Ten Minutes of Torah

with

Rabbi Chaim Weiner

 

 

Vayera - 5766

 

 

בראשית פרק יח

 

(ט) וַיֹּאמְרוּ אֵלָיו אַיֵּה שָׂרָה אִשְׁתֶּךָ וַיֹּאמֶר הִנֵּה בָאֹהֶל:

 

 

Genesis 18:9  

 

They said to him, "Where is your wife Sarah?" And he replied, "There, in the tent."

 

 

 

 

Rashi:

 

There, in the tent: [This teaches us that] she was modest.

 

 

 

QUESTIONS

 

  1. (*) What problem in the verse is Rashi addressing?
  2. How does Rashi solve this problem?

 

To answer this question, you will need to check the meaning of the word איה (Ayeh) – where – in the Bible. How does the word איה (Ayeh) differ from the Hebrew word איפה (Aifo) – which also means – where?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The word איה is found in the following verses:

בראשית פרק ג

 

(ח) וַיִּשְׁמְעוּ אֶת קוֹל ה' אֱלֹהִים מִתְהַלֵּךְ בַּגָּן לְרוּחַ הַיּוֹם וַיִּתְחַבֵּא הָאָדָם וְאִשְׁתּוֹ מִפְּנֵי ה' אֱלֹהִים בְּתוֹךְ עֵץ הַגָּן:

(ט) וַיִּקְרָא ה' אֱלֹהִים אֶל הָאָדָם וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ אַיֶּכָּה:

(י) וַיֹּאמֶר אֶת קֹלְךָ שָׁמַעְתִּי בַּגָּן וָאִירָא כִּי עֵירֹם אָנֹכִי וָאֵחָבֵא:

 

 

Genesis 3:8-10  

8 They heard the sound of the LORD God moving about in the garden at the breezy time of day; and the man and his wife hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden.  9 The LORD God called out to the man and said to him, "Where are you?"  10 He replied, "I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid."

בראשית פרק ד

 

(ט) וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֶל קַיִן אֵי הֶבֶל אָחִיךָ וַיֹּאמֶר לֹא יָדַעְתִּי הֲשֹׁמֵר אָחִי אָנֹכִי:

(י) וַיֹּאמֶר מֶה עָשִׂיתָ קוֹל דְּמֵי אָחִיךָ צֹעֲקִים אֵלַי מִן הָאֲדָמָה:

 

 

 

Genesis 4:8-10  

8 Cain said to his brother Abel ... and when they were in the field, Cain set upon his brother Abel and killed him.  9 The LORD said to Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?" And he said, "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?"  10 Then He said, "What have you done? Hark, your brother's blood cries out to Me from the ground!

 

ירמיהו פרק ב

 

(ה) כֹּה אָמַר יְקֹוָק מַה מָּצְאוּ אֲבוֹתֵיכֶם בִּי עָוֶל כִּי רָחֲקוּ מֵעָלָי וַיֵּלְכוּ אַחֲרֵי הַהֶבֶל וַיֶּהְבָּלוּ: (ו) וְלֹא אָמְרוּ אַיֵּה ה' הַמַּעֲלֶה אֹתָנוּ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם הַמּוֹלִיךְ אֹתָנוּ בַּמִּדְבָּר בְּאֶרֶץ עֲרָבָה וְשׁוּחָה בְּאֶרֶץ צִיָּה וְצַלְמָוֶת בְּאֶרֶץ לֹא עָבַר בָּהּ אִישׁ וְלֹא יָשַׁב אָדָם שָׁם:

 

Jeremiah 2:5-6

5 Thus said the LORD: What wrong did your fathers find in Me That they abandoned Me And went after delusion and were deluded?  6 They never asked themselves, "Where is the LORD, Who brought us up from the land of Egypt, Who led us through the wilderness, A land of deserts and pits, A land of drought and darkness, A land no man had traversed, Where no human being had dwelt?"

 

 

תהלים פרק עט

 

(י) לָמָּה יֹאמְרוּ הַגּוֹיִם אַיֵּה אֱלֹהֵיהֶם יִוָּדַע בַּגּוֹיִם לְעֵינֵינוּ נִקְמַת דַּם עֲבָדֶיךָ הַשָּׁפוּךְ:

 

Psalm 79:10  

10 Let the nations not say, "Where is their God?" Before our eyes let it be known among the nations that You avenge the spilled blood of Your servants.

 

*  - hard question

** - extra hard question.

 

Answers to last week’s questions:

(To access last week’s study sheet, visit the archives page on www.tenminutesoftorah.supanet.com .)

 

1.      What problem in the verse are both of these commentators addressing?

Both commentators are trying to explain why God doesn’t reveal Abraham’s destination to him immediately.

 

2.      (*) Most of Rashi’s commentators reject his explanation. Levush HaOra tries to deflect their criticism by saying that Rashi meant to say that the place wasn’t revealed in order to endear Haran in his eyes? What is wrong with Rashi’s explanation? How does Levush HaOra correct it?

The commentators feel that Rashi misunderstands the flow and the structure of this verse. When you look at the verse carefully, you will find that each phrase of the verse poses a greater challenge to Abraham. It is very hard to leave your homeland. It is even harder to leave your birthplace. It is even harder to leave your father’s house. Therefore, the last phrase in the verse – to that land that I will show you – should be referring to an even harder challenge. i.e. it is even harder to embark on a journey when you don’t know the destination. That is what Or HaChaim says, and that is the simple meaning of the verse.

 

3.      Suggest another way to understand Rashi to overcome this difficulty.

 

These two explanations don’t necessarily contradict each other. It is possible that God doesn’t reveal the destination because this is a big trial for Abraham, and at the same time, the result of this trial will be that Abraham will appreciate the Promised Land even more. We appreciate the things we work hard to get.

If this is the case, Rashi is giving a deeper explanation of God’s test. Not – how is this phrase in the verse a test, as the Or HaChaim explains, but rather – why is God putting Abraham through this test to begin with.

I recall Nechama Leibowitz saying that Rashi was a great lover of the Land of Israel, and that his commentary tends to be longer when ever he has the chance to praise the Land. Perhaps that is the reason that he gives a more complicated explanation of the verse here.

 

 

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Ten Minutes of Torah was prepared by Rabbi Chaim Weiner, based on the methods of Prof. Nechama Leibowitz. Rabbi Weiner studied and corresponded with Prof. Leibowitz for several years.

 

 

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