Lavan's Blessing

Parshat Chayei Sarah (+ Pesach)

by Rabbi Avi Billet

And they blessed Rebecca and said to her, "Our sister, may you become thousands of myriads, and may your seed inherit the cities of their enemies."

וַיְבָֽרְכ֤וּ אֶת־רִבְקָה֙ וַיֹּ֣אמְרוּ לָ֔הּ אֲחֹתֵ֕נוּ אַ֥תְּ הֲיִ֖י לְאַלְפֵ֣י רְבָבָ֑ה וְיִירַ֣שׁ זַרְעֵ֔ךְ אֵ֖ת שַׁ֥עַר שֽׂנְאָֽיו:

This is the blessing offered as a parting shot to Rivkah on the way out of her home, accompanied by some girls and Avraham's servant. (24:60)

Since the blessing is worded with "Our sister," one can naturally imply that the blessing was given by her brother Lavan. It sounds like a great blessing! Until we consider what the blessing might actually mean. 

The Talmud tells us (Baba Basra 110a) that when a man is looking to marry he should inquire about the woman's brothers.

אמר רבא: הנושא אשה צריך שיבדוק באחיה, שנאמר: ויקח אהרן את אלישבע בת עמינדב אחות נחשון, ממשמע שנאמר בת עמינדב, איני יודע שאחות נחשון היא? מה תלמוד לומר אחות נחשון? מכאן, שהנושא אשה צריך שיבדוק באחיה. תנא: רוב בנים דומין לאחי האם. 

The example the Talmud gives is from Aharon, who married Elisheva daughter of Aminadav, who, when introduced, is also identified as the sister of Nachshon. The Talmud asks, if she's Aminadav's daughter, isn't it obvious that she is Nachshon's sister? Why tell us that she is his sister? The answer given is that most of the sons she produces will be most like her brother.  In Aharon's case, therefore, it was an excellent match!

The Mystery of Besuel and Unoriginal Names

Parshat Chayei Sarah 

 by Rabbi Avi Billet 

 Anyone who was taught parsha in elementary school was taught that when Eliezer came into the house to speak to Rivkah’s parents, her father Besuel wanted to kill Eliezer for his money. He poisoned Eliezer’s food, but an angel (Gavriel) came and switched the poisoned food to Besuel’s portion. Thus Besuel died. 

The support for this comes in the text when Eliezer gives gifts to Rivkah’s mother and brother, but not to Besuel. In the morning, when it is time to leave, Eliezer asks to leave, and her brother and mother respond to him. (24:55) Never mind that her father seemed most agreeable to let her go with Eliezer (24:50), and that he was not dead at that point. Granted, the verse does say in 24:54 – after Eliezer’s speech – that “they ate and drank,” but all of the evidence in the text is at most circumstantial that Besuel is dead. 

Avraham's Prophesy Elevated

 Parshat Vayera 

by Rabbi Avi Billet 

While we do not have a frame of reference that helps us understand how prophesy works, God’s response to the conversation of Miriam and Aharon in Bamidbar 12 gives us an inkling into the major difference between how Moshe would receive prophesy – like a conversation between people – and how every other prophet received prophesy – through visions and dreams. 

 This implies that even the forefathers received prophesy through dreams, a notion that is easily provable through all the times Avraham receives prophesy and then “Gets up early in the morning,” implying waking from the sleep in which he received the divine message. Yaakov’s major prophesies, with the ladder and in Beit El, as well as his references to God communicating with him that he communicates to his wives, all clearly take place while he is sleeping. And the same is true for the communication Yitzchak receives from the Almighty. 

 The challenge we have is Chapter 18, when God “appears to Avraham” at the beginning of the Parsha, and the subsequent conversation that He has with Avraham, which seems to take place while Avraham is awake and “standing before the Almighty.” 

Sarai's Treatment of Hagar

Please note that there are varying opinions on the propriety of using the names Avram and Sarai (their names before Bris Milah) versus using their names as we know them now. While in this piece they are referred to as Avraham and Sarah, the events described take place before their names are changed, when they are still Avram and Sarai. 

Parshat Lekh Lekha 

by Rabbi Avi Billet 

 One of the more incongruous moments in the tales of our righteous forefathers is the reality of Hagar seeming to be kicked out of the house of Avraham and Sarah, not once, but twice. This seems particularly strange considering her introduction to us includes Rashi’s comment “She was Pharaoh’s daughter. When he saw the miracles that happened to Sarah he said ‘It’ll be better for my daughter to be a maid in this house (of Avraham and Sarah) than to be the mistress (as in ‘wife of the master’) in a different house.’” 

This tradition suggests her father wanted her to be in the house of Avraham. Other presentations of the notion suggest it was Hagar herself who wanted to be close to Avraham’s household [e.g. Midrash Sechel Tov]. 

The Repetition in The Flood Narrative - An Exploration

Parshat Noach 

by Rabbi Avi Billet 

 When reading through the narrative leading into the flood, and the depiction of the flood itself, one comes away quite confused. Why all the repetition? God tells Noach and family to come into the Ark (7:1), and he does so (7:5), and yet we see he doesn’t come into the Ark until 7:7, on account of the waters of the flood. Yet the flood hasn’t really started yet, because there is rain for seven days, and then a flood (7:10). And yet, the flood truly begins in 7:11. Except the animals haven’t come yet – which they do after the people enter the Ark in 7:13. Then the animals and birds come in (7:14-16). However, it seems they already came in in 7:8-9.

 Rabbi Mordechai Breuer noticed this series of discrepancies and repetitions, and presented this section as one of many examples in the Torah that fall under the rubric of his Shitat HaBechinot. In simple terms, Rav Breuer was of the view that the questions raised by the Wellhausen school of Biblical Criticism couldn’t simply be ignored, but that there had to be a view espoused by Jews who believed the Torah was given at Sinai, and that it was all authored by One God, which took into account the concerns raised by Bible Critics. Rav Breuer had a very simple solution. The Torah sometimes presents ONE NARRATIVE as a combination of TWO WAYS in which God relates to the world and what is going on. One approach utilizes the Tetragrammaton, God’s holy 4-letter name (שם הוי׳ה) which is often seen as a depiction of God’s mercy. The other approach uses the name Elokim (א-לקים), which is often seen as a depiction of God’s judgment. 

Noach’s Name and What it Means

 Parshat Bereshis

by Rabbi Avi Billet 

The last 12 verses of the parsha seem to have nothing to do with whatever came before it. Most of the parsha deals with Creation, Garden of Eden, Adam, Chava, Kayin & Hevel. We are introduced to ten generations, and then the introduction of Noach has a different style. At the very least, we can learn from what we are about to explore that God's vision for humanity changes per the personalities of those on the ground, and that those on the ground have tremendous potential for good, or to choose a different direction.

Leading into the birth of Noach, instead of being told that the previous man lived “such number of years and begat so-and-so (a child who is mentioned by name)” (see 5:6,9,12,15,18,21,25), we are instead told that Lemekh lived 182 years - ויולד בן - “and begat a son” (5:28).

Eilah HaDevarim and HaDevarim HaEilah

Parshat Nitzavim Vayelekh

by Rabbi Avi Billet

With two exceptions, the phrases in the title – which are comprised of the same two words just inverted (though a letter Heh (ה) is added to Eileh when it is the second word) – refer throughout the experience of Moshe Rabbenu to the Torah/ Ten Commandments or simply the word of God that is to be followed. The two exceptions are when Moshe conveys to the people the fallout and repercussion for the incident of the spies, and when he finished explaining what is about to happen to Dasan and Aviram just before the ground opened up to the destroy them. In those two cases Moshe finished speaking HaDevarim HaEileh (these words/things) and the repercussion followed. 

 In the following chart I present the context (in Hebrew) and a brief summary (in English) of how the phrase is utilized