Rashi questions for Chayei Sara

According to Rashi...

1. How did Kiryat Arba get its name?

2. What is meant by, "Hashem blessed Avraham with everything?" (24:1)

3. How were Avraham's camles recognizable? (24:10)

4. Why did Lavan run out to meet Eliezer? (24:29)

5. In what way did Lavan demonstrate disrespect for his father? (24:50)

6. What happened to Bethuel? (24:55)

7. Who was Keturah? (25:1)

Answers to Vayeira Quiz Questions

1. Who taught Avraham how to do a bris?  (18:1)

His friend Mamre.  At the end of the Parsha we see that Avraham was very close with Mamre and even considered having Yitzchak marry one of his daughters.

2. Who helped Avraham entertain his guests?  What do we learn from that? (18:7)

Yishmael.  We see that Avraham sought to involve his son in helping him perform mitzvot in order to teach him. 

3. When bargaining for Sodom, why did Avraham not go lower than ten righteous people? (18:32)

Because he knew that less than that was not sufficient to prevent the flood.  Noach, his wife, his sons and their wives were eight and the flood still happened.

4. When did the Malachim come to visit Lot in Sodom?  How do we know that?  (19:3)

Lot fed them Matzot so we learn that it was pesach.  It is interesting that the Exodus of Lot happened on the same night that our ancestors left Egypt.  

5. What is the meaning of the word 'Eishel'? (21:33)

 Eishel means either an orchard or an inn.  Either way, it was a method in which Avraham took care of his guests.  Some say Eishel is an acronym for achila - food, shtiya - drink, and lina - rest, the three things that Avraham provided.

6. Did Yitzchak know that he was intended to be the sacrifice? (22:6)

According to Rashi at first he did not, but then Avraham either told him or alluded to it and Yitzcha figured it out.  Other commentators disagree on this point and say that Yitzchak was unaware.

7. What striking similarity did the descendants of Avraham share with the descendants of his brother Nachor? (22:20)

Nachor had twelve descendants, 8 from a full wife and 4 from a concubine.  Yaakov had 12 as well.  8 from full wives and 4 from the maidservant wives.

Avraham's Liberal Views

Parshat Vayeira may possibly be the most exciting parshah in the entire Torah - especially the episode of the destruction of Sodom.  

Preceding the story of how Lot and his daughter's escaped, we find Avraham arguing with Hashem on behalf of the people of Sodom and trying to save them.

The society that Sodom had built was unequivocally evil.  From the Torah itself we see how the entire town was adamantly opposed to any form of kindness.  This was most likely a philosophical position.  They believed that to assist a person in need was not truly helping that person.  To truly help a person they had to be cruel and with hold any aid.  That would motivate the poor person to learn to fend for himself.  

The philosophy may have some merit to it, but the people of Sodom took it to the most dangerous extreme.  In Sodom poor people were left to die and those who tried to give charity were killed.

If that was the case, then why did Avraham stick his neck out for these wicked people?  Elsewhere, the midrash teaches us that one who has mercy on the cruel is causing cruelty to the merciful.  The people of Sodom had the blood of many righteous and merciful people on their hands.  If Hashem had listened to Avraham an spared them they would have gone on to kill other righteous people in the future. 

This is not a case of "where he is at" because the people of Sodom were already guilty.  Even if there were 50 righteous people, why couldn't Avraham just request that they be evacuated as lot was?

What are we supposed to learn from Avraham?  Should the Jews in America have protested against the war with Germany?  Maybe there were fifty righteous Germans?  Obviously not.  So what are we supposed to learn from Avraham's protest against the destruction of Sodom?

Why Hebrew School Produces Great Rabbis

Study after study seem to indicate that suplimentary Hebrew schools are a failure.  Some studies have even shown that Hebrew school is more likely to turn a child away from Judaism than towards Judaism.

The  blame cannot be placed on the valiant professionals who run these schools.  Many of them are talented educators with innovative ideas and they are doing the absolute best that they can, but they are fighting an uphill battle.  By the time the students get to Hebrew school after a long and hard day of regular school they are exhausted and in no condition to learn.  Not to mention that they are only there once a week and there are no real consequences for misbehavior.

And those handicaps only apply to the kids who actually show up. Today Hebrew school is more irrelevant then it ever was.  Kids are more over programmed then ever.  The best kids are also involved in serious after school activities that give them the opportunity to engage in something they are passionate about and in many cases even give them opportunities to travel and compete or perform all over the country.

In addition, the parents of these kids are products of hebrew school themselves.  In past generations parents made hebrew school a non-negotiable and kids were forced to go.  Today the parents are more likely to encourage other activities that conflict with Hebrew school.

The reason day schools are mostly successful is because in a day school being Jewish is incidental.  Very few kids in day school attend suplimentary jewish programs in the evening.  After school they are free to be teenagers and participate in whatever they want to.

Hebrew school is an extra curricular that most Jewish kids are not interested in.  There are those few kids who actually click with Judaism and want to make Hebrew school their primary activity.  Those kids go on to be very active in their youth movements and eventually decide that they want to be Jewish professionals, and sometimes Rabbis.

The Jewish world has already decided that there must be an alternative model to Hebrew school to give Jewish kids a sense of Judaism.  But in the meantime, I do not think that Hebrew schools should be stopped altogether.  They are still the best breeding ground for the Rabbis of tomorrow and one of them may one day discover the solution.

Memorials for Yitzchak Rabin

Among the many well known episodes found in parshat vayeira is the lesser known episode when Avraham made peace with the Plishti king, Avimelech.  

At first glance the passage looks like Avraham is doing a good thing by making a peace treaty with the other people living in the land, I was surprised to find that the sages where very critical of Avraham for doing so.

Midrash Rabbah 54:4 contends that Avraham's overtures of peace with the Plishtim of his day eventually caused true peace for his own descendants to be delayed for hundreds of years, it caused the future deaths of many of his descendants including seven illustrious leaders, and it eventually lead to the destruction of every sanctuary to be built in the future - including the first and second temples!

While this may have been hyperbole, it is clear that when the midrash was written, hundred of years after the actions of Avraham, with historic hindsight the sages felt that Avraham made an enormous historic blunder that ultimately lead to further suffering.

On this day in 1995 Israeli Prime minster Yitzchak Rabin was assassinated.  Every year on this day there are memorials held for him in Israel and in Jewish communities all over the world, and every year myself and many other religious Jews are made to feel uncomfortable. 

One reason is because  many memorial programs overtly or by implication suggest that rabin's death was caused by Jewish religious extremism.  The anniversary of his death is used as a way to foment hatred directed against all religious Jews.  Ironically, those who hold the religious community responsible for Rabin's death tend to be the same people who cry foul the moment someone suggests that Islam may be responsible for terror.  

Rabin's murderer acted for political reasons not religious reasons.  The so-called "religous" reason that is given for his motives were that Rabin was a "rodef", someone whose actions would cause the death of others and therefore had to be stopped.  Calling him a religious fanatic for that reason is like saying that everyone who gives charity is doing so out of religious convictions.  

The fact that Rabin's murderer happened to wear a kipah and spent time at a Yeshiva and may have kept shabbat are all incidental to the murder and I take great offense to programs that try to make any implications otherwise and that lead to baseless hatred against others.

But in a more general sense, I am offended by any Rabin memorial that uses his tragic and senseless death as a club to beat down those who disagree with left wing Israeli politics.  

I think the Oslo Accords were an epic failure.  Countless books have been written that reasonably demonstrate what a mistake it was to deal with Yassir Arafat and arm the PA.  There are many sensible arguments that demonstrate that Rabin's actions actually prolonged the conflict rather than end it.  It can be easily demonstrated that the Oslo Accords lead to the deaths of many Israelis and Arabs, and that the effects of Oslo continue to endanger the security of the state of Israel.  

On the other side there are many people who still contend that Rabin did the right thing just as there are those commentators who argue with the midrash and feel that Avraham was justified.  Different opinions.  That is the Jewish way.

Unfortunately the Rabin memorials use Rabin's memory to silence any opposition and label those who disagree with Rabin's actions as being disrespectful to Rabin's memory.

Ironically, those who politicize Rabin's memory are really the ones who dishonor Rabin.  Because of them, unlike other past prime ministers who are memorialized by all of the Jewish people - Rabin's legacy is limited only to those who agreed with him politically.  That is a true shame.

Rashi Quiz Questions for Vayeira

1. Who taught Avraham how to do a bris?  (18:1)

2. Who helped Avraham entertain his guests?  What do we learn from that? (18:7)

3. When bargaining for Sodom, why did Avraham not go lower than ten righteous people? (18:32)

4. When did the Malachim come to visit Lot in Sodom?  How do we know that?  (19:3)

5. What is the meaning of the word 'Eishel'? (21:33)

6. Did Yitzchak know that he was intended to be the sacrifice? (22:6)

7. What striking similarity did the descendants of Avraham share with the descendants of his brother Nachor? (22:20)

Where He is At

I always had a question about a rashi in parshat vayeira.

Hagar and Yishmael were sent away by Avraham. On the way they get lost and Yishmael is in danger of dying of thirst.
Hashem tells Hagar that they will be saved - that Hashem has seen the boy "baasher hu sham" - "where he is at."
Rashi says the angels complained to Hashem. Looking into the future, we know that Yishmael's descendants will try to destroy the Jews. Why would you choose to save him?
Hashem says that is not a proper way to act. We judge people "where they are at now" and we don't hold potential future sins against them. Even though future Yishmael will be bad, right now Yishmael is a thirsty child who needs water.
While that is a great lesson that can easily be applied to our lives, I have always struggled to square it with the mitzva of Ben sorer umoreh - the rebellious son in parshat ki tetze.
There Rashi says we punish a boy based on the potential of future sins. Does anyone out there have an answer?

Travel Blog #1: Young Rabbis Conference

One of the highlights of my year is when I get togethere with some Rabbi friends from all over the country for our annual young Rabbis conference.  It started out with just six of us in 2003 when I was working as an assistant Rabbi in Los Angeles.  Rabbis came from Berkley, Oakland, Sacremento, Vancouver, and Edmonton.  Since everyone was from the West Coast we called it West Coast Rav. 

Today, our small group has grown to include over forty young Rabbis from across North America (and one from Australia).  Every year we get together in another Rabbis community for three days following the high holidays - when Rabbis can really use a vacation. 

Since the frst year the conference has been in Vancouver, Oakland, Edmonton, Omaha, Charleston, Toronto, Skokie, and now in Kansas City.  It is great for us to see our friends in their natural habitats, as well as an opportunity for the Rabbi to bring some great programming to the community.  When it was in Omaha I believe the community benefitted greatly. 

This year there are just shy of 30 Rabbis here.  We also have the privilege of elarning with Rabbi Jonathan Rosenblatt and Rabbi Steven Weil.  They were the senior Rabbis who really started the group.  THey have both made a great effort to be a mentoring resource to young Rabbis throughout the world.  I personally consider both Rabbis to have been incredoble resources to me in my short career so far. 

The conference is mostly informal.  We get to discuss all kinds of topics from synagogue poilcies to how to handle personal stresses of the Rabbinate to shring ideas on how we can improve in our ndividual roles.  the group has really gelled over the year.  the members of the gorup have become among my closest friends and the conerence is a place where we can all feel safe and be open because we are in the company of others who understand the specific issues that affect us as Rabbis.

The conference has just begone and so far we have juts been hanging out with one another. We are going into the first session right now. I know this is going to be a great time for all of us!

Answers to Lech Lecha Questions

1. How did the land of Israel come to be known as the land of Cnaan? (12:6) 

The land was originally given to the children of Shem but the decendants of Ham's son Cnaan (hence the Cananites) conquered the land and drove Shem's decendants away.

2. Who was Amraphel? (14:1)

Nimrod.

3. Who were Avraham's 318 men? (14:14)

Eliezer.  His name in gematria is 318.

4. Who was Malki Tzedek? (14:18)

Noach's son Shem..

5. How many years were the Jews in Egypt? (15:13)

Rashi says 210.  Hashem told Avraham that his children would be redeemed in 400 yeras.  Rashi understands that to mean 400 years form the birth of Yitzchak.  He provides the calulations:
 The Torah tells us that Yitzchak was 60 when Yaakov was born, and Yaakov was 130 when he went down to Egypt.  60 + 130 = 190.  210 years later was the Exodus 190 + 210 = 400. 
They could not have been in Egypt for 400 years as Kehat was one of the people who went down to Egypt and even if he was a baby when he got there he lived 133 years, his son Amrama lived 137 years, and his son Moshe was 80 at the time of the Exodus.  133 + 137 + 80 is only 350 and that doesn't account for the years taht eaach generation overlapped.

6.Where did Avraham meet Hagar? (16:1)

Hagar was Pharoah's daughter.  Upon seeing the miracles Pharoah said, "Better that my daughter should be a maidservant in this household rather than the main wife in another household.

7. What was Sara's complaint against Avraham regarding Hagar? (16:5)

Sara made two complaints: first she complained that Avraham prayed only for himself and not for her.  Therefore Avraham's prayers were answered with a son, Yishmael, but Sara was seemingly disregarded.  The second complaint was that Avraham did not stop Hagar from disgracing Sara.

8. When Avraham was circumsized what is learned form the words, "on that very day?" (17:23)

Rashi learns that Avraham gave himself a bris in broad daylight to demonstrate that he wanted to fulfill the mitzva as soon as possible and also to demonstrate that he was afraid of neither his friends or his enemies who may try and stop him from fulfilling the commandment.

Great Rashi on Lech Lecha

In parshat Lech Lecha Avraham rescues the five kings who were defeated by the four kings. 
Rashi quotes Midrashim in Tanchuma and comments on the names of the five weaker kings.  The midrash uses a common technique where the names of individuals are taken to describe something about a person's character or personal hsitory. According to Rashi the names of the five kings all have very negative conotations. 

For instance: the name of one king was BeRa - which Rashi takes to mean he was Ra - Hebrew for bad - to the heavens and Ra to people.

One of the kings was named Shem-Ever.  The midrash says his name was from Sam Ever which means "he placed wings."  According to the midrash, SheEver was famous because he invented somekind of artificial wings that he "attached to his body in order to fly and to leap and to rebel against Hashem."

Shem-Ever was some kind of early Icarus.  Sometimes I suspect that certain midrashim may be alegories, but I am inclined to believe that this one may be historic.  It makes sense that mankind since ancient times has been obsessed with trying to fly and that the best inventors of every era put their minds to solving the problem. 

There is a gmeara in Makkot that speaks of a "flying camel" that helped people cross distances very quickly, but was seldom used.  Rashi comments that the flying camel was just a really fast camel that seemed to 'fly' when it went so fast.  In Yeshiva I read a different commentary that suggested that the flying camel was actually a machine that existed in the ancient world that was some sort of glider.  Just like the locamotive was called the iron horse, they named the machine the flying camel.

What is Rashi coming to teach us with these midrashim?

Rashi cautions us not to think that the weaker side was somehow the more righteous side. Even though they were weaker then the four kings, the five kings were evil in their own rights.


In modern times people often assume that the Arabs must have a more righteous claim in the conflict with Israel based soley on the perseption taht the Arabs are weaker and therefore must be the more just.

Rashi comes to teahc us not to fall into that trap. The five kings in the days of Avraham were also wicked. At that point in time they happened to be weak, but as we see, when the people of Sodom (who were represented by these five kings) had the power they used it for evil.