לקוטי שיחות חלק ל׳ - לך לך א

Parshas Lech Lecha

1. In our parshah the Torah tells of three altars that our father Avraham built: (a) "And he built there an altar to G‑d Who had appeared to him"; (b) "And he built there an altar to G‑d and called in the name of G‑d"; (c) "And he built there an altar to G‑d." And our Sages explained: "He built three altars: one for the tidings of Eretz Yisrael, one for its acquisition, and one that his children should not fall." That is to say, Avraham built each of these three altars for a distinct purpose of its own: the first, built after G‑d spoke to Avram, "To your seed I will give this land," was "for the tidings of Eretz Yisrael"; the altar he built near Ai was for prayer, "that his children should not fall at Ai"; and the third altar, built after he fulfilled G‑d's command, "Arise, walk through the land, its length and its breadth, for to you I will give it" — through which "he acquired it" — was "for its acquisition" (of Eretz Yisrael).

Rashi, in his commentary on the Torah, brings the substance of the Midrash's words regarding the first two altars: on the verse "And he built there an altar" (stated the first time) he explains, "for the tidings of the seed and for the tidings of Eretz Yisrael"; and on the second "And he built there an altar" he writes, "He prophesied that his children were destined to stumble there over the sin of Achan, and he prayed there for them." But regarding the third altar (after G‑d's command "Arise, walk through the land etc.") Rashi is silent and explains nothing.

The reason Rashi did not explain, as the Midrash does, that the third altar was "for its acquisition" may be this: the Midrash's words follow the view that through Avraham's walking through its length and breadth "he acquired it" (that by walking one acquires); it is therefore fitting to say that this altar was "for its acquisition." According to Rashi's commentary on the Torah, however, in the plain meaning of Scripture Avraham's walking through its length and breadth did not constitute an acquisition of the land — as the verse itself concludes, "Arise, walk etc., for to you I will give it," in the future tense; that is, the walking served only to mark out the length and breadth of the land that the Holy One, blessed be He, would give him in the future. Accordingly, one cannot explain that he built this altar "for its acquisition."

But this requires explanation: since Rashi undertook to explain the reason for each of the first two altars that Avraham built — why did he not explain the reason for the building of the third altar?

2. According to the plain meaning, one could say:

Once Rashi has explained that Avraham built an altar on account of good tidings — "the tidings of the seed," "the tidings of Eretz Yisrael" — there is no further need to seek another reason for the building of the third altar. For, as the verse states explicitly, Avraham built it after he had been given the good tidings, "For all the land that you see, to you I will give it and to your seed forever; and I will make your seed as the dust of the earth etc." — that is, a great many blessings and good things, both in the tidings of Eretz Yisrael and in the tidings of the seed, which Avraham heard in this particular tiding and which had not been stated in the first one. It is self-understood that on account of these additional tidings Avraham built a special altar to G‑d.

This explanation, however, is strained in light of the wording of the verses. "And he built there an altar" implies that the building of the altar was connected with the place in which it was built — just as we find with the first two altars, about which (too) it says "And he built there an altar," that they were "connected" and bound up with the place where they were built. The first altar, which was "to G‑d Who had appeared to him," Avraham built specifically "there," because it was in that place that G‑d appeared to him. And the second altar was built "there," near Ai, because it was built (as Rashi explains) for the reason that "he prophesied that his children were destined to stumble there etc., and (therefore) he prayed there for them."

Now if we say that the building of this (third) altar was on account of the good tidings he had received before he came to Chevron [and the fact that he built the altar specifically in Chevron is only because this was the place he came to after fulfilling G‑d's command (in the tidings of the land), "Arise, walk through the land etc."] — then, seemingly, there is no connection whatsoever between the reason for building the altar and this particular place. Yet the verse is precise in saying, "And he built there an altar"!

In the manner of the plain meaning, one can explain the connection of this altar to its place: this was the first place in Eretz Yisrael in which our father Avraham settled permanently. For until then Avraham had been in a state of "going and journeying," "and he went on his journeys"; only upon coming to Chevron did he settle in the land, as it is written, "And he dwelt in the plains of Mamre, which are in Chevron" (and as is related afterwards, Avraham dwelt there twenty-five years). It is therefore understood that this is the fitting place to thank the Holy One, blessed be He, for "the tidings of (his settling permanently in) Eretz Yisrael."

The matter, however, is still not fully settled (in the manner of derush). For if this (third) altar came (only) on account of the tidings "for … to you I will give it … and I will make …," the verses ought to have emphasized (or at least alluded) that it was built close upon and in continuation of hearing those tidings. Yet the wording of the verse emphasizes the opposite — the interruption and delay between these tidings and the building of the altar: "And Avram pitched his tent, and came and dwelt etc. (and only afterwards) and built there an altar to G‑d."

It is therefore reasonable that the building of the altar was (also) a matter in its own right, connected with his settling in the city of Chevron.

3. The explanation of this may be as follows:

Our Sages said, "The Holy One, blessed be He, gave Avraham a sign that everything that happened to him would happen to his children" — "the deeds of the fathers are a sign for the children." As the Ramban writes, "all of them (all the deeds of the Patriarchs) come to teach about the future, for when an event befalls a prophet of the three Patriarchs, one can discern from it what is decreed to come to his descendants." And perhaps one may say that the deeds of the fathers are a sign — a cause — of the events of the children. Accordingly, in our case, these altars that Avraham built are themselves the preparation for, and the granting of strength to, the service of the offerings (of the Jewish people) upon the altar in the Mishkan and the Beis HaMikdash.

And this is the core of the reason Avraham built three altars: in the "altar" of the "children" we find three functions and aspects, whose ("sign" and) source of strength are these three altars that Avraham built.

The explanation:

Regarding the function of the altar, our Sages said, "Mizbe'ach (altar) — it removes, it nourishes, it endears, it atones." That is: it removes decrees (evil decrees from upon the Jewish people); it nourishes — in the merit of the offerings the world is nourished, for the offerings come from food and bring blessing upon it; it endears the Jewish people to their Father; and it atones for sins.

These four things divide, in general, into three categories: a) "nourishes" — bestowing sustenance upon the world; b) "removes and atones" — the nullification of undesirable things from upon the Jewish people (decrees and sins); c) "endears the Jewish people to their Father."

Now, such a division of "four that are three" we also find in the division of the offerings (upon the altar) into their kinds. The Rambam divides the offerings into "four kinds: the burnt-offering, the sin-offering, the guilt-offering and the peace-offering," whereas in the Midrash we find them divided into three — "the burnt-offering, the peace-offering and the sin-offering." Clearly there is no contradiction here, for the sin-offering and the guilt-offering share one content: both come for atonement.

Accordingly, one may say that the three above functions of the offerings correspond to these three categories of offerings:

The peace-offerings, of which the owners eat, correspond to the altar (the offerings) "nourishing" the world: just as the owners merit this eating of theirs (which is physical eating, food for the body) through bringing an offering to G‑d, so "in the merit of the offerings the world is nourished."

The sin-offering (and the guilt-offering), which come for atonement — this is "removes … atones."

And the burnt-offering, which is wholly for G‑d, serves to "endear the Jewish people to their Father." In the words of the Midrash, "The burnt-offering is offered for the honor of the Holy One, blessed be He, alone, but the peace-offering and the sin-offering on behalf of (for) ourselves." That is, the peace-offering and the sin-offering come (primarily? also?) for the benefit of the one who brings them (either to receive sustenance or to nullify undesirable things), whereas the burnt-offering comes only "for the honor of the Holy One, blessed be He, alone," and through it the Jewish people are endeared to their Father in Heaven.

4. One may say that the three above functions are present, in general, in every offering, for in all of them there are three elements: a) the sprinkling of the blood upon the altar; b) the eating by the kohanim and the owners (and in the burnt-offering too — its hide goes to the kohanim); c) the revelation of the Shechinah — the fire that descended from heaven and "consumed" the offerings (and more generally, the fact that the place of the altar is in the Beis HaMikdash, in the Rambam's words, "a house for G‑d, prepared for offerings to be brought in it"):

The part of the offering that is eaten by (and belongs to) the kohanim and the owners alludes to the function of "nourishing the world," as above.

The sprinkling of the blood upon the altar is what effects the atonement of sins and their appeasement (which includes appeasement for all undesirable things).

And the revelation of the Shechinah in the offerings (the fire that descends from heaven, and in general, the fact that the altar is in the Beis HaMikdash, "a house for G‑d") shows the endearment of the Jewish people — to the point that "just as He comes to see, so He comes to be seen" — for this entire revelation is for the sake of the Jewish people, the nation close to Him.

5. It is known that the service of the offerings is called simply "avodah" (service), because in it the entire concept of the service of G‑d finds expression.

From this it is understood that just as the offerings contain the three above aspects, so it is with the service of G‑d as a whole, which has three divisions:

Its beginning is the service of Torah and mitzvos, the nourishment of the soul ("nourishes"). For the Torah is "our life," and it is said (of the mitzvos), "which a person shall do and live by them"; and as is known, the 248 positive commandments correspond to the 248 limbs, and through fulfilling Torah and mitzvos one draws (the soul's) vitality into the person's limbs.

Higher than this is the service of teshuvah: even when a person has sinned, caused a blemish and transgressed, Heaven forfend, he rectifies it through teshuvah ("atones" and "removes").

The ultimate completeness of cleaving to G‑d, however, is the service of mesirus nefesh — a person giving himself over entirely to the Holy One, blessed be He (like the burnt-offering, which is wholly for G‑d). This is the true meaning of mesirus nefesh: one gives over his soul not for reward, nor for some benefit, (material or) spiritual (that would accrue to his soul), but solely for G‑d's honor, without any calculation at all. And when a person offers up (and nullifies) himself wholly to the Holy One, blessed be He, seeking nothing for himself, he "endears the Jewish people to their Father."

6. In light of this we can understand the content of the three altars that Avraham built — in the sense of "the deeds of the fathers are a sign for the children" — in which Avraham laid the foundations (the "sign") for three general aspects of the service of the Jewish people throughout all the generations:

The first altar was "for the tidings of the seed and for the tidings of Eretz Yisrael" — a matter of a person's needs, both material and spiritual (akin to "nourishes").

The second altar — where he prayed for them (to atone for the deed of Achan) — is the aspect of "removes … atones."

Whereas regarding the third altar, Rashi did not explain what its purpose was — because the aim of this altar was not some incidental benefit, but solely to build an altar to G‑d (like the burnt-offering, which is wholly for G‑d and comes only for His honor, as above). And the "sign for the children" in this "deed of the fathers" relates to the aspect of "endears" in the offerings, for offering in this manner brings about the endearment of the Jewish people to the Holy One, blessed be He, as above.

It follows that the three altars Avraham built are in ascending order, from the lesser to the greater: the first — "for the tidings of the seed and for the tidings of Eretz Yisrael" (akin to "nourishes"); the second — his prayer over the deed of Achan ("removes … atones"); and the third — "And he built there an altar to G‑d" (unqualified), without any additional intent, solely for His honor.

[This also sheds light on the fact that, regarding the first altar, Rashi did not quote the words "to G‑d Who had appeared to him." For seemingly, the plain sense of the verse is that after G‑d appeared to him — "And G‑d appeared to Avram" — he built an altar "to G‑d Who had appeared to him." If so, Rashi should have quoted these words and explained that the altar was built to give thanks for this revelation (or that this revelation aroused in him the desire to serve G‑d by means of an altar); yet Rashi explains that the altar came (only) "for the tidings of the seed and for the tidings of Eretz Yisrael"?

In light of the above this is understood: the order of service proceeds step by step (from below upward), from the lesser to the greater, and this content of the altar (building an altar "to G‑d Who had appeared to him") belongs to the third altar. Therefore Rashi explains that the words "to G‑d Who had appeared to him" (regarding the first altar) do not come to describe the content and aim of the altar, but merely as an indication (of time) — that (its building, which was on account of the tidings —) the tidings became known to him when "G‑d appeared to him."]

7. In light of this one can also explain why the verse emphasizes, regarding the third altar too, "And he built there an altar to G‑d" — that he built the altar specifically in Chevron: the content of this altar is connected specifically with the city of Chevron.

As is known, "Chevron" is an expression of chibur, connection [and as explained elsewhere, this applies (also) to the city of Chevron literally, where the fathers and mothers of all the Jewish people are buried — "only these are called fathers" (and mothers) — and all prayers ascend by way of Chevron]. And the true bond and connection of the Jewish people with the Holy One, blessed be He, is when our service is not "on behalf of ourselves," for some benefit that accrues to the person (not even the most lofty benefit of a person's atonement), but when his "altar" (his offering) is solely for G‑d's honor, entirely and wholly for G‑d.

8. It is known that the essence of the Beis HaMikdash — "a house for G‑d, prepared for offerings to be brought in it" — is the altar. In light of the above, one may say that these three altars of Avraham correspond to the three Batei Mikdash:

It has been explained elsewhere at length that the difference between the First Beis HaMikdash and the Second Beis HaMikdash, in terms of spiritual service, is this: the theme of the First Beis HaMikdash is the service of the tzaddikim, while the service of the Second Beis HaMikdash, which came (after the destruction of the First, and) to rectify the destruction, is the service of teshuvah.

It follows that Avraham's first altar — corresponding to the service of Torah and mitzvos — is the "sign" for the First Beis HaMikdash, the service of the tzaddikim (who are so called on account of their service in fulfilling Torah and mitzvos); and his second altar — corresponding to the service of teshuvah — is the "sign" for the service of the Second Beis HaMikdash.

The ultimate perfection, however, is the Third Beis HaMikdash — the ultimate perfection in the service of G‑d, when the promise "for eye to eye they shall see etc." will be fulfilled, that is, the revelation of G‑dliness in utter perfection; and consequently the Jewish people's cleaving to G‑d will also be in utter perfection and in complete self-nullification to Him. And in the "deeds of the fathers" this is the third altar that Avraham built in Chevron, whose entire content was simply — "And he built there an altar to G‑d," as explained above at length.

Support for this may be found in the words of the Midrash, that Avraham built an altar in Chevron because it is "the place where they crowned David king, and there they made a covenant, as it is said, 'And all the elders of Israel came to the king to Chevron, and King David made a covenant with them in Chevron before G‑d.'"

It is known that the kingship of King David (especially once he actually became king over all Israel) is an eternal kingship, whose completion is the kingship of King Moshiach.

As the Rambam rules, "King Moshiach will arise and restore the kingship of David to its former state, to its original sovereignty." Moreover, we find in the Midrashim of our Sages that King Moshiach is King David himself — "David is his name," and in the well-known phrase, "the man whose name is Tzemach — he is David himself."

It follows that this altar that Avraham built is connected with the kingship of David, which is itself the kingship of King Moshiach, when there will be the above-mentioned ultimate perfection in the service of G‑d.

9. The lesson from all this for our deeds and our service now:

Since the deeds of the fathers are a sign for the children, it is understood that the content of all three altars that Avraham built must be present in the service of every Jew, also now.

And in light of what has been explained — that the third altar corresponds to the perfection that will be attained in the true and complete Redemption through our righteous Moshiach — we learn that all aspects of service (the whole concept of the altar and the offerings in the service of G‑d), even in the time of exile, must be bound up with the content of the kingship of David, David Malka Meshicha (David the King Moshiach).

That is, the service of Torah and mitzvos and of teshuvah too must be permeated with the clear recognition that the completeness of the service of G‑d will come only in the Time to Come (when the mitzvos will be fulfilled "in accordance with the command of Your will"); as in the well-known words of the Ramban, that the mitzvos we fulfil in the present time (outside the Land) are only "markers," "for the essence of all the mitzvos is for those who dwell in the land of G‑d" —

And this itself arouses all the more the yearning and longing for the true and complete Redemption, and thereby we bring closer and hasten the time when we will see tangibly, in actuality and openly, the fulfilment of the covenant of all the Jewish people with King David, David Malka Meshicha — "And My servant David shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd … and David My servant shall be their prince forever" — speedily in our days, literally.

(From a talk of 7 MarCheshvan, 5746)

Key Lesson

Avraham's three altars lay the groundwork for three levels of serving G‑d: Torah and mitzvos that nourish the soul, teshuvah that atones and removes what is undesirable, and mesirus nefesh offered wholly to G‑d with no calculation of personal gain. The third, built in Chevron — the place of connection and of David's kingship — is the sign of the Third Beis HaMikdash and of Moshiach, when this complete devotion will be revealed. Even now, all our service should be permeated with the awareness that its completion awaits the Redemption, and that very longing hastens its coming.