Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Pure Love

After the whole story with Lot and his daughters the pasuk says "ויסע משם אברהם ארצה הנגב" - Avraham traveled from there to the land of the Negev.

Is the Torah just telling about Avrahams travel itinerary? I mean, if one letter from that sentence is missing, the entire sefer torah is pasul!! Even such psukim as שמע ישראל ה' א-להנו ה' אחד are rendered invalid if we don't correctly write that Avraham traveled from there to the Negev. Please!! What is the deeper meaning??

The Ishbitzer explains that Avraham Avinu's task in life was to purify the concept of love in this world [so that Rabbis don't write books with titles like "Kosher ---" and preach to the world that we need less love and more lust (I refer to nobody in particular:-)), Hashem yerachem]. He was called Avraham Ohavi. He was full of love for G-d and man alike. Look at how he davened for Sodom! But he wanted love to be pure and holy and not misplaced or overdone [as we discussed in our shiur at Yeshivas Rabbeinu Yitzchak Elchonon]. When he saw how Lot became drunk and impregnated his daughters, he said to himself that he must go away and start again with his mission of teaching "holy love". ויסע משם אברהם - He had to get away from there, so he went ארצה הנגב - to the dry desert of the Negev, denoting a new start, completely dry, as if he had never spread his message before.

Is that SOMETHING??!! Remind me to do more of these Ishbitzers. They are SOMETHING ELSE!