KYP - Lech Lecha
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KYP - Lech Lecha
Leilluy Nishmas HR’R Mordechai Ben Chaim Dovid Z’L
126 Pasukim (verses), 6 Perakim (chapters)
1st Aliyah (Kohen)
Hashem tells Avram to go from his land and family and Hashem will bless him and make him a great nation; those who bless him will be blessed and the opposite holds true.
Avram is 75 years old when he takes Saray, Lot (his nephew), the souls that they made in Charan and all of their possessions and head out towards Canaan.
Hashem tells Avram that He will give his descendants this land.
Avram builds a Mizbeach for Hashem who appeared to him.
Avram goes just east of Beit-El such that Beit-El is to his west and Ai is to his east; Avram builds a Mizbeach in the name of Hashem there.
Avram continues southward.
There is a severe famine so Avram goes to Mitzraim (Egypt).
Avram notices that Saray is good looking so he tells her to say that she is his sister in order that they will treat him well and not kill him.
2nd Aliyah (Levi)
Saray is taken to Paroh and Avram is treated well and is given livestock and servants as gifts.
Paroh and his household are afflicted with plagues on account of taking Saray.
Paroh asks Avram why he didn’t say that she was his wife; Avram, Saray and their possessions are sent away from Mitzraim.
Avram has a lot of livestock, gold and silver.
Avram and his family first go southbound but then return to between Beit-El and AI where he had made the Mizbeach in the name of Hashem.
3rd Aliyah
Lot also has much wealth and this leads to quarreling between Avram’s and Lot’s herdsmen.
Avram tells Lot that in order to avoid strife, they should separate and Lot may choose whether he prefers to go right or left.
Lot chooses the plain of the Yardan (Jordan) as it was very fertile there.
Avram dwells in Canan while Lot dwells in the plain and has tents as far as Sodom.
The Pasuk informs us that the people of Sodom were wicked and sinned to Hashem a lot.
After Lot departs from Avram, Hashem tells Avram to look and walk in all four directions because Hashem will give his descendants all that he sees and Hashem will make his descendants numerous like the dust of the earth which can’t be counted.
Avram moves to Mamrey which is in Chevron; Avram builds a Mizbeach for Hashem there.
4th Aliyah
Amrafel king of Shinar, Aryoch king of Eylam, Kidarleomer king of Eylam and Cital king of Goyim wage war on Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Amorah, Shinav king of Adma, Shemever king of Tzivoyim and Lelah king of Tzoar.
They had been in Siddim which is now called Yam Hamelach.
Kidarleomer and the others conquered a number of countries and now Bera and those with him went against them; 4 kings vs. 5 kings.
Kidarleomer (and the kings that are with him) win the war, capture Lot and take the possessions of Sodom and Amorah; while the latter’s kings fall into a well and the other kings flee to the mountains.
A fugitive informs Avram about what happened to Lot.
Avram goes to war against Kidarleomer and is victorious; he frees Lot and all of the possessions that were taken from Lot and the kings.
The king/priest of Shalem, Malkie-Tzedek, brings Avram bread and wine and blesses Hashem and Avram.
Avram gives Malkie-Tzedek a 10th of everything.
5th Aliyah
The kings of Sodom goes to meet Avram and just asks for his people but not his possessions that were recovered by Avram.
Avram declines saying that he doesn’t want as much as a shoe-string so the king of Sodom can’t say that Avram got rich on account of him.
Avram only asks that those who accompanied him, Aner, Eshkol and Mamrey, should be compensated for helping him.
After this, Hashem tells Avram that his reward will be great but Avram points out that his doesn’t have heirs to inherit whatever he gets; only Eliezer his servant would get it.
Hashem tells Avram to look at the stars and count them as that is how many of his descendants will be.
Avram trusts Hashem and considers this blessing from Hashem as righteousness.
6th Aliyah
Hashem reminds Avram that it is He who took him out of Ur Kasdim.
Avram asks how he will know that the blessing will come true.
Hashem tells Avram to take 3 heifers, 3 goats, 3 rams and turtledove and a young dove; all but the birds are split in half and each cut piece placed parallel to its half.
Birds of prey try to eat from the carcasses but Avram drives them away.
The sun is about to set; Avram falls into a deep sleep.
Hashem tells Avram that his children will exiled and oppressed for 400 years but then Hashem will judge the oppressing nation and his children will leave them with great wealth.
As far as Avram is concerned, Hashem tells him that he will live to a good old age.
Hashem tells Avram that the 4th generation will return to this land because the iniquity of the Amori won’t be complete until then.
The sun set and it was very dark; a smoky furnace and a torch of fine is passed between the pieces.
One that day Hashem made a Bris (covenant) with Avram to his descendants will get the land form the river of Mitzraim until the river of Peras (Euphrates River) as well as the following 10 nations. Keni, Knizi, Kadmoni, Chiti, Prizi, Refaim, Eorim, Kenani, Girgashi and Yevusi.
After 10 years of Avram being married to Saray without having children, Saray gives her maidservant, Hagar, to Avram to have children.
Hagar becomes pregnant; this leads to a degradation of Saray in Hagars eyes.
Sarah complains to Avram and he tells her to do as she sees fit.
Sarah causes Hagar to run away from her.
A Malach (angel) finds Hagar next to a spring and tells her to return to Saray and that Hagar will be blessed with many descendents.
The Malach tells Hagar that she will have a son and she should name him Yishmael; he will be a wild man, his hand against everyone and everyone’s hand against him.
Due to seeing a Malach of Hashem, Hagar calls the well there “The Well of the Living One Appearing to Me.”
Avram is 86 years old when Hagar gives birth to Yishmael.
Hashem appears to Avram when he is 99 years old.
Hashem makes a Bris (covenant) between Himself and Avram and Avram’s descendents.
Hashem renames Avram with the name “Avraham” as he is a father of a multitude of nations.
7th Aliyah
The Bris (mentioned above) consists of each male being circumcised on the 8th day after they are born.
This applies to any male whether from birth or if he is purchased; if one doesn’t comply they shall be cut off from his nation.
Hashem renames Saray to “Sarah” and says that Avraham will have a son from her.
Avraham falls on his face and laughs at the thought of a 100 year old man (himself) and a 99 year old woman (Sarah) having a newborn son.
Hashem tells Avraham that by the same time next year he’ll have a son named Yitzchak and Hashem will fulfill his Bris (covenant) through him.
Nevertheless, Hashem tells Avraham that He has blessed Yishmael to multiply and be a great nation; in addition 12 princes will descend from him.
Hashem ascends from Avraham and Avraham has himself circumcised (at age 99), Yishmael (at age 13) and the rest of his servants.
Haftorah (Yeshaya 40:27 - 41:16)
Hashem does not weary nor falter.
Whoever has faith in Hashem will have renewed strength and will not grow tired.
Idol worshippers have encouraged one another but the everlasting Hashem makes his enemies like dust.
Klal Yisroel, is the offspring of Avraham (Hashem’s beloved) who Hashem has chosen; they should not fear as He will not reject them.
Hashem has strengthened them and anyone who goes against them will be humiliated.
Hashem has made Klal Yisroel a new sharp iron that will pulverize and the wind will carry the rest off.
Parsha Nuggets
1) Some say that moving to another place causes ones judgment to be torn up as we see by Avraham that he is told to go from his land and then it says that Hashem will make him into a great nation. (Rosh Hashanah 16b)
2) Question: Who are the “the souls that they made in Charan” (Pasuk 12:5)?
Answer: Whoever teaches Torah to his friend’s son is considered as if he made him. (Gemorah Sanhedrin 99b)
3) Question: “And the treated Avraham well because of her” (Pasuk 12:16)
Answer: The Gemorah learns from here that one must be careful with the honor of ones wife as blessing in ones home comes because of ones wife. (Bava Metziah 59b)
4) Question: Why was Avraham’s and Yaakov’s name changed but Yitzchak did have his name changed?
Answer: Yitzchak merited to be named by Hashem in the first place. (See Pasuk 17:19) (Yerushalmi Brachos 1:6)
5) Question: Why does the Pasuk (14:18) refer to Hashem as the high G-d and the next Pasuk (14:19) refers to Hashem as the high G-d who is the Maker of heaven and earth?
Answer: The Keli Yakar (Ibid) explains that
1) It wasn’t until Avraham came and introduced the concept that Hashem rules the heavens and the earth that people thought of Hashem as just a G-d of the heavens.
2) Bracha comes from the heaven and earth so the heaven and earth are only mentioned when the Bracha was being said in Pasuk 14:19.