Pre-Rosh Hashanah Torah Study: Genesis 21 And 9-11-2001 Remembrance

ByNeil Tow

Weekly Torah Study

TRANSLITERATION

Baruch atah, Adonai Eloheinu, Melech haolam, asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu laasok b’divrei Torah.

TRANSLATION

Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Sovereign of all, who hallows us with mitzvot, commanding us to engage with words of Torah.

Remembrances, personal thoughts & reflections on the 22nd year since 9-11-2001
Dedications to the memory of victims - The attack on the Pentagon, a local part of the tragedy

A personal remembrance - Ernest M. Willcher

אֵל מָלֵא רַחֲמִים, שׁוֹכֵן בַּמְּרוֹמִים, הַמְצֵא מְנוּחָה נְכוֹנָה עַל כַּנְפֵי הַשְּׁכִינָה, בְּמַעֲלוֹת קְדוֹשִׁים וּטְהוֹרִים כְּזֹֽהַר הָרָקִֽיעַ מַזְהִירִים, אֶת נִשְׁמוֹת כָּל אֵלֶה שֶׁנֶהֶרְגוּ בְּכ"ג אֶלוּל בִּשְׁנַת תשס"א, בְּגַן עֵֽדֶן תְּהֵא מְנוּחָתָם, לָכֵן בַּֽעַל הָרַחֲמִים יַסְתִּירֵֽם בְּסֵֽתֶר כְּנָפָיו לְעוֹלָמִים, וְיִצְרוֹר בִּצְרוֹר הַחַיִּים אֶת נִשְׁמוֹתֵיהֶם, ה' הוּא נַחֲלָתָם, וְיָנֽוּחוּ בְּשָׁלוֹם עַל מִשְׁכְּבוֹתֵיהֶם. וְנֹאמַר אָמֵן.

God, full of compassion, who dwells in the heavens, may the souls of all those who were murdered on September 11th, 2001, the 23rd day of Elul 5761, find rest under the wings of Your Divine care, their souls shining amongst the holy and pure heights. May they find peace in the Garden of Eden.

We ask You, Master of Mercy, to shield them under Your wings for eternity, and bind up their souls in the bond of eternal life.

Ado-nai is their inheritance, may the rest in peace.

And we say - Amen.

בראשית כ״א:א׳-ח׳

(א) וַֽה' פָּקַ֥ד אֶת־שָׂרָ֖ה כַּאֲשֶׁ֣ר אָמָ֑ר וַיַּ֧עַשׂ ה' לְשָׂרָ֖ה כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר דִּבֵּֽר׃ (ב) וַתַּ֩הַר֩ וַתֵּ֨לֶד שָׂרָ֧ה לְאַבְרָהָ֛ם בֵּ֖ן לִזְקֻנָ֑יו לַמּוֹעֵ֕ד אֲשֶׁר־דִּבֶּ֥ר אֹת֖וֹ אֱלֹקִֽים׃ (ג) וַיִּקְרָ֨א אַבְרָהָ֜ם אֶֽת־שֶׁם־בְּנ֧וֹ הַנּֽוֹלַד־ל֛וֹ אֲשֶׁר־יָלְדָה־לּ֥וֹ שָׂרָ֖ה יִצְחָֽק׃ (ד) וַיָּ֤מׇל אַבְרָהָם֙ אֶת־יִצְחָ֣ק בְּנ֔וֹ בֶּן־שְׁמֹנַ֖ת יָמִ֑ים כַּאֲשֶׁ֛ר צִוָּ֥ה אֹת֖וֹ אֱלֹקִֽים׃ (ה) וְאַבְרָהָ֖ם בֶּן־מְאַ֣ת שָׁנָ֑ה בְּהִוָּ֣לֶד ל֔וֹ אֵ֖ת יִצְחָ֥ק בְּנֽוֹ׃ (ו) וַתֹּ֣אמֶר שָׂרָ֔ה צְחֹ֕ק עָ֥שָׂה לִ֖י אֱלֹקִ֑ים כׇּל־הַשֹּׁמֵ֖עַ יִֽצְחַק־לִֽי׃ (ז) וַתֹּ֗אמֶר מִ֤י מִלֵּל֙ לְאַבְרָהָ֔ם הֵינִ֥יקָה בָנִ֖ים שָׂרָ֑ה כִּֽי־יָלַ֥דְתִּי בֵ֖ן לִזְקֻנָֽיו׃ (ח) וַיִּגְדַּ֥ל הַיֶּ֖לֶד וַיִּגָּמַ֑ל וַיַּ֤עַשׂ אַבְרָהָם֙ מִשְׁתֶּ֣ה גָד֔וֹל בְּי֖וֹם הִגָּמֵ֥ל אֶת־יִצְחָֽק׃

Genesis 21:1-8

(1) ה' took note of Sarah as promised, and ה' did for Sarah what had been announced. (2) Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken. (3) Abraham gave his newborn son, whom Sarah had borne him, the name of Isaac. (4) And when his son Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him, as God had commanded him. (5) Now Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. (6) Sarah said, “God has brought me laughter; everyone who hears will laugh with*with Lit. “for.” me.” (7) And she added,
“Who would have said to Abraham
That Sarah would suckle children!
Yet I have borne a son in his old age.” (8) The child grew up and was weaned, and Abraham held a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned.

What is the meaning of pakad - a word we see in many different places in Torah and Tefilah/prayer?

Rashi translates pakad as 'remembered'

רש"י על בראשית כ״א:א׳:ב׳

(ב) פקד את שרה כאשר אמר. בְּהֵרָיוֹן:

Rashi on Genesis 21:1:2

(2) פקד את שרה כאשר אמר HE REMEMBERED SARAH AS HE SAID — He remembered her by granting her pregnancy.

Ramban takes issue with what Rashi is saying - i.e. the remembering is directed to whom...?

But the word pekidah is only an expression of remembrance and attention to the one who is remembered, such as: G-d will surely remember (‘pakod yiphkod’) you; I have surely remembered you; And Samson remembered his wife by [bringing her] a kid. Here, too, the sense of the verse is that the Eternal remembered Sarah, and He did to her as He had spoken. This expression is also found in connection with all barren women who later give birth. Thus, in the case of Rachel: And G-d remembered Rachel; and in the case of Hannah: And G-d remembered her. Similarly, the Rabb is said, “Biblical verses which mention pikdonoth are equivalent to verses which mention Divine remembrances.”
Ramban

And the expression, taking account (pekidah) is truthfully, visiting and paying attention, as in "I have surely taken account of (pekod pakadati) you and that which is being done to you in Egypt" (Exodus 3:16). For it is since they thought that He, may He be blessed, was not paying attention to them that He said this.
-Abravanel

There is a support from here for the words of our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, that this taking account of was on Rosh Hashanah, which is when the Holy One, blessed be God, sits with all of God's court above. That is why we read this section on Rosh Hashanah.
-Kli Yakar

And there is a distinction between remembered (zakhar) and took account of (pakad). As taking account of, is always to do some thing for [the other]. So first God said, in Parashat Lech [Lecha] (Genesis 17:19), "Indeed, your wife Sarah will bear you a son." And that is called saying. But it was [only] fulfilled when He took account of her to have her conceive. And afterwards (Genesis 18:14), He spoke and explained through an angel and limited "the time that I will return to you," that it would be on Pesach of the next year. And about this it stated, "and the Lord did to Sarah as He had spoken."
-Malbim

I.E. pakad = to remember with the intention of doing

פקד, as already noted, related to בגד, to clothe an object in the mind with its attributes, its conditions and relationships, to make it present to oneself with all its relationships. Therefore, actually putting someone into a relationship, putting them in a new position, giving them, as we also say similarly, an office, a power of attorney, etc. From God's providence, as here, it describes the special intervention to appropriately shape the circumstances of a person or people. כאשר אמר. See Bereshit chapter 1, 22. The special promise for Sarah is probably the one expressed above chapter 17, 15 f. (see there). With the אמירה the פקידה was already completed and Sara was given the ability to mother. Now their God fulfilled through the birth of Yitzchak אשר דבר what he had pronounced as something that would only be realized in the future.

Let's look at laters example of pakad

שמות י״ג:י״ט

(יט) וַיִּקַּ֥ח מֹשֶׁ֛ה אֶת־עַצְמ֥וֹת יוֹסֵ֖ף עִמּ֑וֹ כִּי֩ הַשְׁבֵּ֨עַ הִשְׁבִּ֜יעַ אֶת־בְּנֵ֤י יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר פָּקֹ֨ד יִפְקֹ֤ד אֱלֹקִים֙ אֶתְכֶ֔ם וְהַעֲלִיתֶ֧ם אֶת־עַצְמֹתַ֛י מִזֶּ֖ה אִתְּכֶֽם׃

Exodus 13:19

(19) And Moses took with him the bones of Joseph, who had exacted an oath from the children of Israel, saying, “God will be sure to take notice of you: then you shall carry up my bones from here with you.”

שמות כ׳:ה׳

(ה) לֹֽא־תִשְׁתַּחֲוֶ֥֣ה לָהֶ֖ם֮ וְלֹ֣א תׇעׇבְדֵ֑ם֒ כִּ֣י אָֽנֹכִ֞י ה' אֱלֹקֶ֙יךָ֙ אֵ֣ל קַנָּ֔א פֹּ֠קֵ֠ד עֲוֺ֨ן אָבֹ֧ת עַל־בָּנִ֛ים עַל־שִׁלֵּשִׁ֥ים וְעַל־רִבֵּעִ֖ים לְשֹׂנְאָֽ֑י׃

Exodus 20:5

(5) You shall not bow down to them or serve them. For I your God ה' am an impassioned God, visiting the guilt of the parents upon the children, upon the third and upon the fourth generations of those who reject Me.

the reason why I sometimes wait so long before punishing some of the wicked in this life is that by waiting and noticing that their offspring, i.e. second and third generation continue in their wicked ways their measure of guilt will become so full that I will exterminate that whole family from life in this world. [this is what happened to the family of Jerobam for instance, and that of Omri, his son Achav, etc. ] This was possible only by adding the unrequited sins of the fathers to those of the sons, or even subsequent generations, so that when finally, retribution did come, it wiped out the family completely.
Seforno

pakad could be attention for the good or for retribution

The reason the Torah repeats the word פקד is in order to emphasise the manner in which Moses kept faith with the promise made to Joseph by his brothers.
-Or Ha'Chaim

וּמַלְאָכִים יֵחָפֵזוּן. וְחִיל וּרְעָדָה יֹאחֵזוּן. וְיֹאמְרוּ הִנֵּה יוֹם הַדִּין. לִפְקוֹד עַל צְבָא מָרוֹם בַּדִּין. כִּי לֹא יִזְכּוּ בְעֵינֶיךָ בַּדִּין. וְכָל בָּאֵי עוֹלָם יַעַבְרוּן לְפָנֶיךָ כִּבְנֵי מָרוֹן: חזן כְּבַקָּרַת רוֹעֶה עֶדְרוֹ. מַעֲבִיר צֹאנוֹ תַּחַת שִׁבְטוֹ. כֵּן תַּעֲבִיר וְתִסְפֹּר וְתִמְנֶה וְתִפְקֹד נֶפֶשׁ כָּל חָי. וְתַחְתֹּךְ קִצְבָה לְכָל בְּרִיּוֹתֶיךָ. וְתִכְתֹּב אֶת גְּזַר דִּינָם:

Unetaneh tokef prayer:

The angels shiver and they're overtaken with shuddering, and they say, "Behold the Day of Judgment is here."...lifkod all the host of heaven in Judgment...

Lifkod - to bring to attention and take action...

At this holiday season, we pray God will give us attention and focus more on what we did that was good than our sins, and forgive us and have mercy on us

מחזור אשכנז לראש השנה, תפילת שחרית, יום ראשון של ראש השנה, אבינו מלכנו מ״ו

אָבִֽינוּ מַלְכֵּֽנוּ חָנֵּֽנוּ וַעֲנֵֽנוּ כִּי אֵין בָּֽנוּ מַעֲשִׂים עֲשֵׂה עִמָּֽנוּ צְדָקָה וָחֶֽסֶד וְהוֹשִׁיעֵֽנוּ:

Machzor Rosh Hashanah Ashkenaz, The Morning Prayers, First Day of Rosh Hashana, Avinu Malkenu 46

Our Father, our King! favor us and answer us for we have no accomplishments; deal with us charitably and kindly and deliver us.