive devices detonating in their hands, their missiles going off track, and other unplanned factors getting in the way. Over 10,000 missiles have already been sent our way and b’chasdei Hashem we don’t see loss of life from them. The launchers of these rockets, yimach shemam, acknowledge Hakadosh Baruch Hu is mercifully protecting us at all times despite us not being able to put our finger on any particular act of protection. We cannot see those acts, but the hostile nations certainly do! They try and try again but see only failure after failure! They know the score, and one day will recognize why they were unsuccessful and recite these verses of Tehillim!
The Brisker Rav adds, there are two related brachot we recite: בִּרְכוֹת הַהוֹדָאָה – blessings of gratitude, and בִּרְכוֹת הַשֶּׁבַח – blessings of praise. The former – הַטּוֹב וְהַמֵּיטִיב – is recited immediately upon receiving good news and good fortune, such as the birth of a son. The latter – שֶׁכּוֹחוֹ וּגְבוּרָתוֹ מָלֵא עוֹלָם – is recited in praise of Hakadosh Baruch Hu for various phenomenon that occur in the world, such as this past week when it was recited upon the first drops of seasonal rain reaching us. A non-Jew cannot offer gratitude (הוֹדָאָה) to Hakadosh Baruch Hu for goodness received. Only we can do that. A non-Jew, however, can offer praise (שֶׁבַח), as it says שַׁבְּחוּהוּ כָּל הָאֻמִּים. The Gemara (Bava Metzia 87a) tells us, when Yitzchak was born, the matter was broadcast to the world:
אותו היום שגמל אברהם את יצחק בנו עשה סעודה גדולה היו כל אומות העולם מרננים ואומרים ראיתם זקן וזקנה שהביאו אסופי מן השוק ואומרים בנינו הוא ולא עוד אלא שעושין משתה גדול להעמיד דבריהם
That day when Abraham weaned his son Isaac, he prepared a great celebratory feast. All of the nations of the world were gossiping and saying to each other: See this old man and old woman who brought a foundling from the market and are saying: He is our son, and moreover they are making a great feast to bolster their claim.
If that were the case, Sarah would be unable to nurse the child, and would need to hire a nurse. As soon as she was seen nursing the infant directly, the story was discredited. With that theory no longer holding any weight, the cynics moved on to their next narrative, that it was Avimelech’s child she gave birth to. They modified their fictional claim, and it, too, was gobbled up by followers all over. As a result, Avraham made another party at the time of Yitzchak’s weaning, when he no longer was nursed by his mother. He gathered everyone. Shem and Ever would recite a blessing of gratitude – הַטּוֹב וְהַמֵּיטִיב. But Avraham also invited Avimelech and his entire government, wanting the second bracha to be recited as well – שַׁבְּחוּהוּ כָּל הָאֻמִּים. How would they do so?
The midrash tells us that Avraham invited Avimelech and all his ministers, while Sarah was told to invite all the minister’s wives and their children, while instructing those with infant children to leave their nurses at home. She was then told to nurse all the children of these wives – הֵינִיקָה בָנִים שָׂרָה! Sarah was perplexed, as this was not a modest way for her to act. The Midrash tells us Avraham’s response (Bereshit Rabbah 53:9):
אָמַר לָהּ אָבִינוּ אַבְרָהָם אֵין זוֹ שְׁעַת הַצְּנִיעוּת אֶלָּא גְּדֵי שֶׁיֵּדְעוּ הַכֹּל שֶׁהִתְחִיל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לַעֲשׂוֹת נִסִּים, גָּלָה וְהִנִּיקָה אֶת דַּדֶּיהָ וְהָיוּ נוֹבְעוֹת חָלָב כִּשְׁנֵי מַעְיָנוֹת, וְהָיוּ מַטְרוֹנוֹת בָּאוֹת וּמֵינִיקוֹת אֶת בְּנֵיהֶן מִמֶּנָּה, וְהָיוּ אוֹמְרוֹת אֵין אָנוּ כְּדַי לְהָנִיק אֶת בָּנֵינוּ מֵחֲלָבָהּ שֶׁל צַדֶּקֶת.
This is not the time for modesty. Instead, expose your breasts, so that everyone will know that Hakadosh Baruch Hu has begun to perform miracles.’ She exposed her breasts and they were flowing with milk like two wellsprings. Noblewomen were coming and having their children nurse from her. They were saying: ‘We are not worthy of having our children nurse from this righteous woman.’
How was the narrative of Yitzchak being Avimelech’s child debunked? Everyone knew Hakadosh Baruch Hu would not perform miracles that went against the laws of nature – i.e., facilitating one woman to nurse scores of children at one time – if Sarah was not worthy and if she had carried the child of Avimelech. The cynics were once again shut down, and the nations recited their praise.
I’d like to ask a simple question. Look at how many miracles Hakadosh Baruch Hu performed just to quiet the cynics. Why? Why did He not simply quiet them down like we’ll read on Chanukah? In Parshat Vayeishev, Yosef was sent to prison in Egypt after being set up by the wife of Potiphar. Headlines were made across the country, and not too dissimilar from our times, the masses took to the streets celebrating the capture of a Jew. Does Yosef HaTzaddik really need to suffer such degradation and embarrassment after running away from sin? Hakadosh Baruch Hu said: “That will be the headline on the eight o’clock news, but at nine there will already be a new scandal that takes over the airwaves around the clock.” Rocks were found in the bread of Pharoah, and bugs in his drink, and two capital cases were opened even before two royal teeth could be scooped up from the floor and a spilled drink mopped up. Similarly, when the cynics started talking stupidities that Avimelech was the father of the child, could Hakadosh Baruch Hu not instantly distract them with something else?
Shemen Rosh provides a nice idea, in the name of the Vilna Gaon, to explain why our story played out the way it did with Avraham and Sarah. We’ll start with a few short introductions before coming back to this answer.
We’ll begin with the section in Vayeira that deals with Sarah conceiving and giving birth to Yitzchak.
וַה' פָּקַד אֶת־שָׂרָה כַּאֲשֶׁר אָמָר וַיַּעַשׂ ה' לְשָׂרָה כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֵּר׃
And the Lord visited Sara as He had said, and the Lord did to Sara as He had spoken.
Obvious to all is that the pasuk contains double language, with a shift from אָמָר to דִּבֵּר. As we know from the introductory pasuk to Matan Torah – כֹּה תֹאמַר לְבֵית יַעֲקֹב וְתַגֵּיד לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל – the former is soft speech (לָשׁוֹן רַכָּה), and the latter harsh or direct speech (לָשׁוֹן קָשָׁה). The Midrash says, the first half is from Hakadosh Baruch Hu and the latter half from the angel present at the tent. Shaarei Simcha answers through Sarah’s words that immediately follow:
וַתֹּאמֶר שָׂרָה צְחֹק עָשָׂה לִי אֱ-לֹהִים כָּל־הַשֹּׁמֵעַ יִצְחַק־לִי׃ וַתֹּאמֶר מִי מִלֵּל לְאַבְרָהָם הֵינִיקָה בָנִים שָׂרָה כִּי־יָלַדְתִּי בֵן לִזְקֻנָיו׃
And Sara said, G-d has made laughter for me, so that all that hear will laugh with me. And she said, Who would have said to Avraham, that Sara would nurse children? for I have born him a son in his old age.
What does it mean all will laugh with her? Targum Onklos says: כָּל דִּשְׁמַע יֶחֱדֵי לִיחֶדְוָא עֲבַד לִי ה' – G-d has given me gladness, all who hear will rejoice with me. Here we see it is a matter of simcha, whereas earlier, when Sarah was told of a pending child, וַתִּצְחַק שָׂרָה is interpreted by Onklos as literal laughter – i.e., laughter at the idea proposed.
Shaarei Simcha says, there were numerous aspects of good news that came through the news of Yitzchak coming onto the scene. Hakadosh Baruch Hu promised a child, but nothing more. He didn’t promise she would nurse the child in her old age. Yet, she returned to her younger form and not only nursed her son, but all the neighboring children. Miracle after miracle surrounded this news brought to the elderly couple. The Chatam Sofer asks, why will only those who hear (כָּל הַשֹּׁמֵעַ) laugh and not those who actually see it with their own eyes? He answers, because they won’t have seen her transformation to a younger woman like those who witnessed it, and therefore it will be all the more miraculous. With that, Shaarei Simcha asks, why does it say צְחֹק עָשָׂה לִי אֱ-לֹהִים, utilizing the name of Hakadosh Baruch Hu corresponding to Midat HaDin? According to Din, none of this would have ever happened. Only because of Midat HaRachamim did all these miracles take place! There are additional questions asked by Shaarei Simcha, but these are the ones we need to help bring us to our point.
When the angel came to inform Avraham to inform him, he said:
שׁוֹב אָשׁוּב אֵלֶיךָ כָּעֵת חַיָּה וְהִנֵּה־בֵן לְשָׂרָה אִשְׁתֶּךָ – I will return to you next year, and Sarah, your wife will have a son. The words reflect a son will be given to Avraham’s wife, Sarah. A few pesukim later, after Sarah laughs at the idea, we’re told similar but different:
לַמּוֹעֵד אָשׁוּב אֵלֶיךָ כָּעֵת חַיָּה וּלְשָׂרָה בֵן – At the appointed time I will return to you, at this time of life, and Sarah will have a son. What happened to אִשְׁתֶּךָ – your wife? The first instance contains that description whereas the next one refers to her by name only. Why the difference? Let’s add another layer to this question. After being informed by the angel, we’re told וְשָׂרָה שֹׁמַעַת פֶּתַח הָאֹהֶל וְהוּא אַחֲרָיו – Sarah was listening at the door of the tent, that was behind him. Rashi says, the tent opening was behind the angel, but Targum Yonatan ben Uziel explains the pasuk differently: Sarah was listening at the door of the tent, while Yishmael stood behind her, taking note of what the angel said! The Sar Sholom of Belz says, Sarah laughed because Yishmael was present. She feared that he might overhear and cast an ayin hara on her, leading to the loss of her child, similar to what happened to Hagar after Sarah had cast an ayin hara on her. She laughed, dismissing the idea so that Yishmael would not think twice about it. If so, why was there a claim against Sarah? Why did her act cause a strong response from Hakadosh Baruch Hu? Because if an angel is sent to promise something, there is no chance or risk of ayin hara.
Let’s look at one more wonderful piece before reaching the answer as to why Hakadosh handled the cynics the way He did rather than silencing them via quick distraction. When the Torah tells us לַמּוֹעֵד אָשׁוּב אֵלֶיךָ כָּעֵת חַיָּה וּלְשָׂרָה בֵן, there is a reason the appositive of “אִשְׁתֶּךָ – your wife” is not present. The Arizal says, each of the Avot was married to their opposite – i.e., someone who represented the opposite character trait. [Note: Pesukim are brought to back up each of the following characterizations.] Avraham was Chesed and Sarah Din. Chesed was married to Din – but which of these two traits did Yitzchak acquire? The angel tells Avraham that his son will inherit the traits of his mother – וּלְשָׂרָה בֵן. Yitzchak will be purely Din and not Chesed. If so, his wife will be the opposite trait – Rivkah was Chesed. Once again, Din with Chesed. In this week’s Parsha, two sons are born to that couple. Yaacov representing Chesed, and Eisav representing Din. This is why we’re told Yitzchak had a stronger affinity towards Eisav, as they were both Din, whereas Rivkah loved Yaacov more, as they were both Chesed. Now fast forward to Yaacov and Eisav being ready for marriage. If Eisav is Din, he should receive a wife representing Chesed, and Yaacov should receive Din. A deal was made with with Lavan, whereby Leah – representing Chesed - is paired with Eisav, and Rachel – representing Din – is paired with Yaacov. What happened though? Why was this plan altered? After Avraham Avinu died, Eisav returned from the field tired (וְהוּא עָיֵף), after having committed five major sins including battling and killing Nimrod. He was exhausted and desperately needed something to eat. Yaacov was in the process of making lentils – the food mourners eat after a levaya – and Eisav was so energy depleted that he asked Yaacov to feed him. He didn’t even have the strength to lift a spoon to his mouth! What did Yaacov do? וְיַעֲקֹב נָתַן לְעֵשָׂו לֶחֶם וּנְזִיד עֲדָשִׁים – he gave his brother bread and lentil stew. There is only one problem with this menu. Eisav never asked for bread. This was not a fancy restaurant where bread is served on the table as you wait for the main course to arrive. The Maggid Mi'Dubno says, if someone is forced to sell an item, he can later invalidate the transaction. A forced sale includes buying food when in a position of such hunger that there is a health risk at play if you don’t eat right now. Such a state of pikuach nefesh was grounds to negate the sale, and Yaacov recognized Eisav would have the ability to do so and hold onto the bechora. Therefore, Yaacov added an appetizer on the house. He first served Eisav bread, so that his famished brother would eat and regain his strength. It wasn’t part of Eisav’s order nor part of the transaction, but it was enough to remove the state of pikuach nefesh and ensure that the subsequent dish of lentils would be eaten without coercion and without any chance of their deal being invalidated.
The Arizal continues his explanation. Yaacov worked seven years for the younger daughter, Rachel, but after seven years, Lavan pulled a quick one on him and substituted Leah under the chupah. Yaacov was furious and asked his new bride, “I called you Rachel all night and you responded. Why did you lie to me? Why did you not tell me you were Leah?” Leah calmly replied, “Can I ask you a question? When you received the bracha from your father, did you not tell your father you were the firstborn? I know you’re not a liar though. You did so because you acquired the birthright from Eisav. You became Eisav, acquiring his primary trait as well – Din. Din together with Chesed is Tiferet, and this means you need to take two wives – one from Din and one from Chesed.”
Let’s now return to the sefer Shaarei Simcha, which explains the turn of events in a startling way. The angel Michael originally came and proclaimed וְהִנֵּה־בֵן לְשָׂרָה אִשְׁתֶּךָ, but after Sarah laughed, and asked how that could possibly be given their old age, things immediately changed. Hakadosh Baruch Hu asked Avraham why she laughed and why she did not believe anything was possible in the Hands of the Almighty. And He then paid Sarah back, midah k’neged midah – measure for measure. וּלְשָׂרָה בֵן – a son from Sarah and not from Avraham’s wife, Sarah. People will then laugh and point at her, lobbing harsh accusations that the child came from Avimelech rather than Avraham. She laughed at Hakadosh Baruch Hu, and now she herself would be laughed at.
Returning to the pasuk וַה' פָּקַד אֶת־שָׂרָה כַּאֲשֶׁר אָמָר, we can now explain why the double language and why a shift from soft speech (אָמַר) to harsh speech (דִּבֵּר). That same shift took place from וְהִנֵּה־בֵן לְשָׂרָה אִשְׁתֶּךָ to וּלְשָׂרָה בֵן, and it was all the result of disbelief in the miracles and wonders Hakadosh Baruch Hu can and will perform for us.
Sarah said צְחֹק עָשָׂה לִי אֱ-לֹהִים, and the Targum explains the word to mean simcha – all will rejoice with her as she received a son and was able to nurse him, etc. Miracle after miracle for everyone to celebrate- but attached to the name of Hakadosh Baruch Hu reflecting Midat HaDin. How does this add up? It is because she received the gift, via the miracles, but together with pain as well. She laughed when contemplating the possibility of having a child, and the result was the world laughing at her, and pain from it.
We are now ready to explore the idea found in Shemen Rosh (Bereshit Vol. 11, p.176). The Gemara (Sanhedrin 82a) brings forth two pesukim from Malachi (Malachi 2:11-12):
בגדה יהודה ותועבה נעשתה בישראל ובירושלים כי חלל יהודה קדש ה' אשר אהב ובעל בת אל נכר .יכרת ה' לאיש אשר יעשנה ער ועונה (מאלהי) יעקב ומגיש מנחה לה' צבאות .
Yehuda has dealt treacherously, and a disgusting thing has been done in Yisrael and Yerushalayim; for Yehuda has profaned the holiness of the Lord which he loved, and has married the daughter of a strange god. The Lord will cut off from the man that does this, all living offspring from the tents of Yaacov, or any to present an offering to the Lord.
