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PARSHA VAYERA
(All rights reserved to Keren Yishai)
‘Ye’ra’e–Shalem’ - Regarding the
nature of Rav M. Elon Yerushalayim (“ The first time it appears, in Parashat Lech Lecha, we find it in the context of the war of the
coalition of the four kings against the coalition of the five kings, which we
discussed at great length in the previous week’s shi’ur. [Cf. the shi’ur on
Parashat Lech Lecha,
5765.] As we will recall, Avraham takes
his “fighting men,” (Bereshit “And he returned all the
goods, and also his brother, (Bereshit 14:16) As we mentioned last week, Avraham battles first and foremost in order
to regain the possessions. Liberating The purpose of Avraham’s war against the
coalition of the four kings is primarily to obliterate evil from the world, the
evil that had become the fuel of the crushing imperialist death machine of
those kings who had come from afar. “And the king of Sedom went out
towards him after his return from smiting K’dorlaomer,
and the kings who were with him, at the (ibid. v. 17) Our Sages expound this “ [And despite all this it was not sufficient, for the moral decline of
the people of Sedom occurs immediately following this
incident.] We then observe the first mention of Yerushalayim
in the Tanach: “And Malki-Tzedek,
king of Shalem, brought out bread and wine; and he
was the priest of God the Most High. And
he blessed him, and said: ‘May Avraham be blessed to God the Most High, Possessor
of heaven and earth; And blessed be God the Most High, Who has delivered your
enemies into your hand,’ And he (Avraham) gave him a tenth of everything.” (ibid. v. 18 – 20) “Shalem” is Yerushalayim. Malki-Tzedek, who
according to our Sages is in fact Shem, son of No’ach,
goes toward Avraham with bread and wine.
The king of this unique city, is an entirely
different form of ruler, completely unlike the king of Sedom
and his allies, who are comparable to the four kings who defeated them. This king, Malki-Tzedek,
is defined as a king but also as a “priest of God the Most High.” In other words, not only was he royalty,
which in that period signified tyranny and the complete oppression of the
individual subject, but this was a king whose eyes were raised heavenwards. A difficulty which arises from the verses is the question of the exact
geographical location of the events described before us. It is not sufficiently clear – or rather it
is even very difficult – where the meeting between Malki-Tzedek,
Avraham, and the King of Sedom takes place. Yerushalayim is
located in the centre of the country, whereas Sedom
is located in the south, quite a distance from Yerushalayim.
Logic dictates that when Avraham
returned from the battlefield, carrying with him the possessions of Sedom, as well as their wives, he would have traveled
towards Sedom.
Where, then, was the meeting with Malki-Tzedek,
the king of the city of We may offer two answers: The first possibility is that Malki-Tzedek the
king of Yerushalayim traveled southward from Yerushalayim to a place called “the The second, more logical, possibility is that Avraham came with the king
of Sedom to Yerushalayim as
a result of the great victory, (in our modern age we would understand that
Avraham was coming to Yerushalayim in order to hold a
“victory parade,”) and this, then, is the “valley of Shaveh,
which is the king's valley.” [This may explain why this is termed “the valley of the king,”
for it denotes the king of Sedom – why would an area
with many different monarchies be given such a name?] Malki-Tzedek, who is the host of the event,
hosts his guests by bringing out bread and wine. According to this explanation, Yerushalayim held great importance, for it is in this city
that the first world war is concluded, the “War of
Justice.” [Cf. shi’ur
on Parashat Lech Lecha,
5756.] We will soon see that this importance does not merely exist in the
external-national sphere, but also in the internal-integrity sphere. This city contains a great moral importance, it is the city of A second manifestation of Yerushalayim in our
parasha of Va’yera occurs at the conclusion of the Akeida – the Binding of Yitzchak. After Avraham is told not to lay a hand on
Yitzchak, Avraham calls the location: “‘Adonai-Yir’eh,’
(‘God will see,’) therefore it is said today, ‘On the Mount of God, He will be
seen.’” (ibid. 22:14) This place, which will later be termed “Yeru-Shalem”
or “Yerushalayim” is termed as two half-names at this point: “Shalem,” and “Yir’eh.” Having just established these names of Yerushalayim,
there is an extremely surprising statement regarding the name of Yerushalayim to be found in Bereshit
Rabba. We must
note that the Midrash is based upon our Sages’ identifying Malki-Tzedek
the king of Shalem as Shem, the son of No’ach, as the Midrash states: “‘King of Shalem’ – Shem called it Shalem,
as the verse states ‘And Malki-Tzedek the king of Shalem.’” (Bereshit Rabba 56) Shem, No’ach’s son calls it (the “God said: ‘If I call it ‘Yir’eh,’ as Avraham named it, as the verse states: ‘And
Avraham named that place ‘Adonai-Yir’eh’ - Shem the
saint will be angered.’” (ibid.) On the other hand: “And if I call it ‘Shalem’ – Avraham
the saint will be angered.” (ibid.) Thus we read of an interesting compromise: “Behold I will call it ‘Yerushalayim,’ as they both named it: ‘Yir’eh’
‘Shalem’ – ‘Yerushalayim.’” (ibid.) This conclusion is without a doubt rather astounding. Firstly, why should the city of Secondly, if we are to compromise, why is Avraham’s
name for the city placed prior to Shem’s name?
(“Yir’eh” – “Yeru” and only then “Shalem.”) And hovering over this entire discussion is the fundamental question as
to the nature of this “compromise.” What
is the significance of this new name that so aptly expresses the nature of the
eternal city? In completion of the picture the Midrash concludes with the words of
Rabi Berachya: “Rabi Berachya
said in the name of Rabi Chelbo: ‘Until
it was Shalem (complete) God made it a Sukka (“tabernacle”) wherein He would pray, as the verse
states: ‘And in Shalem is His Sukka,
and His dwelling place is in And what did He say? ‘May it be (the divine)
will that I see My Temple erected.’” (ibid.) In other words, for as long as Yerushalayim
was only “Shalem,” God would, so to speak, make a Sukka and pray for the construction of His Temple, of His
home. The questions are obvious – what is the significance of this
Midrash? What is “Shalem,”
and what is the meaning of God’s ‘prayer?’ We must contemplate this issue on a deeper level. As we mentioned, the term “Yerushalayim” is
composed of two separate names, “Yeru” and “Shalem.” Indeed the
vast majority of occasions that Yerushalayim is
mentioned in the Tanach it is written as “Yerushalem,” and only in a minority of cases does it appear
as “Yerushalayim.”
[With the letter yud between
the final letters lamed and mem sofit.] “Yerushalem” directly hints at the fusion of
the two names we mentioned above. “Yerushalayim,” on the other hand, represents a future
vision. The suffix “im”
– yud, mem sofit – does not only indicate the plural sense of a word,
but also denotes a pair. [For example
eyeglasses are “mishkafayim,” and ears are “oznayim” – not only are these words plural, but they
indicate the specific plural of one having become two, a pair.] This name will be given to Yerushalayim when
the city gives expression to the two Jerusalems – the
earthly Yerushalayim is “like a city that is united (“she’chubra la”) together,” (Tehillim 122:3.) Our Sages explained this verse in two ways: It is a city that causes all
of Yisra’el to be friends, (“chaverim;”) and it is a city that joins (“mechaberet”)
Yisra’el to their Father in Heaven. We
may therefore say that Yerushalayim holds within it a
fusion of two seemingly opposing goals that form a wondrous synthesis. The initial purpose of Yerushalayim appears in
Parashat Lech Lecha, when
Avraham returns from the tremendous first world war, a
war in which the primary aim was to return property and souls to their rightful
places, and which had a secondary aim of liberating his kinsman. Avraham sets out to battle with the full
appreciation that a world of imperialistic, aggressive evil, wherein man rules
over others in a manner that he relates to them as nothing more than
possessions - a world like this has no right to exist. Therefore it is preferable to die while
attempting to bring justice and honor to the world, rather than accepting the
evil and corruption. [It is astounding how the verses describe the four kings as having taken
all the possessions of the cities they conquered, as well as The war is also connected to that “En Mishpat.” This “En Mishpat,”
the “Eye of Justice,” will become apparent as Avraham’s
request to judge “in accordance with the Supreme Justice.” And then Avraham arrives at Shalem. He desires
to create a location whereby he can connect the entire world to the noble
aspiration, to the essence, the inner content, and thereby to life itself. The king of that city, Shalem, is Malki-Tzedek, the king of the city of “May God expand Yefet, but may He dwell in the tents of Shem.” (Bereshit 9:27) And “Let (ibid. v. 25) This is the purpose of the Yet this place, this city, which has the Avraham is commanded to circumcise himself. He circumcises himself, (at the end of Parashat Lech Lecha,)
and his next appearance is at Elonei Mamre, the fields of Mamre, Avraham’s ally. Yet
we must ask how Avraham arrives at Mamre – and our
Sages offer a rather surprising solution. Avraham travels to his allies – Aner, Eshkol, and Mamre – after he was
commanded to circumcise himself in order to seek their counsel. Immediately the question arises – what place is there for counsel and
advice after God has commanded one to act?
The Vilna Gaon explains that Avraham’s seeking the counsel of his allies was not as to
whether he was to circumcise himself or not, but rather the question of how
Avraham was to maintain his social ties with his environment now that he was
different to everyone else. Avraham’s query was how he was to maintain his spiritual
influence over his surrounds now that he had undergone a potentially isolating
procedure. When Avraham and his son were
to ascend to the place where God was to be seen, there, when the father who was
prepared to bind his son as a sacrifice, and his son, who was prepared to be
bound as a sacrifice, when they stood together before the altar, then the
second purpose of Yerushalayim was to become
manifest, the particular-individual aim of Yerushalayim. At this point there was no room for anyone
but them. This concept is hidden within the verses describing the Akeida: “Then on the third day
Avraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place from afar. And Avraham said to his lads, ‘Remain here
with the donkey; and I and the lad will go unto this point (“ad ko”) and prostrate ourselves, and then we will return to
you.’” (ibid. 22:4,5) Our Sages expound that Avraham sees the cloud connected to the
mountain. He asks his “lads” and his son
whether they see the Divine Presence connected to the mountain. His “lads” answer in the negative, while
Yitzchak, his son, answers in the affirmative.
Eli’ezer and Yishma’el,
his “lads” – who had also entered into the covenant of circumcision together
with all the males of Avraham’s household, were by no
means lowly commoners, yet he tells them: “Remain here with the donkey,” or
“Remain here, O nation that is compared to the donkey.” In other words this is a nation that does not
contain the capability of perceiving the lofty, exalted, Divinity, and its only
frame of reference is the world of the “chamor” – the
“donkey” – i.e. the material (“chomer”) world. Avraham and his son are to go “unto this point,” in order to see what
will eventuate in the future, after everything, despite everything, and despite
God’s promise that as numerous as the stars “So shall be your seed,” (ibid.
15:5.) “And Avraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and
laid it upon Yitzchak his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and the knife;
and the two of them went together.” (ibid. v. 6) The father and son portray the entire Jewish nation which walks together
with one another, and then: “And Yitzchak said to
Avraham his father, and he said, ‘My father,’ And he answered, ‘Here I am, my son.’ And he said, ‘Here is the fire and the wood;
but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?’ And Avraham said, ‘God will see to a lamb for
a burnt offering, my son,’ and the two of them continued together.” (ibid. v. 7,8) Yitzchak
knows full well who the “lamb for the burnt offering” is, yet he still, and
possibly more intensely, goes on with his father “together.” And then the climax arrives, the moment when the
ultimate devotion and dedication are put to the test. Now all the contradictions within the soul,
the rational and the emotional structures, the fatherly love and care will
burst forth from the soul. And opposing these forces Avraham stands strong and firm: “And they came to the place
which God had told him; and Avraham built an altar there, and he arranged the
wood; he then bound Yitzchak his son, and placed him on the altar on top of the
wood. And Avraham stretched out his hand,
and took the knife to slit his son’s throat.” (ibid. v. 9,10) And then, at the height of the test, when the binder and his bound
sacrifice harness all their willpower and dedication: “And the angel of God called
to him from heaven, and said, ‘Avraham, Avraham;’ and he said, ‘Here I
am.’ And he said, ‘Do not lay your hand
upon the lad, nor do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, as you
did not withhold your only son from Me.” (ibid. v. 11,12) We
have already mentioned in the past, [Cf. the shi’ur
for Rosh ha’Shana 5764, “The Parasha of the Akeida,”] the words of the Sforno
to the verse “for now I know.” According
to the Sforno, the angel is speaking to Avraham, and
it is the angel who says “For now I know that you fear God,” by not having
withheld your only son, “more than I fear God.”
In other words, the climax of the Akeida, the
most intimate experience between Avraham and Yitzchak - who in fact represent
the entire Jewish nation - and God, reaches such heights that even the most exalted
of the world’s creations, the angels, are unable to share in such a meeting
with God. Then
we observe the sacrifice that is to come in Yitzchak’s stead: “And Avraham lifted up his
eyes, and he saw, and behold - behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his
horns; and Avraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt
offering in place of his son.” (ibid.
v.13) As
a result of the great rise to the climax of intimacy between God and His
Chosen, our forefathers, Avraham names the location: “And Avraham called the
name of that place Adonai-Yir’eh,’ (‘God will see,’)
therefore it is said today, ‘On the Mount of God, He will be seen.’” (ibid. v. 14) The account of the Akeida which concludes with
Avraham establishing the name of the location where he experienced God’s
revelation, illustrates how in the connection between the Lover and His
Beloved, between the Master of the Universe and the Fathers of our nation,
there is no room for foreigners. Even if
those foreigners are angelic beings. It therefore transpires that these two names, “Shalem”
and “Yir’eh” demonstrate converse concepts. While the first indicates the desire to bring
the world in its entirety under the wings of God’s Presence, an objective which
blurs that which separates Avraham and his offspring from the rest of humanity;
the second name, “Yir’eh,” signifies how unique and
singular the relationship is portrayed in the covenant of the specific nation
and its God. The synthesis of these two names signifies the dual-harmonious action of
Yerushalayim, which simultaneously creates the unique
national identity while also serving as the basis for the universal
influence. Now we understand why these
two names are required together, and why they must both comprise the one name
of the city. We now also appreciate why Avraham’s component of the name, “Yir’eh”
– “Yeru,” precedes that of Malki-Tzedek, “Shalem,” for the cultivating
earth that will produce the seeds of universal influence must exist in a
unique, singular field. In other words: in order for the nation to have a true influence on the
entire world, it must first be gathered unto itself, safe-guarding its
uniqueness, its specific character, and its true nature. Only then will the
nation be able to have influence. Yet
should the spirit collapse, when we desire to be as all the other nations, and
thereby offer the global community our fruits – specifically then our influence
will dwindle, to the point of the thorns and weeds of anti-Semtisim
sprouting forth, which will remind us that which we have chosen to forget, that
we are the children of Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yisra’el. This is exactly the route that the Judaic Monarchy takes at its
start. David, the great warrior, who
brings the kingdom of Yisra’el to the greatest climaxes of territorial
expansion, specifically David is he who hones the nation’s particular identity,
preparing the ground for his son, King Shelomo, who
“owned peace,” in the words of our Sages, to then influence his surrounds and
the entire world. There is an astounding comment by Rav Alsheich which demonstrates the unique position of Yerushalayim. Rav Alsheich describes how the
building of the The Torah tells us that the generation of the Rav Alsheich writes
as follows: “They further perceived
that the ‘Gate of the Heavens’ was positioned opposite Zion and Yerushalayim, inclined towards the seat of God in the
heavens, and from there is the evolution of the (Divine) influence to maintain
the world, and there was the preparation of Yerushalayim
and Zion, as it is known by those who know mysticism, to receive the
outpourings of sanctity. Therefore they
consulted with each other, (deciding,) ‘Let us build a city and a tower,’ (Bereshit 11:4,) ‘a city’ corresponding to Yerushalayim, and ‘a tower’ corresponding to Zion, for the
Tower of David is Zion; in order to prepare them to draw the outpourings to
those places. For akin to the
preparation that exists for (Torah Sheleima, Bereshit 11:4) Further
analysis of the verse will further elucidate the words of Rav
Alsheich. These
verses describe an undefined journey that takes place immediately prior to the
construction of the Yerushlayim is the fusion of forces, it contains the national exclusive uniqueness while
also forming the basis for its universal influence. In the Book of Bereshit,
the king of Yerushalayim joins Avraham in his process
of calling in the name of God. In the
Book of Yehoshu’a, Adoni-Tzedek, King of Yerushalayim initiates a process whereby a coalition of the
five Emorite kings arises to battle Yehoshu’a and
Yisra’el. Therefore,
Yerushalayim is not a vacuum,
it never wallows in murky mediocrity.
This is a city that is either utilized in order to attain global
spiritual rectification – as in the days of Malki-Tzedek
– or in an attempt to bring chaos to the world – as in the days of Adoni-Tzedek. This
is the city which will be coveted by many nations, for the great power and
might within it can be seen shining through its exterior façade. This
is Yerushalayim, the city which is “united together,” the
city that will bear the flag, being the heart of the Jewish nation, with Har Ha’Moriya at its heart, where
the dust of Adam, the first man was taken from, where humanity began. This is the city unto which are eyes are
raised in anticipation of God’s return to Translated by Sholem Hurwitz. Copyright Keren Yishai/Rav M. ElonParashat Va’yera
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