- Opening Question: we know that Avraham will have two important moments in his personal history - which ends up being our collective history - in this parsha. One, he protests against Sdom and Gomorrah being destroyed. Then, he does not so much as utter a word when he is apparently asked to sacrifice his son. What are the motivations that you can see for Avraham to protest against Sdom and Gomorrah from the very text?
- Ask for people to notice the use of the word "tzaak" "scream" both in the Torah portion and in the Haftarah.
- Coming back, ask for answers - motivations / tzaak is always used when one who is being oppressed asks for help. The First Woman in the Elisha story is fundamental, given that the request for justice parallels the request for justice in our portion - it is after this that Avraham can have a heir.
- NOW TO THE TEXTS.
- Quick reminder about the swastikas and the chants against DHS by Wilton HS. Explanation from Shazeeda that even though it was in the NT that it was her house, this was not the house she lives in, but one that she rents out, and that the real targets were the hispanics living there.
- Add that those are not isolated incidents, but part of a general trend of seeing others as not having basic humanity that has been happening around the country.And that this spreads, particularly as we see who are the people being appointed for helping the government.
- Tell the story of Oswaldo Aranha - a puzzle, given that he was instrumental in getting the UN 1948 vote going pro Israel, and yet did not let Jews flee to Brazil. He wanted, actually, that all Jews should have "their area in the world, will not need to be here and we won't have to worry about them wanting to come to our soil" When asked to admit 500 Jewish orphans fleeing from France and Hungary. He only accepted if the children were below 10 years old and could be raised by Catholics, in order to erase their Jewishness. And he moved so slowly that by the time the government said ok, the kids had been taken by other countries, like the US and the UK. One can be profoundly AS and Zionist at the same time.
- The final question is - are we going to be Avraham's, Elisha's and Rav Yehuda's heirs, standing up for those whom we see oppressed, or are we going to be like Lot, worrying only about ourselves?
פרתו של רבי אלעזר בן עזריה: וחדא פרה הויא ליה והא אמר רב ואמרי לה אמר רב יהודה אמר רב תריסר אלפי עגלי הוה מעשר רבי אלעזר בן עזריה מעדריה כל שתא ושתא תנא לא שלו היתה אלא של שכינתו היתה ומתוך שלא מיחה בה נקראת על שמו רב ורבי חנינא ור' יוחנן ורב חביבא מתנו בכוליה דסדר מועד כל כי האי זוגא חלופי רבי יוחנן ומעייל רבי יונתן כל מי שאפשר למחות לאנשי ביתו ולא מיחה נתפס על אנשי ביתו באנשי עירו נתפס על אנשי עירו בכל העולם כולו נתפס על כל העולם כולו אמר רב פפא והני דבי ריש גלותא נתפסו על כולי עלמא כי הא דאמר רבי חנינא מאי דכתיב (ישעיהו ג, יד) ה' במשפט יבא עם זקני עמו ושריו אם שרים חטאו זקנים מה חטאו אלא אימא
R. ELEAZAR B. 'AZARIAH'S COW [USED TO GO OUT WITH A THONG BETWEEN ITS HORNS, BUT NOT WITH THE CONSENT OF THE RABBIS]. Did he have just this one cow? Surely Rav (others say in the name of Rav Yehudah in Rav's name) said: The tithe of R. Eleazar b. 'Azariah's flocks amounted to thirteen thousand calves every year! — It was taught: This cow was not his, but it belonged to a female neighbor of his; yet since he did not protest, it was designated as his.
Rab and R. Hanina, R. Johanan and R. Habiba taught ...: Anyone who is able to influence the people of their home, and does not, is punished for the sins of the people of their home. Their city, are punished for the sins of their city. The whole world, are punished for the sins of the whole world. Said R. Papa: "These, the rulers of the kingdom in exile, are punished for the sins of the whole world." For this R. Hanina said: "Why is it written: 'Hashem will enter into judgment with the elders of his people, and the princes thereof'? (Isaiah 3:14) //
זקנים מה חטאו אלא אימא על זקנים שלא מיחו בשרים רב יהודה הוה יתיב קמיה דשמואל אתאי ההיא איתתא קא צווחה קמיה ולא הוה משגח בה א"ל לא סבר ליה מר (משלי כא, יג) אוטם אזנו מזעקת דל גם הוא יקרא ולא יענה א"ל שיננא רישך בקרירי רישא דרישיך בחמימי הא יתיב מר עוקבא אב ב"ד דכתיב (ירמיהו כא, יב) בית דוד כה אמר ה' דינו לבקר משפט והצילו גזול מיד עושק פן תצא כאש חמתי ובערה ואין מכבה מפני רוע מעלליהם וגו' א"ל ר' זירא לר' סימון לוכחינהו מר להני דבי ריש גלותא א"ל לא מקבלי מינאי א"ל אע"ג דלא מקבלי לוכחינהו מר דא"ר אחא בר' חנינא מעולם לא יצתה מדה טובה מפי הקב"ה וחזר בה לרעה חוץ מדבר זה דכתיב (יחזקאל ט, ד) ויאמר ה' אליו עבור בתוך העיר בתוך ירושלים והתוית תיו על מצחות האנשים הנאנחים והנאנקים על כל התועבות הנעשות בתוכה וגו' א"ל הקב"ה לגבריאל לך ורשום על מצחן של צדיקים תיו של דיו שלא ישלטו בהם מלאכי חבלה ועל מצחם של רשעים תיו של דם כדי שישלטו בהן מלאכי חבלה אמרה מדת הדין לפני הקב"ה רבש"ע מה נשתנו אלו מאלו אמר לה הללו צדיקים גמורים והללו רשעים גמורים אמרה לפניו רבש"ע היה בידם למחות ולא מיחו אמר לה גלוי וידוע לפני שאם מיחו בהם לא יקבלו מהם (אמר) לפניו רבש"ע אם לפניך גלוי להם מי גלוי והיינו דכתיב (יחזקאל ט, ו) זקן בחור ובתולה טף ונשים תהרגו למשחית ועל כל איש אשר עליו התיו אל תגשו וממקדשי תחלו וכתיב ויחלו באנשים הזקנים אשר לפני הבית
how did the elders sin? But say, [He will bring punishment] upon the elders because they do not forbid the princes.
Rab Judah was sitting before Samuel. [when] a woman came and cried before him,1 but he ignored her. Said he to him, Does not the Master agree [that] 'whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry, but shall not be heard'? 'O keen scholar!' he replied. 'Your superior [will be punished] with cold [water]. but your superior's superior [will be punished] with hot. Surely Mar 'Ukba, the Ab-Beth din is sitting!' For it is written, O house of David, thus saith the Lord. Execute judgement in the morning, and deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor, lest my fury go forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doing, etc R. Zera said to R. Simeon, Let the Master rebuke the members of the Resh Galutha's suite. They will not accept it from me, was his reply. He replied: Even though they will not accept it, you should rebuke them - R. Aha b. R. Hanina said: Never did a positive word came out from the mouth of the Holy One of blessing which He retracted for evil, but for what is written (Ezek. 9:4) And the Lord said to him [the destroying angel] 'Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark [taw] upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof, etc.' The Holy One of Blessing said to Gabriel: 'Go and set a tav of ink upon the foreheads of the righteous, that the destroying angels may have no power over them; and a tav of blood upon the foreheads of the wicked, that the destroying angels may have power over them.' Said the Attribute of Justice before the Holy One of Blessing: 'Sovereign of the Universe! Why are these different from those?' 'Those are completely righteous men, while these are completely wicked,' God replied. 'Sovereign of the Universe!' it continued, 'they had the power to protest but did not.' 'It was fully known to Me that had they protested they would not have heeded them.' 'Sovereign of the Universe!' said he, 'If it was revealed to You, was it revealed to them?' Because of this it is written (Ezek. 9:6): '[Slay utterly] the old man, the young and the maiden, and little children and women; but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my Sanctuary [mikdashi]. Then they began at the elders which were before the house.
וא"ר אבהו שאלו את שלמה איזהו בן העולם הבא אמר להם כל (ישעיהו כד, כג) שכנגד זקניו כבוד כי הא דיוסף בריה דר' יהושע חלש אינגיד א"ל אבוה מאי חזית אמר ליה עולם הפוך ראיתי עליונים למטה ותחתונים למעלה אמר ליה עולם ברור ראית ואנן היכי חזיתינן [א"ל] כי היכי דחשבינן הכא חשבינן התם ושמעתי שהיו אומרים אשרי מי שבא לכאן ותלמודו בידו ושמעתי שהיו אומרים הרוגי מלכות אין כל בריה יכולה לעמוד במחיצתן מאן נינהו
R. Abbahu also said: Solomon was asked: Who has a place in the future world? He answered: He to whom are applied the words: 'and before his elders shall be glory.' (Isaiah 24:23) A similar remark was made by Yosef the son of R. Yehoshua. He had been ill and fell in a trance. [After he recovered], his father said to him: 'What vision did you have?' He replied, 'I saw a world upside down, the upper below and the lower above. He said to him: 'You saw a well regulated world.' [He asked further]: 'In what condition did you see us [students of Torah]?' He replied: 'As our esteem is here, so it is there! I also heard them saying: 'Happy the one who comes here with his learning in his hands'. I also heard them saying: 'No creature can attain to the place [in heaven] assigned to the martyrs of the [Roman] Government.'
Who are these? Shall I say R. Akiba and his comrades? Had they no other merit but this? Obviously even without this [they would have attained this rank]. What is meant therefore must be the martyrs of Lud.
עליונים למטה ותחתונים למעלה. פי' ר"ח דאמרו הגאונים שקבלה בידם רב מפי רב דעולם הפוך היינו שראה שמואל דהוה יתיב קמיה דרב יהודה תלמידיה משום דמיחה בשמואל בפר' במה בהמה (שם דף נה.) גבי ההיא איתתא דאתיא וצוחא קמיה דשמואל ולא אשגח בה א"ל רב יהודה לית ליה למר אוטם אזנו מזעקת דל וגו':
The high ones below and the low ones on high ~ The explanation of Rabeinu Chananel is that the Geonim said that they received a tradition from Rav himself that this upside down world [that he saw] is that he saw Shmuel sitting in front of Rav Yehudah (learning from him) because Rav Yehudah protested against Shmuel's indifference regarding the woman that came and screamed out, saying: 'doesn't the master hold by 'the one who stops his cries to the scream of the poor' etc.