Learning Tanach "Be-Gova Einayim" - Parashat Lech Lecha
27
Oct
2009
[From "Nesichei Adam"]
Those who look at Avraham Avinu as they do other people commit a grave error. This is called learning Tanach "Be-Gova Einayim" (literally, "at the height of the eyes"). This is first and foremost an intellectual error. This shows that they do not understand anything, they did not learn anything, and they did not grasp anything. They do not understand who Avraham Avinu is. The second error results from the first. It is an educational error. If we look at Avraham Avinu from the correct perspective and follow after him, we follow his light. But if Avraham Avinu is the same as us, even when we follow him, we will remain in the same place. We will not be elevated and exalted. We will not have a guide.
Ha-Rav Moshe Feinstein related in the preface to the last volume of his responsa, Shut Igrot Moshe, an incident which occurred in his city in Russia. A man became ill with a horrible sickness: his tongue swelled up within his mouth, he was unable to speak and he eventually died. A day before his death, Rav Moshe came to visit him and the man asked that everyone leave the room. He had something private and of great importance to discuss with the Rav. He explained that he had given a class and had discussed Lot's older daughter who named her son Moav – from father. She was the progenitor of the Moabite People, which means that she is the ancestor of Rut, who is the great-grandmother of King David, from whom the Messiah will descend. How could it be, he had asked, that this woman, who had no shame, and therefore publicized her illicit and immoral behavior by giving her son a name that would ever recall here sinful act, was granted such honor? He spared no words in denigrating her behavior. He continued: "That night, two elderly women appeared to me in a dream. Their heads and faces were covered, and they said they were Lot's daughters. They had heard my complaint about their behavior and came from the World of Truth to convey to me a justification for their actions. Since it was well-known that Avraham Avinu, their uncle, was an individual for whom miracles were commonplace, they feared that people might say that their sons were conceived by immaculate conception. There were no men around, so how else could they have been conceived? In order to prevent another religion such as Christianity from being established by this misunderstanding, they decided to publicize the source of their conception. Their motives were pure and lofty. Since he had spoken ill against them and defamed their character, he was to be punished, just as the spies in the wilderness were punished. Their tongues swelled, and they died an unusual death." Ha-Rav Feinstein said that this seems correct. We are not speaking about the daughters of Lot. We are speaking about our great and holy people, and all the more so the giant of the giants: our Forefathers, Foremothers and ancestors in the Torah.
Those who look at Avraham Avinu as they do other people commit a grave error. This is called learning Tanach "Be-Gova Einayim" (literally, "at the height of the eyes"). This is first and foremost an intellectual error. This shows that they do not understand anything, they did not learn anything, and they did not grasp anything. They do not understand who Avraham Avinu is. The second error results from the first. It is an educational error. If we look at Avraham Avinu from the correct perspective and follow after him, we follow his light. But if Avraham Avinu is the same as us, even when we follow him, we will remain in the same place. We will not be elevated and exalted. We will not have a guide.
Ha-Rav Moshe Feinstein related in the preface to the last volume of his responsa, Shut Igrot Moshe, an incident which occurred in his city in Russia. A man became ill with a horrible sickness: his tongue swelled up within his mouth, he was unable to speak and he eventually died. A day before his death, Rav Moshe came to visit him and the man asked that everyone leave the room. He had something private and of great importance to discuss with the Rav. He explained that he had given a class and had discussed Lot's older daughter who named her son Moav – from father. She was the progenitor of the Moabite People, which means that she is the ancestor of Rut, who is the great-grandmother of King David, from whom the Messiah will descend. How could it be, he had asked, that this woman, who had no shame, and therefore publicized her illicit and immoral behavior by giving her son a name that would ever recall here sinful act, was granted such honor? He spared no words in denigrating her behavior. He continued: "That night, two elderly women appeared to me in a dream. Their heads and faces were covered, and they said they were Lot's daughters. They had heard my complaint about their behavior and came from the World of Truth to convey to me a justification for their actions. Since it was well-known that Avraham Avinu, their uncle, was an individual for whom miracles were commonplace, they feared that people might say that their sons were conceived by immaculate conception. There were no men around, so how else could they have been conceived? In order to prevent another religion such as Christianity from being established by this misunderstanding, they decided to publicize the source of their conception. Their motives were pure and lofty. Since he had spoken ill against them and defamed their character, he was to be punished, just as the spies in the wilderness were punished. Their tongues swelled, and they died an unusual death." Ha-Rav Feinstein said that this seems correct. We are not speaking about the daughters of Lot. We are speaking about our great and holy people, and all the more so the giant of the giants: our Forefathers, Foremothers and ancestors in the Torah.
Originally posted by Torat HaRav Aviner
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