46.9 F
New York
Thursday, March 28, 2024

It’s Always In Your Hands

Related Articles

-Advertisement-

Must read

We are told that their souls returned in Abrahamu2019s children to be repaired through the trials of Egypt and ultimately to be redeemed.

And they embittered their lives with hard labor, with clay and with bricks and with all kinds of labor in the fields, all their work that they worked with them with back breaking labor. Shemot 1:14 

During a class this week, the question was posed asking if our slavery in Egypt was inevitable. So I turned the question back to the table asking why one would believe Egypt was inevitable? 

One quoted the verse, “And there was a famine in the land; and Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was severe in the land. And it came to pass, when he came near to enter to Egypt that he said to Sarai his wife, “Behold now, I know that you are a pretty woman to look upon. Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see you that they shall say, ‘This is his wife’ and they will kill me, but you they will keep alive. Say, I beg you, that you are my sister; that it may be well with me for your sake; and my soul shall live because of you.” And it came to pass, that when Abram came to Egypt, the Egyptians saw the woman that she was very pretty.” 

He recalled that together we had learned the words of the Ramban. “And know that Abraham sinned a great sin inadvertently, by bringing his wife the saint in a compromising situation, due to his fear that he be killed … likewise leaving the land which he was commanded initially (to move to Israel) was a sin, for he should have trusted in God. Because of this action it was decreed that his descendants be exiled to Egypt at the hand of Pharaoh.”

Another recalled that we had learned together the story of the First World War. Four kings — Amraphel, Arioch, Chedarlaomer and Tidal — suppressed a rebellion in the Siddim Valley (near the Dead Sea) by the kings of five city-states, among them Sodom and Gomorrah. Flushed with victory, the four kings march north and west, conquering all the Canaanite lands in their path, taking captives and booty. Abraham’s nephew Lot who has been living in Sodom is among the captives. He and his family, along with their possessions, are being transported north by enemy ships to become slaves. 

Abraham’s immediate response is to marshal the 318 men of his household, chief among them his servant and head of his academy, Eliezer. Despite the odds and Amraphel’s head start, Abraham resolves to rescue his nephew. Joined by Mamre and his brothers, Abraham’s small force is armed and ready, and defeats the enemy. 

The king of Sodom in appreciation begs Abraham, “please leave me the people and take all the booty for yourself.” Abraham takes an oath (“I lift up my hand to Hashem, the G-d on High, who created Heaven and Earth”) that he would not take even as much as a thread or a shoelace from the spoils of war so that the King of Sodom will not ever be able to say ‘I made Avram wealthy’.

The Gemarah states based on this story: “Rabbi Abahu said in the name of Rabbi Elazar: For what reason was Avraham punished, that his descendants would be enslaved in Egypt for two hundred and ten years? Because he pressed Torah Sages into service, as it is written, ‘He led his trained servants, born to his house (meaning he took Eliezer and the boys in the Yeshiva from their studies to go to war. But is that so terrible? Aren’t we supposed to rescue a hostage. The Talmud continues, Rabbi Yochanan said: Because he kept people from joining the monotheistic faith, as it is written: ‘[The king of Sodom said to Avraham:] Give me the people, and take the property for yourself.'”

Based on this and comments from the Zohar we can understand that we ended up in Egypt. Having taken the students from their studies, Abraham should have completed his task by bringing the citizens of Sedom into his household and camp and teaching them. Instead he released them and failed. Those same people multiplied their evil ways to the point of destruction. We are told that their souls returned in Abraham’s children to be repaired through the trials of Egypt and ultimately to be redeemed. 

And a third recalled the same chapter in the Talmud which lays the blame at Abraham’s questioning of G-d that without children, who will become Abraham’s heir. 

We read in the Torah, “As the sun was setting, a deep sleep fell upon Avram; and behold, a dread of deep darkness fell upon him. And He (Hashem) said to Avram: “Know for sure that your descendants will be foreigners in a land that is not theirs. They will enslave them and oppress them [for] four hundred years … The fourth generation will return here…” 

Given the above, the table felt that Egypt was a given. And I must say that I was very proud that they all recalled what we had discussed previously. 

Still, I suggested the following. Rabbi Abittan, z’sl always explained that a good prophecy is guaranteed, but a prophecy of puranut (negative) can be changed by the people. We see that Jonah predicted the downfall of Ninveh, yet the people repented and their future was changed. Thus it was possible to change the prophecy of Brit Ben HaBetarim of being enslaved for four hundred years. 

Additionally the question has to be asked, four hundred years or four generations? 

The Rabbi once suggested, VaYesheb Yaakov – Jacob came to dwell or rest. Certainly Jacob knew that that Abraham’s descendants would be enslaved, abused, and eventually leave the place of their oppression with great wealth. So why did he think he could rest? 

But let’s examine Jacob’s life. Is it so far-fetched to consider that Jacob initially believed that this sequence had already occurred; that all these elements of God’s promise had been fulfilled in his own life story? He must have thought that his oppression at the hands of Laban, and the years of slave-like labor which ended in his return to Israel with tremendous material wealth, had fulfilled God’s words to Abraham. Once he made peace with Esav, all his adversaries had been neutralized. With his sons at his side (they were in fact the great grandchildren of Abraham or the fourth generation), Jacob was confident that the Messianic Age was dawning.

And then, “out of the blue,” Jacob’s worldview is derailed when he loses his son and his illusions of tranquility and fulfillment are shattered. The four generations are lost to four hundred years. 

What went wrong? In a new sefer called Birkat Yaakov, Rav Baruch Yaakov Gestetner explains: “At the time that Jacob returned to the land of Canaan from Laban’s house, the possibility existed that the geulah would begin and the tribes would inherit and take possession of all the land of Israel. All this was on condition that there would be peace and harmony between them and that they accept Joseph as their king. But because the sold Joseph, it was decreed that they not inherit the land then, but that they be exiled to Egypt.”

Rabbi Abittan would tell us that the reason we bring a goat (or a lamb) as the Pascal sacrifice was to remember that we ended up in Egypt through the sale of Joseph and the dipping of his coat into the blood of a goat. Everything depends on our actions.

And this is the lesson we must all remember. It’s never a matter a pre-determination. It’s really always in our own hands. We always have the opportunity to make or break, to fix or shatter. And that opportunity comes every day. Every day is a test and the reward for success is immeasurable. Let us go out and succeed! 

By: Rabbi David Bibi

balance of natureDonate

Latest article

- Advertisement -