Parshas Toldos

In this week's parsha, the Torah tells us how Eisav returned from thefield, hungry and thirsty, while Yaakov was cooking lentils for theirfather. Wanting something to eat, Eisav demanded that Yaakov feed himthe lentils. He didn't even bother calling the dish by its proper name, though; rather, he asked to be fed "the red substance".

A father once brought his young son to visit Rav Shach, zichrono levracha. Rav Shach took out two lollipops - a red one and a green one - and offered them to the child, asking him to choose one. Rav Shach's gabbai interjected, "Isn't Rebbe encouraging Middas Eisav in the child? After all, Eisav is is the one who chose 'the red one!'" Rav Shach replied that choosing a red lollipop is not Middas Eisav; it is ordinary behavior for a child. In fact, it is expected of a child. The problem only begins if this behavior is exhibited by an adult - then it is Middas Eisav.

Although as a child, a person is expected to appreciate only the outer appearance of something, as he gets older he is expected to place more emphasis on its intrinsic value. Going for the superficial, outer appearance is the hallmark of Eisav. Eisav was only interested in externality. He even went so far as to refer to his food as "the red substance". He didn't care what it actually was; the important thing to him was how it looked on the outside.

Everything in our lives has a superficial value, as well as an intrinsic value. When we are children, it is natural for a person to judge things by their external appearance. The brighter, redder, more flashy something is, the more a child is attracted to it. As we get older, however, we must adopt a more mature perspective. We must realize that our accomplishments in life should not be measured by how people perceive them from the outside; rather it is their inherent value that renders them truly worthy.

Parshas Chayei Sarah

In this week's parsha, Avraham Avinu instructs Eliezer to go search for a wife for Yitzchak. Avraham makes Eliezer take an oath that he will not choose a girl from Cana'an; rather, Avraham insists that Eliezer travel "el artzi v'el moladiti" - "to my land, my birthplace" to find a suitable match for Yitzchak. The question that arises is: why did Avraham insist on Eliezer finding a girl from his birthplace? It's not as if his hometown was a city of tzaddikim; quite the contrary, they were resha'im who attempted to burn him alive for believing in Hashem!

The Lev Avraham answers that Avraham Avinu was looking for a specific middah in his future daughter-in-law that would help ensure the survival of the Jewish people: that of being steadfast in one's beliefs. If a person is stubborn, it can indeed be detrimental; but if it is channeled properly, then nothing can get in the way of the person's dedication to avodas Hashem. Avraham Avinu saw in the people of his birthplace a tremendous stubbornness: not only did they attempt to burn him for not holding of their beliefs, but even when he emerged unscathed, they STILL did not give up their nonsensical ideals in favor of what was clearly the truth! And that was the kind of dedication to one's beliefs that Avraham Avinu wanted to harness for the future generations of Klal Yisroel.

As children of the Avos, we all have a certain innate stubborn streak within us. Being headstrong may at first glance appear to be a character flaw; but it is actually Hashem's gift to us, inherited from Rivka Imeinu. By harnessing the power of that stubborn streak, we are able to shield ourselves from the moral depravity that surrounds us, and remain firm in our commitment to Avodas Hashem.

Parshas Vayeira

In this week's parsha, the Torah tells us the legendary story of how the malachim came to visit Lot in S'dom. Having no salt in the house, Lot's wife went to a neighbor, ostensibly to borrow some salt. But her real intention was to betray their guests' presence to the other residents of the city, who were not fond of guests (to say the least). As punishment, when fleeing S'dom, Lot's wife was turned into a pillar of salt.

Two questions arise here: first of all, why was there no salt in the house? What kind of self-respecting housewife runs a kitchen without salt? Second of all, why was Lot's wife turned into a pillar of salt - how is turning into salt a suitable punishment for not hosting guests properly?

To answer these questions, let's analyze for a moment exactly what salt is. Salt is a food that is useless on its own - when eaten plain, it is neither tasty nor healthy. However, that being said, it is an extremely crucial ingredient in many other foods - as any chef will tell you, salt is one of the most versatile condiments there is. Thus we see that salt, by definition, is a food whose essence is serving others. Therefore, Lot's wife did not have any salt in her home: as a resident of S'dom, the selfishness was so ingrained in her that it was unthinkable to have a condiment whose whole essence is to not be selfish, whose purpose in creation is merely the enhancement of other foods. Likewise, that is why her punishment was to be turned into a pillar of salt: since she was so selfish all her life, in death she was converted into salt so that she would spend the rest of eternity as a food whose only purpose is to serve other foods.

We can see from here how important it is to be generous toward other people. A person should always strive to be like salt - always benevolent and caring to other people, even if it comes at great personal expense. Because by being kind to others, we are able to truly refine our character, and rise to greater spiritual heights.

(This week's dvar torah is in honor of hachosson Yoel ben Yisroel.)

Parshas Lech Lecha

In this week's parsha, Hashem tells Avraham Avinu to set out on a journey, without specifying the destination. There is a well-known Medrash which asks: "why did Hashem not tell Avraham his destination? So that Avraham would be rewarded for each and every step he took." Why was it necessary for the destination to remain a mystery? Couldn't Avraham have received the same reward even if he knew where he was going? What was it about the ambiguity of the destination that maximized his schar?

R' Boruch Ber Leibowitz answers as follows: if Hashem had told Avraham Avinu that his destination was Eretz Yisroel, then no matter how long the journey would have been, it still would have been just one mitzvah - that of fulfilling Hashem's command to travel to Eretz Yisroel. However, if the command is simply left as "go wherever I command you", then each and every step becomes its own mitzvah - and not only arrival at the destination - since each step is technically a fulfillment of Hashem's command. And that is why it was so important for Hashem to leave the destination shrouded in mystery.

The same concept can be applied to our times as well. When we live in a time of great turmoil, a time of uncertainty - whether financial, political or otherwise - we must keep in mind that it is for our own good that the future is unknown to us. The Ribono Shel Olam does not tell us what the end will be; rather, we follow him with blind faith down the path that He sets for us, so that we may receive schar for each and every individual step of the way. It is actually the greatest chesed that Hashem can do for us, since it enables us to earn the maximum amount of reward possible, and to achieve the highest levels of greatness.

(This week's dvar torah is in honor of Amram Zvi ben Avraham Moshe.)