The Weekly Dvar Torah
Volume 2 Issue #5
Quality Life
Chayei Sara
Adapted from the wisdom of Rav Meir Simcha HaCohen of Dvinsk from the Meshech Chochmoh and Rav Tzadok HaCohen from Pri Tzadik and other works.
By Rav Yitzchak Schwartz Rosh Yeshiva Orchos Chaim Jerusalem
yschwartz@orchos.org.
This publication, Zichron Yehoshua, is in memory of Yehoshua Yakov ben Moshe-Jeffrey Nussbaum through a generous grant from Dr. Eric Nussbaum and family.
This issue is dedicated Avigail bas Yocheved, Hashem yishmereho vyevorcheho.
“And these are the days of the years of Avraham's life which he lived, a hundred and seventy and five years.†(Breishis 25:7)
Rav Tzadok HaCohen of Lublin points out an apparent redundancy in this verse. The words “which he lived†do not seem to convey any new information beyond that which is clearly stated, i.e. that Avraham lived one hundred and seventy-five years. Rav Tzadok resolves this by explaining that these words refer not to the quantity of Avraham’s years but to the quality of his life. Our sages teach that Avraham personified the attribute of love for Hashem. This was evidenced in his fulfillment of Hashem’s commandments and personal actions that were always filled with passion and executed with speed and zeal. Avraham dedicated his entire life to going the extra length and extending himself beyond his perceived limitations in pursuit of higher levels of character and spiritual perfection. This, explains Rav Tzadok, is the essence of life.
Our sages teach us that Hashem put Avraham to ten major trials during the course of his lifetime. The first one mentioned in the Torah appears in the beginning of the “Lech Lecha†portion. “Now Hashem said unto Abram: ‘Go you out of your country, and from your kindred, and from your father's house, unto the land that I will show you.†The Zohar explains that this somewhat irregular wording teaches us that Hashem was instructing Avraham to go for his own sake, i.e. to elevate his moral and spiritual character. The purpose of the Divine test was to create a situation in which Avraham would be forced to submit himself to a deep and intense searching of his soul; producing the essential conditions for actualizing previously unrealized potential.
The last time that Hashem put Avraham to the test the same words appear: “And He said: 'Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go you into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt-offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell you.†Based upon a medrash, Rav Tzadok explains that in using the same wording “go you†in both the first and last tests to which Avraham was subjected, the Torah conveys that the nature of the tests were the similar – to prod Avraham to actualize his latent potential and seek higher levels of character perfection. This concept is the essence of what life is all about.
In his last test, Avraham was called upon to demonstrate the same level of passion, speed and zeal in sacrificing his son just as he employed in executing all the previous tests that Hashem prescribed for him. “And Abraham rose early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he cleaved the wood for the burnt-offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.†(Breishit 22:3) Avraham proved to himself that he was capable of overcoming all internal struggle, limitation and resistance in fulfilling the calling of Hashem. After successful completion of his last trial, Avraham arrived at the summit, and attained the essence of life. This is the reason that just prior to his death the Torah states: “And these are the days of the years of Avraham's life which he lived, a hundred and seventy and five years.†Avraham lived his entire life to its fullest.
Rav Tzadok adds another dimension to this fascinating idea. Avraham was born into a family of idol worshippers. He too, followed in the ways of his idolatrous parents and society for the first thirty-nine years of his life. It was not until he turned forty that he came to a full realization that the ways of his family and society were false. Subsequent to this realization, for the remaining one hundred and thirty-five years of his life, Avraham undertook the mission to teach the righteous ways of monotheism to the entire world. Nevertheless, during the course of that time Avraham was haunted with feelings of compunction and sorrow over the first thirty-nine years of his life that were void of truth and value. Finally, after his successful completion of the ten major tests, Hashem assured Avraham that he no longer needed to lament over his first thirty-nine years of life. By successfully passing the ten trials, Avraham was able to transform his imperfect past into a spiritual asset that provided the impetus, energy and thrust to pursue ever increasing moral and spiritual heights.
By Rav Yitzchak Schwartz Rosh Yeshiva Orchos Chaim Jerusalem
yschwartz@orchos.org.
This publication, Zichron Yehoshua, is in memory of Yehoshua Yakov ben Moshe-Jeffrey Nussbaum through a generous grant from Dr. Eric Nussbaum and family.
This issue is dedicated Avigail bas Yocheved, Hashem yishmereho vyevorcheho.
“And these are the days of the years of Avraham's life which he lived, a hundred and seventy and five years.†(Breishis 25:7)
Rav Tzadok HaCohen of Lublin points out an apparent redundancy in this verse. The words “which he lived†do not seem to convey any new information beyond that which is clearly stated, i.e. that Avraham lived one hundred and seventy-five years. Rav Tzadok resolves this by explaining that these words refer not to the quantity of Avraham’s years but to the quality of his life. Our sages teach that Avraham personified the attribute of love for Hashem. This was evidenced in his fulfillment of Hashem’s commandments and personal actions that were always filled with passion and executed with speed and zeal. Avraham dedicated his entire life to going the extra length and extending himself beyond his perceived limitations in pursuit of higher levels of character and spiritual perfection. This, explains Rav Tzadok, is the essence of life.
Our sages teach us that Hashem put Avraham to ten major trials during the course of his lifetime. The first one mentioned in the Torah appears in the beginning of the “Lech Lecha†portion. “Now Hashem said unto Abram: ‘Go you out of your country, and from your kindred, and from your father's house, unto the land that I will show you.†The Zohar explains that this somewhat irregular wording teaches us that Hashem was instructing Avraham to go for his own sake, i.e. to elevate his moral and spiritual character. The purpose of the Divine test was to create a situation in which Avraham would be forced to submit himself to a deep and intense searching of his soul; producing the essential conditions for actualizing previously unrealized potential.
The last time that Hashem put Avraham to the test the same words appear: “And He said: 'Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go you into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt-offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell you.†Based upon a medrash, Rav Tzadok explains that in using the same wording “go you†in both the first and last tests to which Avraham was subjected, the Torah conveys that the nature of the tests were the similar – to prod Avraham to actualize his latent potential and seek higher levels of character perfection. This concept is the essence of what life is all about.
In his last test, Avraham was called upon to demonstrate the same level of passion, speed and zeal in sacrificing his son just as he employed in executing all the previous tests that Hashem prescribed for him. “And Abraham rose early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he cleaved the wood for the burnt-offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.†(Breishit 22:3) Avraham proved to himself that he was capable of overcoming all internal struggle, limitation and resistance in fulfilling the calling of Hashem. After successful completion of his last trial, Avraham arrived at the summit, and attained the essence of life. This is the reason that just prior to his death the Torah states: “And these are the days of the years of Avraham's life which he lived, a hundred and seventy and five years.†Avraham lived his entire life to its fullest.
Rav Tzadok adds another dimension to this fascinating idea. Avraham was born into a family of idol worshippers. He too, followed in the ways of his idolatrous parents and society for the first thirty-nine years of his life. It was not until he turned forty that he came to a full realization that the ways of his family and society were false. Subsequent to this realization, for the remaining one hundred and thirty-five years of his life, Avraham undertook the mission to teach the righteous ways of monotheism to the entire world. Nevertheless, during the course of that time Avraham was haunted with feelings of compunction and sorrow over the first thirty-nine years of his life that were void of truth and value. Finally, after his successful completion of the ten major tests, Hashem assured Avraham that he no longer needed to lament over his first thirty-nine years of life. By successfully passing the ten trials, Avraham was able to transform his imperfect past into a spiritual asset that provided the impetus, energy and thrust to pursue ever increasing moral and spiritual heights.