Vayera

In the Torah portion Vayera we learn about the many good deeds of Abraham. In the Pirkei Ovos we learn that on 3 things does the world stand:  on Torah; on worship; and on deeds of kindness.  Abraham, of course, is associated with deeds of kindness.  We learn about his many deeds of kindness in the Torah portion Vayera.  It is strange, though, that in the first chapter of Pirkei Ovos, in the second verse, we learn that the world stands on 3 things, on Torah, on worship, and on deeds of kindness, while just a few scant sentences later in the 18th sentence of the first chapter we learn that the rabbis say that the world exists based on three things:  on truth and on justice and on peace.  How come they said before in the beginning of this chapter that the world stands on three things: on Torah, worship, and deeds of kindness, while it says that the world exists on truth, justice, and peace.

Actually if we look carefully at these two sentences we can see thatthere really is not any contradiction.  The word "Omaid" which is translated as "stands" in Hebrew means "potential", that the world has potential, that these three things, Torah and worship and Gemilas Chasodeem, bring the world to have the potential to bring the world to exist based on truth, justice, and peace.  How do we know whether we really have Torah and worship and deeds of kindness?  We know this if there really is truth and justice and peace in a community.  If there is not truth and justice and peace in the community, then you can rest assured that there is no Torah, there is no worship, and there is no true deeds of kindness.  Maybe there are one of these, but all three are not combined to make a community in which there is peace, justice, and truth.  In fact, sometimes the Torah or the learning that is taught may be a learning which is almost conducive to selfishness and maybe the worship is completely devoid of any sincerity.  Maybe the deeds of kindness are only rationalizations like we find now in the Communist countries where they claim that they are doing everything for the people when really they are doing everything in order to build a powerful military machine.  The roads they were building were not for the purpose of improving the economy but for improvement for moving troops, that the great investment in factories was not to produce consumer goods for the people but to produce weapons so that their armies would be powerful and they could export revolution, etc. We see that whether or not we really have Torah, worship, and deeds of kindness in society is tested by whether or not we have peace and justice and truth in that society.  If we do not have peace and truth and justice in that society, then, of course, there is no true Torah, worship, of deeds of kindness.

Abraham is the epitome of doing deeds of kindness because he did it not for ulterior motives.  He did his deeds of kindness because he honestly was concerned for people.  He honestly wanted the best for them.  He was not looking out just for his own self-interest, although his self-interest was also served if he helped others so that others could lead peaceful and productive and fulfilling lives.

In this week’s portion we learn how he went and left G-d even, left worship, in order to help strangers who he saw while he was sitting in the heat of the day.  This was an exceptionally hot day because the rabbis say that G-d had made this day hot because it was the third day after his circumcision and G-d did not want him bothered with having to go help people on this day and bring them into his tent, but it had the exact opposite effect on Abraham.  Abraham said, "This day is so hot strangers now will need me even more."  Therefore, he sat out in the heat of the day.  G-d had even appeared to him in order to visit him to see how he was doing, but he left G-d.  He left worship in order to help people. Worship has its place, but it is not the only thing that is important in life.

Later we learn how Abraham prayed for the people of Sodom and Gemorrah, that G-d should not destroy these cities.  We all know that these two cities, actually there were 5 cities altogether but Sodom and Gomorrah were the two major ones, were the antithesis of Abraham's philosophy. They were selfish people who were only interested in themselves, who would stoop to harm strangers and the innocent and the widow and orphan.  They were only interested in making money and their own self-aggrandizement. Yet, when G-d told Abraham that He was going to destroy them Abraham was aghast, and he said, "Perhaps there would be 50 righteous people in the city,” and G-d said that He would spare the city.  Not only would He spare the city if there were 50 righteous people, but He would even forgive that place for their sake.  Then Abraham goes on and says, "What happens if there are only 45 righteous people," and G-d said He would not destroy the city if He finds 45.  He did not say that He would not punish the city but that He would not destroy the city.  Then Abraham continues and says, "What happens if there are only 40, only 30," and G-d said, "Well for the sake of 40 or 30 I will not do anything.  I will just stay passive. I will wait and see how things develop."  Then Abraham went on down to 20 and to 10, and for 20 and 10 G-d said again, "I will not destroy them," which did not mean that He would not punish them.  He would probably punish them but He would not destroy them.  Why these different expressions? Why when Abraham pleaded for 50 G-d said not only would He not destroy these cities but would forgive the people?  Why when He said 45 did G-d say He would not destroy them but most certainly would punish them.  And when he came to 40 and 30 G-d said He would not do anything, but, yet, again when he said 20 and 10 G-d said again He would not destroy but He would punish.

The reason for this is because 50 is the sign of a community.  When there is a community who are actively seeking the right and the good in the city (there are 5 cities and a community is defined as a group of 10), and if there were a minyan, a group of 10, in each city then that city still has hope.  G-d can forgive the city because there are people who are actively working within that city to try to perfect it and make it a better place.  If there is not a minyan in every city, though, and are only scattered people, and, of course, that, too, is a merit to the city because they allow the righteous people to live, yet there is not a force that is actively working in order to perfect the city so, therefore, G-d would have to punish this city in order to awaken its conscience, that it would know that it would have to improve and do things better.  If there are only 45, 9 in each city, G-d is not going to destroy the city but it does not mean that He would not punish it.  What happens if there are 40 or 30?  Well, here the assumption is that there is a minyan in at least 4 of the cities or 3 of the cities.  There is a community in at least part of the cities.  For example, in the United States if there were people working in San Francisco and Los Angeles and New York and Houston for change that might be enough for the whole country to be spared. G-d said if the majority of the cities are working for change, even though it is not all the cities but at least a majority of the cities in the country, if there is a movement to perfect the country and make it a better place, then, of course, G-d said, lfI will see what happens.  I will stay passive and just see what happens."  If there are only 20 or 10 that means there was only a community, though, in 2 or 1 of the 5 cities, so in that country there were only a minority involved, and G-d said again that He would not destroy it but He would have to punish it in order to waken the conscience of the community. That, of course, explains, too, what we mean when we say "Torah Avodah - worship and Gemilas Chasodeem", deeds of kindness.  You need all three. You cannot just have Torah.  Torah is important and wonderful but there was Torah even before Abraham.  After all, there was a yeshiva in Shaim  and Aver, but the yeshiva was not connected to community at all.  It was not interested in perfecting the community and making it a better place. The people in the yeshiva were only interested in themselves and meditating with G-d and improving their own lot and their soul, but they did not have anything at all to do with the community around them.  It was Abraham's special merit that he knew that you could not leave Torah just in a yeshiva. You had to take Torah out and make the people understand what it was all about so that they would try to perfect the world and make it a better place.  Torah is meant to be brought out to the world, and that is why the second requirement is worship.  You cannot worship alone.  You need a minyan in order to worship.  When we pray we need a minyan.  We have to have a community and so, therefore, the Torah also has to have a community, a community that is actively working to pursue the ideals' of Torah.  Not only must you believe in these ideals, you must have deeds of kindness which implement these ideals throughout the whole world.  That is, of course, borne fruit.  This is, of course, proved when you have a community in which there is peace and truth and justice.  It is to our lasting regret that many times you will find so-called religious people who are filled with hatred and divisiveness, and that, of course, means that they are not really religious people.  If there is not truth and justice and peace in their community then something is the matter with their religious outlook. That is why, too, of course, when Abraham pleaded, after he asked for 50 and G-d said, "I will forgive the place, not only will I not destroy it but I will forgive it," and then Abraham said, "Behold, please I will continue to speak to my Lord.  I am dust and ashes."  The rabbis ask, why did Abraham say he was dust and aches?  The reason for that is that Abraham was saying to G-d, "I know it is hard to form a community.  It is difficult to form a community.  Look at all I had to suffer when I chased after Lot and pursued the powerful army that captured him.  I could  have been made into dust, and when I challenged Nimrod and was throw in into the fiery furnace I could have been ashes.  G-d, it is difficult to go and challenge a community.  G-d, help me anyway to save these people because even though they are not a community but scattered individuals it still may be good." And G-d said, "I will not destroy the community, but I will punish them in order to awaken their conscience."  It is difficult  to form a community.  It is not easy to form a community, but it is something we have to do.  It is much easier just to gratify our own desires, to pursue our own careers, not to give the time and effort necessary to build a community.  Sometimes it is aggravating and sometimes there is politics, and it is difficult.  There are dues and all sorts of other problems, but unless we are willing to band together as a community and try to put forward the agenda of Judaism which speaks about truth and kindness and  peace and caring and unless we translate this into real deeds of kindness then we have not really fulfilled our mandate as Jews.  It is very important that each of us be involved with Torah and with worship as a community and also with implementing deeds of kindness.  It is only in this way that the world will ever have truth, justice, and peace.

I am reminded of the story about a woman who called up a real estate office. The man who answered said, "Hello," and the woman said, "Can you please tell me if your maternity sale is over?"  The man said, "Lady, I think you have the wrong number, but may I interest you in a larger apartment?" I am not sure that this is what is meant by care and concern, but we all must think of the other person and their needs, too, if we are to have a just society, a peaceful society, and a truthful society.  May our Torah and our worship and our deeds of kindness be accepted because we have formed a society based on truth, justice, and peace.  Amen.