VaYerah Haftarah – Faith In G-d

The Torah gives a guide for what actions and behaviors are never tolerated in Eretz Yisrael. Rashi is clear that the people of Sodom wanted to rape Lot’s male visitors (who were actually angels). Clearly, G-d does not tolerate certain behavior in Israel and therefore the entire area of Sodom was destroyed. Ironically, this is right after G-d helped the King of Sodom win the war of the four aginst the five kings (in the previous parsha, chapter 14).

בראשית יט: ה

ויקרא אל לוט ויאמרו לו איה האנשים אשר באו אליך הלילה, הוציא אלינו ונדעה אתם.

And they called to Lot and said to him, Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may know them.

רש”י

ונדעה אתם: במשכב זכר

That we may know them: by homosexual relations.

Avraham traveled and lived in every part of Eretz Yisrael in order to acquire it. This includes all of the current area called “Gaza”. This is inherently Eretz Yisrael and it was called the land of “Gerar”.

בראשית כ: א

ויסע משם אברהם ארצה הנגב וישב בין קדש ובין שור, ויגר בגרר:

Avraham journeyed from there to the region of the south and settled between Kadesh and Shur and he sourjourned in Gerar (Gaza). (Bereishis 20:1)

The fight between Jews and Arabs over the ownership of the Land of Israel, goes back to the days of Yishmael and Yitchak.  Sarah saw that Yishmael was “mocking” מצחק with Yitzchak (21:9). Rashi explains, that this means that Yishmael was very wicked and practiced Idolatry, sexual immorality (gay), attempted murder, and wanted to steal the future land of Israel from being he inheritance of Yitzchak. For this reason, Sarah kicked Hagar and Yishmael out of her home. Unfortunately, this distressed Avraham (21:11) and for this reason we suffer at the hands of the Arabs (descendants of Yishmael) in Israel to this day.

The concept of Teshuva on Rosh HaShana is learned from Yishmael.  When Yishmael was dying of thirst in the wilderness the angels told G-d to let him die. Because in the future Yishmael’s descendants will put many Jews to death by thirst when Nebuchadnezzar exiled them to Bavel (Rashi 21:17). G-d refused to let Yishmael die at that time because he did Teshuva. Hashem explained that He judges a person by his deeds at the present moment, באשר הוא שם.

Hashem remembered Sarah after Avram prayed for Avimelech and made a peace treaty with him (Rashi 22:1). The Rashbam points out that Avram made a serious error here. He was never instructed by G-d to make a peace deal ברית with Avimelech!

בראשית כא: כז, כח

ויקח אברהם צאן ובקר ויתן לאבימלך ויכרתו שניהם ברית. ויצב אברהם את שבע כבשת הצאן לבדהן.

So Avraham took flocks and cattle and gave them to Avimelech, and the two of them entered into a covenant. Avraham set seven ewes of the flock by themselves. (Bereishis 21:27-28)

The land of Israel including the area of Gerar/Gaza was only meant to be settled by his Jewish decedents. Because of this peace treaty of Avraham (Bris of Be’er Sheva) the Jewish people suffered.

In Navi Shmuel (6:1), the Aron HaKodesh was stolen by the Pelishtim from Shiloh and kept by them for seven months. Why specifically seven months? Because Avraham gave Avimelech seven ewes as a token of peace. Similarly, this gave the Pelishtim to kill seven righteous Jews (Shimshon, Eli’s sons Chofni and Pinchas, King Shaul and his three sons) and later on the ability was given to destroy seven Bati Kodesh (Midrash Bereishis Rabbah 54:4). The seven places were: the Ohel Moed, Gilgal, Nov, Givon, Shiloh, First Beis HaMikdash and the Second Beis HaMikdash.

The message in the Parsha is clear. The Torah does not allow us to give up the Land of Israel for peace. There not peace treaties with non-Jews in the Land of Israel.

Avrahm was given the command “Lech lecha” twice! Once in last Parsha and another time is this week’s Parsha. He was told “Lech lecha” to Israel. Then again told “Lech lecha” to perform the Akeida binding of Yitzchak on the Har Habayis. In both instances it was not clear at the time where G-d was sending Avraham; but he went anyway with unquestioning loyalty to Hashem.

            בראשית כב: ב

ויאמר קח נא את בנך את יחידך אשר אהבת את יצחק ולך לך אל ארץ המוריה, והעלהו שם לעולה על אחד ההרים אשר אמר אליך.

And He said, Please take your son your only one who you love Yitzchak go to the land of Moriah, and bring him up there as an offering upon one of the mountains which I shall tell you. (Bereishis 22:2)

Rav Sartotskin teaches that the tenth test of Avraham, Akeidas Yitzchak, was meant to atone for the future event where the Meraglim would refuse make Aliya to Israel. Therefore, Avraham was given the command “Lech lecha” you go to Moriah even though it does not make sense to you at the time. When Hashem tells us to go to Israel, we go! No questions asked, just like Avraham did.

קמ”ז אמנון   = 147 pesukim

The Parsha teaches us about the faith/ אמונה of Avraham and the binding of Yitzchak.

Haftarah – מלכים ב, ג: א-לז

Navi Elisha in the Haftarah demonstrated Chessed; just like Avraham had compassion/חסד for others. Just as the Angels promised the elderly Avraham and Sarah that they would have a son in a year’s time; so too Elisha promised the Shunamit woman a son in a year. This boy died and had resurrection of the dead, similar to Yitzchak on Har Hamoriah (Akeidas Yitzchak).

The widow in the Haftarah was with wife of Navi Ovadia. Ovadia died and left the family in debt; since he financially took care of 100 prophets. He saved them from being killed by evil queen Ezevel. This story parallels the story of visitors to Sodom; they did not care for the destitute.   The widow of Navi Ovadia, risked his live and money to shelter Neviim from evil. The current king the son of Achav, was planning to take her children as slaves because of the debt. No one helped her; similar to Sodomites. Therefore, wife of Ovadia turned to Elisha for help.

Blessings always need to come from something. Wife of Ovadia only had oil in the house; so this was the source of blessing. It was possibly the same jar of oil pressed from olives made by Noach after the flood. This miraculous jar of oil was then used by Yakov to consecrate the 12 stones that turned into 1 stone pillow. Yakov then went back over the Yabok River to retrieve this jar of oil, when he fought with the Angel of Esav. We last see this miraculous jar of oil used in the Chanukah story where it lasted 8 days to light the Menorah in the Beis HaMikdash.

Second story: the Shunammite woman, had no children. Elisha blessed her hospitality with children. As Sara was blessed with a son. This son died and Elisha revived him. Child is Navi Chabakuk; since Elisha told her in a year she would hug her future son (4:16),  חובקת בן. Chabakuk taught us that the righteous shall live by our faith/אמונה (Chabakul 2:4),  וצדיק באמונתו יחיה.