Translated from Hebrew by S. NAthan

l'ilui nishmat Esther bat mordechai

     “‘Pray, say that you are my sister, so that good will be done to me for your sake:’ They will give me presents.” (Rashi)
    “Because you obeyed your wife…” with Adam and Hava. “Whatever Sarah your wife tells you – obey her…” with Avraham and Sarah.
    What has changed from Hava to Sarah? Avraham’s behavior is indicated by: “The actions of the forefathers are a sign for their children.” This applies not only as a historical/national perspective but mainly as the process that develops man’s ultimate purpose as God’s servant. From here we see that Avraham’s descent to Egypt was intended not only to prepare the exile and to arm and innoculate his descendants against the injuries of Egypt, but also to develop and to deepen his own personal path.
    By the time we arrive at Parashat Lech Lecha, the Creator of the universe has reached the decision that He must change the type of choice he has granted to the crown of creation. Whereas Adam’s choice encompassed full and total control of the creation as a whole, including control over time and space – “for everything was placed beneath his feet” – a choice that included responsibility for the universe and for all that took place therein, the Holy One is now reducing and limiting human choice and responsibility to include only the existential circle of the human being himself. Responsibility for oneself and for one’s own environment, even according to the new system of mutual accountability, is nevertheless limited to the boundaries of one’s own individual influence, and no further. From the universe, the influence, choice, and responsibility of the new human being after the flood is transferred to the human being; from the universe to man. The fundamental difference between the character of the first choice and the character of the new choice lies in man’s new ability and obligation to create himself with his own hands – to actually create his own self and his own existence. No more would this be given free of charge, as it was with Adam HaRishon, the first human being. Even his very entry into the universe would now be given over to his authority, in the sense that he would be charged with the responsibility of giving birth to himself, above and beyond his biological birth: He must create his own powers and tools and talents anew, building his own character and his own personality by his own powers. This would include his sources of livelihood as well. Despite the fact that Hazal state: “Children, longevity, and sustenance are caused by fortune,” nevertheless these would not be entirely removed from his sphere of influence: He can change the decree, whether by prayer or by histadlut, investment of effort.
    However, the ability to achieve results will no longer depend on himself alone, on his own powers and abilities. These no longer exist in their own right, in the new era of the second type of choice. Rather, they are to be the result of his hishtadlut and devotion in the service of his Creator.
    Here he faces a paradox: The more he is willing to sacrifice (Akeidat Yitzchak, the Binding of Isaac) and to renounce his achievements in the existential sphere, for the sake of his achievements in the service of his Creator, the more he creates sources of shefa, of plenitude and abundance.
     “And I will bless whoever you bless, and you will be a blessing.” Until this point, the key to blessings had lain in My hands. From now on, it is given over to you, the Creator of the universe informs man. So do not throw the blame on the Creator, throw it on your own hands. God did not create the Holocaust; man brought catastrophe upon himself.
    The key to blessings lies in – pairedness. Avraham is midat hahesed, the trait of generous kindness – of giving, of devotion to another. This is the process and the source for creating oneself. Pairedness constitutes the microcosm that reflects and encompasses man’s relationship to himself, to his environment, and even to his Creator.
    The new process of choice revolves around the woman. Whereas Adam HaRishon woke up one morning and behold, there was a woman lying at his side – a bond of pairedness for the sake of which he never lifted a finger, which never passed through the prism of his own choice, which means that this woman takes no part in his own selfhood – Avraham, father of the new free choice, was required to choose his state of pairedness, to choose it personally, and to create it with his own hands. Avraham and Sarah create pairedness the hard way. “Pray, see that now I have known that you are a woman of beautiful appearance.” Until now he had not known, for Sarah had been at his side, but not with him. She had not been “his wife, like his own body,” and therefore had not merited a child.
    It was the pairedness out of choice that brought about their possession of the key to blessings. Such pairedness is more than an emotional falling in love, it is a process of devotion and hesed. A sister is not a bond created out of choice. A sister is a biological phenomenon devoid of values and meaningful content other than the basic responsibility of charity entailed in “do not ignore your own flesh.”
     “Say for me that you are my sister” in order to merit the bond of being “my wife”. Your devotion to me, in order to save my life is vital – Avraham is teaching her the lesson of pairedness out of choice – because without it, no pairedness will be possible, because they will kill me and keep you alive, alone, unpaired.
    We understand form this that the famine is a symbol for the termination of direct shefa from the supreme source. The source of abundance and plenitude had been transferred to Avraham’s hands, for he needed to discover pairedness out of choice, the pairedness of hesed that is based upon reciprocity, in order that he might be worthy of being able to make use of the key to blessings. Indeed, Avraham becomes immediately wealthy as soon as he has actualized this pairedness: “They will give me gifts – the key to blessings.”
     “So that you will not say, ‘I made Avraham wealthy.’” Avraham has no need of the gifts of flesh and blood. The creation of reciprocity based on hesed will open the source of plenitude – Avraham himself. Therefore the ma’aser, the tithe that he gives the priest, and the lives he saves while renouncing reward and property – this is his way: Reciprocity based upon hesed.
    In contrast to the reciprocity of hesed, we find negative brute force, with Yishmael: “His hand against everyone, and everyone’s hand against him.” Yet within “the savage man”, Avraham’s mark is felt. It is not difficult to turn the negative brute force to positive, the lust to sanctity. We learn from this that Yishmael did teshuva, returned and repented.
    Brit Mila, the covenant of circumcision. This covenant of sanctity is man’s seal upon the kernel and root of sanctity inherent in him. It is man who from here on will be revealing the covenant of sanctity in his flesh by his own deeds and by his own initiative. It is man who creates himself.
    Avraham is lesser than Sarah in prophecy. Henceforth, in this new stage of the Choosing Human Being, the source of sanctity will come as the result of the pairedness of hesed – from the woman whom the man makes into his partner. “He makes her into a vessel.”
     “If only Yishmael would live before you.” Rashi: “Would live in awe of You.” Ramban disagrees: “That we might live by our own way.”
     “If only Yishmael would live before you.” “Whatever Sarah tells you…obey her.” Perhaps fifty righteous people will be lacking…” We see here that this new stage in choice includes also an actively initiated involvement on Avraham’s part, in setting the boundaries of moral values. This attempt points to an active and creative reciprocity, by searching through the paths of good and evil to uncover the Godly truth of moral values. Confronting his own self in the seach for truth, brings Avraham into confrontation with the Godly opinion, which shows Itself willing to consider Avraham’s opinion, though not to give it over entirely into his hands. There is cooperation rather than full decision-making capacity. We find cooperation as well when the angels are “eating”, and when their actions are being reported.
    Here is a new perspective on “you shall be as the Lord, knowing good and evil:” You shall be partners with the Creator in determining the definitions of good and evil. These are the Torah learners, who extract definitions by their own powers: “If two are walking together in the desert…” As they dispute the nature of good and evil, the Holy One smiles and says: “My children have triumphed over Me…”