The Haggarian Connection

In Parshas Chayei Sara we are taught that Avraham sent his son Yitzchok to fetch Haggar and bring her back to Avraham. It trikes me initially as a bit strange that Avraham would send Yitzchok, of all people, to do this task. After all the relationship between Haggar and Yitchok's mother was not a good one, and Yitzchok had not a good experience with Haggar's son Yishmael, either.
On looking a little deeper there is an interesting connection between the two. Both Yitzchok and Haggar have the Gematria (numerical value) of 208. While our Sages point out that this is eight times the Gematria of God's name, there may be another connection as well.
When Sara realized that she could not give birth she suggested to Avraham that he take Haggar for a wife, "Perhaps I can build a family through her." I want to suggest that Sara sensed that within Haggar there was the same trait of Gevurah that Yitzchok possessed (hence the same numerical value). Through prophecy Sara knew that she was destined to have a child with this trait. When she saw that she was not capable to having the child herself, she assumed that Haggar, who possessed the same trait, was meant to be the surrogate mother.
And, indeed, Haggar, by giving birth to Yishmael, did show that she had the ability to bring forth a child with the trait of Gevurah. Unfortunately, Yishmael chose to use it for evil rather than good. This is why what so upset Sarah about Yishmael was that she saw him מצחק. Rav Moshe Dovid Valle explains this to mean that she saw he was Yitzchok-like. Unfortunately in a bad way, not a good one. However, because he was so similar to Yitzchok she insisted that Avrohom banish him as she feared that that similarity might lead to Yitzchok emulating the path of Yishmael.

Go Find Yourself

I saw something this morning that really blew my mind. Rav Yitzchok Isaac of Komarna explains that when Hashem told Avraham לך לך, what He was telling him is, "Go find yourself."

I want to elaborate on this idea based on what Hashem then continues to say to Avraham.

Hashem tells him to go מארצך, from your land. Land is the place of infinite possibilities. We can plant in land and let anything grow there. But oftentimes we limit ourselves in terms of the growth we believe is possible for ourselves. Instead of seeing the infinite possibilities, we limit our dreams and efforts to a finite set that sells ourselves short. Leave your land, Hashem is telling Avraham, leave the self imposed limitations on what you can be, on how you can grow, on your life's possibilities.

We can understand the next two statements in the same vein. וממולדתך ומבית אביך, and from your birth-place and from your father's home. At times the limitations that we place on ourselves come from the communities in which we live. Other times they may come from our families. Perhaps we have been told since we are children what it is that we should become, or what we can't possibly become. Avraham was now being told by Hashem that he had to leave all of this in order to find himself.

אל הארץ אשר אראך To the land that I will show you.

Go with no preconceived notions. Leave yourself open to whatever possibilities Hashem places before you. Only by leaving yourself open to the infinite possibilities that Hashem can open up for you will you truly find yourself.

See also: The Value of Self-Revelation in which I discuss the value of bringing forth one's inner self.

The Plishti Blockade

"How are we are meant to understand the killing of 200 פלשתים (Phillistines) by Dovid HaMelech, and his bringing their ערלות (foreskins) to Shaul HaMelech," my friend wanted to know. My initial thought was to point out that the פלשתים are referred to as ערלים (uncircumcised) in many places in Tanach. Rashi teaches us that the literal meaning of ערל is a blockage. Ergo, the פלשתים represent some sort of blockage to the Jewish Nation whicd King Dovid needed to remove in order to take his rightful place. More than that I was in the dark...

However, after further review I discovered a comment by the בעל הטורים (Baal Haturim) that shed much light on the issue. He quotes the Mesorah (an ancient, cryptically terse, Midrash) which points out that we find the word וימלאום in two places. The first place is in פרשת תולדות (Parshas Toledos) in reference to the fact that Avraham had dug wells which the Plishtim then filled (וימלאום) requiring Yitzchak to dig the wells once again. The second context is when Dovid filled (וימלאום) the quota of ערלות (foreskins) that Shaul had demanded of him. This connection made it clear to me that my original suspicions were correct. Clearly, the בעל הטורם was drawing a connection between the stopping up of the wells by the פלשתים and the need for Dovid to remove the ערלות of the פלשתים.

It still begs the question: What is being stopped up?

The Ramban is puzzled by the amount of text taken up in the Torah with the discussion of the wells. His understanding is that the wells represent the ability to allow the spiritual forces introduced by Avraham and Yitzchak to sprout forth in the world. The פלשתים were fighting against the dissemination of those teachings, and Avraham and Yitzchok were constantly fighting back. By the time it came to Yaakov, the battle had been won. Presumably then, we are safe in assuming that the פלשתים at the time of Dovid and Shaul represent the same force; they were blocking the spiritual growth of the Jewish Nation. Only after their defeat would that growth be possible. Interestingly, after the victories of Dovid over the Plishtim, we no longer find them any reference to their oppressing Klal Yisroel in Tanach.

When it comes to the אבות (patriarchs) it is quite evident that during the time of Avrohom and Yitzchok their ability to disseminate their teachings on a wide and long term scale was quite limited. The נפש אשר עשו בחרן (souls brought close to God in Charan) disappear from the scene never to be seen again. The families  of the first two patriarchs are very small, and not all the children follow in their spiritual path. It is only with the advent of Yaakov, after Yitzchok had successfully concluded his battles with the Plishtim that we find ופרצת ימה וקדמה that he had the ability to begin to spread his family, and his teachings all over. Furthermore, what do we find in the Torah of the blessing of Avraham to Yitzchok at the end of his life? Nothing. It is only after Yitzchok has negotiated a truce with the Plishtim, and gotten them to stop blocking him that we can see the true poetry of the heart of Klal Yisroel ויתן לך אלקים מטל השמים ומשמני הארץ (And God shall give you from the dew of heaven and the fat of the earth). It is only then that we find blessings such as those that Yaakov gave his sons prior to his death.

I would suggest that something similar is true generations later in the time of Dovid HaMelech. Dovid and his son Shlomo represent the לב (heart) of the Jewish Nation. It is in their words that we find the most beautiful expressions of the soul of a Jew. We find no such expressions beforehand. It seems that the full expression of the soul of the Nation was suppressed as long as the Plishtim were around. It was only with their demise that these expressions became possible. Perhaps we can also suggest that as long as the Plishtim were present the manifestation of God's presence was more limited as well. This is why the Nation only had a משכן (Tabernacle) until the demise of the Plishtim. And that was a structure which the Phillistines succeeded in destroying. It was only with Dovid's victories over the פלשתים that it became possible to build a בית המקדש (Temple).

This final point would seem to be supported by the following. Yitzchok was never victorious over the פלשתים, all he accomplished was a truce with אבימלך (Avimelech). The full measure of outpouring would have to await a victory over them and an abolishment of the truce. When Dovid tried to capture Yerushalayim he was told that he could not until he removed the blind and the lame from there. Our sages teach us that the blind and the lame were statues that symbolized the treaty made between Yitzchok and Avimelech. As long as that treaty was in force, Yerushalayim, the home of the greatest expression of the spirituality of the Jewish Nation, would not be able to be in Jewish hands. That expression could never be fully realized. Dovid sought someone to remove the blind and the lame and יגיע בצנור (reach the pipeline). It was only be finally being victorious over them and removing this scourge from the midst of the Jewish Nation that the full expression, the completely open pipeline of spiritual abundance, would be able to be bestowed upon the people.

Where did Yitzchok go?

Rabbi Yosef Karo remains one of the most important figures in the development of Halacha, practical Jewish Law. Less known, is the fact that he was also a significant Kabbalist. He was visited regularly by an angel who shared with him Torah insights. In the year 1585 on the night of the 22 of Cheshvan the angel shared the following with him:

Why does Parshat Toledot begin by saying "These are the happenings of Yitzchok the son of Avraham?" Don't we already know who Yitzchok's father is? Even more puzzling is the next phrase which says "Avraham begat Yitzchok." This seems to just be repeating the superfluous lineage that was anyway just mentioned.

By explanation the angel told him that the reason why Yitzcchok was unmarried at age 37 was because he represented din the spiritual force in the Universe which represents constriction and limitation. This is not a force which represents increase in the form of having offspring. The Akedat Yitzchok, the Binding of Yitzchok, was done in order to mitigate in some way the force of that din. Similar to the slaughtering of animals before they are eaten, which is done in order to remove the blood in them which represents din, so too, some of Yitzchok's blood had to be shed to minimize his din.

This was the miracle of the Akeida that God performed in order to enable Yitzchok to have offspring. At the moment Avraham drew blood from Yitzchok, the soul of Yitzchok left him, and at that moment Sarah's soul left her as well. Sarah, the life partner of Avraham, represented chesed, the spiritual force of abundance, the opposite of din. Her soul then united with that of Yitzchok to create a soul which combined the two forces, allowing him to father children.

Yitzchok then spent three years in Gan Eden recuperating from the injury inflicted on him.

These are the offspring of Yitzchok the son of Avraham; Yitzchok only ended up having offspring as he was the son of Avraham who represented Chesed. But it was necessary first for Avraham to beget Yitzchok an additional time before this could occur.