“Poor planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part” – unless the “your” happens to be a boss who promised his boss a deliverable on a certain date in complete ignorance of what might be entailed in bringing that about. (“Time machine that can take us into the future and bring back a cure for cancer? - No problem! My team will have it ready by next week…”) When he discovers that the seven dwarves have not shown up, the magic wand he thinks causes things to happen is broken, reality sets in. At that point the management reflexes kick in – all problems can be solved by screaming and stomping on the peons to work harder and deliver. And so you understand why posting has been light…
Because a problem had to be solved by a development team in Europe, I was told to keep my phone handy in case they want to do a call at 4:00AM our time. I discovered something interesting. I don’t think I would be so tired if I went to sleep and set the alarm for 4:00AM -- that would at least give me a few hours of decent rest. What is worse is trying to sleep with the uncertainty of whether to wake up at 4:00 or later and whether someone will call or not. That gives no hours of decent rest.
And so we finally get to some Torah content in this post. “Vayashkem Avraham baboker…," Avraham woke up early to saddle his donkey and get underway to do the akeidah. The Brisker Rav explained that the greatness of Avraham was not that he jumped up out bed, eager to get under way to do Hashem’s command. If you would jump out of bed to go on an anticipated vacation, kal v’chomer (at least if you are the Brisker Rav) you jump out of bed for a mitzvah, no matter how difficult that mitzvah might be. The greatness of Avraham wasn't what time he woke up -- the greatness was that he went to sleep! Avraham’s mind wasn’t filled with turmoil and uncertainty; he wasn’t on pins and needles, tossing and turning through the night without any rest, thinking about the challenge of the akeidah. He got his usual eight hours, just like any other day, akeidah or no akeidah.
I need another cup of coffee.
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The greatness of Avraham wasn't what time he woke up -- the greatness was that he went to sleep!
ReplyDeleteWho says he wasn't asleep when God spoke to him ?
In fact, in Bamidbar 12:6-8, it says that, when God come to speak to other people, it's in their dreams. Only Mosheh Rabeinu is spoken to directly, while awake.
It could be argued that, Aderaba, with the vision of the night's dream in his mind he awoke early, unable to remain asleep with the weight of( or the "Brisker Rav" eagerness for) the "Misva" upon him.
Even if God spoke to him before he went to bed, it's only said that he arose( vaYashkem) in the morning. For all we know, he could have laid down to a sleepless night, and rose early in the morning to his duty.
At bris beyn habetharim, sleep is indicated, but not in other places where Hashem speaks to Avraham. Also Rashi cites that prior to having a bris, Avraham would fall down upon hearing Hashem's word, but not after. If he were asleep, he is not likely to be in a position other than lying down.
ReplyDelete>>>Who says he wasn't asleep when God spoke to him ?
ReplyDeleteWho says the nevuah of the akeidah happened that night while he slept?
Ariella: At bris beyn habetharim, sleep is indicated, but not in other places where Hashem speaks to Avraham.
ReplyDeleteCan't we infer from it to other places( especially when they don't say otherwise) ?
Ariella: Also Rashi cites that prior to having a bris, Avraham would fall down upon hearing Hashem's word, but not after.
Could you give me a cite to where Rahsi says this ?
Without seeing the Rashi inside, I cannot comment on this.
Ariella: If he were asleep, he is not likely to be in a position other than lying down.
In reality - no, but in a vision, in a dream - possibly( depending on what Rashi actually said).
Chaim B.: Who says the nevuah of the akeidah happened that night while he slept?
ReplyDeleteNobody, but that does not prove that it didn't. I presented an alternate possibility, and supported it with a Pasuq.
Where's the support for the Brisker Rav's assumption, that you bring ?
Also, another question:
If Avraham received the "Misva" before he went to bed, and was so diligent to get up early in the morning to obey it, why did he wait to get started till then ? Why didn't he start off that night ?
>>>Where's the support for the Brisker Rav's assumption,
ReplyDeleteThe assumption that "vayashkem" means woke up from sleeping? I think most people would take that as a given based on simple translation of the words... That's about the only assumption made by the B.R.
>>>Why didn't he start off that night ?
See the first sugya in Pesachim.
>>>Could you give me a cite to where Rahsi says this ?
(17:3) ויפול אברם על פניו: ממורא השכינה, שעד שלא מל לא היה בו כח לעמוד ורוח הקודש נצבת עליו
Chaim B.: The assumption that "vayashkem" means woke up from sleeping?
ReplyDeleteNo, I meant: the assumption that "the nevuah of the akeidah" happened before he went to bed that night( as opposed to "while he slept").
Chaim B.: I think most people would take that as a given based on simple translation of the words...
But vaYashkem only means 'arose', 'got up'.
VaYikas( like in Bereshit 28:16, where only later in 28:18 it says vaYashkem, in Bereshit 41:4,7, Melakhim I 18:27, and others) means "woke up from sleeping", no ?
Also, do you mean to say that the Brisker Rav bases his demonstration of the greatness of Avraham on a "simple[?] translation of the words" that "most people would take [...] as a given"( rather than on a Diyuq of what the Pesuqim actually say) ?
Chaim B.: That's about the only assumption made by the B.R.
That is, besides the one about the "nevuah of the akeidah" having happened before Avraham went to bed.
Chaim B.: See the first sugya in Pesachim.
I guess you mean:
דאמר רב יהודה אמר רב לעולם יכנס אדם בכי טוב ויצא בכי טוב
According to the analysis in the Daf Yomi Digest( in the PDF here, page 2:"Distinctive Insight: The Prohibition of Traveling at Night"), the prohibition only covers leaving a foreign place( even in a group), and, when leaving home, only when traveling alone.
Avraham was leaving his home, and traveling with three others: his son and his two Ne'arim, who according to Rashi( on 22:3, s.v. "'Et Shenei Ne'arav") were Yishma'el and Eli'ezer, the latter being great enough to have, without others( Rashi on 14:14, s.v. "Shemona Asar uShlosh Me'ot"), assisted Avraham in attacking and chasing the Four Kings.
So, why couldn't they have started out that night ?
[ Continued in my next comment]
[ continued from my last comment]
ReplyDeleteChaim B.: (17:3) ויפול אברם על פניו: ממורא השכינה, שעד שלא מל לא היה בו כח לעמוד ורוח הקודש נצבת עליו
Thank you !
Now, to Ariella:
(A) All Rashi says, is that Avraham couldn't stand before Ru'ach haQodesh. If he were lying down, he simply wouldn't need to, would he ?
Only the Pasuq says that he fell upon his face, that time.
(B) The "the nevuah of the akeidah" occurred after his Berit Mila, so even if it was true for those Nevu'ot prior to the "bris", it wasn't for this one.
(C) As I said before( at the end of my previous comment to you), all these "physical things" could have happened to Avraham in his dream( of the vision).
To clarify, I'm not saying that the Brisker Rav's idea, of what happened to Avraham the night before he set out, is impossible( or that either of the alternatives I suggest are what actually happened), but when there are more than one way of reading the Pesuqim, how can conclusions br drawn about Avraham's greatness based on one( in my opinion, less supported) scenario of what happened the night before Avraham 'rose[ early] in the morning'(22:3) ?