The Fathers

Va'eira SUNDAY, JANUARY 3 22 TEVET, 5776 ב"ה וָאֵרָא אֶל אַבְרָהָם אֶל יִצְחָק וְאֶל יַעֲקֹב (שמות ו, ג) And I appeared to Avraham, to Yitzchak and to Yaakov (Shemos 6:3) The Fathers In the first verses of Parshas Va'eira, G-d assures Moshe that He will soon fulfill the promises He made when He appeared to Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov. In his commentary, Rashi quotes the word "Va'eira, — And I appeared," from the verse, and describes the people to whom G-d appeared with one phrase: "to the fathers." By summarizing the verse and stating that Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov were "the fathers," Rashi is pointing out that though Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov each had distinctive qualities, their primary virtue was the one they had in common—they were "the fathers." Avraham is called by the prophets, "Avraham, who loved Me" (Yeshayahu 41:8); his worship of G-d was characterized by a love for his Creator. Yitzchak's relationship with G-d is described in the Torah as "the Fear of Yitzchak" (Bereishis 31:42); his life was primarily defined by his awe and fear of Heaven. Yaakov represented a balance of both these emotions, as he attested, "Had not the G-d of my father, the G-d of Avraham and the Fear of Yitzchak, been for me…" (ibid.), meaning that he incorporated both his father and grandfather's spiritual traits in his worship of G-d. Now, though love and fear of G-d are obviously unalike, but what they have in common is that they both inspire action. As explained in Tanya (chapter 4), love of G-d motivates observance of the positive mitzvos commanded by G-d, and fear of G-d ensures that one distances himself from transgressing any of G-d's prohibitions. Rashi hints to this with his emphasis that Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov were "the fathers." Our Sages teach, "The principal offspring of the righteous are their good deeds" (Rashi on Bereishis 6:9). Accordingly, describing Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov as "the fathers" emphasizes that their emotional attachment to G-d did not remain abstract; it translated into "offspring," i.e., practical good deeds. Additionally, by highlighting that our forefathers were, first and foremost, "the fathers," Rashi underscores that their primary merit was their influence on others. More so than the remarkable qualities that they each exhibited in their personal service of G-d, our forefathers' main accomplishment in life was that they bred and inspired successive generations to go on the path of G-d. —Likkutei Sichos, vol. 3, p. 860 Sponsor a Lightpoints email A project of Or Hachassidus ביוזמת ולזכות הרה״ח הרה״ת ר' ישעי' זושא ווילהעלם שליט״א להצלחה רבה לו ולכל משפחתו בגו״ר

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