Parshas Vayera

Parshas Chaya Sarah

Being Blessed “Bakol”

Yishmael

Comment #1:

Parshas Vayera:  Verses 22:20 – 22:23:

וַיְהִ֗י אַחֲרֵי֙ הַדְּבָרִ֣ים הָאֵ֔לֶּה וַיֻּגַּ֥ד לְאַבְרָהָ֖ם לֵאמֹ֑ר הִ֠נֵּ֠ה יָלְדָ֨ה מִלְכָּ֥ה גַם־הִ֛וא בָּנִ֖ים לְנָח֥וֹר אָחִֽיךָ׃

אֶת־ע֥וּץ בְּכֹר֖וֹ וְאֶת־בּ֣וּז אָחִ֑יו וְאֶת־קְמוּאֵ֖ל אֲבִ֥י אֲרָֽם׃

וְאֶת־כֶּ֣שֶׂד וְאֶת־חֲז֔וֹ וְאֶת־פִּלְדָּ֖שׁ וְאֶת־יִדְלָ֑ף וְאֵ֖ת בְּתוּאֵֽל׃

וּבְתוּאֵ֖ל יָלַ֣ד אֶת־רִבְקָ֑ה שְׁמֹנָ֥ה אֵ֙לֶּה֙ יָלְדָ֣ה מִלְכָּ֔ה לְנָח֖וֹר אֲחִ֥י אַבְרָהָֽם׃

Eight children are mentioned for Nachor.  Why by קְמוּאֵ֖ל does in mention that he is the father of Aram? By none of the other children does it mention a son.  Aram became the arch enemy of the Jewish people during the first temple period.  Is there a significance?  I can only speculate.

From AI

“Aram” is an ancient name for what is now Syria, or a large part of it. The terms “Aram” and “Syria” can be used interchangeably, with “Aram” being the Hebrew designation and “Syria” the Greek one. The area referred to as Aram in biblical times is roughly the same region that makes up modern Syria. 

Yes, there were alliances between Aram and kings of Israel and Judah, though these relationships were often marked by conflict. A notable alliance was forged between King Asa of Judah and Ben-Hadad I of Aram to counter a threat from Baasha, king of Israel. Another significant alliance occurred when King Ahab of Israel allied with Ben-Hadad II of Aram against a common enemy, the Assyrians. 

• King Asa and Ben-Hadad I: Faced with aggression from the king of Israel, Asa paid tribute to Ben-Hadad I to form a treaty, which successfully pressured Israel to withdraw.
• King Ahab and Ben-Hadad II: Ahab allied with Ben-Hadad II, king of Aram, to fight against the Assyrian threat, demonstrating a shift in strategy to create a balance of power in the region.
• Rezin of Aram and Pekah of Israel: In a later period, Rezin of Aram and Pekah, king of Israel, formed an alliance to wage war against Judah under King Ahaz. However, this alliance ultimately failed to capture Jerusalem

Comment 2:

Of the eight children, two have names ending with an Aleph and a Lamid, which is the name of Hashem.  These two letters on a standalone basis mean “God.”   They are קְמוּאֵ֖ל and בְּתוּאֵֽל.  Translated, these two names mean “arise God” and “the daughter of God”.    Is there anything to this?  The Torah lists progeny for both of these children.  בְּתוּאֵֽל’s daughter did become the daughter of God when she married Yitzchok.  Maybe קְמוּאֵ֖ל  himself was God-fearing and maybe this is why his progeny did have the potential to be a righteous nation but failed and turned into sworn enemies of Israel.  We know that the northern kingdom, who became idol worshippers, became mortal enemies of the southern kingdom. 

Comment 3:

The last verse of Vayera is verse 22:24:

וּפִֽילַגְשׁ֖וֹ וּשְׁמָ֣הּ רְאוּמָ֑ה וַתֵּ֤לֶד גַּם־הִוא֙ אֶת־טֶ֣בַח וְאֶת־גַּ֔חַם וְאֶת־תַּ֖חַשׁ וְאֶֽת־מַעֲכָֽה׃ 

Sferno comments on this verse:

ופילגשו ותלד גם היא. והגיד המגיד שגם פילגשו ילדה את מעכה שהיתה כמו כן ראויה לבנו אם לא יבחר ברבקה ולא יצטרך לזרע כנען

What is the Sforno coming to add? Where did he get this from?   What is the point that if Rivka would be unwilling to marry Yitzchok, then he could have married מַעֲכָֽה.   מַעֲכָֽה was a female and the Sforno must have thought; why, among all the children of Nachor, is a female mentioned?  Normally only males are mentioned in terms of the descendants of people in the Bible.  Perhaps all the Sferno is telling us is that people have many potential partners to marry, and they all would work.  There may be one perfect person, but there are many people whom they can marry and have a great life with. 

How did the Sforno know that מַעֲכָֽה was a female?  Perhaps there is a midrash. Perhaps it is the Kometz-Hey at the end of the name that turns Hebrew words into a feminine word.  

The Sefer Hayasher does not mention this chapter of the birth of Rivkah.

Comment 4:

It says in Parshas Chaya Sarah, verse 24:1

וְאַבְרָהָ֣ם זָקֵ֔ן בָּ֖א בַּיָּמִ֑ים וַֽיהֹוָ֛ה בֵּרַ֥ךְ אֶת־אַבְרָהָ֖ם בַּכֹּֽל׃

Abraham was now old, advanced in years, and יהוה had blessed Abraham in all things.

This is how most translations translate this verse and is in line with Onkelys:

וְאַבְרָהָם סִיב עָל בְּיוֹמִין וַייָ בְּרִיךְ יָת אַבְרָהָם בְּכֹלָּא:

Avraham was old, advanced in days [years], and Adonoy had blessed Avraham in all things.

Similar to Targum Yonasan ben Uziel

וְאַבְרָהָם סִיב עַל בְּיוֹמִין וּמֵימְרָא דַיְיָ בְּרִיךְ יַת אַבְרָהָם בְּכָל מִינֵי בִּרְכָתָא

The basic understanding of  בַּכֹּֽל is that Hashem gave Avrohom everything one desires in life.  As the Ibn Ezra says, with length of days, wealth, honor, and sons, these being all the things that men desire to have.  Rashi seemingly wants to fit the בַּכֹּֽל׃ with the theme of this chapter.  Rashi is not arguing with the Ibn Ezra but is adding to it. One could even argue that the Gemara, which mentions that Rashi had a daughter, also aligns with the Ibn Ezra’s interpretation.  Avrohom had everything, including a daughter.

I want to add that Avrohom had a great life.  There is no question that his life was not smooth.  Things did happen; however, this is life.  You live your life, and life happens; it gets in the way.  There is no way Avrohom was exempt from that.  Even Sarah’s death is part of life.  God did bless Avrohom with everything, but he had a blessed life.  Every morning he woke up on top of the world.  He knew that he would succeed and almost always make the right decision.  He did not feel incompetent, like a failure, like an idiot. He almost always had the right words to say.  So the blessing of Bakol was not only with a long life, with riches, and with honor but also with emotional stability and knowledge that he was exceptionally competent.

What the Reshonim say:

Rashi says  – ברך את אברהם בכל.  בַּכֹּל עוֹלֶה בְּגִימַטְרִיָּא בֵּן, וּמֵאַחַר שֶׁהָיָה לוֹ בֵּן הָיָה צָרִיךְ לְהַשִּׂיאוֹ אִשָּׁה:

Ibn Ezra – וד’ ברך את אברהם בכל. באורך ימים ועושר וכבוד ובנים, וזו כל חמדת האדם ודרש שבתו היתה שמה בכל צריך להוסיף בי”ת משרת:

AND THE LORD HAD BLESSED ABRAHAM IN ALL THINGS. With length of days, wealth, honor, and sons, these being all the things that men desire to have. If the interpretation that Abraham had a daughter named Bakkol were correct, then Scripture should have read: and the Lord blessed Abraham “with” Bakkol. *If ba-kol is a proper noun then the preposition “with” is missing. Rather than reading ba-kol, the verse should have read, be-Bakol (with Bakol).

Da’as Zekanim – ברך את אברהם בכל, “He blessed Avraham in all respects.” This was due to the merit he had acquired when tithing the loot of the war against the Kings with Kedorleomer and giving it to the “priest,” who was the King of Shalem. (Genesis 14,20)

Interesting Rashbam:

וה’ ברך את אברהם [בכל] – להודיע האמור לפנינו שלא שלח עבדו לקחת אשה ממשפחתו מחמת חוסר נשים בארץ כנען, שלא היו רוצים להזדווג לו, שהרי נתברך בכל וכל העולם מתאווים להזדווג לו, אבל הוא לא רצה כי אם ממשפחתו. וזהו שאמר העבד: וה’ ברך את אדני מאד ויגדל ולכך הוצרך לפרש תחלה ברך את אברהם בכל. כמו: וחם הוא אבי כנען.

And God blessed Abraham [with everything] – this is to inform/explain to us about what is said in [the text in] front of us, that Abraham did not send his servant to take a wife [for Isaac] on account of lack of women in the Land of Canaan or because no one wanted to mate with him, because Abraham had been blessed with everything and the entire world desired to mate with Isaac, but because he only wanted a spouse for Isaac from his family. This is why Abraham’s servant said: “And Adonai blessed my master very much and he has become wealthy.” And it is for this reason that the text needed to explain first that God had blessed Abraham “with everything,” as in a similar instance: “And Ham was the father of Canaan.” 

Gemora Bava Basra 16:2

כְּתַנָּאֵי: ״וַה׳ בֵּרַךְ אֶת אַבְרָהָם בַּכֹּל״ – מַאי ״בַּכֹּל״? רַבִּי מֵאִיר אוֹמֵר: שֶׁלֹּא הָיְתָה לוֹ בַּת. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר: שֶׁהָיְתָה לוֹ בַּת. אֲחֵרִים אוֹמְרִים: בַּת הָיְתָה לוֹ לְאַבְרָהָם, וּ״בַכֹּל״ שְׁמָהּ.

Comment 5:

On Motzai Shabbos I was walking home with Michoel Lawrence, Chani Janowski’s brother-in-law’s twin brother.  Chani Janowski’s sister is married to Dovid Lawrence who lives in Toronto.  Michoel lives here in Boynton Beach in the same complex where I live.  Michael Schwartz whose daughter goes to Florida Atlantic University also was with us.  Michoel Lawrence said over a Rashi on Bereshis verse 22:3:

יַּשְׁכֵּ֨ם אַבְרָהָ֜ם בַּבֹּ֗קֶר וַֽיַּחֲבֹשׁ֙ אֶת־חֲמֹר֔וֹ וַיִּקַּ֞ח אֶת־שְׁנֵ֤י נְעָרָיו֙ אִתּ֔וֹ וְאֵ֖ת יִצְחָ֣ק בְּנ֑וֹ וַיְבַקַּע֙ עֲצֵ֣י עֹלָ֔ה וַיָּ֣קׇם וַיֵּ֔לֶךְ אֶל־הַמָּק֖וֹם אֲשֶׁר־אָֽמַר־ל֥וֹ הָאֱלֹהִֽים׃

So early next morning, Abraham saddled his donkey and took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. He split the wood for the burnt offering, and he set out for the place of which God had told him.

את שני נעריו. יִשְׁמָעֵאל וֶאֱלִיעֶזֶר, שֶׁאֵין אָדָם חָשׁוּב רַשַּׁאי לָצֵאת לַדֶּרֶךְ בְּלֹא ב’ אֲנָשִׁים (בראשית רבה), שֶׁאִם יִצְטָרֵךְ הָאֶחָד לִנְקָבָיו וְיִתְרַחֵק, יִהְיֶה הַשֵּׁנִי עִמּוֹ:

I realized something at that moment.  We know that Yishmaiel was kicked out of the house when he was 13.  The Chumosh also tells us based on Rashi and the Medresh twice that Yishmael repented and became a tzaddik.  Once at Avrohom’s death when Yishmael was 89 and again at Yishmael’s death 48 years later when Yishmael was 137.   When did Yishmael first repent?  It occurred to me that if Yishmael accompanied Avrohom and Yitzchok with Eliezer to the Akedah, it must have been that Yishmael was reconciled with the family at this time, when Yishmael was 50 and still had most of his life to live.  Maybe he had not done full repentance but he was close enough to Avrohom and Sarah that he was around and accompanied both Avrohom and Yitzchok to their greatest test.  Yishmael fulfilled by honoring one’s parents  and also serving a Talmud Chachom.  True,that Yishmael did not know the purpose of the trip, but he was there.  Thus, the process of Yishmael returning occurred much earlier than Avrohom’s death, 38 years earlier.  From the age of 50 until he died 87 years later there was rapprochement, and Yishmael worked on himself to become a Tzaddick.

Perhaps this could also be the meaning of verse וְאַבְרָהָ֣ם זָקֵ֔ן בָּ֖א בַּיָּמִ֑ים וַֽיהֹוָ֛ה בֵּרַ֥ךְ אֶת־אַבְרָהָ֖ם בַּכֹּֽל׃.  The blessing is that his family was also complete with the return of Yishmael into the family dynamic.

Hagar was to return later through the efforts of Yitzchok.  Perhaps also at this time Hagar also was not estranged from the family. 

When families get together there has to be a sense of togetherness, of camaraderie, of joy of being in each other’s company.  I would like to propose that this is what happened with Avrohom and his family.