לקוטי שיחות חלק כ׳ - וירא א

Parshas Vayeira — 20 MarCheshvan

1. The story has already been told many times^[1] of the Rebbe (Rashab), of blessed memory, which took place when he was a child of four or five years old, on Shabbos Parshas Vayeira:

The Rebbe, of blessed memory, went in to his grandfather, the Tzemach Tzedek (to receive the blessing in connection with his birthday^[2]), and burst into tears, saying: Why did the Almighty appear to Avraham Avinu, and to us (to him) He does not appear?

The Tzemach Tzedek answered him: When a Jew (a tzaddik^[3]) at the age of ninety-nine decides that he must circumcise himself, he is worthy that the Almighty should appear to him.

2. The stories of our Rebbeim in general, and especially those which they themselves revealed to us in order that they be publicized, are certainly precise in all their details.

Even the stories that took place in their childhood: from the very fact that our Rebbeim told these stories (and especially according to the saying of our Sages^[4], “a pumpkin is known from its stalk”), it is understood that they are not merely something from which one can derive a lesson in the service of G‑d (as one must derive a lesson from everything one sees or hears^[5]), but that they contain a special content, which one must study and understand.

Now, in this story the following is not understood. “And G‑d appeared to Avram” is already written earlier, and twice (in Parshas Lech Lecha^[6]). Why did the Rebbe, of blessed memory, weep over the fact that the Almighty appeared to Avraham Avinu and to us (to him) He does not appear specifically in connection with the verse in Parshas Vayeira, and not because of Parshas Lech Lecha?

Concerning the second “And G‑d appeared to Avram” (in Parshas Lech Lecha), one could say that perhaps the Rebbe, of blessed memory, had not yet studied that verse at the time, since the verse is almost at the end of the sidrah (as is the custom in several places in the order of study with children, that each week they learn only part of the weekly Torah portion^[7]).

But regarding the first “And G‑d appeared to Avram,” which is at the beginning of the sidrah, he surely had studied it then. Why, then, did his weeping not come in connection with that verse?

3. Simply, one may say the reason is this: when he went in to the Tzemach Tzedek (to receive the blessing in connection with his birthday), it was on Shabbos Parshas Vayeira, and therefore he asked about the subject he was learning at the time, about “And G‑d appeared to him,” which is written in Parshas Vayeira (whereas in the week of Parshas Lech Lecha there was no occasion for going in to the Tzemach Tzedek^[8]).

The question remains, however: why did the Tzemach Tzedek answer him only regarding “And G‑d appeared to him” of Parshas Vayeira, and did not point out that “And G‑d appeared to Avram” had already occurred earlier (in Parshas Lech Lecha), and twice?

The question is even greater. The answer of the Tzemach Tzedek (that the Almighty appeared to Avraham Avinu because he had decided that he must circumcise himself) answers only the verse “And G‑d appeared to him” of our sidrah, which came after the decision to circumcise himself. The question (and the weeping) remains, however, regarding “And G‑d appeared to Avram” of Parshas Lech Lecha, which took place before he had circumcised himself^[9].

4. At first glance one could give the following explanation:

The two times “And He appeared” in Parshas Lech Lecha were an introduction and preparation for something that was said (“And G‑d appeared… and said…”). Consequently there is no place for that “And He appeared” to someone to whom nothing is said.

In our sidrah, however, there was no saying (or the like) following the “And He appeared”^[10]; the “And He appeared” was a matter in itself. Therefore the Rebbe, of blessed memory, wept specifically in connection with this “And He appeared.”

This, however, does not hold, because

[even if the “And He appeared” was for the sake of a saying — we find in many places^[11] where it is written “And G‑d said to…” without the introduction of “And G‑d appeared…”. This implies that here too the “And He appeared” is a matter in itself (not only for the sake of the saying), and the question returns to its place. Furthermore,]

the “And He appeared” of our sidrah also had a reason, a special purpose (as Rashi^[12], the plain meaning of Scripture, says): “to visit the sick” — and in the case of the Rebbe, of blessed memory, this reason did not exist?

5. In the Baal HaTurim^[13] it is written that “And G‑d appeared to him” (in our parshah) was “on account of the circumcision” — in the merit of Avraham Avinu having fulfilled the mitzvah of circumcision.

Based on this, one could, at first glance, answer that this was the claim (and the weeping) of the Rebbe, of blessed memory: since he too has the merit of circumcision^[14], the reward of “And G‑d appeared to him” should come to him as well.

To this the Tzemach Tzedek answered him that one cannot compare oneself to Avraham, whose mitzvah of circumcision had a special quality — he circumcised himself “at ninety-nine years old” — and therefore he (specifically) merited the “And He appeared.”

But this is very forced, because:

a) Rashi explains, as above, that “And G‑d appeared to him” was not simply a reward “on account of the circumcision,” but “to visit the sick”^[15]. Since Rashi’s commentary on the Torah is (also) for a “five-year-old for Scripture,” it is reasonable that the question of the Rebbe, of blessed memory, a child of four or five years old, follows Rashi’s explanation of the verse.

b) Even according to the explanation of the Baal HaTurim: since we are speaking of the Rebbe, of blessed memory, in whom, even as a child, a semblance of his later qualities was evident (as above, “a pumpkin is known from its stalk”), he surely knew of the great quality of the service of Avraham Avinu in general, and all the more so he understood the most simple and obvious superiority of Avraham Avinu’s circumcision over the mitzvah of circumcision (in general), that it took place at the age of ninety-nine.

Consequently, there is no room for the Rebbe, of blessed memory (even as a child), to compare himself to Avraham Avinu, to the point of complaining why the Almighty appeared to Avraham Avinu (in the merit of the circumcision) and to him He does not appear.

6. It may be said that the explanation is, on the contrary: the above-mentioned claim of the Rebbe, of blessed memory, came about precisely because he knew what Rashi says, that “And G‑d appeared to him” was “to visit the sick.”

Were it not for Rashi’s explanation, he would have had no claim as to why the Almighty does not appear to him as to Avraham Avinu, for how could he compare himself to Avraham Avinu?

Since, however, “And G‑d appeared to him” was “to visit the sick,” a matter of kindness^[16], that is, the “And He appeared” came about (not so much because of the quality of Avraham Avinu’s level^[17], but) because of the attribute of kindness of the Holy One, blessed be He, he therefore argued: since it pains him that the Almighty does not appear to him (as was seen afterward, that this brought him to tears), the Almighty must therefore bestow kindness upon him too, and appear to him as well.

[Accordingly, it is simply answered why he did not ask about the two times “And G‑d appeared to Avram” in Parshas Lech Lecha: because there the “And He appeared” was connected with the quality of Avraham Avinu^[18], and one cannot compare oneself to Avraham Avinu.]

To this the Tzemach Tzedek answered him: “When a Jew… decides that he must circumcise himself, he is worthy that the Almighty should appear to him.” Although “And G‑d appeared to him” came about (not because of the quality of Avraham Avinu’s level, but) because of the kindness (of the Holy One, blessed be He), one must nevertheless be worthy of the kindness, be a “vessel” for this revelation^[19].

And the vessel for this is the decision that, in whatever state he may be, even when he is at the level of “a tzaddik at ninety-nine years old,” he must circumcise himself^[20].

7. On the above explanation one could, at first glance, ask:

After all, visiting the sick is not simply a matter of kindness; it (has a special content, it) is connected specifically with a sick person. Through the visit one eases the suffering of the sick person, and this itself helps his recovery^[21] (especially as it says in the Gemara^[22] that it takes away “one sixtieth” of the illness). This is so even with a visit by a human being; all the more so the Almighty’s visiting the sick^[23] certainly brings about the healing of the sick person^[24].

The question therefore arises: how did the Rebbe, of blessed memory, learn from “And G‑d appeared to him” — “to visit the sick” — that the Almighty also appears for the sake of a different kind of kindness, one not connected with a sick person who needs healing (where the visitor “takes away… from his illness”)?

This will be understood by first considering what the Gemara^[25] learns from “And G‑d appeared to him”: that just as “the Holy One, blessed be He, visited the sick… so you too visit the sick.” This too is not understood (in the manner of the question above):

The Gemara^[26] says that only with a “ben gilo” of the sick person (one who is like him) does his visit achieve that he “takes away… from his illness.” How, then, can one learn from the fact that “the Holy One, blessed be He, visited the sick” (Whose visiting the sick is certainly even more than that of a “ben gilo”^[27]) that every Jew (most of whom are not “bnei gilo”) must “visit the sick”^[28]?

It may be said that Rashi alludes to the explanation of this in his commentary on the Torah here, in saying: “To visit the sick. Rabbi Chama bar Chanina said^[29]: It was the third day after his circumcision, and the Holy One, blessed be He, came and inquired after his welfare.”

At first glance the length of Rashi’s wording^[30] is not understood: he has already said “to visit the sick”; what, then, is he adding with “and the Holy One, blessed be He, came and inquired after his welfare”?

But with this Rashi forestalls a difficulty: the fact that the Almighty came to Avraham “to visit the sick” was not in order to take away from his illness, but (only) to inquire after his welfare^[31], as will be explained.

8. After “And G‑d appeared to him” it is written^[32] that Avraham saw “three men standing over him.” Rashi says that one of them came “to heal Avraham.”

Now, since in any case (even after “And G‑d appeared to him”) Avraham was healed completely through the angel Rafael^[33] (and immediately as he came^[34]), there is no room to say that a short while earlier the Almighty should have come in order to take away from him (merely) “one sixtieth of his illness”^[35].

Rashi therefore is precise to say, “and the Holy One, blessed be He, came and inquired after his welfare”: the purpose of the visiting of the sick by the Holy One, blessed be He, was (not to heal, not even one sixtieth, but) only a matter of kindness. And therefore one learns from it the obligation of “visit the sick” upon every Jew.

And since the Almighty came “to visit the sick” as an act of kindness (and not to take away from his illness), the Rebbe, of blessed memory, therefore had the claim that, by virtue of kindness, the Almighty must appear to him as well, as above.

9. As was once discussed at length^[36], one of the lessons to be derived from this story is the following:

Since the above-mentioned event with the Rebbe, of blessed memory, took place when he was a child of four or five years old, “less than six,” there is a lesson from it that even in a child of four or five one can awaken (through proper education) a yearning for spirituality and G‑dliness, up to a wondrous yearning that brings him to tears.

This is not contradicted by the instruction of the Rambam^[37] regarding the manner of teaching a young child, that one must urge him on “with things that are dear to him in his tender years… ‘Read, and I will give you nuts…’” For the above-mentioned event (and especially after my father-in-law, the Rebbe, publicized it) revealed this path in education. And it may be said further: it introduced this path in education; (in the language of Chassidus) it opened a new channel, so that one can educate a child to the point where G‑dliness becomes “things that are dear to him,” a part of his “tender years” as well.

This is similar to what we find regarding several matters (also in halachah^[38]), that “nature has changed.”

10. We must, however, understand: why indeed did this come about only in the later generations, and through (an event that took place with) the Rebbe, of blessed memory?

This will be understood by first explaining why the revelation of the inner dimension of the Torah came specifically in the later generations (through the Arizal^[39], and afterward through the Baal Shem Tov, up to the point of comprehension and understanding^[40] through the teachings of Chabad Chassidus). For at first glance: did the generations become more worthy?

One of the known explanations of this^[41] is that, on the contrary: because in the later generations the darkness is greater, an increase in the light of holiness is needed. Similarly in our case: because of the intensification of the darkness in the later generations, the power has been given specifically now to educate children “less than six” so that spirituality and G‑dliness become a part of their lives, as above.

This is also the reason why this matter came about through (an event that took place with) the Rebbe, of blessed memory:

One of the special accomplishments of the Rebbe, of blessed memory, was that he founded the Yeshivah Tomchei Temimim, where the revealed part of the Torah would be studied together with the inner dimension of the Torah, as one Torah^[42].

As a preparation for this, it was necessary to open a new channel and a new path in education: that even when the child is only four or five years old, one can awaken in him a wondrous yearning, that he should long for the Almighty to appear to him.

And through the above-mentioned conduct with those who are called “My anointed ones”^[43], the near preparation is made for the coming and revelation of Moshiach, when there will be “and G‑d appeared”^[44], “and the glory of G‑d will be revealed, and all flesh together will see that the mouth of G‑d has spoken”^[45], below ten handbreadths,

very soon indeed, when “its Master comes — the King Moshiach.”

(From talks of Shabbos Parshas Vayeira (20 MarCheshvan) and the night following Shabbos Parshas Chayei Sarah, 5740)

Key Lesson

When the young Rebbe Rashab wept because G‑d did not appear to him as He did to Avraham, he understood from Rashi that G‑d’s visit was pure kindness, and kindness should reach him too. The Tzemach Tzedek answered that even kindness needs a vessel: a firm decision to give oneself over to G‑d, however high one already stands. The story also teaches that even a child of four or five can be raised to truly long for G‑dliness, until holiness becomes something he loves. In our dark generation this power has been given precisely so, and educating children this way prepares the coming of Moshiach.