Video Study for Parsha Chayei Sarah

[muman613]

Shalom JTF readers,

I am going to start this weeks Torah study for the weekly parsha early this week. I usually wait till Wednesday evening to start posting, but I just noticed that the great Rabbi Richman has already posted his new video for the portion.

What is interesting about this portion is the fact that it is called 'The Life of Sarah' and yet the very first sentence describes how she dies. The life of Sarah was 100 years, and 20 years, and 7 years (127) and the sages of Israel have expounded on the reason her life span was described by 100s, 10s, and 1s... The story of Abraham purchasing the Cave of Machpelah where our patriarchs and matriarchs are interred.

This portion also contains the intriguing (and the longest narrative) description of the mission of Abraham our fathers faithful servant Eliezer. He was sent to find Yitzak a wife, which he succeeds in doing.

Here is the Chabad portion in a nutshell:

http://www.chabad.org/parshah/article_cdo/aid/3174/jewish/Chayei-Sarah-in-a-Nutshell.htm

Sarah dies at age 127 and is buried in the Machpelah Cave in Hebron, which Abraham purchases from Ephron the Hittite for four hundred shekels of silver.

Abraham’s servant Eliezer is sent, laden with gifts, to Charan, to find a wife for Isaac. At the village well, Eliezer asks G‑d for a sign: when the maidens come to the well, he will ask for some water to drink; the woman who will offer to give his camels to drink as well shall be the one destined for his master’s son.

Rebecca, the daughter of Abraham’s nephew Bethuel, appears at the well and passes the “test.” Eliezer is invited to their home, where he repeats the story of the day’s events. Rebecca returns with Eliezer to the land of Canaan, where they encounter Isaac praying in the field. Isaac marries Rebecca, loves her, and is comforted over the loss of his mother.

Abraham takes a new wife, Keturah (Hagar), and fathers six additional sons, but Isaac is designated as his only heir. Abraham dies at age 175 and is buried beside Sarah by his two eldest sons, Isaac and Ishmael.

Here is Rabbi Richmans latest dvar Torah:

[muman613]

Rabbi Chaim Shwab of TorahAnyTime.com...

[muman613]

Rabbi BenZion Shafier gives a short Shmuz on the parsha...

[muman613]

Rabbi Finkelstein on the portion...

[muman613]

Rabbi Richmans video from last year..

[muman613]

From the Torah of the great Religious Zionist Rabbi, Rav Kook, on Chayei Sarah...


http://ravkooktorah.org/HAYA_65.htm

Chayei Sarah: Rav Kook and Hebron

"Sarah died in Kiryat Arba, also known as Hebron, in the land of Canaan. Abraham came to eulogize Sarah and to weep for her." (Gen. 23:2)

On February 18, 1930, a somber gathering assembled in the Yeshurun synagogue in Jerusalem. The synagogue and its plaza were packed as crowds attended the memorial service for the Jews of Hebron killed in the Arab rioting half a year earlier.

Hebron, the 18th of Av 5689 (August 24, 1929)

On that tragic Sabbath day, news about the massacre in Hebron reached the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem. Yitzchak Ben-Zvi, then director of the National Committee, hurried to Rav Kook's house. Together they went to speak with Harry Luke, the acting British high commissioner, so that he would take action and protect the Jews of Hebron.

The chief rabbi demanded that the British take severe and immediate measures against the Arab rioters. To Luke's question, 'What can be done?' Rav Kook's response was short and decisive: 'Shoot the murderers!'

'But I have received no orders about this.'

'Then I am commanding you!' Rav Kook roared. 'In the name of humanity's moral conscience, I demand this!'

Not long after this heated exchange, an official reception was held in Jerusalem and Mr. Luke held out his hand to greet the chief rabbi. But Rav Kook, who held the commissioner responsible for British inaction during the massacre, refused to take his hand.

"I do not shake hands that are defiled with Jewish blood."

Mourning the Loss

The day after the rioting in Hebron, the extent of the massacre was revealed. Arab mobs had slaughtered 67 Jews — yeshiva students, elderly rabbis, women, and children. The British police had done nothing to protect them. The Jewish community of Hebron was destroyed, and their property had been looted and stolen. The British sent the survivors to Jerusalem.

The tzaddik Rabbi Arieh Levine accompanied Rav Kook that Sunday to the Hadassah hospital, in order to hear news of the Hebron community by telephone. Rabbi Levine recalled the terrible memories that would be forever etched in his heart:

"When the Rav heard about the murder of the holy martyrs, he fell backwards and fainted. After coming to, he cried bitterly and tore his clothes 'over the house of Israel and God's people who had fallen by the sword.' He sat in the dust and recited the blessing "Baruch Dayan Ha'emet."

"For some time after that, his bread was the bread of tears and he slept without a pillow. Old age suddenly fell upon him, and he began to suffer terrible pains. This tragedy brought about the illness from which the Rav never recovered."

The Memorial Service in Jerusalem

Six months later, grieving crowds filled the Yeshurun synagogue. A mourning mood of Tisha B'Av lingered on the gathering, as they assembled in pained silence. Survivors of the massacre, who had witnessed the atrocities before their eyes, recited kaddish for family members murdered in the rioting.

Rabbi Yakov Yosef Slonim, who had lost his son — a member of the Hebron municipal council — and grandchildren in the massacre, opened the assembly in the name of the remnant of the Hebron community. No healing has taken place during the past six months, he reported. The murder and the theft have not been rectified. The British government and the Jewish leadership have done nothing to correct the situation by reclaiming Jewish property and resettling Hebron.

Rabbi Kook's Speech

Afterwards, the chief rabbi rose to speak.

The holy martyrs of Hebron do not need a memorial service. The Jewish people can never forget the holy and pure souls who were slaughtered by murderers and vile thugs.

Rather, we must remember and remind the Jewish people not to forget the city of the Patriarchs. The people must know what Hebron means to us.

We have a tradition that "The actions of the fathers are signposts for the children"  (Nachmanides, Gen. 12:6). When the weak-hearted spies arrived at Hebron, they were frightened by the fierce nations that lived in the land. But 'Caleb quieted the people for Moses. He said, 'We must go forth and occupy the land — we can do it!'' (Num. 13:30)

Despite this terrible tragedy that took place in Hebron, we announce to the world, "Our strength now is like our strength then." We will not abandon our holy places and aspirations. Hebron is the city of our fathers, the city of the Machpeilah cave where our Patriarchs are buried. It is the city of David, the cradle of our sovereign monarchy.

Those who discourage the ones trying to rebuild the Jewish community in Hebron with arguments of political expedience; those who scorn and say, 'What are those wretched Jews doing?'; those who refuse to help build Hebron — they are attacking the very roots of our people. In the future they will need to give account for their actions. If ruffians and hooligans have repaid our kindness with malice, we have only one eternal response: Jewish Hebron will once again be built, in honor and glory!

The inner meaning of Hebron is to draw strength and galvanize ourselves with the power of Netzach Yisrael, Eternal Israel.

That proud Jew, Caleb, announced years later, "I am still strong... as my strength was then, so is my strength now"  (Joshua 14:11). So too, we announce to all: our strength now is as our strength was then. We shall reestablish Hebron in even greater glory, with peace and security for every Jew. With God's help, we will merit to see Hebron completely rebuilt, speedily in our days.

Addendum

While some Jewish families did return to Hebron in 1931, they were evacuated by the British authorities at the start of the Arab revolt of 1936. For 34 years, there was no Jewish community in Hebron — until 1970, when the government of the State of Israel once again permitted Jewish settlement in Hebron. This return to Hebron after the Six-Day War was spearheaded by former students of the Mercaz HaRav yeshiva, disciples of Rav Kook's son, Rabbi Zvi Yehuda Kook.

In 1992, Rav Kook's grandson, Rabbi Shlomo Ra'anan, moved to Hebron. Six years later, an Arab terrorist stabbed the 63-year-old rabbi to death. But soon after, his daughter — Rav Kook's great-granddaughter — together with her husband and children, moved to Hebron, thus continuing the special link between the Kook family and the city of the Patriarchs.

(Adapted from Malachim Kivnei Adam, pp. 155-157; 160; 164-165)

[muman613]

Rabbi Shlomo Katz, the wise student of Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, delivers another 1 hour+ discussion of our Parsha. This was just posted this week...

[muman613]

Just found this discussion of Rabbi Kahane's (Zt'l) last dvar Torah given by a Rabbi in LA who I met several years ago... Rabbi Moshe Parry carries on the teaching of our teacher to the Jews of LA.



http://JooTube.TV Parashat Chayei Sarah - "Whose Hebron Is It, Anyway? by Rav Binyamin Ze'ev Kahane. "And Avraham weighed to Ephron the silver..." (Gen. 23:16). Rabbi Yehuda Bar Simon said: It is one of the three places where the nations of the world would not be able to deceive Israel by claiming: You are thieves (since it was acquired with money). The Cave of the Patriarchs, as it is written: 'And Avraham weighed to Ephron the silver...'; The Temple Mount, as it is written, 'So David gave to Ornan for the place six hundred shekels of gold coins by weight'; Joseph's Tomb, as it is written, and he (Yaakov) bought the parcel of ground ... at the hand of the children of Hamor, the father of Shechem (Bereshit Rabbah, 89).

Three questions arise from the above Midrash:
1) And on the rest of the Land of Israel the gentiles can say that we are robbers?
2) What does it mean, "they will not be able"? We see that they are quite able and even successful in undermining our claim to those three places. Indeed, precisely those three places are where they concentrate their struggle!
3) On the verse in Psalms (111:6), "The power of His works has He declared to His people in giving them the heritage of the nations", Rashi writes: "so that the nations will not be able to say you are robbers when you conquer the seven nations". And so, we see that Rashi says that on all of Israel "they cannot say" that we are thieves!

The Torah knew that when the gentile would rise up against the Jewish "thieves" and "occupiers", certain Jews may doubt the justice of their cause due to all kind of guilt feelings. Perhaps the gentile is right that we stole his land? Perhaps he has an ethical argument? And so the sages come to tell us: Look, there are three places that even according to simple logic the gentile cannot open his mouth about, for they were purchased with money. And in any case, this justified claim makes no impression on them. On the contrary, it is precisely in these three places where they center their struggle against us! What does this teach us? That it isn't justice or ethics which motivates them, nor is it a dispute over property that can be resolved. Rather, it is a national-religious struggle!

Now the sages come and explain: Just as you know that in these three places their claims are not justified, by the same token you should not get excited about the rest of their claims on other parts of the land of Israel, since "the entire world belongs to the Holy One, Blessed Be He, He created it and gave it to whomever it was right in His eyes, of His own will He gave it to them and of His own will He took it from them and gave it to us!" (Rashi on the beginning of Genesis). This now explains Rashi in the aforementioned Psalm, that "the nations of the world won't be able to say you are robbers". Not that they "won't be able to say" it. On the contrary, they'll say it all the time. But the "won't be able to" is not directed to the gentile, but rather to the ears of the Jews! That they must know that G-d gave us the Land, with an obligation to conquer and to expel. And so it is said: "The power of His works He has declared to His people in giving them the heritage of the nations" - the answer is intended for "His people". The gentiles are not being addressed here, either because they will not listen anyway, or perhaps it simply is not important what they think.

Hebron, Shechem, and the Temple Mount [...] have become symbols of the Arab-Israeli struggle in the land of Israel. Indeed, the battle for the Land of Israel has reached its climax, and those three locations which the "gentile won't be able" to contest, are, in fact, the most hotly contested."

(Excerpted by Tzipora Liron-Pinner from the commentary on Chayei Sarah in "The writings of Rav Binyamin Ze'ev Kahane. HY"D")

[muman613]

Rabbi Yehuda Moses from LA, for TorahAnyTime.com...

[muman613]

Rabbi Trugman gives a one hour discussion of the portion...