Shalom Friends;
Our Parshat Chayei Sarah vort is being sponsored by Yirmi and Rochelle Gold and family of Ramat Beit Shemesh who dedicate this vort Lilui Nishmas the fifth Yahrtzeit of HaRav Chaim Zev Malinowitz, z”l, as well as dedicated for the safety of the Chayalim and the liberation of all hostages and their return home whole physically, mentally and spiritually as well as for the good health and security of kol Am Yisrael. To the Gold family, many thanks for your sponsorship and your continued kindnesses.
You can celebrate a Simcha — a birth, a Bar/Bat Mitzvah, a Chassuna or other Simcha event in your life, or commemorate a Yahrtzeit of a loved one, or for whatever other reason by sponsoring (or as the case may be, co-sponsoring) a Parshat HaShevua.
Please forward to your relatives and friends and encourage them to sponsor a Parshat HaShevua. And please be in contact with me with any questions, or for further details.
Best Regards,
Moshe Burt
olehchadash@yahoo.com
skype: mark.burt3
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Torah records:
“Avraham heeded Ephron, and Avraham weighed out to Ephron the price which he had mentioned in the hearing of the children of Heth [B’nei Chait]. four hundred silver shekels in negotiable currency.” (Sefer Breish’t, Perek 23, posuk 16 rendered to English in the Artscroll Stone Edition Chumash)
The Artscroll Stone Edition Chumash provides a commentary on the above posuk (page 109) :
To Ephron. Throughout the perek, Ephron’s name is spelled with a Vav. but here, where money changed hands and the sale is consummated, the Vav is omitted. Thereby the Torah implies that his stature is diminished — he started out by making grandiose offers of a gift, but then revealed himself as a greedy man who extorted far more than the property was worth…
On the words, “And Avraham heard”, Rabbi Zelig Pliskin, in his Sefer “Growth Through Torah,” cites Rashi and Rashbam, and comments (pages 56 – 57) :
“A hint is sufficient for a wise man.” Ephron spoke as if he were a man of generosity. He spoke to Avraham with great respect and ostensibly offered him the burial site free of charge. However, Ephron mentioned in passing, “The four hundred shekels … is nothing between friends. Your friendship is more precious than money. Bury your dead.” (Rabbi Zelig Pliskin citing Rashi and Rashbam on Sefer Breish’t, Perek 23, posuk 15)
But Avraham was perceptive [adjective: having or showing keenness of insight, understanding, or intuition], with his finely-honed intuition, and understood Ephron’s real intentions; he didn’t really want to give the land away for nothing. Avraham responded to Ephron’s real inner wishes, not to the outer, simple meaning of his [Ephron’s] words.
This ability to differentiate between what someone says and what he means is an attribute that we must develop. For many areas of spiritual growth it is essential.
Rabbi Pliskin speaks of understanding the true meaning of what others say in a context of correcting and refining one’s midos. And referring back to this author’s vort on Parshat Vayeira with the Rashbam’s connection between the Akeida and Avraham’s covenant with Avimelech:
He [the Rashbam] points to one specific phrase in the narrative describing the covenant. The [P’lishti] melech Avimelech turns to Avraham and states, “And now, swear to me by G’d if you will deal falsely with me or my son or my grandson.” (Rabbi Goldin citing Sefer Breish’t, Perek 21, posuk 23). [Author’s Note: The posuk as rendered to English in the Artscroll Stone Edition Chumash: “…that you will not deal falsely with me nor with my son nor with my grandson…”] Avimelech is clearly suggesting a covenant in perpetuity. Avraham agrees.
Just as Rashbam reasons that Avraham learns the lesson concerning his responsibility to his family, and the nation that will emerge from the seed of Yitzchak and, eventually from Yaakov, it seems that our modern day Israeli government, political leadership, top military leadership have as yet NOT learned the lesson that the security of Am Yisrael is primary, and not to be deceived (verb: mislead by a false appearance or statement) by misconceptions (conceptia) projected, or seemingly projected by our enemies regarding their intentions.
And remembering back to the last posuk of Parshat Zot HaBracha — Moshe’s final Bracha to Am Yisrael as a collective before his passing:
“Fortunate are you, O Israel: Who is like you! O people delivered by Hashem, the Shield of your help, Who is the Sword of your grandeur; your foes will try to deceive you, but you will trample their haughty ones.” (Sefer Devarim, Perek 33, posuk 29 as rendered to English in the The Artscroll Stone Edition Chumash and in the Artscroll Succot Machzor)
Avraham Avinu, having learned a lesson in dealing with P’lishti melech Avimelech, was perceptive and read through Ephon’s deception regarding payment for the Cave of Machpeila as a burial site for Sarah and for the patriarchal family. Rabbi Pliskin’s discussion of refining one’s perceptiveness and intuition extend beyond the striving for perfection of midos in Everyman. Avraham Aveinu who, in his time, was THE pre-eminent leader of mankind as well as builder and proponent of a then revolutionary concept: belief in an Infinite Being who controls every aspect of the world’s existence, correctly read the reality of his relationship with the other peoples. He read the reality of his relationship with Ephron and, with an eye to both Hashem’s promise to create a people from him [Avraham] and to all of future history, he acted accordingly in paying Ephron the four hundred shekels of silver.
But it was the deception concerning Hamas’ axiomatic (adjective: pertaining to or of the nature of an axiom; self-evident; obvious) intentions (based on past history and and organizational goal — eradication of Israel and the Jews), which our government and our military high command lacked perceptiveness and thus misread which led us to our military high command’s arrogance regarding the warnings of impending attack and our unpreparedness for Hamas’ brutal attack and slaughter of last Simchat Torah. Here’s hoping that the War of Simchat Torah will have provided our governing and military leadership with the learned perception that Islamic — Amalek’s intentions have always been, and will always be the annihilation and eradication of the Jews?
This author should add here, as this Parsha vort is dedicated Lilui Nishmas for the fifth Yahrtzeit of HaRav Chaim Zev Malinowitz, z”l, that the Rav held a deep love for Eretz Yisrael, as well as speaking often about the Kedusha of the Land. For a number of years, he encouraged the Kehilla to take annual trips to Hevron and the Ma’arat HaMachpeila on the Shabbos before Rosh Hashana. He often visited Kever Yosef. In a Shmitta year, he taught the Kehilla about Shmitta and promoted and worked with organizations such Otzar Ha’Aretz in facilitating the keeping of Shmitta according to Halacha. The Rav celebrated with us in three Hachnasat Sifrei Torah including one in Yesha and one in Gush Katif, in Shirat HaYam (in the months before the expulsion in August of 2005) as well as the celebration in Beit B’nei Rachel in Kever Rachel. He protested against the Expulsion, including giving a passionate talk to the Kehillah about Gush Katif.
May it be that our Chayalim, regardless of the machinations of their high command, emerge totally victorious — eradicating from the face of the earth Hamas, their terrorist buddies and the so-called “innocent civilians” of Gaza who joined with Hamas in their murderous deeds, that the Chayalim return home whole — physically, mentally and spiritually and that the Chayalim Liberate and bring home all remaining hostages. And may we see the restoration of true unity within Am Yisrael.
May we, the B’nei Yisrael be zocha that our brethren — the refugee families from Gush Katif be permanently re-settled in Gush Katif, once the IDF, by the Yad Hashem, destructs and eradicates the wild beasts of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, all other terror entities, and if necessary Iran, and that our brethren be made totally whole — be totally restituted for all that was stolen from them, that the thrice expelled families of Amona be restored to their rebuilt homes and the oft-destroyed Yeshiva buildings in Homesh be rebuilt, as well as rebuilding the homes of families of the hilltop outposts who had their residences destroyed by Israel government bulldozers — all at total government expense. Baruch Hashem that our dear brother Jonathan Pollard is now nearing the fifth anniversary of his aliyah to Eretz Yisrael and continues in a new chapter in his life. May Esther Yocheved bat Yechiel Avraham have an aliyah in Shemayim and may her spirit and memory continue to lift Jonathan to at least 120 years. May the MIAs be liberated alive and returned to us in ways befitting Al Kiddush Hashem — as with the return in April, 2019, via Russia, of the remains of Zachariah Baumel, as should the remains of the two chayalim from the Gaza War of ten years ago. May we have the courage and strength to stand up and physically prevent the possibility of Chas V’Challila any future eviction of Jews from their homes and prevent Chas V’Challila the handing of Jewish land over to anyone, let alone to enemies sworn to Israel’s and Judaism’s destruction and eradication. May we see, in 5785, the REAL Jews from the Ukraine and Russia as well as the US and Canada, the real Jews via matrilineal descent, make Aliyah enmass — via thorough review by Misrad HaPanim. And may we soon and finally see the total end to the Communist Chinese Wuhan Lab corona virus pandemic and all like viruses and variants. May we fulfill Hashem’s blueprint of B’nei Yisrael as a Unique people — an Am Segula, not to be reckoned with as with “the nations” and may we be zocha to see the Moshiach, the Ge’ula Shlaima, as Dov Shurin sings; “Ki Karov Yom Hashem Al’Kol HaGoyim”, the Ultimate Redemption, bimhayrah b’yamainu — speedily, in our time”, — Achshav, Chik Chuk, Miyad, Etmol!!!
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Moshe Burt, an Oleh, is a commentator on news and events in Israel and Founder and Director of The Sefer Torah Recycling Network. He lives in Ramat Beit Shemesh.
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