Vayera

The weekly portion Vayera contains many interesting stories. It begins with chapter 18 of the book of Bereshit, with a very interesting story of how the Most High brings Avraham the good news of the birth of Yitzchak. We will read this passage today.

Avraham sees three who are coming toward him or standing next to him (it is not particularly clear in the text), runs up to them, bows, invites them home. They agree to come in to him. Everything seems clear. Everything, yet not everything. First, what strikes a person who has read the previous chapters of the book of Bereshit is the absence of any mention of Avraham in these verses. How does the Torah usually write? Avraham got up, for example, and the Most High appeared to Avraham in the oak grove of Mamre. And Avraham is sitting at the entrance of the tent, in the heat of the day. And Avraham lifted up his eyes and saw, behold, three are standing and so on. That is how we read it in all the previous chapters. That is how the Torah usually speaks. Here in these verses there is no mention of Avraham’s name. Perhaps the explanation is that when a person is in the presence of God, when God is revealed, in standing before the Most High a person dissolves. Avraham is absorbed in the Divine experience. Only the body remains. Avraham himself is not there. Therefore – and got up, and saw, and ran without a mention of Avraham. When does Avraham appear? He appears in the 6th verse vaymahér avrahám and Avraham hurried into the tent to Sara, when he has already stepped away from these three.

What is the nature of this vision? There is a dispute about this. There are those who say that angels appeared to him, the LORD accompanied by two angels. This is the obvious simple meaning. Rabbi Levi ben Gershom, who lived in the 13th century, says that since it is written “he saw three people” (so it is written in the 2nd verse), then it was people who came, prophets came, who came to bring him the good news. There is also the opinion of the book of the Zohar that he saw, strange as it may seem, Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov. That is, this is a prophetic vision of a kind in which Avraham rises to an exalted Divine level: he is no longer Avraham, he is all of Jewish history. And he is in this very state of being joined with God. Perhaps it is about this that it is said: “Avraham saw this day and rejoiced.” Perhaps this very experience, the promise of a son, begins with it. In any case, it is interesting what the nature of this vision is.

Maimonides (Rambam) says that all this, everything that is described here up to the destruction of Sedom, all this Avraham is dreaming. It does happen, God really does destroy Sedom and Amorra, but Avraham is dreaming it. Which is why we read in the following chapters that Avraham woke up, and woke up in the place where he had stood before the LORD, looked, saw the smoke rising below. And it is written: “And when the LORD destroyed Sedom and Amorra, He remembered Lot and for Avraham’s sake brought out and saved Lot.” We will come back to this. Rambam concludes on this basis (and it can be understood this way) that all this is a vision. Sedom, and Sara’s laughter, and Lot’s conversation with the angels – all this is Avraham’s dream.

Other commentators do not think so. There is a dispute, but since we cannot resolve this dispute, we will leave both opinions standing. We also do not yet understand who these three people are who came to Avraham. It makes one take notice that in the 3rd verse the word אֲדֹנָי (Adonai) is used with kamatz, this is a particular little vowel sign under the letter נ (nun), which indicates an address to God. Although we usually say that both the LORD and Master are Adonai in Hebrew, there is a certain difference. Adonai with kamatz אֲדֹנָי – this is God. Adonai with patach – this is Master, although in the Ashkenazi pronunciation it is pronounced the same. Still, Avraham had already discerned something divine in these people.

So, Avraham invited the people to come in. They did not say to him “thank you,” “thank you for inviting us,” “great,” as we would react today. They say to him “yes, do as you said.” Why so? Because in those times it is they who show him favor by coming into his tent. It is a great honor that they show him. Therefore they simply say: ken ta'asé ka'ashér dibbárta – yes, do so, as you say.

In the next chapter, when we talk about Lot, we will hear a completely different answer, from practically the same companions. Avraham was very glad at the positive answer. We read on:

In modern Hebrew uga is a cake, but here what is meant is most likely simply loaves of bread. So that we have an idea of the scale, three measures are approximately 24 liters of flour (according to some 21, according to some 24). In this case the quantity is far greater than is needed for three people. Perhaps because Avraham is arranging a feast in which not only these three will take part, but also the servants. And these three, the three guests, will receive the best portions from the table.

Some commentators, in particular Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki, say that he took three. One calf, another tender, and a third good. Why? Because Rashi is trying to explain what Avraham fed the angels. And what can one feed someone in royal style? Well, he surely was not making them jellied meat. He served them, in Rashi’s opinion, tongue with mustard. And to serve three tongues, one accordingly needs to slaughter three calves. But the simple meaning, in my view, says here – one calf, tender and good. He chose a better calf.

and gave it to the servant And so that the servant would hurry to prepare it.

Here, for the first time, Avraham entrusts something to a servant. Despite the fact that we know that Avraham is a very rich man, he has many possessions, he tries to do everything himself.

Naturally, many people immediately have the question, how could Avraham serve meat with milk? Among Jews this is not done. If we reason from a practical point of view, then preparing a calf requires much more time than serving butter and milk. Sara quickly made flatbreads. They were served with butter and milk until the meat was served. An Eastern feast is long, nobody is in a hurry to go anywhere. Readers also draw attention to the fact that Avraham seemingly offered bread and asked Sara to make bread. But the bread is not served. And on this basis, too, many different theories and commentaries have been built. Commentators say that Sara, in the process, while she was kneading the dough, got her period. Avraham ate only what was pure. And therefore they did not serve the bread. Many other explanations. The simplest explanation is that bread is secondary at a feast. When we say that we were guests at someone’s place and ate something, then you will ask: “And bread?” Well yes, there was bread there too. The Torah does not describe the bread because the bread there goes without saying.

So, the guests sit and eat. And they ask him a question.

Again, pay attention. First, they did not say to Avraham, but said to him. He is again in their presence.

and he answered them: “Here she is in the tent.”

It is written – and they asked him. Question: did they ask all three together, ask in chorus? No, it is written in the plural. So that it would not look as if one person, some person is inquiring about Sara’s health, inquiring about the wife. That is impolite by the traditions of that time.

At first they spoke as if in the name of many, and then He says

“I will return to you at this same time. and behold, Sara, your wife, will have a son.” and Sara is listening behind the entrance of the tent.

The last two words – and he is behind him (vehu acharáv). It is not very clear what is being talked about. “He is behind him” – perhaps he, the entrance of the tent, is behind Avraham? Although that is not obvious. Other commentators see Yishmael in this. Vehu – and Yishmael is standing behind the entrance of the tent, or behind Avraham.

Why might it be important that Yishmael hears this, that Yishmael is present here? Because with the birth of Yitzchak, if Sara gives birth to a son, Yishmael’s status will change fundamentally. Yishmael was the heir in Avraham’s house. If a son is born to Sara, he loses everything. For him this is a huge shock, for him this is not good news at all. And further we read:

That is, Sara’s monthly cycle had stopped. They are already old. Avraham is close to 100 years old, Sara a little younger. In the 12th verse we read:

hayeta-li edna I will have happiness, I will have an orgasm, it can be translated with a modern word.

And my lord is old.”

Sara laughed within – this is such a complex expression, perhaps a tickle went through her, laughter went through her, something happened in her body, she felt something. And she said such a thing. Suddenly she felt some tickle of youth in herself. Perhaps, they say, the soul of Yitzchak drew near at that time.

Here for the first time we meet both the LORD and Avraham, when Avraham’s name is mentioned, because it is about Sara, here Sara will already be standing before Him.

“why is it that Sara laughed, saying: ‘will I give birth?’ Have I grown old?

One can translate Sara’s words as I am old. But here the LORD says: “Sara, in principle, gave two arguments why she cannot have children: because she is old, because her husband is old.”

Here the LORD says: “And have I grown old?” And her words adoní zakén (my LORD is old/ my master is old) He understands as my LORD is old. He twists it. This is such a wordplay. And He says: Why did Sara say so? Have I, the LORD, grown old?”

What is this, at first glance, such kindergarten bickering between God and Sara? In kindergarten they ask like this: “Who laughed.” “I did not laugh.” “No, you did laugh.” Seemingly grown-up people and a God who has not grown old. The commentators say here that the Most High converses with a woman (one of the few examples in the Tanach), converses and speaks with her in simplicity. If the Most High comes to men with instructions, strictly “get up,” “take,” “do.” Then with a woman the Most High can chat. The Talmud says: “Never did the Most High want to chat with a woman, except with this righteous woman.” This friendly conversation is a manifestation of God’s love for Sara. What does He teach her? That there are miracles in the world, since He has not grown old. One may ask: what, did Sara not believe in miracles? Did she not know that God is the Almighty? Since the time of the flood, over many generations, there had been no miracles, nothing miraculous had happened. A miracle was, and by the way still is a miracle, the fact that God governs this world by natural laws, that there are certain rules by which this world exists. But here the Most High in essence says to Sara: “I have not grown old. All the miracles that I did are not the tricks of My youth. I have not lost the power to do miracles. I am still young, I am still a first-rate God! This is God’s communication with a woman in love, in a language a woman understands. God teaches her that He is wonderful, that He can work miracles and that His love too is wonderful.

With this, actually, our episode ends, the proclamation of the good news to Avraham about the birth of Yitzchak.

Last time we read the story of the good news to Avraham, we read up to the 15th verse of our chapter. And with the 16th verse another story begins.

For the word to look there are very many different words in Hebrew. The word leaskif means to look with menace, to watch with suspicion, to look closely at Sedom.

Avraham goes with them, in order to send them off.

The word lishlóach in modern Hebrew means to send off, in the Hebrew of the Torah it means either to see off or to drive away. In our case, naturally, the first.

17 And the LORD says:

Here the LORD says, it conveys the thought of God, the LORD speaks within Himself.

“Do I hide from Avraham

The word lichasot is not to hide in secret, but to hide so as not to upset, to hide so as not to disappoint a person; to cover.

shall I hide from Avraham what I am doing?

18 For Avraham Will be a great and strong people, And by him will be blessed All the peoples of the earth.

The word bracha (or blessing), when we understand it, its Russian context confuses us a little: blessing – a good word. Or it is likewise a calque from the Latin benediction (benediction) – well spoken. The word bracha is to join. Avraham will join all the peoples of the Earth into one. Recently I was asked: how do you know that what is happening in Israel is an indication for the whole world. Avraham joins all peoples into one. The degree of blessedness of everyone comes through Avraham. Avraham is like a network that unites everything.

What does his sons and his house mean? By the word house the female part is often meant, when beyto is said without the word bney, beyto has the meaning – the women of his house

after him, and they will keep the way of the LORD, to do mercy and judgment.”

So that the LORD would give Avraham what He had promised. That is, the LORD says: “I have, after all, destined Avraham to instruct his whole house, all his descendants, to do mercy and judgment. Without this he will not fulfill his destiny.” With mercy everything is fine with Avraham. He is mercy itself. He receives guests, he takes care of everyone. He almost never says “no.” He accommodates everyone. But with judgment things are still not good with Avraham yet. He has not yet risen to the level of judgment. And the LORD says: “Shall I hide it from him?” That is how the death of parents or some tragic events are sometimes hidden from children. The LORD says to Avraham: “It is time to grow up. I will not hide this from him.” And the LORD begins a conversation with Avraham.

And in the 20th verse he says:

Naturally, this verse cannot fail to trouble the commentators. Let us translate it once more:

erada-ná ve'er'é hakketza'akatá habbá'a eláy asu kalá ve'im-lo edá'a

I will go down and see whether it really is so, like the cry that reaches Me. if they have done this, then I will destroy them. if not, then I will know what to do.

The commentators say: how is it that God, who sees the hearts and knows everything, He does not know what will be? And some say: “Yes, indeed, God cannot know what a person will choose. He knows how He will deal with a person, depending on his choice, but the person’s choice He does not know.” There are such commentators. This is very shocking, and it is very frightening to believe such a thing. Others say: “God is speaking with Avraham, after all, He is explaining judgment to Avraham, teaching Avraham human judgment. And therefore He speaks in the language of men.” Still others say: “The Most High is upon truthiThe Russian literally says the Most High is “on truth”. This is an unusual phrase and its exact sense is unclear, so it is translated literally., on Earth He behaves in accordance with earthly judgment and acts according to testimony.” In any case this phrase is very mysterious, and far from everything in Scripture can we understand.

So, two of the three went to Sedom, and Avraham is standing before the LORD, who had, actually, begun the conversation with him.

We read that he is standing before Him. What does vaigash mean? The word to approach – began an approach; with an approach. Avraham began to argue to the Most High.

and Avraham approached, and said: “What, will You destroy the righteous man together with the evildoer?

At first glance, whom is Avraham concerned about? About the righteous? You will not destroy the righteous man together with the evildoer, will You? But Avraham continues.

Notice, Avraham delicately avoids mentioning Sedom. So as not to anger, let us say, the Ruler. He behaves like a person talking with a king. He says: “Perhaps you will find in the city fifty righteous ones and will not destroy the place, for the sake of fifty righteous ones.” He does not speak about the destruction of the righteous, he speaks about the saving of the evildoers by the merit of the fifty righteous ones who are in the city. And further he says:

One can say this to God, so as to do soiThe Russian sentence is just as unclear: it could be a statement, a question or a partial quote of the verse (“to do such a thing”). It is translated literally..

to kill the righteous one with the evildoer And to destroy the righteous one and the evildoer. Will the Sovereign of the world really not do justice?

On the one hand, Avraham presents this as concern for the righteous, and on the other hand, Avraham wants to save the evildoers. In general, it is worth understanding why Avraham says this. Perhaps because (we started with this) Avraham is complete chesed, he is a humanist, he is against the death penalty for terrorists and against the death penalty in general. He is against saying no to anyone. He is for accepting the equal and for accepting the weak. And for mercy toward evildoers.

But one can also look at this from another angle. We read in chapter 14 that Avraham at one time conquered practically the whole population, the whole able-bodied population of Sedom, won it back from five kings. And in the conversation with the king of Sedom (the king of Sedom said to him: “Give me only the souls, and take everything else for yourself”) we remember that Avraham answered: “I will take nothing from you.” But we remember that these souls were with Avraham, for a certain moment they had been entrusted to him (when we say these souls, we are talking about slaves). But the slaves, they were also students in many ways, because students often paid for their studies by serving. And, naturally, Avraham taught his slaves. That is, these people, all the evildoers of Sedom, were perhaps at one time in Avraham’s power. Avraham could, in principle, even have become king of Sedom. Therefore he is troubled, feeling his responsibility in many ways. From this also comes his concern for the evildoers.

Maybe, let’s allow a statistical error of five righteous ones, of ten percent.

because of the five missing ones will You destroy the whole city?” and he answered, And said: “even if there are forty-five of them there, I will not destroy this city.”

Naturally, numbers always fascinate the reader and the commentator. The word fifty. It seems such an understandable word, fifty – it is fifty in Africa too, such a round, beautiful number. But the word fifty – this is the gematria of the word מי (mi) – who. We said, when we examined the book of Kohelet, that the word mi (who) means that which conveys the Maker, that which carries the Maker within itself. The word מה (ma) – what, that which strives toward the Maker. And, besides that, the word mi, or fifty by gematria, is also הָאָדָם (ha'adam) – the man, the first man.

Forty-five – this is by gematria simply Adam, simply man. That is, I am looking for a man in Sedom, will you find a man there.

The name Lot. By the way, here we need to stop, we will still do this analysis when we talk further on. But simply here in parentheses let us mention that the name Lot (לֹֽוט) is also forty-five by gematria. Lamed ל – this is 30, vav ו – this is 6, tet ט – this is 9. On the one hand, the name Lot means hidden, incomprehensible, one who demands to be figured out, to be examined. The word lot – melting in the fog. On the other hand, this name also means cursed, the word lita means curse. And so, whether this is Adam before the fall, or Adam who is under the curse, this too is a question regarding Lot. With this, in fact, Avraham begins; in verse 29 he continues:

30. And he said: “do not be angry, LORD,

And he, indeed, as they say, is playing with fire.

On the contrary, maybe thirty will be found there?” And said: “even because of thirty I will not wipe out.”

Avraham continues the bargaining on the lookout point from which Sedom can be seen. Avraham looks at the city, perhaps sees some kind of commotion. Perhaps he simply sees the city there in the fog. And he feels sorry for this city.

Avraham’s last request – perhaps ten will be found there. And here the LORD says: “Even because of ten I will not wipe out.”

The LORD began this conversation, and the LORD ended the conversation with Avraham. It was not Avraham who finished speaking, but the LORD who finished some lesson of his for Avraham. Why did they stop at ten righteous ones? A righteous one is a person who lives righteously, strives for the repair of the world and, accordingly, turns others into righteous ones. Avraham himself is the one who makes righteous ones around himself. If a person is strong and able to influence, then, finding himself in Sedom, finding himself in any place where there are no righteous ones, he begins to build a community of holy people, as Avraham does. And then he has fruit, and then there will be more than ten righteous ones. If a weak person falls under influence, it is better for him to choose a place where righteous people live (than a place where evildoers live), so as to come under the influence of the righteous, and then he too will be able to live righteously.

But then the question: why did he choose a place in which there are not ten righteous ones? Ten is the kind of minimum that can influence you to make you more righteous. And this is the minimum, let us say, the creative minimum of a righteous one. If he is able to change the world, then he is able to create ten righteous ones around himself. In essence, there is no place in which ten righteous ones cannot come into being. And if there is, then the righteous have nothing to do there. And this is the degree of the Most High’s mercy toward a place. That is, how does the judgment of the Most High take place, how does the Most High pardon? There is some measure, there is some rationality in my pardoning. With all your love, with all your responsibility toward Sedom, there is a responsibility on the righteous who live there. And this is very important. And therefore it is written that the LORD finished (not stopped, but precisely finished), brought to completion his conversation with Avraham. He taught Avraham something in this talk. In general, this whole chapter will be about how Avraham learns the measure of judgment and how the LORD makes of Avraham a chief, a leader, a head, a person who will answer for everything to which he is called.

We will read the story of what happened to the angels in Sedom as guests of Lot.

One can pay attention to an interesting grammatical form: if the little letter ה (hey) is placed after the name of a city, it can indicate direction. Sedom is the name of the city, Sedoma means to Sedom. Yerushalayim is the name of the city, Yerushalayima means to Jerusalem. Such an ending, which indicates direction. Besides the names of cities, it (the little letter ה) also works with the word báyt – house, habáyta – home.

So, two angels came to Sedom.

in the evening. and Lot is sitting in the gate of Sedom.

The gate of the city. We know from ancient history that in the gate of the city judgment takes place, all meetings, all the main interactions, in the gate of the city the notable people sit. Lot, although he is a stranger in Sedom, we know that his uncle helped the king of Sedom very much. Actually, Avraham got involved in this whole story for Lot’s sake, and, apparently, Lot became a kind of authority in Sedom. And so he is sitting at the gate of the city.

and Lot sees, and he jumped up to meet them, stood up to meet them And bowed down to them to the ground.

Very similar to what Avraham did. Similar, but not quite.

We said, when we discussed the story with Avraham, that in the account of Avraham the word Adonai is vocalized with kamatz. Here it is vocalized with patach. Adonai with kamatz is the LORD, Adonai with patach is lords. So, lords.

come into the house of your servant, and spend the night, and wash your feet. and you will get up, and go on your way. and they said to him: “no, We would rather spend the night in the street.”

One should pay attention, as always, to insignificant details. First of all, Lot does not offer them refreshment. He does not offer them any food. If Avraham says: you first wash your feet, and then you will sit down and eat, then Lot offers them to wash their feet before leaving. Why does such a difference suddenly arise. Commentators say that in those times many of the passing idol worshippers worshipped the dust or dirt on their feet. And Avraham, who keeps away from all idol worship, naturally does not want to see idolatrous dirt in his home. And therefore he insists that the guests first wash their feet. Lot is less scrupulous in this matter, therefore he offers to wash their feet before leaving, but even this is still strange. First, who ever really worshipped the dirt on their feet. Second, even if you do worship it, or you do not care, why not invite the guests to wash their feet and go to sleep with washed feet. What is this whole story with the washing of feet about at all? It is known that idol worship is the worship of pagan gods who have no design, and, by and large, pagan gods are commercial gods. Their relationship is “take and give,” on a commercial level, grace does not exist with them. And from them one can only bargain for something. To receive it by grace or by love is not their way.

In a world in which there is such a system, such a view of divinity, there exists the idea that a person cannot receive anything by grace among people either. Therefore dirty feet are a symbol of the calloused hand of the proletarian who earns his living by honest labor. Dirty feet are evidence that a person will not eat his bread in vain. It is a matter of pride for a person who is not a softie, who earns by his own labor. And, accordingly, in the world of Sedom there is respect for this. Therefore Lot first offers them to spend the night, and then to wash their feet. One must not deprive a person of the medal on his chest.

What is the city of Sedom anyway? We read in chapter 13, when Avraham proposes to Lot that they separate, Avraham looks at Sedom from above. And instead of taking a part of the Holy Land, as Avraham offered him, Lot moves away from the holy land, separates, because he looks at Sedom and sees that it is well watered, like the garden of the LORD and like the land of Egypt. Sedom is paradise on earth, it is a city in which rich people live, a city of abundance. The midrashim are full of stories about how in Sedom it was forbidden to give tzdaka. A city of abundance, a city in which everyone has already reached perfection. It is a perfect society, it perfectly feels itself to be the chosen elite community of Sedom. Therefore only outsiders can ask for grace in it. And outsiders from the imperfect world are not welcomed there. One of the components, by the way, of the imperfect world isiThe Russian really says “of the imperfect world” here, even though the context seems to be describing the self-satisfied “perfect” society of Sedom. It is translated as it stands. the unwillingness to have children. When a society reaches some abundance, a person thinks: I am perfect as it is, why do I need children, why should I copy what already cannot be better than me. And instead of attraction to the opposite, instead of the desire to be with the opposite sex, to do something different, to improve oneself somehow, there arises attraction to the similar. From here also come the homosexual ideas, which we will soon see. So, the angels are not very glad at Lot’s offer and say to him: “We will spend the night in the street.”

Seeing the word matza, commentators immediately say: this is Pesach. Well, it may seem absurd, how can it be Pesach, after all Yaakov has not yet been born, his sons have not yet been born, there is not yet the descent of Israel into Egypt. Let alone the return from Egypt. But the Jewish approach is that Pesach is celebrated not because something happened on that day, but this day was destined for redemption from the beginning. From the beginning this is a day of geula and all the dates of redemption run like a red ribbon through this day. By and large, in the New Testament too we see that the redemption takes place on Pesach.

So, even though Lot did not originally invite them to eat, he nevertheless made a feast for them, baked matza, and they ate.

One can pay attention to the following (whoever is familiar with Hebrew, for whom Hebrew is not a foreign language). Vayavóu (and they came) and further vayavóu al-bayt and veshachávu (and they lay down). These words (each of these words) can also be used in a sexual context. We can see that the context of Sedom, the whole atmosphere of Sedom is permeated with debauchery; even though nothing has been said yet, very many words already hint at what is to come.

It must be said that even though, perhaps, homosexuality (or pederasty) was a widespread phenomenon in the society of Sedom, here it is not so much about the sexual act as gratification as about the humiliation of people, coercion. This is rape, actually, enslavement and a demonstration of one’s own power. If Lot has sheltered these people, taken them under his protection, then this right must be taken away from him. Outsiders cannot receive protection in Sedom. The point here is not only, not exclusively, human lust. Lot behaves bravely. We read:

6.And Lot went out to them, went out the door And closed the door behind him.

They are standing very tightly around the house, Lot squeezed through and closed the door behind him

Lot quite unexpectedly appears in the role of a preacher. This is very important, probably, to note, as a consolation for many believers whose children have ended up somewhere far away, in Sedom. Lot is, in part, the first pancake of Avraham’s pedagogical experience. We said that the name Lot means hidden in fog, another meaning – cursed. It is unclear what is going on with him. But at the right moment Avraham is revealed in Lot in all his fullness. He is strong, there is something of Avraham in him, there is a certain strength in him. Even if he is confused, even if he hesitates later, there is a certain courage in him. He understands what he is risking by what he is doing. And then he says a terrible thing. It is terrible to read this at all.

“Do not do evil to these people, but do to my daughters as is good in your eyes.” A terrible irony in Lot’s words.

only to these people do nothing, for that is why they came under my roof.”

It sounds horrible. For Lot there is the concept of chasud, the concept of patronage: if he has taken responsibility for someone, he will fight for it. Avraham himself went out against five kings for him. And for Lot it is a disgrace, an absolute collapse, if his guests suffer. And he disregards his daughters, in fact he is ready to give his daughters up to rape. The punishment for this, we will see later, will be that his own daughters will rape him himself. There will be a terrible reckoning for this. But at that moment Lot, as a kind of imperfect, corrupted version of Avraham, tries to act like a hospitable host. But the inhabitants of Sedom say to him: “Get lost! Get out of here!” Very crude expressions.

Unclear, right? Some people said this: “Get lost from here! Get out of here! You will not tell us what to do. You will not judge us.” Others began to persuade him: “Better hand the foreigners over into our hands the nice way.” And a third group began to break the doors. The people split up, but, by and large, none of them is white and fluffy.

Why are they not called here by the word malachim (angels)? Here the word is anashim. At this moment, for the Sedomites, they are simply people.

and pulled Lot into their home, And were able to close the door.

The word sanver is not only blinded. As the commentators say, sane or – hating the light, this is a person who is irritated by the light. But outside it is night. This is a person who is thrown off, confused, who has lost his orientation. One could say they struck them with disorientation.

from small to great, And they could not find the door.

If we imagine that this was a big crowd of people, then even blinded, even completely blind, a huge crowd surrounding the house, they would have found the door by feel. Why could they not find it? Because it is not exactly blindness. It is disorientation. Other commentators say that these people were so self-loving, were so fixated on themselves, so did not act in concert. And we see that in different groups they behave differently. That they simply do not rely on, do not trust each other. Therefore they cannot find the doors. The first understanding is closer to me, that it is not about blinding, not so much about blinding as about disorientation. And they simply lost the ability to find anything.

We read in the previous chapter that the Most High wanted to check whether the cry was so great, whether the outcry was so great, and “…therefore we are destroying the city.”

and the LORD sent us to destroy it.

Now we have the authority to destroy this city.

Several questions arise. Did Lot have at least four daughters? Does he also have sons-in-law who took his daughters? Sons-in-law in the plural, which means there are at least two of them. Perhaps he has not two daughters but four, only two are married? The second version is that his daughters were betrothed. The second version is more probable here. We will sort this out further on, when we talk about Lot’s daughters. Another unclear thing: how could it happen that after all the events, when who knows who is wandering around the house, even if in a disoriented state, but it is dark outside, the whole city is blinded. It is unclear whether the bridegrooms and the whole family are blinded too. It is unclear where Lot went off to, where Lot went out to and with whom he spoke. Who let him go walking alone through Sodom at night? A very curious and dangerous walk. Many commentators interpret it that Lot had a large compound (in today’s Hebrew it is called chmúla – several parts of the family with slaves, possibly with some servants, with stewards, with the whole household). Lot is not a poor man, he does not live in a hut. Perhaps he went out to a neighboring house in the compound and there spoke with the sons-in-law or with the potential sons-in-law. It is hardly likely that he really went walking around Sedom after all the events. One way or another, it is written that they laughed at him. He said to them:

“get up, go out of this place, for the LORD is destroying the city.” And he looked like a clown in the eyes of his sons-in-law.

Well, naturally, someone comes at night and says such things. It looks funny. Again, it is not clear whether his sons-in-law were witnesses of all these events that took place, participants in these events or victims of these events. But in any case, they did not believe that the LORD could destroy this city. Why? Because Sedom is an economically flourishing city, which means, again, from a pagan point of view, a blessed city, if the gods bless the city, why would they destroy it. And the LORD they might simply not have known as the one God of Israel.

Two daughters who are here. Again, there are two more who are not here. How is one to understand all this at all? In the next chapter, when we talk about Lot’s daughters, we will go through all of this. For now it is not clear to us.

Lot lingers. Perhaps he is packing his suitcases. Perhaps he is hesitating, he does not know what will happen.

and they took him by the hands and his wife by the hand. they took all of them by the hands out of mercy, out of compassion.

The word chemlya is pity, tender feeling, this is how one can take pity on a beaten kitten.

And they brought him out, and set him down outside the city.

Simply, why did they not deliver him right away to some place? Because, actually, Lot too is carrying out some testsiThe Russian literally says that Lot himself is “carrying out” some tests. It may mean that Lot is being put through tests. It is translated literally.. There is no magic all around, there is upbringing.

Here, by the way, the word Adonai is already with kamatz, that is, the LORD. “LORD, please, don’t!” – says Lot.

We see a miracle here, for the angel was sent to destroy the cities, he had the tasks of destroying five cities, of saving Lot. Here the angel, at Lot’s request, makes an operational decision, the angel has a certain freedom of maneuver, as we see, in carrying out divine tasks. And I will not destroy this city at Lot’s request.

If Mitz'ar is a place of grief, then the word Tzo'ar is a place of rejuvenation, of refreshment.

We see that Lot was standing outside the city, the sun rose, Lot came to Tzo'ar at dawn. If we assume that it really is Pesach time, then Lot walked to Tzo'ar for about an hour and twenty minutes. Tzo'ar is a little higher than Sedom, one can turn around and look, although Lot was forbidden to do so.

If before it was only about Sedom, where do more cities come from now? Why does Lot ask not to destroy Tzo'ar? How does he know, after all it is only about Sedom? Where did the other cities come from at all? We can say that this is a megalopolis. One could say, like New York and Brooklyn, like Moscow and Khimki. Maybe. I am not strong in geography, but roughly like that. It is a megalopolis that consists of several cities. That is why several cities appear here.

Salt is a preservative, that which preserves the old, which does not allow rotting, but also does not allow renewal, does not allow passing from one form into another. The whole area was covered with all this salt. Everything that was rotting, that was subject to rotting, was covered with salt, which does not give death, but also does not give life, as we know. And Lot’s wife turned into a pillar of salt. And if you drive along Highway 90, you can see a rock like that which resembles Lot’s wife. At any rate, that is how they show it. Perhaps in the times of the giving of the Torah, this place most likely was there. One way or another, Lot’s wife turned into a pillar of salt. That is the symbolism of salt. And we are finishing studying the story of the angels in Sedom.

We will read an unpleasant story that took place between Lot and his daughters after Lot’s miraculous rescue from Sedom. This story is so unpleasant and, I am not afraid to say, disgusting, that the first question I have when I read this story is why I am being told all this at all. One could say that the daughters of Lot later had offspring – the Ammonites, the Moavites. One could not go into these details. If in my real life someone started telling me something like that about someone, I would stop the person and perhaps even consider him a gossip or a slanderer. But the Most High, who gave us the Torah, is suspected neither of this, that He is a gossip, nor of this, that He is a slanderer. This story is written down in order to teach us something, in order to tell us something useful. And therefore let us try to reread it attentively and try to understand what it teaches us.

Let us start from the very beginning. And our story begins in chapter 19, verse 30.

We remember that the angels were persuading Lot to flee to the mountains. Lot bargained with them and asked them to leave him the city of Tzo'ar, which is at the foot of the mountain, he will not make it any farther. Here we see an amazing thing. Lot nevertheless did not stop in Tzo'ar, he decided to move on in the direction the angels had indicated. But he nevertheless also did not make it to the top of the mountain. He stopped in the middle of the mountain. What happened in Tzo'ar, we do not know. From the further story we can see that Lot and his daughters thought that there was no one left in the world. It is reasonable to suppose that after the Most High had “finished watering” the surrounding cities with rain of sulfur and fire, the inhabitants of Tzo'ar locked themselves in their houses in fear behind high wattle fences. And when Lot ran there, he found this city absolutely deserted and therefore did not dare to stay there and ran on. That is just what is written:

for he was afraid to stay in Tzo'ar. and he settled in a cave He and his two daughters.

Yes, they also did not make it to the top of the mountain. Lot did not run as little as he himself had planned, and did not come as close as the angels wanted of him. He stopped in the middle. That is Lot for you. So, Lot and his two daughters end up in a cave and perhaps think that there is no one else left in the world.

And we know that Lot’s family is Eastern and the hierarchy there is Eastern. The authority of the elder daughter is authority indeed. And so the elder daughter takes the initiative and says this to the younger.

“our father is old, and there is no man on the earth to come in to us, as is customary in all the earth.

At first glance, perhaps, she is saying: “No one will take us in marriage.” But the commentators, experts in the Hebrew language, draw attention to the form of the word עָלֵינוּ – alénu. Usually, when they speak about a man coming in to a woman, if the elder sister had meant that, she would have said élein. In the form in which this preposition is used here, it is used only in the case of levirate marriage. Levirate marriage, let me remind you, is when a younger brother marries the widow of a deceased elder brother in order to restore the seed of the elder brother. Last time we said that perhaps Lot’s daughters are betrothed, they have bridegrooms who have not yet taken them, they are already betrothed, but have not yet taken them as wives. And here the elder daughter says: “We really ought to restore seed for ourselves after all.”

First of all, when we come across the mention of wine, the question arises: where could the girls have gotten wine in a cave. There are two approaches to explaining the origin of the wine. The first is quite rational. In those times caves were used as storehouses. It is cool there in the heat, it is convenient to store food there And perhaps one of the inhabitants of Sedom or of the surrounding cities kept his wine in the cave in little jugs, and these little jugs were found completely by chance. Not such an amazing thing. The second explanation is precisely amazing and quite messianic. It refers to the book of the prophet Yoel, who says: “And it will be on that day the mountains will drip with wine, and the hills will flow with milk” (Yoel 3:18). These commentators say that the messianic era was, as it were, previewed in Lot’s cave. And we will come back to this topic. That is, inside them there was already a kind of promo, a certain foreshadowing of the messianic epoch. One way or another, in a miraculous way or in a less miraculous way they had wine, and that means there was the possibility to say: but look, the LORD has provided, here is wine, and that means He wants it, that means this is a sign that we must act this way. And one must pay attention that the elder daughter does not say let us bear sons, and we will have children, but nichayé – let us bring seed to life, let us produce living offspring.

Two daughters and an old father were left alone in this world. And the daughters do not want, perhaps do not want at all, to be the ones who, after the father’s death, will turn off the light on leaving this world and say how beautiful this world was. They do not want all of humanity to stop with them. And, on the other hand, if they are the only ones who are left, that means they are chosen ones, that means they are the best of the best, the select chosen ones of the human race, in order to continue the offspring. And this is important. And therefore she says “and let us bring seed to life for ourselves.” Midrash Tanchuma says that she wanted seed from another place to come through the father, so that it would be the seed of Mashiach. Midrash Tanchuma emphasizes that here at this moment, even if through such a terrible and disgusting act, the Most High is already planning to bring forth Mashiach. We will see later that both daughters of Lot are present in the genealogy of Mashiach. One is Rut the Moavite, the other the future wife of Shlomo. And both are in the genealogy of Mashiach. Well, we will see that later.

Since they want to restore offspring, they also want to restore the goal of all humanity, that is, Mashiach. That is how the midrashim see it. And although what is happening seems vile to us, in the very thought of the elder sister there is some kind of design, something connected with what is done for the sake of heaven.

One more question worth asking. If they really thought that here they were left alone in this world and they had no way out except to act in such a terrible way, why not tell Lot about it? Tell him: well, it is like this and like this, father, the three of us are left here, there is nothing to be done, let us act like this. And the commentators try to explain why they did not do so. Some say that they were afraid that he would choose only one of them. Others suppose that they were afraid that he was simply in a depression. There are commentators of a more, let us say, messianic bent, who say that the commandment of levirate marriage in general, when a person restores seed not for himself, is a very difficult commandment: it is difficult to come in to a woman, to a wife whom you do not like, without your own desire. And so, in order that this would be pure, without human desire, these commentators say, that is why they gave him wine to drink. Often what a commentator says says more about the commentator himself than about the text. But these are the options there are. Everyone can ask himself this question and answer it for himself.

So, they gave their father wine to drink that same night.

and the elder came, and laid her father down

It can be translated this way. Usually it is a man who uses such a term in relation to a woman. If you read it literally, a rape is seen here. She took possession of her father.

And he did not know when she lay down and when she got up.

Once again let us pay attention to the terminology. She says: “I slept him, I laid him down. You, though, lie with him.”

And we will get seed from father.”

The younger daughter did not have so much zeal and so much desire to carry out the elder’s plan. Not with a pure heart, not with a whole soul does she go into this. We will see this right away.

Last time, regarding the elder, we did not read that she got up. It is clear that she got up too. When the Torah uses the term “to get up and do,” it is as if one just up and did it. I talked myself into it for a long time, but then I up and did it, gathered my strength and did it. And the young one too just went ahead, and went, and lay with him. Not lay him, not laid him down, but lay with him. There is not here that drive which the elder has. She, one could say, reluctantly submits

And lay with him, and he also did not know, while she was lying down and while she was getting up.

Such an event took place.

Naturally, the pregnancy lasted nine months, as usual. During this time, most likely, the daughters who had been in a hurry found out that the world was not destroyed, that there were still people in this world. They walked around pregnant, they understood what they had done and how they had been mistaken. But the result still differs greatly.

That is, the elder daughter, as we see, simply got up, went and lay with her father. For her it is some everyday event. She did not have to go against herself. Rather, she wanted to and did it. And she just as proudly, one could say, boldly calls her son “born of father.”

With this, actually, the chapter ends. We know that the Torah does not always say about some actions whether they are good or bad. Here we see an almost dry record of events. We can understand that the daughters, here the daughters, wanted something, there was something good in their desire. Somehow one can understand them. Although in the book of Devarim we read that Ammonites and Moabites are forbidden to enter the assembly of the Most High, a different motive is given there. But nevertheless these two peoples are mentioned right after the illegitimate children. There is a certain connection with the illegitimate children. How did it happen that, indeed, the Most High allowed, in a miraculous way, that there turned out to be wine there? The Most High allowed all these events. And how did it happen that both girls bore sons who in the end are in the genealogy of Mashiach?

When Moshe prays that he would have a successor, he asks the Most High that this be a man asher ruach bo (in whom is spirit). And commentators say, in whom is spirit, which responds to the spirit of any person. Such a spirit that can resonate, answer any person with the same note. Understands any person. Ideally this is Mashiach, who unites all souls in himself. And knows, as is said about Mashiach, tempted in all thingsiThe Russian word used of Mashiach here can mean both “tempted in all things” (the wording of the Epistle to the Hebrews) and “experienced in everything”. The English follows the first sense.. And in order for such a Mashiach to be born, to be revealed in the world, the Jewish commentator the Maharal says, extremes must be joined. And what are extremes for Israel? Which peoples are the antithesis of Israel? Those peoples, those two peoples from whom it is forbidden even to accept gerim, proselytes. These are the Moabites and the Ammonites, the direct opposite. Their birth is the direct opposite of everything that Avraham was taught, who waits for a child from his own wife. For many years he waits for the promises. These two extremes were joined. And they were joined so that Mashiach would come forth. When in the psalm the Most High says: “I found David – my servant,” commentators say that he was found in Sedom. There, precisely there, Mashiach was conceived. This is what concerns the daughters.

And what can be said about Lot himself? Commentators say that he who burns with lust for depravity will become depraved with his own flesh. He who engages in depravity will inevitably sink to incest. If at first Lot could conceive that someone might rape his daughters, allowed that a crowd of people would rape his daughters, he came to the point where his daughters raped him himself. In the book of Mishlei (18:1) it is written: “The one who has separated himself seeks his whim (the one who has separated himself seeks lust, one can understand), he rises up against all that is sound.” A rather difficult translation. But such a translation will be correct in meaning. The one who has separated himself is Lot, say the commentators. Avraham proposed to him: “Separate from me.” And Lot became the one who separated himself. The one who has separated himself seeks lust. What is this about? We remember that Avraham offered Lot the whole land of Israel, said: “You will go to the left, and I – to the right. You – to the right, I – to the left.” It was precisely the land of Israel that he offered to divide with him. But Lot chose to leave the land. And commentators say, although at first glance he went after wealth and prosperity, after a cozy land, nevertheless it was lust that drove him. And commentators say, we do not know whether Lot desired the daughters or the daughters desired Lot, but from Mishlei it follows that it was Lot who desired his daughters.

And what is the meaning of the continuation of this verse – rises up against all that is sound? Rises up is written in the masculine gender in the singular. It is said that it is a man who rises up, and not women who rise up. That is, Lot had lust for his daughters, secret, hidden, but the daughters did not. One can say: how so? What are you saying, anyway? It was precisely Lot who knew nothing. And I will say, as the commentators also say, nothing happens to a person by chance. If the LORD allowed Lot to receive his offspring in this way, then somewhere Lot deserved this, that offspring would come to him precisely in this way. The worthy the LORD does through worthy people, the unworthy through unworthy ones. Had Lot been, perhaps, a slightly different person, had he related a little differently to his daughters, then perhaps he would not have ended up precisely in such a situation.

In this passage we are now saying goodbye to Lot. Therefore one can sum things up. What, after all, is Lot’s righteousness? His deeds are such that your hair stands on end. You wonder how one can consider such a person righteous at all. In the psalms we read that David says many times: “Judge me according to my righteousness.” At his own level, at his own human level, there where he started, all his attempts, all his efforts can be counted to him as righteousness. This does not mean that he is holy. Righteous and holy are not one and the same. It means that the person tried to move, went in the direction of righteousness. Fell. Perhaps sometimes ran back. But still went, moved in the direction of righteousness. And only by this can one explain why, after all, Lot is named among the righteous.

Such a sad, sorrowful story. There is no single opinion on practically any question. I am not trying to justify anyone here. I am not trying to condemn anyone here. I am simply trying to reread, to understand the motives. And I think the most wrong thing would be to have some single correct understanding: how it was, who thought what and who is guilty of what. The deed itself, the story itself, I will repeat, is repulsive. How people got drawn into it, how people ended up in it – is another question. But the most important thing for us is that the Most High, out of this rubbish, out of these human falls, creates Mashiach.

There is a midrash that reproduces an imaginary conversation of the Most High with Yov. The Most High asks him:

– What will you do with a man who slept with his two daughters?

– He will be burned.

– And what will you do with a man who slept with his daughter-in-law? (This is a hint at Yehuda).

– He will be burned.

– You burn people, – says the Most High to Yov, – and I create out of this the light of Mashiach.

In conclusion I want to tell a tale, or a story, or a memoir. Take it as you wish. The story was told by Moshe Feinstein, one of the most authoritative rabbis of the 20th century, who can loosely be called the rabbi of the United States. At one time he lived in the Soviet Union, this was back in distant ’21. He himself told about it. This is his recollection. And here it is a question of trusting him. He was invited to the house of a man whose tongue had swollen very badly. And it had swollen in the throat so that the man spoke gasping for breath. And he asked to meet with Moshe Feinstein. When Rav Feinstein came to him, the man said: “Everyone go out of here. I want to speak only with Rav Moshe.” And he told him: “Several weeks ago it was the weekly portion Vayera, and there is the story of Lot’s two daughters there. And I gave a sermon on them, and how I ran them down. And how I pounded them, and how I tore into them. And, in general, I said so many things about them. And at night I saw two old women in a dream, who said: ‘Why do you say such things about us? For this you will bear punishment. And because of your tongue you will die.’ Such a terrible story Moshe Feinstein tells. Preface to the 8th chapter of his letters. And he says that, having told this, the man turned to the wall and died. That is the story. If you like – a recollection, if you like – a tale. If you like – believe it, if you like – don’t. With this I will, perhaps, end the discussion.

Today we will talk about Lot, about his daughters and about everything connected with this.

So, Lot had four daughters. So says the Talmud. Two daughters were married, and they perished together with their husbands. About the other two daughters it is said that they have not known a man. The term have not known a man means that these two daughters were betrothed, but not married. What was the tradition in ancient times? First there was the betrothal, and after the betrothal the girl stayed in her father’s house, prepared her dowry, gathered everything necessary. Her bridegroom during this time solved the housing question. All this time the girl was as a wife, a married wife. That is, she belonged to the bridegroom, but was forbidden to him as a woman and was kept in safekeeping, like a pledge in her father’s house. That is the status Lot’s daughters had. We know this from the fact that the phrase itself who has not known a man is traditionally interpreted this way. We see confirmation of this also in the Gospel of Luke, when Miryam, also a betrothed maiden, says, pointing to her status: “I do not know a man.”

So, Lot has two betrothed daughters, who with the destruction of Sedom acquire the status of widows. Lot flees from burning Sedom. First he flees to the city of Tzor, which is located nearby, a little above Sedom. But he is afraid to stay there long and runs away to live with his daughters in a cave.

In the cave three people live: Lot and his two daughters. And the daughters reason among themselves in a womanly way and say: “There is no one who could come upon us” (or the literal translation of the text – come in to us, as it is usually translated). But they say: “Come upon us.” Again we will see a parallel here with the Gospel of Luke, because the Gospel of Luke says: “The angel brings Mary the good news and says to her: ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you.’” Come upon us – this is a phrase which in the book of Devarim is connected with levirate marriage.

What is levirate marriage? When there is a married older brother and he dies without leaving children, his younger brother, if they live in one place, is obliged to come in to his wife and restore seed to him. This is a commandment. And so Lot’s daughters reason among themselves that they have been widowed, no brothers are left either, and no one can restore seed to them. And they decide on a desperate step: to make their father drunk and lie with him, in order to produce, to restore seed from the father. The Midrash says on this question that they, more precisely the elder daughter, when she put forward this idea, took seed from another place. What other place? Which is the King Messiah. That is, the restoration of the line, the salvation of humanity, by and large. Because Lot’s daughters perhaps think that everything around has perished, that Tzor too, which was not all that pious a little town, was also covered by the Divine punishment. They decide to save humanity. To do something, to sacrifice themselves for the sake of saving humanity.

Let us digress here for a minute and look into the book of Vayikra. Chapter 20 says: “If anyone lies with his sister (this is called by the Hebrew word chesed), such a person must be given over, is subject to death.” That he is subject to death is, generally speaking, clear to us, but what does the word chesed used here mean? The word chesed is usually used in the translation grace, mercy. What kind of chesed can there be here, when a brother comes in to his sister? And commentators over many years, naturally, found many different possible versions of answers to this question. Some said that the word chesed in the Aramaic language means shame, disgrace and the like. And here for some reason, suddenly, in the Hebrew text precisely the Aramaic term is used. Others said that at the dawn of humanity, when Adam had three sons, whom did Kayin marry? Where did he get himself a wife? The answer to this question is that at that time, by mercy, by chesed, by grace, people were allowed to marry their sisters. Together with Kayin a sister was born, as also together with Hevel, and each of them could marry his sister. And for what purpose was such chesed given? So that humanity could continue its line.

The Zohar relates this verse to Lot’s children and says that Lot’s daughters launched into the world the very idea of self-sacrifice in conception.

Conception that is not from the lust of the flesh, not from the will of the flesh, but as a striving for reproduction, for the preservation and restoration of humanity. Conception, intercourse, that is not for the sake of pleasure. One can say that in Lot’s daughters the author of the book of the Zohar sees a prototype of the immaculate conception. And, as we already see in the Midrash, this is also connected with King Mashiach. We also see that both daughters became foremothers of Mashiach.

We know that Rut the Moabite entered the genealogy of Mashiach. We also know that Naama the Ammonite became the mother of Rechavam, who is also part of the lineage of Mashiach. Rut the Moabite joined the people of Israel while being poor, having the lowest social status. Naama the Ammonite is mentioned in the Tanach only once, and it is rather difficult to reason about her in any way on the basis of the Tanach. But there is a mention of her in the tradition of the Midrash, which says that for some time King Shlomo had to leave his throne and wandered. And it so happened that he ended up as a servant of the Ammonite king, who had a daughter Naama, who managed to discern in a man who had lost his royal image that very royal image, who saw in him the image of a king, loved him and married him. In response to this her father, the Ammonite king, drove them out into the desert, so as not to kill them. A very long fairy-tale story, told by the midrash. In the end Shlomo caught a big fish, gave it to Naama to clean, and there they found that very royal ring, because of the loss of which Shlomo had been wandering. And in any case we can and must, of course, regard this Midrash as a fairy-tale folklore tradition. But one can have a certain degree of confidence that this tradition was known in the 2nd century, in the 1st century, in the era of the second Temple, and was known to the authors of the Gospel and, certainly, to Miryam herself, because women were always more drawn to folklore. And the very idea that there is some ability to discern kingship where it is hidden.

So, Naama too, for the sake of kingship, married the, generally speaking, penniless Shlomo. Their closeness was not a closeness based on some carnal infatuation, but on Naama’s attraction to kingship.

Well, one can say much about Rut too, that Rut came to Bo'az in her time also by a not very simple path. But in this too there is a manifestation of the Holy Spirit.

We will try to bring other examples as well. We see that in the lineage of Mashiach there is a woman named Tamar. What does the Torah say about her? She was married to Er, and Er died without leaving children. Tradition says that Er abstained from ordinary sexual intimacy with Tamar, that is, he tried to come in by various non-standard, let us say, ways, because she was so beautiful, and he was afraid that this beauty would be lost. Again, one can regard this however one likes, as folklore, but one has to take into account that such folklore exists.

Then her husband was Onan, and about Onan it is said that he spilled seed on the ground before going to Tamar. And after this there was to be Shela, who was to grow up and become Tamar’s third husband. But Yehuda dragged and dragged it out. And so Tamar decides on a desperate step. She sits down at a crossroads, having covered her face so as to look like a harlot, and in this form appears before Yehuda, who had set out for a feast.

The reader may get the impression that Yehuda is such a hearty regular guy, such a macho, who certainly will not pass by a harlot. Well, it somehow so happened that she is dressed as a harlot, he definitely has to ride up to her. Pay attention to what conversation is related. He says: “I will send you a lamb.” “And what will you give me as a pledge?” asks Tamar. Yehuda gives her a ring and other signs of kingship.

Now imagine. A harlot is sitting at a crossroads. Today she is sitting there, tomorrow – not. How can one give her a party membership card, a secret service ID, a crown, a signet ring, an orb, a scepter, something that really has a value incompatible with anything, at the very least incompatible with the value of a small animal? And how could Tamar even ask for this? The Midrash says that here the Holy Spirit overshadowed Tamar. In general, this whole action of Tamar, in the opinion of the Midrashim, takes place when the Holy Spirit came upon her. Tamar does not want Yehuda as a man, she has no striving of any kind toward Yehuda, no lust of any kind for Yehuda. She wants to continue the line, she has precisely this desire. And, accordingly, we go to Yehuda, again the interpretation says: “An angel made Yehuda turn off the road, pushed him toward Tamar,” for Christ’s sakeiThe Russian uses an everyday idiom, literally “for Christ’s sake”, which people say when asking for alms. Here it may also hint at the Messiah, so it is kept literally., to put it in plain Russian.

Why did Tamar ask for the signs of kingship? Here the influence of the Holy Spirit showed itself. Her closeness, her union with Yehuda was not for the sake of lust, but for the sake of kingship, for the sake of raising up Mashiach.

The Midrashim say that there is Lot, who did not cope with the task, because he could not be with his daughters simply for the sake of restoring the line. And perhaps he started this whole exodus into the cave for the sake of something impure. And there are the daughters, who wanted precisely purity, who wanted the continuation of the line.

There is Tamar, who wants to continue the line, to join the line.

There is yet another woman, Rachav, about whom it is said that the Holy Spirit visited her as soon as Israel came out of Egypt. That is, she lived in expectation of Israel’s coming. Her decision, too, was made on the basis of guidance by the Holy Spirit. Later she, too, entered the genealogy of Mashiach. This is a woman who was most likely, although the text of the book of Yehoshua is ambiguous, a harlot. The Talmud and tradition speak a great deal about her fabulous beauty. As a harlot, she had perhaps become sated with everything a harlot can become sated with. And her striving to enter Israel and to raise upiThe Russian uses an unusual verb meaning “to raise up” or “to restore”, without saying what is raised up. It is translated literally. was also on the basis of guidance by the Holy Spirit.

And there is one more woman we cannot fail to talk about. In the book of Shoftim there is the story of Yael, who knew that there is a king, Sisra, who is attacking Israel. She lured him into the tent, gave him a little milk to drink, covered him with a little blanket, then took a tent peg and drove it into Sisra’s temple. This does not follow explicitly from the text, but nevertheless the text contains a more than subtle hint that Yael, in order to put Sisra to sleep, to lull his vigilance, seduced Sisra. Our teachers of blessed memory, with the sense of humor characteristic of them and a certain recklessness, discuss what happened and how. But most opinions agree that yes, something did happen there between Yael and Sisra. And, of course, it did not happen for pleasure; it was not for her own enjoyment that Yael went out and got involved in this whole business at all. Yael did not enter the genealogy of Mashiach, she is not in the genealogy.

And why can we nevertheless talk about her today? The prophetess Dvora speaks about her in her famous song: “Blessed is Yael among women!” This is very important for us, because here there is a certain parallel to what the Angel says when he comes to Miryam. Which women are meant? Of course, the Talmud asks this about Yael, not about Miryam. Which women are meant? Those women who sat in tents: Sara, Rivka, Rachel and Lea. That is, Yael, who is not even an Israelite at all, through her self-sacrifice... One would think that in a church, say, they could well have driven her out for such a thing, because this is fornication, adultery, debauchery, and one can use many more harsh, cutting synonyms. But Dvora speaks by the Holy Spirit (Ruach haKodesh), the Holy Spirit is present in her. She says: “She is blessed among women.”

We see that throughout history there are, like flashes, such markers, attempts to reach – perhaps, as the Midrash we began with said – to reach the seed of King Mashiach. To attain such a level of self-sacrifice, such a level of service to the Most High during intimacy with a man, when the desires of the flesh will not be there at all, when it will be wholly and exclusively service. And step by step throughout history this idea develops wherever there is some such self-sacrifice on the part of a woman.

We see that there is a certain connection with Miryam. We see a parallel to I do not know a man, we see a parallel to blessed are you among women. Even the Angel’s first address to Miryam is connected with the word chesed. Rejoice – this is, one can say, the word chasada. And we said that chesed is self-sacrifice, it is understood as giving oneself for the continuation of the line, for the blessing of all humanity.

Throughout all of history we see that it is precisely these parallels that always exist where there is a woman’s self-sacrifice, when she gives, gives herself not out of passion, not out of love, not because of a slip-up, not out of calculation, but for the service of humanity.

We know, the Torah says this, that a Moavite and an Ammonite shall not enter the people of Israel. The Torah forbids accepting proselytes from these two peoples. This is an astonishing thing. Why? Because when Israel was going, passing through their lands, they did not welcome them, did not bring out bread and so on. We see that there are peoples who committed a much greater crime against Israel. For example, from the Amalekites one may make gerim, from the Egyptians, who held Israel in slavery for many years, from the Assyrians, from the Greeks, from the Romans, from the Germans. What, actually, does the Torah say about these two peoples? What is so bad? If we are talking about it at all, one can cite the example of the daughters of Moav, who seduced Israel in the story of the conquest of the land. Maybe let’s punish them for that, then. And, considering the story with the daughters, considering the whole complex of relations in general, it is unclear why the Torah says: “A Moavite shall not enter, an Ammonite shall not enter”? But Rut entered, as we know. And the commentators say: “Well yes, so the Torah meant a Moavite man but not a Moavite woman, an Ammonite man but not an Ammonite woman.” A very interesting explanation, because usually, in accordance with the grammar of the Hebrew language, we understand that when something is said in the masculine gender, it is a generalizing phrase. That is, if we say Syrians, we also mean Syrian women; if we say Chinese, we also mean Chinese women. Why does the Torah suddenly make an exception here? And there are very many objections here in the Talmud itself against this thesis.

There are commentators who give another explanation. In the Moavites and in the Ammonites there are two kinds of blood, two spirits constantly struggle in them. One is the spirit of the daughters, who want to serve the restoration of humanity, who want to do precisely chesed, precisely grace, piety. The other is the spirit of Lot, who had, let us say, other intentions, simply got drunk, and felt drawn to women. Perhaps, as again some Midrashim say, he deliberately had some plans in this regard.

One way or another, these two spirits struggle. And in the Torah, in this explanation, they are as it were presented as when a person goes and does someone a service, shows kindness. If mercy (chesed) is shown in him, then this is the Ammonite woman and the Moavite woman. If it is not shown, then this is the spirit of Lot.

This reflects, as it were, in a somewhat condensed form, the whole history of the immaculate conception. Immaculate conception took place between a man and a woman when there was a woman like Yael, like Lot’s daughters, like Rut, like Na'ama, like Tamar, like Rachav. One can also recall such a folkloric figure as David’s mother – Natzevet bat Ada'el, who also conceived David in, let us say, a very unusual way, and this accusation of adultery remained on her, although again she had pure chesed. But we will not get into that story now.

Throughout all of history the seed of Mashiach was, as it were, drawing nearer, being brought down, descending. Or humanity (the female part of humanity) was ascending to Him, overcoming this male resistance. But very often women resolved on something that could later be a reason for their condemnation, through chesed, looking toward the seed of King Mashiach.

This is very good. Parallels to this can be seen in the conversation of the Angel and Miryam. First of all, the Angel addresses her as full of grace (chasuda). Chesed is that very relationship which, on the one hand, may even be forbidden, but it is given for the restoration of humanity. I, God forbid, am not saying that Miryam entered into some forbidden relationship, but she was placed in a situation where, as throughout all of history, what she does could seem something depraved. And we know that the Jewish reaction to the Christian story was precisely such that some Roman soldier turned out to be the one accused. In some versions Miryam is simply regarded as a girl of easy virtue. This situation is part of the Most High’s plan. Hence the word full of grace as a hint both at something close to incest and at Divine mercy. Further, the Angel tells her that she is blessed among women; this, too, refers us to Yael (Shoftim 5). “I do not know a man” – a parallel with Lot’s daughters. And likewise “the Holy Spirit will come upon.” And in the end she is to give birth to King Mashiach, to bring down to earth at last that very seed from another place. “The Holy Spirit will come upon you” – we said that this is a pointer to levirate marriage, to the restoration of the lost seed. But Miryam is not a widow, she has a bridegroom, one could say a future husband, already almost a husband, who is not restricted by anything, can complete the marriage with her and come in to her, and this will later happen.

What, then, does “the Holy Spirit will come upon you” mean here? We know that David himself constantly prayed about the fact that through the anointing he had received the Holy Spirit, and precisely this became the testimony, and the righteousness, and the vindication of his mother in everything that happened there. And most likely, what happens in the most perfect, the most immaculate of immaculate conceptions with this Miryam is that God restores in Miryam the seed of David, purifies Yosef, one could say, for himself from everything human, from everything superficial, and restores in Miryam the seed of Yosef as the son of David in his perfection. At that time they already knew this, and today Jews believe that an Angel takes the seed of a man, carries it up into the upper worlds, and there the LORD endows it, one could say, puts into it the spiritual DNA, and so it descends into the world. I do not know whether seed was taken from Yosef, whether there was really an emission of his seed; we cannot talk about this, it is a mystery, and it is even somewhat frightening to get into this story. We can say that it could quite well have been so that the purified, remelted, perfect seed was placed into the womb of the perfect one, the one blessed among women, the one whose self-sacrifice was absolute. And in this way the immaculate conception took place. That to which the path began with Lot’s daughters ended 200 kilometers to the north, in the city of Natzeret, very many years later.

We will talk about a person whom people do not much like to talk about. In any case, they do not like to say anything good about him. This person is Yishmael, the son of Avraham.

We read in chapter 16 of the book of Bereshit about the birth of Yishmael, about how Sara said to Avraham: “Go in to my slave woman, Hagar the Egyptian. She will bear me a son, and perhaps I will be built up through her.” This can be understood as: “Perhaps when she becomes pregnant, I will become pregnant too.” But most likely, and we see this later with Yaakov’s family, slave women bear children for their mistresses, and Hagar’s son could well have been Sara’s son.

So, when Avraham was 86 years old, Yishmael came into the world. It is clear that Avraham loved Yishmael very much. In chapter 17 we read, when the Most High appears to Avraham and gives him the promise that he will have another son, and a son from Sara at that, in Bereshit (17:17) it is written: “And Avraham fell on his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, shall one be born to a hundred-year-old, and shall Sara, ninety years old, give birth?! And Avraham said: ‘God, oh if only Yishmael might live before You.’”

It would seem to be good tidings, good news that God tells Avraham, and this is good news not only for Avraham but also for Sara. After all, he was told that Sara would give birth! If Avraham has a son, what, one would think, does he have to worry about, he already has Yishmael, and one can say: “If only Yishmael might live before You.” Why does Avraham not care about Sara here? Why does he not think about Sara? Most likely because Sara brought Yishmael as a son. He is a son to her. And Avraham here speaks not only in his own name, but in Sara’s name. “We already have a child, we already have Yishmael. Bless him!”

So, most likely, we can see that at the very beginning of the story of Yishmael’s life both Avraham and Sara love him, and to Sara he is also like a son, although with his mother, with Hagar, her relationship is much more complicated.

In chapter 21 we read about the miracle of the birth of Yitzchak. Avraham at that moment is 100 years old, which means Yishmael is 14 years old. The promise of the Most High is fulfilled: Sara gives birth to a son. The 14-year-old Yishmael, who had been the firstborn, the beloved, long-awaited son, is pushed into the background, and into the foreground comes her own son – Yitzchak. If before he was Sara’s son Yishmael, now he is the son of Hagar the Egyptian.

Everything turned upside down in the life of the young youth. Most likely this did not arouse good feelings in him toward Yitzchak. Actually, this is where the story in Bereshit (21:9) begins:

Mocking, apparently, either at the fact that she gave birth in old age, or at the fact that Yitzchak is so small and funny. How old is Yitzchak at that time? We read in the 8th verse that Yitzchak is weaned. By the standards of those times, he is 2-3 years old. Yishmael, accordingly, is 16-17 years old.

Yishmael went through a very serious crisis. He had not read the book of Bereshit. Try to look at him as a teenager who went through something like that. I am not even talking about the fact that he has been taken away from his real mother, who perhaps believed in the Egyptian gods. And the loving, kind Avraham tells him about his God, and what inner conflicts this boy is in. But even if we set this aside, just imagine the degree of jealousy and rebellion that could arise in the heart of a 16-17-year-old teenager when he faces something like this.

So, Sara saw that the son of Hagar the Egyptian was mocking.

Avraham saw in this a big, big problem. And a moral problem. And yet Yishmael was a beloved son to him. Avraham loved Yishmael.

If God speaks, Avraham does!

If until now we read about this youth as a youth, now we read about him as a boy. If Sara asked to drive out the slave woman, that is, so that not a trace of her would be left here, Avraham sent her away. What is the difference when a person sends someone away or drives someone out? When I send someone away, I have the goal that this someone be there. I want him to be there. I have some concern for his further life. When I drive someone out from here, my aim is simply that not a trace of him be left here, that he not be an eyesore here. Avraham does not drive out the slave woman, but sends the slave woman away. He sends her away because of what the Most High told him: “I have a plan concerning this youth too.” And Avraham sends this youth away into the hands of the Most High. Only this youth is now called yeled (boy), and for some reason he was put on Hagar’s shoulder? Just try putting a 16-17-year-old boy on someone’s shoulder. Rashi comments and says: “Sara put the evil eye on Yishmael. He became weak, he got a fever, and that is why Hagar took the 17-year-old youth as well, together with the waterskin of water, and carried him on herself.” Other commentators say that Yishmael resisted, so Avraham tied him up and, like a sack of potatoes, again put him on Hagar’s shoulders. None of this explains why instead of na'ar (youth) we read yeled (boy) here. But we will answer these questions later.

…and she went, and she got lost in the desert of Be'er Sheva.

In the desert without water – that is, by and large, a quick death.

…and she threw the boy under one of the bushes (threw the boy off herself under one of the bushes).

Again the boy and threw off. Here we do not see a 17-year-old guy. Here there is a boy.

Again a detail worth paying attention to. Nowhere else does the Torah give such a measurement – at the distance of an arrow shot. How much is that – at the distance of an arrow shot? A modern bow shoots 100 meters, and if you release the arrow at an angle of 45 degrees, then even further, up to 220 meters. It does not matter. The Torah says: “That is the distance!” Not five minutes’ walk, not a minute’s walk, not in steps. Nor, as the Eskimos in the north say: “How many times you will sweat while you run.”

…for she said: “I will not be a witness to how this boy dies, I do not want to see him.” And she sat down opposite, and raised her voice, and wept.

One can understand Hagar, whatever the case may be. She is a slave, a woman in bondage. At one fine, or not so fine, moment she was told: “Bear Avraham a son! Avraham will come in to you and beget a son.” She bore a son. Nobody asked her anything in this whole story. And step by step she gets more and more entangled. Whatever she was like, now she is sitting in the desert and weeping, because her boy is dying. She raised her voice and wailed.

The boy becomes a youth again. And moreover, it was Hagar who wept, but God heard the voice of the youth.

…And the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, and said to her: “What is it with you, Hagar? What is wrong with you, Hagar? do not be afraid, because God has heard the voice of the youth there (who is there).

Even if God commands us to drive someone out or allows us to drive someone out, this does not mean that he will not send this someone an Angel.

What is missing in this whole story? Where is the boy replaced by a youth? Nowhere is it written that this is Yishmael. So much is it nowhere written that this is Yishmael, nowhere is it mentioned that this is Yishmael, it is not directly mentioned, that some commentators say: “Well, by and large, Hagar was a young girl, possibly a good-looking one. Some traditions say that she came from the house of Pharaoh himself. In any case, possibly Pharaoh gave her as a gift to Sara, whether she was his daughter or his slave, and there they did not keep bad goods. Hagar is a young, beautiful girl, and, possibly, as it was with Yaakov’s concubines, Avraham fathered more children from her. All the more since the Torah further on also mentions the sons of the concubines.” One can, of course, accept such a commentary, but it is a little difficult to accept it, because the Torah nowhere says that Avraham had more children from Hagar.

Still, it is unclear why the name of this youth is nowhere named? Why is he now a youth, now a boy? Why does the Torah say that Hagar sat down at the distance of a shot from him?

Let us try to understand all this as follows. There lived a youth whose name is Yishmael. We know how he lived, we have already spoken about this. The beloved firstborn of Avraham, the long-awaited firstborn of Avraham, apparently loved by Sara too. At one fine moment everything changes, and, possibly, Yishmael’s behavior changes too. He is driven out. At this moment father and mother, Sara and Avraham, abandoned him. David says something similar. In Psalm 27 he says: “Father and mother have abandoned me. God took me to himself.” And here we read something similar. At this moment, when Hagar carries him on herself, he is indeed yeled (a boy), who has as yet neither a name (no one mentions his name), nor a destiny, nor, in essence, parents, because Sara and Avraham abandoned him.

But God takes him to himself, as he gave the promise to Avraham. God promised Avraham that this is nevertheless the seed of Avraham and he will be a great nation. And when Hagar is already completely lost, God hears no longer the voice of a boy, but the voice of a youth. She, Hagar, sees a well. This is not just a well, it is a symbol. Water is life. And she gives the boy drink. And if we were reading from the beginning, we would have read about Sara. There it is said that Sara rejoices, comes alive, nursing Yitzchak at the breast. Here not with the breast, but with water. The well of the Most High, the Most High, like a father, “feeds” Yishmael and brings him back almost from the dead.

Why can we say that this is nevertheless Yishmael? Because we read in verse 17:

Shama El – God heard, this is the translation of the name Yishmael. At this moment, when God hears his voice, his name is prophetically fulfilled, and he is, as it were, born anew as Yishmael; the one whom God heard, for whom God cared, becomes Yishmael.

So what about the arrow? Why did Hagar sit down at the distance of an arrow? Why does the Torah mark and note this? Later we will read that Yishmael became an archer. It is as if, to speak in the language of psychology, he is trying to “shoot across” the distance at which his own mother sat down from him. And his own mother abandoned him too. Abandoned him at the distance of a shot, as if she had fired him off. And all his further life, all his further biography Yishmael tries to overcome this distance of a shot to his mother, living by archery.

Tradition and the midrash say that Yitzchak took care to reconcile Yishmael and Avraham. When Rivka comes, it is told that Yitzchak came from that very well by which Yishmael lives – Be'er Lachai Ro'i. And besides, we see that Yishmael is present at Avraham’s funeral, despite the fact that he was driven out. And a certain spiritual work, an inner work took place in Yishmael.

The essence of the story is that Yishmael, abandoned by everyone, abandoned even by us, left, it would seem, outside God’s plan, outside providence, outside all possible genealogies, although his genealogy will be in the Torah. But he is the last figure we talk about (perhaps even less – about Esav), because we do not love Yishmael. All the more since there are Arabs, with whom we are at war, who suddenly declared themselves descendants of Yishmael. We do not love any of them, and we do not love Yishmael either.

But God took care of him. And this is said directly. God was with this youth, God saved him. In this there are several lessons at once.

If we send away someone whom we do not want to see beside us, cannot bear to see beside us, we can understand that God will take care of him. We are not God. To Avraham the Most High said: “Send away! Send away, send off! Listen to Sara. I will take care of him, because he is your seed. I will not leave him. I have heard your prayers about him.”

This can also mean something else for us. When we feel that we are lying like this by a well, thirsting for water, dying of thirst, when we feel that we are driven out and it is we who are walking through the wilderness and have lost our way, and it seems to us that everything is already over, in fact, nothing is over yet. Everything is only beginning. And the name Yishmael can still be fulfilled and realized completely. Such is this simple and complex story with Yishmael, with the boy who is not loved.

Our forefather Avraham had two sons about whom there was a prophecy with a command to call them by a specific name.

When a pregnant woman named Hagar was fleeing from the oppression of her mistress and ended up in the wilderness, an Angel addressed her. Let us imagine the situation in which Hagar found herself at that moment. She became pregnant, by and large, on Sara’s initiative, and as a result the mistress began to treat her completely differently, apparently making her do hard labor, who knows, perhaps also raising a hand against her and raising her voice. We do not know any of this, but things got so hot for Hagar that she decided to flee from her mistress into the wilderness, where outright death threatened her. Apparently, it was better that way than to endure Sara’s oppression. And so in this situation an Angel from heaven addresses her and says to her: “Return to your mistress. Return to your mistress, although she will not become kinder, nicer, and after the flight, perhaps, on the contrary, she will treat you even worse, oppress you even more. I do not promise you any kindness on the part of the mistress, but you return to her, and you will bear a son, and your son will be a great man.” Well, and many more promises along with this, and it is commanded to call this son by the name Yishmael, which means God heard, by and large, a name that symbolizes such direct, unconditional faith. And again one must give Hagar her due. What an act of faith this is – to get up, to rise and return to her oppressive, hated, loathed mistress on the promise of the Angel. That is, Hagar receives with full faith what is said to her through the Angel.

In Bereshit (17:17) we read how the Most High announces to Avraham that a son will be born to him: “And Avraham fell on his face and laughed.” Many like to translate this as rejoiced. No, it says precisely laughed. Laughter that expresses doubts. And Avraham further on, actually, confirms this with his speech and says: “If only Yishmael would live before You! As if I could! At my age, still to bear children?”

Thus two sons were born. The name of one – Yishmael – means, by and large, unconditional faith, the name of the second – Yitzchak – a memory partly of that laughter with which Avraham laughed, partly, as Sara said: “Why, anyone who hears will laugh,” – because such a story arouses doubt and a smirk.

Complete unconditional faith and doubts are two tools for our life, which show themselves, perhaps, in very sharp contrast.

We see how contrastingly, with respect to the name, Avraham relates to his sons. When Avraham drives out Yishmael, about whom we said that his name means unconditional faith, Avraham is very sorrowful, his soul is heavy, the Torah speaks of this, he strongly doubts what he is doing. Avraham drives out Hagar and Yishmael with a heavy heart, he is full of doubts about his actions. But when the Most High calls him to offer Yitzchak as a sacrifice, here Avraham has no doubts, and he acts entirely by an act of faith and, without asking any questions, without showing any doubts, leads Yitzchak to the place of the altar.

So in our life too two tools are necessary, constantly necessary – complete unconditional faith and doubts. And each, of course, has its place. Sometimes it happens that complete submission, unconditional submission becomes worse than anarchy, leads to totalitarianism, to breaking oneself, to the absence of thought. A person must think, must reflect, must doubt in order to live. Both doubts and faith must be present in our life in a reasonable mixture.

When everything around is clear, understandable, sorted onto shelves and, it would seem, everything is before your eyes, that is exactly when you need to switch on the power of doubt and reconsider: is everything really as it seems?

When troubled times are upon us, when it is hard and there is nothing to hold on to, this is the very time to switch on the tool of faith, but let us remember that we, you and I, are descendants of Yitzchak. After all, we come from the side of those who doubt. And our path in life is often overflowing with doubts. All of Judaism is full of doubts, questions, answers to these questions and new questions that are asked. Judaism is, in essence, a relationship with God on the basis of questions and answers, doubts and resolutions of doubts. The Talmud says that there is no greater joy than the resolution of doubts. But sometimes, of course, it is worth stopping and doubting whether it is worth doubting, and thinking: “Maybe that’s enough doubting.” This too is quite appropriate.

These are the thoughts, perhaps a little tangled, but probably useful, that arose in connection with the weekly portion Vayera.

Once, in the days of my youth, it was customary for high school seniors to take first aid courses at the so-called Magen David Adom (Red Magen David) – that is what the ambulance service is called in Israel. It was interesting, of course, to look at the daily life of those who work on the ambulance service, at their everyday work, and, of course, the most important thing – to learn to give first aid, and not only that. A young instructor told us how to act correctly when some incident happens with a large number of casualties. The ambulance arrives at the scene of a terrorist attack or an accident (unfortunately, terrorist attacks in Israel still happen often) and sees, as it is actually called, a large number of casualties. God forbid seeing the picture that opens up before the paramedics and doctors when they get out of the vehicle. And here the question arises: whom to grab first, whom to attend to first, after all, time is counted in minutes, in seconds, and by giving attention to the one who needs attention less, one can miss someone who in that time, God forbid, may die? It really is a question of life and death. The paramedic said: “The one among the casualties who screams the most is the one who least needs your help, that is the general rule.” Why so? Because if a person screams, it means that he has a pulse, he has breath to scream loudly, to breathe well, and he is most likely conscious. It means that he can wait while we help someone else, who may be quietly moaning, or unconscious, or in some other critical situation. That is, if we cannot immediately determine whom to help, then in most cases we can immediately determine whom it is possible to help a little later.

This rule can be carried over into life and applied in matters of charity and in matters of some legal disputes. It is far from always the case that whoever screams louder is right. Although, unfortunately, such an understanding has formed in society, such an approach, a person’s natural desire to take the side of the one who screams more.

In our weekly portion we read the story of Hagar, whom Avraham drives out a second time, and we read in chapter 21 of the book of Bereshit:

And there was no more water in the skin, and she cast the child under one of the bushes, and went, and sat far off, at the distance of a bowshot. For she said: “Let me not see the death of the child.” And she sat at a distance and lifted up her voice and wept (that is, Hagar lifted up her voice, cried out, howled, wailed).

And what do we read in the following, the 17th verse?

And God heard the voice of the lad

The lad was probably also whimpering, crying, but surely not as loudly as Hagar, but the LORD responds, their need is shared, but the LORD responds in this case precisely to the voice of the boy, not to the voice of Hagar.

When we do some act of mercy, or give alms, or some charity, our ear must be so musical as to hear not only the loudness, but also certain halftones, certain intonations. To be able to hear the one who cannot scream the loudest of all, who perhaps cannot speak the most beautifully of all. To be able to recognize the one who really needs help – this is, in fact, the manifestation of the gift of helping.

How do we know whom exactly we need to help, if our means are limited, and people come? Some scream, others are silent, and to understand who really is in need is difficult. We have to switch on a different hearing, a hearing from another world, in order to direct our help correctly, to choose correctly the needed action not only in the area of charity, but also in the area of justice, of legal disputes, in many, in many areas in life, and in the order of the matters that are required of us.

And in many other cases this kind of hearing (listening beyond the loudness of the voice, the ability to abstract oneself from the loudness of the voice) is a very important skill.

Continue reading: Lech Lecha, Chayei Sara, covenants and weekly portions of the Torah.