Rav Kook on Parashat Lech Lecha: Great Like the Stars

Stars and Sand
When Avraham complained to God that he was childless, God promised that his children would be as numerous as the stars in the sky:

“God took him outside and said, ‘Look at the sky, and count the stars if you can! So will be your descendants.'” (Bereisheet 15:5)

On another occasion, God promised Avraham that his children would be like “the sand on the seashore” (Bereisheet 22:17). Why are the Jewish people compared to both stars and grains of sand?

Greatness at Mount Sinai
The Sages took note that God’s promise uses the uncommon word 'koh' (כֹּה) — “So [koh] will be your descendants.̶ They explained that this word alludes to the Jewish people’s future greatness at Har Sinai, where the word 'koh' also appears: “So [koh] shall you say to the House of Yaakov” Shemot 19:3). What does the state of the Jewish people at Har Sinai have to do with being likened to stars?

In general, we need to understand the metaphor of the star. The psalmist wrote that God gave each star a name (Tehilim 147:4). Why do stars need names?

Personal and Collective Missions
What is in a name? A name reflects an entity’s inner essence. It defines the nature of its existence and indicates its fundamental purpose. Stars are wonderful, powerful creations. Each star has a unique function for which it was created, and each star has a unique name corresponding to its special purpose.

The comparison of Avraham's descendants to stars indicates the importance and greatness of every individual member of the Jewish people. Every soul is a universe unto itself, as the Sages wrote: “One who saves a single soul of Israel, it is as if he has saved an entire world” (Sanhedrin 37a).

But the Jewish people also have a collective mission, as indicated by their comparison to sand. A single grain of sand is of no particular consequence; but together, these grains of sand form a border against the ocean, establishing dry land and enabling life to exist. Israel’s collective purpose is to bring about the world’s spiritual advance, as it says, “This people I have created for Me [so that] they will proclaim My praise” (Yishayahu 43:21).

It is logical for God to first establish the collective mission of the Jewish people, and only afterwards adjoin their individual goals. Thus, upon leaving Egypt, Israel was formed into a people with a unique collective purpose. This collective mission is an integral part of their very essence, regardless of any individual merits. The collective aspect of the Jewish people was valid even though the Israelites lacked personal merits and good deeds when they left Egypt, as it says, “I have made you [Israel] numerous like the plants of the field, and you have increased and grown… yet you were naked and bare” (Yechezkeil 16:7).



Like the Stars
The prominence of the stars, on the other hand, is indicative of the special mission of each individual. This metaphor refers to the potential for greatness that each member of the Jewish people acquired at Mount Sinai.

These special goals are a function of each individual’s efforts, deeds, and Torah study. This level is based on the revelation of Torah and mitzvot at Har Sinai. The Midrash teaches that when Israel promised to obey the laws of the Torah, the angels tied two crowns to the head of every Jew. These spiritual crowns reflected the greatness of each individual; every Jew was a prince, bearing his own unique crown of holiness.

(Sapphire from the Land of Israel. Adapted from Midbar Shur, pp. 110-121 by Rav Chanan Morrison)

Understanding Avraham

by HaRav Zalman Baruch Melamed
Rosh HaYeshiva, Beit El

Adam - Noach- Avraham
The Sages of the Mishna teach us that, "There were ten generations from Adam to Noach, and another ten generations from Noach to Avraham." Adam, Noah, and Avraham mark three phases in the course of humankind's evolution.

Adam was a flawless creation of God. In creating him God had neither intermediary nor assistant. As a result, he was the most perfect being ever created on the face of the earth. Perhaps in this very point lay Adam's principal deficiency. Because of his exceptional perfection he lacked the capacity to interact with the physical world into which he was placed; Adam, as a result, was rendered incapable of elevating all existence. It was for this reason that his encounter with the world was a failure. We might compare Adam to a tree whose branches are many yet whose roots are few. The hold this sort of tree takes in the earth is weak; its many branches, of all things, quickly bring about its fall.

Noach was a perfectly righteous individual. Unlike Adam, Noach succeeds in living at peace with the physical world, and maintaining his righteousness. Yet he too, like Adam, is unsuccessful in influencing his generation and elevating his surroundings. He is a righteous individual, who believes that the best way of dealing with the world - without running the risk of failure and sin - is through divorcing oneself from ones environment. It is possible that the error of the Minim , who claimed that the only way to cling to God and to attain human perfection is though monastic separation from the world, originated with Noach.

Avraham Avinu , our father Avraham, was the first person to successfully unite the physical and spiritual. Avraham sees as his central mission in life the elevation of existence from one level to the next, while maintaining full ties with it. From the moment that he discovers that there is one Creator who created one harmonious world, in which there exists no contradiction between body and soul, he tries to pass on this message to others in any way possible. With this he begins the difficult process of Tikkun Olam (the mending of the world), setting his sights on his ultimate goal: the day when "God will be one, and His name one" (Zechariah 14:9).

In order to bring about the complete union between the physical existence and the Creator, one must live in the Land of Israel. Israel, by her very nature, is an expression of the sanctification of the physical: a physical land which is, at the same time, holy. Accordingly, Abraham receives the commandment, "Lekh Lekha" - "Go away from your land, from your birthplace and from your father's house to the land that I will show you."

Lekh Lekha
At the outset of this weeks Torah portion we bear witness to a divine command,
"Go away from your land, from your birthplace... to the land that I will show you."

Even when viewing this commandment in its most plain sense, what we are dealing with here is a difficult trial. Avraham is called upon to leave his natural spiritual setting, and to set out on a new path, a path whose ultimate purpose he knows not.

Avraham is called upon to leave his land, his birthplace and his father's house and to direct his gaze towards an unfamiliar destination - "...the land which I shall show you."

In fact, what we are dealing with here is a twofold trial. Not only is Avraham being called upon to leave his land and his birthplace, but his journey lacks any clear purpose. It could be that reason that God chose not to specify the destination of Avraham's journey is that it is impossible to do justice in expressing the value and greatness of the Land of Israel to one who resides outside of the Land. Therefore, Avraham was called upon to leave his land. Only when privileged to enter the land of Canaan, i.e. Israel, does he merit to truly understand the purpose of his uprooting himself from his land and his birthplace.

Yet, upon closer look, there appears to be even deeper significance to this command. There are those who occupy themselves with determining man's destiny and way of life according to the exact time and place of his birth - astrologers, or in the language of the Sages, Itztagninim . Our Rabbis maintain that the People of Israel are not influenced by astrology. In this very assertion, though, there is in effect a recognition of the actual existence of such powers, and of their ability to influence our lives. All the same, the Jewish Sages insist that the People of Israel are outside the sphere of influence of the stars. It is within the Jew's power to change the very course of nature by attaching himself to God's providence which is above beyond the influence of the constellations.

The standard code of Jewish law, the Shulhan Aruch , rules that a Jew is not to determine his actions according to the stars, yet if his mazal (horoscope) happens to be made known to him it is forbidden for him to blatantly contradict it. The stars are a lower and inferior indication of providence in the world. Abraham is called upon to take his destiny into his own hands, to cling to his Creator, and in so doing to rise above the rule of the stars.

The philosophy which claims that the world, and everything in it, depends upon the place and time of one's birth, weakens the will power and creative forces in man. One who maintains this sort of outlook, finds himself lacking the will to act and to change the world, because after all, everything has already been decided and determined from the outset. For the same reason, it is best that a person minimize his dependence upon blessings given by Tzaddikim (the righteous), as well as their remedies and amulets. This sort of dependence, when it becomes the essence of an individual's struggle with the difficulties which face him during the course of his life, weakens his ability to act and to improve his character. Yet, when a Tzaddik's blessing comes in addition to man's labor, when the request for a blessing comes after personal effort, it no doubt has a place in Judaism.

"And God said to Avraham Lekh Lekha..." Abraham complies with God's commandment and goes to the Land of Canaan. After entering the Land Abraham merits an additional divine revelation - "And God appeared to Avram (Abraham) and said, to your offspring will I give this Land" (Bereisheet 12:7) By virtue of the holiness of the Land, and by virtue of Avraham's withstanding his trial, he merits a divine revelation of an even higher nature. Not only does God speak with Abraham, but he even "appears" before him. "And he built an alter there to God who appeared before him."

Afterwards, Avraham goes about strengthening his hold in the Land. He is no longer an individual worshiper of God in the world. He goes about proclaiming God's name to all, publicizing the faith in one God. Yet from here on God does not reveal himself to Abraham through the term "appeared." "And God said to Avraham, 'lift up your eyes and see.'" On the face of things it appears to be a drop in the intensity of Avraham's revelations - yet this is not the case.

The Sages ask: "How could Yishayahu the Navi have said "and I saw God"; did not God say to Moshe: "For man will not see me and live"? They answer that in the case of Moshe the reference is to a clear vision, while in the case if Yishayahu God was seen in an unclear vision. When man reaches a level of complete identification with his creator, as was the case with Moses, he acknowledges the fact that man is incapable of perceiving God's greatness in its entirety. Abraham has risen to a level beyond 'sight.' He no longer 'receives' divine revelations; rather, through a sense of complete identification with his creator, he goes about proclaiming God's name in the world.

Brit Mila
"God said to Avraham, 'As far as you are concerned you must keep My covenant, - you and your offspring throughout their generations. This is My covenant between me, and between you and your offspring that you must keep: You must circumcise every male. You shall be circumcised through the flesh of your foreskin. This shall be the mark of the covenant between me and you.'" (Bereisheet 17:9-11)
"Avraham was 99 years old when he was circumcised on the flesh of his foreskin." (ibid. 17:24)

With the closing of this weeks Torah portion we find Avraham reaching the height of his perfection - Mitzvat Brit Mila , the precept of circumcision. After a hundred years of spiritual elevation and sanctification, Avraham merits reaching a level in which his inner holiness is revealed even in his outer acts. The holiness of his soul takes the form of bodily perfection, by means of the Brit Mila. By virtue of his high level, Avraham succeeded in passing on to his seed after him that same quality of sanctification of the body. At the age of eight days, Jewish boys are circumcised, thus revealing on their very body that which was implanted in their soul through Abraham: the quality of inhering holiness. This trait is absolute and inherent in the Jewish People, regardless of the performance of the Mitzvat Brit Mila. The act of Brit Mila was intended only to reveal this quality. We learn in the Talmud that even a Jewish baby who was taken captive and not circumcised, or a Jew who is not circumcised because of the health dangers involved - for his brothers before him had died as a result of circumcision - are considered circumcised; a non-Jew, though, even if he were to circumcise himself would, in the eyes of Jewish Law, continue to have the status of uncircumcised in all respects.

We find expression of Avraham's elevated state at the beginning of next weeks Torah portion - VaYera:"God appeared to Avraham in the Plaines of Mamre..."

What was the purpose of this divine revelation? What sort of mission was placed upon Avraham? What sort of message did he receive? The Scriptures make mention of neither mission nor message. Indeed, this revelation has no specific purpose. Abraham has reached such a level that divine revelation to him is no longer the means to the end of a mission or a message, rather, revelation as and end in itself - a "personal visit."

“How Will I Know …?”

by HaRav Shaul Yisraeli, zt"l
Rosh HaYeshiva, Mercaz HaRav
Rosh Kollel, Eretz Hemdat
Chaver, Beit Din HaGadol Yerushalayim

The gemara (Nedarim 32a) attributes the root of the exile in Egypt to Avraham’s question to Hashem, "How will I know that I will inherit [the Land]?" (Bereisheet 15:8). The midrash (Shemot Rabba 5:22) similarly criticizes Avraham for that question. Yet, the midrash (ibid. 23:5) says that we merit singing praise to Hashem due to Avraham’s belief in Hashem as found in that same conversation. Furthermore, a midrash (Bereisheet Rabba 44:14) explains that Avraham was not questioning whether he would inherit the Land but only in what merit it would happen.

Today, great darkness, from which we do not see an escape according to the forces of nature, has befallen our people. As we look for miracles, believers ask themselves: "Are we really fit to deserve a miracle?" After all, they know the level of dedication to Hashem that is expected of us and know how far we are from it. Avraham, the great believer, asked in what merit his offspring would be assured to receive that which Hashem had promised he would give them. Since fear of G-d is in the hands of the individual, perhaps they will not deserve to receive the gift. Avraham’s question was not from a lack of belief but from recognition of what is expected of a servant of Hashem.

Hashem’s answer was that Avraham’s descendants would be exiled and afflicted for 400 years and would emerge with great riches (Bereisheet 15: 13-14). In other words, when our nation deteriorates, mankind deteriorates even more. The more we want to be like our neighbors in exile, the more they separate themselves from us. The further rival nations’ hatred takes them, the more we are worthy of receiving the Land because of their wickedness relative to us (see Devarim 9:5).

"I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will certainly go up with you" (Bereisheet 46:4). When we are in exile, it is as if Hashem is also in exile. We are the weather vanes of humanity; as we are subjugated, spiritual darkness spreads. While we may act up when we are spoiled, we can contemplate when we are subjugated. Granted, our forefathers in Egypt worshipped idols like the Egyptians, but at least we did not use children as bricks. A moral chasm remained between us and them. The lower the nations go, the more they remind us of the different path we should stride on.

When a doctor finds that an unconscious patient has a pulse, he knows his heart is pumping. The heart of our nation is alive; as long as we feel the nation’s pain and seek its unity, there is hope. While many Jews may not keep more mitzvot than the nations do, we are believers, sons of believers (Shabbat 97a). When the gavel bangs and the great call is raised, all will respond.

"They will leave with great riches" – this includes great spiritual riches. They knew what Egypt and its abominations were. They understood that the same Pharaoh who did not recognize Hashem was the one who would not free Israel (see Shemot 5:2).

Avraham’s lack of belief was not in Hashem but in the hidden powers of the People of Israel. That lacking could be overcome only by a cleansing through the painful learning process of oppression. Moshe, upon seeing Jewish shortcomings, accepted the oppression more readily than the merit of the liberation. Hashem taught him that when they would leave Egypt, they would serve Him on Sinai. Hashem assured him that despite their entrenchment in sin, spiritual power would spring forth from the depth of the nation’s soul when properly prompted.

A Conversation with HaShem

by Rabbi Dov Berel Wein

We recognize that in many ways our father Avraham is an innovator, a one-of-a-kind individual, someone who is original, unique, and fearless in his quest for the betterment of the human race and the creation of the Jewish people. Among all his other achievements, if we look carefully at the opening chapters of the Lech Lecha, we find that our father Abraham is also the first human being recorded as having a normal conversation with his Creator.

Adam, original man, makes excuses for his failings, but does not engage God in a discussion regarding the essence of sin, reward, and punishment. His son, Kayin, whines and complains to justify his murderous behavior, and does not understand the true nature of his sin, and cannot relate properly to the criticism of Heaven.

Even the righteous man, Noach, the father of the only family that survives the Great Flood, and through whom humankind will be rebuilt and repopulated, does not engage in a conversation with the Creator regarding the impending flood and its aftermath. In fact, we hear almost nothing from Noach, except for his statement about his future and destiny.

All the twenty generations, prior to Avraham's arrival, apparently have nothing to say to God. They may fear His power and even rebel against His rule, but they have no thoughts or communication about the relationship of how human beings can coexist with infinity and God.

Throughout the description of Avraham's life, he seems to be constantly in communication with Heaven. He obeys its orders to leave his homeland and circumcise himself at an advanced stage of life. He proclaims the name God – one and only God – wherever he travels, no matter the risks involved in so doing. He even disputes the decision of Heaven regarding destruction of the cities of Sodom. He even argues that the God of justice in such a fashion that it be visible and understood by ordinary mortals.

We are witnesses that Avraham has a complete attachment with God, a relationship that cannot and will not be severed or compromised. That is the basis of Abraham's founding the Jewish people, who will also maintain such a relationship of attachment overall of the centuries of human civilization. Whereas previous generations were afraid to deal directly with the Almighty, this became the basis for oral paganism and other religions that always rely upon intermediaries,

Avraham and the Jewish people attach themselves inexorably and directly to the Creator for good or for better, no matter what the circumstances are that exist at that very moment. This fundamental difference in approach to the relationship between human beings and their God remains, until today, the identifiable hallmark that differentiates Judaism from other philosophies and beliefs.