Rabbi Doniel Staum, LMSW
Rabbi, Kehillat New Hempstead
Rebbe/Guidance Counselor – ASHAR
Principal – Ohr Naftoli- New Windsor
This
week’s Stam Torah is dedicated to the memory of our dear friend Howard Israel
a’h, Chaim Yisroel Pinchos ben Moshe Aharon, whose yahrtzeit is this Sunday
– 12 Cheshvan.
STAM
TORAH
PARSHAS
LECH LECHA 5776
“TESTING THE LIMITS”
Dear Cecil
I've noticed that when
people want to "prove" that humans are capable of amazing things
under stress, they often cite the 90-pound mother who lifts a car off her trapped
child. I know humans can do incredible things, like the guy who chopped his own
hand off to get free from a fallen boulder, but have mothers really hoisted
cars? Has anyone actually seen this happen or is it an urban legend? Are we
talking about a Yugo here or a 1956 Caddy? Let me know soon, I'm trying to walk
more these days, and if I get run over I need to know whether to call mom or a
tow truck.
The
woman's name is Angela Cavallo, and she still lives in Lawrenceville , Georgia
A
neighborhood kid burst into the kitchen door to tell Angela there'd been an
accident. She rushed out to find Tony pinned under the car--something had been
stuck and in trying to loosen it he'd rocked the car off the jack. Now he was clamped
between the top of the rear wheel and the fender. All she could see of him was
from the waist down. Ancient Chevies being big ol' cars with a lot of room
around the wheels, Tony wasn't immediately crushed. But he was out cold.
Hollering
to the neighbor kid to get help, Angela grabbed the side of the car with both
hands and pulled up with all her strength. The AP account said she raised the
car four inches; she doubts it was that much but believes it was enough to take
the pressure off. She recalls nothing about the rescue, but the AP said two
neighbors reinserted the jack and dragged the boy out. (Tony recovered OK.)
Angela, then in her late 50s, guesses she kept the car propped up for five
minutes. She describes herself as 5-foot-8, large-framed and strong, but
figures she couldn't have picked the car up under normal circumstances,
attributing her feat to adrenaline.
By
Cecil Adams
Avrohom Avinu was undoubtedly the ‘founder
of Klal Yisroel’. Employing his intellect and an innate sense of truth he
‘discovered’ G-d, as it were. Then he dedicated his life to perpetuating the
Word of G-d and to living a life of holiness and goodness.
Part of the greatness of Avrohom was that
he was not born at the top of the spiritual ladder. In fact, he came from
humble beginnings. His father Terach was an idol wholesaler who betrayed him to
the nefarious King Nimrod because of Avrohom’s monotheistic preaching. But
Avrohom was able to ‘pull himself up by the bootstraps’ undeterred. He was
committed not only to seeking out the truth but also to teaching it to the
masses.
The Mishnah relates, “Our forefather
Avrohom was tested with ten trials, and he withstood all of them, to make known
how beloved Avrohom Avinu was.”[1]
The vernacular of the Mishnah seems
somewhat vague. The Mishnah does not say that the ten tests proved Avrohom’s
loyalty but rather that they “made known” how beloved he was. Who was informed
and “made known” about how beloved Avrohom was via the ten tests?
Ramban[2]
explains that G-d does not test because He is unsure of the outcome, for G-d
knows all that will happen. Rather, it’s called a test from the vantage point
of the tested party. G-d creates such situations so that the tested individual
will be compelled to exercise his latent greatness, and to bring it “from the
potential to the actual, so that he should have the reward of a good deed, and
not only a good heart.” The Ramban concludes that every test mentioned in the
Torah was for the benefit of the tested party.
Rabbi Samson Rafael Hirsch zt’l expresses
this idea in a similar manner. He writes that the same G-d Who revealed Himself
to Avrohom and had promised him that Yitzchok would be his future, "נסה" (tested) Avrohom. Rabbi Hirsch explains
that נסה
is similar to the words נסע,
(moving on), נסח (flinging
away), and נשא (to
raise up). All three connote goading something to a higher position. In the
same vein, every test is a step forward, a strengthening of powers which already exist
but as of yet remain latent. The test is the conduit which forces those
strengths to emerge.
Rabbi Avrohom Schorr[3]
shlita explains that the purpose of the tests was to prove to Avrohom himself
about his own greatness. He quotes the verse[4]
“להודיע
לבני האדם גבורותיו” The simple understanding of the verse is
that it refers to G-d; “To inform human beings of His Mighty Deeds”. However,
it can also be understood as a reference to man, “To inform a human being of
his (own) mighty deeds”. In other words, the purpose of challenges and tests is
that it is G-d’s way of forcing us to realize our own greatness and worthiness.
Avrohom Avinu knew that he had reached
great levels of righteousness and accomplishment. But every time he overcame
another divinely ordained challenge it proved that he was greater and more
capable than he himself had realized, and that encouraged him to strive even
higher.
This idea is true not only in regards to
Avrohom but to every person. The Meor Aynayim[5]
writes that every Jew undergoes some semblance of the Ten Tests of Avrohom
throughout his/her lifetime. The verse in Tehillim[6]
states, “נתת
ליריאך נס להתנוסס -
You have given those who fear
You a banner to raise themselves.” Rashi explains that the word "נס" refers to "נסיון" a test. Thus the
verse is saying, “You have tested us in many trying situations in order to
provide us with the opportunity "להתנוסס" to be proven
faithful in all circumstances.” Although we may not be too excited about the
tests of life, it is the vicissitudes that we encounter that help us realize
our greatness and capabilities that we would otherwise never believe we
possess.
Rabbi Dr.
Avrohom Twerki often notes that there is a great lesson that we can gleaned
from lobsters. On one occasion, while sitting in a doctor’s office, he came across an article entitled, "How
Do Lobsters Grow?" The article asked, if lobsters are soft animals that
live inside a rigid shell, and the shell does not expand, how can a lobster
increase its size?
The answer is that as the lobster grows,
its shell indeed becomes confining and oppressive. The lobster retreats to an
underwater rock formation where it is protected from predatory fish, sheds its
shell, and produces a larger and more spacious one. Eventually, this larger shell
becomes uncomfortably confining, and the lobster repeats this process several
times until it reaches its maximum size.
During the
stage when it is without its shell, the lobster is in great danger. A predatory
fish may eat it, or a strong current may dash it against a rock. In order to
grow, the lobster must risk its very life.
The point to note is that the stimulus that
enables the lobster to grow is discomfort. If not for the discomfort, the
lobster would never expand its shell!
Science and technology have eliminated many
sources of discomfort. Many people think there should be no discomfort in life,
and if someone is uncomfortable, there must be a pill to relieve it. We seem to
have lost a tolerance for discomfort, not realizing that discomfort may be a
signal to us that we should grow.
Discomfort, challenges, tests, and
tribulations are all unwelcomed visitors in life. But our Patriarchs have
taught us that one must realize that it is only through vistas of challenge
that we truly discover ourselves and realize how much endurance, perseverance,
capabilities, and value we inherently possess.
“To make known how beloved Avrohom Avinu
was.”
“To inform a human being of his mighty
deeds”
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