I was listening to the Baal Korah reading the parsha this week and suddenly I had an epiphany !
Let me explain;
The Torah for the very first time introduces us to Lavan, Rivka's brother!
Then I listened carefully how Lavan expresses himself.
I studied this parsha hundreds of time but it was today that I suddenly had to look again and make sure I wasn't dreaming.
Lavan talks like a tzaddik, there is absolutely no indication from this parsha that Lavan is a fraudster and a very evil guy.
וַיֹּ֕אמֶר בּ֖וֹא בְּר֣וּךְ יְהֹוָ֑ה לָ֤מָּה תַעֲמֹד֙ בַּח֔וּץ
וַיַּ֨עַן לָבָ֤ן וּבְתוּאֵל֙ וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּ מֵיְהֹוָ֖ה יָצָ֣א הַדָּבָ֑ר לֹ֥א נוּכַ֛ל דַּבֵּ֥ר אֵלֶ֖יךָ רַ֥ע אוֹ־טֽוֹב
הִנֵּֽה־רִבְקָ֥ה לְפָנֶ֖יךָ קַ֣ח וָלֵ֑ךְ וּתְהִ֤י אִשָּׁה֙ לְבֶן־אֲדֹנֶ֔יךָ כַּאֲשֶׁ֖ר דִּבֶּ֥ר יְהֹוָֽה
What is the message here?
I found the same thing later in Parshas Balak when the Torah relates the story of Ballam!
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֲלֵיהֶ֗ם לִ֤ינוּ פֹה֙ הַלַּ֔יְלָה וַהֲשִׁבֹתִ֤י אֶתְכֶם֙ דָּבָ֔ר כַּאֲשֶׁ֛ר יְדַבֵּ֥ר יְהֹוָ֖ה אֵלָ֑י
יֹּ֙אמֶר֙ אֶל־שָׂרֵ֣י בָלָ֔ק לְכ֖וּ אֶֽל־אַרְצְכֶ֑ם כִּ֚י מֵאֵ֣ן יְהֹוָ֔ה לְתִתִּ֖י לַהֲלֹ֥ךְ עִמָּכֶֽם׃
אִם־יִתֶּן־לִ֥י בָלָ֛ק מְלֹ֥א בֵית֖וֹ כֶּ֣סֶף וְזָהָ֑ב לֹ֣א אוּכַ֗ל לַעֲבֹר֙ אֶת־פִּי֙ יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהָ֔י לַעֲשׂ֥וֹת קְטַנָּ֖ה א֥וֹ גְדוֹלָֽה
וְעַתָּ֗ה שְׁב֨וּ נָ֥א בָזֶ֛ה גַּם־אַתֶּ֖ם הַלָּ֑יְלָה וְאֵ֣דְעָ֔ה מַה־יֹּסֵ֥ף יְהֹוָ֖ה דַּבֵּ֥ר עִמִּֽי׃
הַדָּבָ֗ר אֲשֶׁ֨ר יָשִׂ֧ים אֱלֹהִ֛ים בְּפִ֖י אֹת֥וֹ אֲדַבֵּֽר׃
אוּלַ֞י יִקָּרֵ֤ה יְהֹוָה֙ לִקְרָאתִ֔י וּדְבַ֥ר מַה־יַּרְאֵ֖נִי וְהִגַּ֣דְתִּי לָ֑ךְ
הֲלֹ֗א אֵת֩ אֲשֶׁ֨ר יָשִׂ֤ים יְהֹוָה֙ בְּפִ֔י אֹת֥וֹ אֶשְׁמֹ֖ר לְדַבֵּֽר׃
הֲלֹ֗א דִּבַּ֤רְתִּי אֵלֶ֙יךָ֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר כֹּ֛ל אֲשֶׁר־יְדַבֵּ֥ר יְהֹוָ֖ה אֹת֥וֹ אֶֽעֱשֶֽׂה׃
What is going on?
I came to the conclusion that just because someone has the Name of Hashem constantly on his lips and talks about Hashem constantly, doesn't make him a Tzaddik, he can be a Rasha as well!
Another thought:
Last week one of the commentors, a Charedie, described Judea & Samaria as the "west bank"!
Now I know that many Jews, even Frum, Shoimrei Torah Umitzvois describe Judea & Samaria with the Jordanian term "west bank" They do this to minimize the importance of Judea & Samaria and are willing even to have Palestinians have a State there chas ve'sholom!
Yes.... Frum Jews like last week's commentator believe that!
However listening to the Baal Korah reading Parshas Chaya Sarah, written over 3,500 years ago, should disabuse all Jews, any of those thoughts.
For the very first time in Jewish History we hear about a Jew buying land!
The Torah dedicated over 20 pesukim to this real estate deal!
Where did this take place?????
It took place in Chevron, a place where this Charedie , a Yeshiva graduate describes as the "west bank"!
The second place the Torah describes a Jew buying land was in Shechem, Yaakov bought that for his son Yosef, and Shechem is in where this farfrumte Charedie described as the "west bank" !
וַאֲנִ֞י נָתַ֧תִּֽי לְךָ֛ שְׁכֶ֥ם אַחַ֖ד עַל־אַחֶ֑יךָ אֲשֶׁ֤ר לָקַ֙חְתִּי֙ מִיַּ֣ד הָֽאֱמֹרִ֔י
24:32 In Yehoshua
וְאֶת־עַצְמ֣וֹת י֠וֹסֵ֠ף אֲשֶׁר־הֶעֱל֨וּ בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֥ל ׀ מִמִּצְרַ֘יִם֮ קָבְר֣וּ בִשְׁכֶם֒ בְּחֶלְקַ֣ת הַשָּׂדֶ֗ה אֲשֶׁ֨ר קָנָ֧ה יַעֲקֹ֛ב מֵאֵ֛ת בְּנֵי־חֲמ֥וֹר אֲבִֽי־שְׁכֶ֖ם בְּמֵאָ֣ה קְשִׂיטָ֑ה וַיִּֽהְי֥וּ לִבְנֵֽי־יוֹסֵ֖ף לְנַחֲלָֽה׃
There is yet a third place the Torah describes a Jew buying land in Eretz Yisrael, and that is Dovid Hamelech buying the threshing floor from Araunah the Jebusite, that piece of land ultimately became the site of the Bais Hamikdash.
Where was that?
That was in East Yerushlayim described as the "west bank"by a Charedie, Yeshivishe graduate!
Judea & Sameria is Eretz Yisrael proper! There are now over 750,000 Jews living there.
Every Jews has an obligation to buy land in Israel, yes! in the "west bank"
Even on Shabbos!! Yes you heard that right, if a Jew finds out on Shabbos that a goy is selling land in the "west bank" he can hire a lawyer and instruct the goy to write up a contract on Shabbos!! There isn't a posik that argues with this halacha!
That is how important it is to populate Jews in Eretz Yisrael! That is why the "settlers" are so important and so vital to the future of the Jewish presence as a majority in Israel!
The Ramban says that the pasuk in Bamidbar 33:53
והורשתם את הארץ וישבתם בה
"You shall conquer the land and dwell in it"
Is a mitzvas esseh deoriisah, in the here and now, and he adds
לרשת הארץ....ולא נעזבה ביד זולתנו מן האומות או לששמה
"To inherit (possess) the Land... and not leave it in the hands of other nations or desolate! "
This applies to the "west bank" which is Eretz Yisrael "lechol ha'deis
What is interesting to point out is that the entire Tanach takes place in what this Charedie calls the "west bank" !
I did a search in AI to find out what the New testament calls this area;
I found this in Acts 1:8
"and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.""
So here we have a Charedie Jew disparaging this vital and integral part of Eretz Yisrael calling it by a made up name .."west bank" yet even Christians refer to it as Judea & Samaria!
How interesting!
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