Rosh Hashanah of 1993 would usher in a year of the observance of Shemitah, the mitzvah to leave the land of Israel fallow for the entire year. Shortly before Rosh Hashana, a little girl told her father how she learned in school that next year is going to be Shemitah when the land may not be worked. “You will not be allowed to work your vineyard,” she told him. “And you must declare all the grapes hefker(ownerless).”
“What is the matter with you?” replied the father. “Our lives depend on my vineyard! If I don’t sell the grapes you won’t have what to eat. If I don’t work the vineyard it will never be the same.”
The little girl became very sad and said nothing. Then she had a thought.
“Abba, have you ever heard of Avraham Avinu(our forefather Abraham)?”
“Yes.”
“Abba, do you know that Avraham had a precious son Yitzchak and that Hashem told Avrohom to offer Yitzchak as a sacrifice (as depicted at the end of this week’s parsha)? And Abba, do you know that Avraham without any hesitation was ready to fulfill Hashem’s will?”
“I remember studying that as a child,” he said.
“Abba,” the little girl said. “If Avraham was ready to give up his son for Hashem’s sake, can’t we give up our vineyard for one year?”
Visibly moved by her sincere words he said, “If that’s the way you put it, my dear child, I will do as you say.”
(From Shabbos Stories by Rabbi Shimon Finkelman)
There is a Yiddish saying that one does not ask questions on a story. But I’m going to anyway.
The little girl’s argument is touching. But is it correct? I would make the following argument. If I was Avrohom who was ready to offer his son as a sacrifice, then you can say that if I’m ready to sacrifice so much, I should be ready to give up my vineyard for a year. But I’m not Avraham and perhaps I wouldn’t be able to sacrifice my son. Who says then that I can give up my vineyard even for just a year?
But the little girl was absolutely correct! Because if Avraham could do it then we can do it!
The basis for this comes from Pirkei Avot 5:3.
עֲשָׂרָה נִסְיוֹנוֹת נִתְנַסָּה אַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ עָלָיו הַשָּׁלוֹם וְעָמַד בְּכֻלָּם, לְהוֹדִיעַ כַּמָּה חִבָּתוֹ שֶׁל אַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ עָלָיו הַשָּׁלוֹם:
With ten trials was Avraham, our father (may he rest in peace), tried, and he withstood them all; to make known how great was the love of Abraham, our father (peace be upon him).
The commentary of Ruach Chaim explains why Avraham is called here “our father” while in a previous place in Pirkei Avot he is referred to as just Avraham. The Mishna means to stress that Avraham’s fatherhood to the Jewish people was manifest through these ten trials. With each trial Avraham attained another level of spiritual accomplishment and then passed on that power to his descendants. Just as children inherit their parents’ genes, Avraham’s children, the Jewish people, also inherited his spiritual genes.
This is why we find even the simplest of Jews ready to give up their lives to sanctify Hashem’s name. This comes from Avraham’s readiness to give up his life when he was confronted to abandon his belief in Hashem or be cast in a burning furnace. (It also comes from his readiness to fulfill Hashem’s command to offer his son Yitzchak as a sacrifice.)
This is also why we find Jews ready to give up everything to settle in the land of Israel. This comes from Avraham who left everything behind to fulfill Hashem’s words of:
לֶךְ־לְךָ מֵאַרְצְךָ וּמִמּוֹלַדְתְּךָ וּמִבֵּית אָבִיךָ אֶל־הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר אַרְאֶךָּ׃
Go forth from your native land and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you.
(Breishit 12:1)
We find in last week’s parsha that after Avraham left his homeland to come to the land of Israel he was immediately forced to leave due to a famine. He accepted this without complaint although it could have bothered him why Hashem had taken him away from his father’s home and his birthplace to be forced to leave his new country so soon. With this he inculcated his descendants with the ability to accept that whatever Heaven brings their way is for their good.
So when we study the life of Avraham, as well as the lives of the rest of the Avot (Patriarchs) and Imahot (Matriarchs), we are not just learning lessons from their lives. We are discovering who we are.
Therefore, if Avraham could do it so can we.
The little girl was absolutely right!
Shabbat Shalom!
Yitzchak