Vayera - Jerusalem City of Seeing

You're listening to the weekly partial podcast with Ari Goldwag, recorded with Hashem's never-ending assistance in Ramat Beit Shemesh, Israel, 5787-2026. This week's parsha is parshas Vayeira. And I'm going to head straight to the end of the parsha, but I will mention that at the beginning of the parsha, Hashem reveals himself, Vayeira elav. Hashem is seen by Avraham. And today, we're going to talk about the idea of seeing. What is the concept of seeing? Because we're going to see that Avraham Avinu refers to the holy mountain of God, to the Har Hamoriah, as a place of seeing. It's a place of seeing Hashem, as a place of Hashem seeing us. It's the mountain where Avraham Avinu goes and binds his son, Yitzchak. And it's a central story to Klal Yisrael because it's that zchus, it's that merit that we mention every year on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. It's the merit that we have to continue to exist. It's that self-sacrifice, that willingness to be bound, the willingness to sacrifice. And we're going to see what comes out of this idea. What is the power of seeing? What is the power of yirah? It's also we're hearing about Jerusalem every day. Yerushalayim. Right, it's called Yerushalayim as we'll see in the Medrash, as we'll see in the Rabbeinu Bachya, because of the name yirah. Yerushalayim, that first part is yirah, is the seeing of Avraham Avinu. I'd like to start off with the end of the story of the Akeidah. And the Torah tells us Avraham Avinu was told by Hashem to bring up his son for an olah, for a sacrifice. Avraham goes with Yitzchak. They go up on the mountain. He binds his son. And then, the malach comes out and says, "Don't do anything to him." Ki Atah Yarei Elokim, the first hint. God sees, Hashem sees that you fear Hashem. The word Yarei, which means to fear, and the word Yirah, which means to fear, are the same letters, the same really the same word as the word Yireh, to see. There's some connection between fear and seeing. Or I prefer the word awe. Yireh Elokim, you are in awe of God. You are a God-fearing person means that the person has incredible respect for God. Ki Lo Chasafta Es Bincha Echad Mi Meni, you didn't hold back your son, your only son from me. Then the Pasuk says, so in chapter 22, verse 13, Va Yisa Avraham Es Einav Va Yar V'Hinei, Ayil Achar, right? Avraham picks up his eyes and he sees, Va Yar, he sees that there's a ram after after this whole story, he sees a ram. Ne'echaz Ba'Savach Ba'Karnav, the ram is tangled up in the thicket with his with his horns. Va Yelech Avraham Va Yikach Es Ha'Ayil Va Ya'alehu L'Olah Tachas B'no. Hashem placed there providentially an animal to bring as a korban, they didn't come up there for nothing. And he sees the ram. He sees it. Then what does Avraham Avinu do after he brings his korban? Va Yikra Avraham Shem Ha'Makom Ha'Hu Hashem Yireh, Avraham Avinu interestingly calls the place God sees. Hashem Yireh, Hashem will see. That's the name of the place, Hashem will see. Asher Ye'amer Ha'Yom, about which it is said today, B'Har Hashem Yera'eh, on the mountain of God, the translation here in Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan's book is, "On God's mountain, he will be seen. He with a capital H, God will be seen. Which reminds me very much of the possuk which it says and the Rabbeinu Bachya quotes that it's on the mountain of God that we will be seen. Right? There's a mitzvah of re'iyah. We have to come up to the mountain of God on the shalesh regalim to be seen, to see. Now, as a result of of Avraham Avinu doing this incredible thing, so he sees God as it were, he sees a malach, which as Rabbeinu Bachya also points out, the malach is not a regular malach. There are different kinds of malachim. There are malachim that are what's called neti'us, which means that they're planted. They're not separate from God. They're attached to God. They're just an expression of God. God is is It's like they're a glove on Hashem's hand, as it were. There are other kinds of malachim that are somewhat separate, have some separate existence. But this malach is Hashem speaking. Hashem speaks. And I'd like to share with you both Rabbeinu Bachya and the Medrash. Rabbeinu Bachya also quotes the Medrash. I'd like to first read to you the Medrash inside. It says like this, "Vayikra Avraham shem hamakom hahu Hashem Yireh." So, Avraham calls this place after this incredible nisayon, right? To to take his son, his only son, who he knows the future of Klal Yisrael. This is it. This is the future. And Hashem says to take Yitzchak and slaughter him. So, afterwards he calls this place Hashem Yireh, God will see. What is it that God will see? Yannai can says that Avraham Avinu was saying to God, "When you told me to take my son and to sacrifice him, so I had I had a response. It It didn't seem to make sense. As one of my Previously you told me that Yitzchak, this child, who at this point is 37, so we're talking about a prophecy that happened 38 years before. Yitzchak, my child, is destined to be the one to with through whom I will have a nation. I will have children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Now you can calculate his age. Now you're telling me take this child and bring him as a sacrifice. Right, I could have I could have responded. I could have said, "Hey, what what's going on?" Avraham Avinu says, "Heaven forbid, I didn't I didn't do that. I didn't question. I went forward. I went forward with the tzivui. You told me to do something, I did it. I overcame my rachmanus. I overcame my fatherly love. My natural tendency to to be merciful. Why? Cuz I saw that it was your will that I do something different. Yehi ratzon milfanekha. This is what Hashem This is what the prayer of Avraham Avinu was, that Hashem should see. Hashem yireh. May be your will, Hashem. When Yitzchak When my son, who I was ready to overcome my own inclination toward, when he has children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren, generations thousands of years afterwards, who do something wrong, they do wrong things, they do averos, they sin, they do negative actions, I want you to always look at this. Hashem yireh means Hashem, you will always see my willingness to give up not just to sacrifice my son, but to sacrifice my own innate tendencies to do that which I know is your will. So Hashem, I want you in the future to give up your own judgment, your own innate tendency, so to speak, which is to judge the Jewish people for having done wrong. Release them from it. Give up on it. Fill Fill yourself up instead with compassion. It's very interesting. So, that's the first point. So, he's dominating was as he completes the act, as he brings that carbon, the the Messiah is over, the test is over. He He He passed with flying colors. He says, "Hashem, I want you to always see this." Which is what we always say every year Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, we always remind ourselves of the Akedah. There are many who actually read the Akedah every day. Avram karah she Yirah. She never make her Avram she never make her who Hashem Yirah. Now, the Midrash says something different. Seems to be a disconnected. Talks about the fact that Yerushalayim has a name, Jerusalem, the place where Avraham Avinu brought his son, Har Moriah. Har Moriah, Mount Moriah, is the location of Har HaBayit, where the Beit HaMikdash is. The Western Wall is the wall of the Temple Mount. So, why is it called Yerushalayim? Says the Midrash something we said before. Vayikra Avraham Shem HaMakom Asher Hashem Yirah. Avram called it Yirah, that place. Hashem Yirah, God will see. Shem called it Yerushalayim. The son of Noach was also known as Malki Tzedek. He referred to the place, that same exact place, as Shalem. She Ne'emar, as the possuk says, this is in last week's parsha. Malki Tzedek Melech Shalem. Malki Tzedek, who we know is Shem, is the king of Salem. Right? Jerusalem. All right, let's make it clear. Kori ani oseh Yireh kishim she karah se Avram. Shem adam Yisrael. So, Hashem says, "What am I going to call this this city? If I call it Yira, which means to see, as Avraham Avinu called it, so then One second. Something like that. So then, Shem, who was the righteous individual, would get upset. Hey, what about my name? I mean, I say Shalem, if I just call it Salem, Shalem, which means whole, which means perfect. Avraham Avinu Yitzchak Avinu So Avraham, who was a righteous individual, will complain. And I already say Yerushalayim. I'm going to I'm going to combine the two names. I'm going to I'm going to suffuse the two names into one. And I will call it Yerushalayim. Which he called it Shem Yira Shalem. Yerushalayim. As they two called it. One called it Yira, one called it Shalem. Yira Shalem Yiru Shalem. Okay? Now, there's one more little piece in the Midrash, which also is quoted by the Rabbenu Bahya, and I think it's really important. Rebbe Akiva said by Rabbi Elazar Azarya, "I shall aim." Also, the Kadosh Baruchu Sukkah. There is really two aspects here in the city of Jerusalem. Jerusalem, there's an aspect of seeing God. There's an aspect of perfection. Aspect of wholeness, which is indicated by Shalem. Before we get to wholeness and and shlemut, perfection, which is really the Messianic age, when everyone will come, they will like rivers of human beings come to Jerusalem. They will pour into Yerushalayim. >> [snorts] >> So, before it reaches that state of perfection, Also, that Kadosh Baruchu Sukkah, where he must build the Torah Hashem made a temporary dwelling place there, a Sukkah. And he was praying there. She nemar by Yerushalayim Sukkai. More on what I now say by Tzion. God placed in Shalem, in Jerusalem, his Sukkah, his temporary dwelling place, which is a reference to the Beit Hamikdash, because at first it wasn't temporary. It only lasted for a certain amount of time. Well, you know, it's Zion. And his place of dwelling he made in Zion, Jerusalem. Well, I am he wrote some. What's it What was Hashem's prayer? What was Hashem's prayer? You wrote it being on base there's an extended prayer that's brought down. I'd like to read to you. It says, "You wrote it you who bought me a good name of condition." May it be a will May it be my will. It is God praying, which is an interesting idea. And God says, "May it be my will, or may my will manifest that my children are are good. They do what's right. Condition and they're holy. Condition of being on base. So that I will see Again, I will see the building of my my base home in the bush. The Zion Hashem year of being on base. That's what you I am was referring to. He said, "Hashem Hashem will see." So before we said it means Hashem will see the great act of goodness. And what's going to be the outcome? Hashem will see that we are good and he will see the building of his holy temple. The language of the measure should be inside. That was I'm reading from the ashes version. The measure should be inside. You wrote it being on base. May it be my will. May what my will manifest with the building of my house. The Hashem said I got to spoke with base home in the choir of Bonnie choir of Bonnie. Hashem showed I am a being something when he said Hashem era God will see. So as we just said, Hashem will see the the building of his being on base. What was What was it that sparked this? It's very interesting if you think about it. Hashem showed him a base home in the bush which was built and destroyed and then built again ultimately. According to another year or so it was built, destroyed, built, destroyed and built again. So again we have This is the this is the place that's going to be built. It's the the mountain of God that we are all to be seen. Where Hashem is seen. We find that the base of English will be destroyed. Refers to it just as the the Har Hashem the Har Hashem means it doesn't have a doesn't have a a house there. It refers to [snorts] it as the place where everyone is seen and refers to it as the Har Hashem which means the mountain of Hashem without a house. Plus it refers to the mountain of God which is desolate. But then again it says a third time in our Sukkot in So read it carefully. >> [sighs and gasps] >> God will be seen. Bonnie Michelle lost a lovey. It will be rebuilt. The base of English will return in the future. But it says in Psalm chapter 105 verse 17 it says on the mountain of Hashem I'm sorry Hashem built Bona is past tense he built Zion he is seen in his honor. So over and over again we have a concept of fear of year of of being seen of seeing of college trail Hashem wants to see us. He wants his will to manifest. He wants to see us being good doing what's right. Even when we make mistakes he doesn't look at that. He sees the goodness of our you know the Akeda. A lot of ideas there in that measure. Quite a beautiful measure. I'd like to turn your attention to turn our attention to the Ramena Machai. The Ramena [snorts] Machai tells us some amazing things. Get this, unbelievable. First of all, he points out that there's an aisle, right? Avraham Avinu, after Abraham was ready to sacrifice his son, Hashem says, "Stop." So, he finds the aisle, he finds the ram, as we said. The ram is caught up by its horns. And we know there's a concept of the horns of the aisle. One horn was blown by our scene of Mount Sinai. One horn is going to be blown in the future by Mashiach. What is the concept of the horn? And see, this is unbelievable how it relates to the concept of seeing and fear. It says like this. Um While there comes after she comes after she comes after she comes after she comes after she comes after It says a very similar concept to what we just said. So, it brings another measure. The measure says that it's caught up in the thicket by its horns. This represents the fact that the Jewish people right? The aisle, let's think about it. The aisle, the ram is interchangeable with the Yitzchak, right? Cuz Yitzchak is supposed to be sacrificed, but instead the ram comes in its place. So, we have to understand that the ram represents the Jewish people, just like Yitzchak is the the father of the future nation of Klal Yisrael, so the ram also represents Klal Yisrael. They're caught up in the thicket by their horns. Call you my Shoshana must have committed this. We're we're we're caught up with our averas. We're caught up with all kinds of troubles and problems, right? Now, the Shoshana Shofar shall I also what do we do? We take we remember we remember our mistakes. We look at we see intrepidation. We blow that shofar which represents that which was caught up in the thicket. After she comes after she comes after she comes after she comes after she comes after We're caught up with our various, we're caught up with the nations of the world who who rule over us. Ultimately, we're going to be we're remembering with that blowing of the shofar, we remember we're caught up. But, there's a ultimately there's going to be a blowing of the shofar. Blowing of the ram's horn. Which will signal the end of galus, which will will signal our redemption. Hashem is shoving out Yitzchak. God will blow on that great shofar with that as the zal. And our sages they're of the opinion that the shofar which was blown as we said, the shofar that was blown at Mount Sinai when the Jews received the Torah, very powerful blowing of the shofar. Shofar Yitzchak call you. It was the shofar, it was the ram's horn from the times of Yitzchak. From this very ram On Rosh Hashanah we blow, so there's there's a dual recognition on Rosh Hashanah. We blow we want to remember the Akeidas Yitzchak. We want to remember Mount Sinai, we want to remember the future which is the redemption. They're all connected, they're all intertwined. Rosh Hashanah Rosh Hashanah Yoma Dina is a day of judgment, we blow on the shofar. Let's think about judgment as Yira, something that we are in awe of, we are fearful of. We we are looking at we're looking honestly at the truth. We're looking at the truth and we are in awe. Hashem, we've done wrong, we've slipped away from you. We're caught up by in the thicket of sin, we're caught up in the thicket of our troubles, we're caught up in the thicket of the malchios of the nations of the world, of the of the the outside culture that affects us. Even though you could blow on any kind of of horn except for a a a cow's horn, any kind of other horn. You can use the horn of an ibex, I think. Now, it's known says that this shofar which we refer to as the shofar of the which was the horn of the ram of Isaac. How many say I mean does it show you it's like it doesn't just mean the literal horn of that animal. It means the mida of Yitzchak. It means the the character of Yitzchak. What was Yitzchak's character? Does that mean something that I don't remember seeing anywhere else? But it doesn't mean that literally Hashem blew on the actual shofar at our Sinai that was this shofar of of the this horn of the ram. No, it means the mida. When you blow on the shofar, it means it brings out a certain character. Brings out the character reminds us of the mida of Yitzchak. What's the mida of Yitzchak? Because the the the the ram itself was completely burned on the mizbeach including all of its bones including all of its its horns. Our sages are teaching us about the mida, the character trait of Yitzchak which is which means strength. It means it means the ability to be strong, to hold back one's one's uh passions. That's Yitzchak's ability, right? He's bound on the mizbeach. He doesn't He says, "Father, bind me in a way that I don't I don't thrash around. I don't you know, try to stop you from killing me. Bind me. Right, that's his medo. He's bound. The concept of the binding has to do with holding oneself back. That's medo of Gevurah. That's medo of Yitzchak. And that is hinted to in the first of the 10 of the 10 Commandments. Anochi Lo Yihyeh L'cha. I am Hashem your God. You will not have anyone else besides for me. Right, you need to hold yourself back from following in other gods. And that could be the god of money. That could be the god of power. Right, those are the main gods today. >> [snorts] >> Pachad Yitzchak. This is the aspect of the fear. Pachad Yitzchak means the fear of Isaac. That's the medo. It's referring to Hashem as the one who is feared by Yitzchak. She'anu Ovdecha Tzorech Imecha Anenu Pachad Yitzchak. We say on on fast days, we say God answer us. Oh God, we refer to as the one who is the feared of Isaac. Who K'ol HaShofar That was the sound of the shofar that we heard at Mount Sinai. This this power to to the power of Hashem, the power of God that enables us to bind ourselves, to hold ourselves back from doing something wrong. He says that we hint to this with blowing of the shofar on Rosh Hashanah, the day that the world was created. And think about the fact that receiving the Torah was the beginning of us receiving God's kingship. Right, Rosh Hashanah is also a day of making God our king. When we receive the Torah, we're making God our king. We're holding ourselves back from doing whatever we feel like. And we're saying, "God, I want you to be my my director. I want you to be the one who directs my life, tells me what to do. I believe that you know what's best for me." Amazing thing. So, here this the idea, the concept of the Pachad Yitzchak, the one who is feared. That's what Yirah means. Yirah means to fear God, to to feel like I can't just do whatever I want. When I've made mistakes, I'm going to look at my mistakes. And that looking creates a sense of awe. Look, I've done this wrong. I see it honestly then I don't want to do that anymore. And so I think I think I could be the depth of the the seeing Hashem Yirah, Hashem will see. Avraham Avinu holding himself back from his rachmanus on his son because Hashem said something. Holding himself back from doing what he thinks cuz God says do this. And we ask Hashem to to to reciprocate and hold himself back from doing that which he would he would do which is really we've done wrong. But we want to we learn and remember. We ask you to give us rachmanus, show us kindness even though we've done wrong. We didn't hold ourselves back, but you hold yourself back so that we can change and move into the space of Yirah. We can see. We want to come to the mountain of God where we can see what's really right. We can see and therefore have have awe, be in awe of God. Now I want to read to you, we're running out of time, but there's another piece in Rabbeinu Bachya on this pasuk of Hashem Yirah. And he And he tells us something. I'm going to actually skip part of it. He tells us something amazing. And of course, you'll understand why I'm excited about this. He says Um Neshamah is named by Yitzchak by Yirah, Shem Noach Shalim. Kach K'ri I guess it's called Yerushalayim. He quotes the Midrash which says that it's called Yirah by Avraham, it's called Shalim by by Noach's son Shem. So, the combination is Yirah and Shalim, Yerushalayim. Okay. The Kach K'ri I guess it's called Yerushalayim and Shem Machir is interesting it's a name that's created by these two righteous individuals. So, that's Yira. When we get into a space of Yira, fear, by seeing the truth, asking Hashem to hold back, so then we get to the place of Shalom. We're going to get to a base of English that's going to be rebuilt. Interestingly, he says that Yitzchak sees a vision. He sees an image of a lion, Aryeh, on top of the Mizbeach. As he's being bound, he sees a lion. Now, Aryeh, interestingly, is the same as the word Gevurah, which means strength, Gibor, which is the the middah. Gevurah is the middah of Yitzchak. It's the holding back of oneself. The Aryeh, the lion, is God re be strong like a lion. The union of Aryeh who Yitzchak said this idea of the Aryeh is the concept of the one who is feared by Isaac. Right, God, as it were, is called the one who's feared by Isaac. It's the concept of Aryeh and notice the same letters Aryeh, which mean lion, are the same letters as the word Yira or Yirah, to see or to fear. The lion the it's the the exalted lion which is mentioned by our sages in the near miss because of Yira. The positive says on the mountain of God it will be seen K'Nirah L'Dmos Aryeh B'Hashem that Yitzchak it could be that this positive is hinting to the fact that he saw a lion there. Yira. Right, and we it's it's if you're going to Jerusalem today, there are one of the symbols of Yerushalayim is the is the lion. And it's based on this causal. The the Ariel, the lion of Jerusalem. It's the place of year, it's a place of fear. It's a place of seeing the truth. And I don't like the word fear. The place of awe. It's a place of awe. Bottom line, what's the bottom line? Yerushalayim is a place of awe. It's a place of seeing the truth. Why does everybody want Jerusalem? They all want to say that they have the truth. But what is the ultimate truth? That brings about the shalom, the shalom is the perfection of the world. It's the seeing the real truth. Which is who was bound on that altar? It wasn't a different religion's version of who was bound. It was Yitzchak. Yitzchak is the meter that we remember. Hashem Hashem showed him a lion, the year. I want to bless you. I ask you to bless me. Hashem should help us that we should be able indeed to see the truth, to be able to have that gevurah, to have that spiritual strength, remembering who is the one who gives us the Torah. All of these elements should come together for us and we should have that year and we should see a rebuilt Jerusalem, Yerushalayim. Thank you so much for listening. Have a wonderful Shabbos. >> This podcast was made possible through [music] the gracious donations of listeners like you. For more podcasts like this, please visit www.arigoldwag.com or search on iTunes >> [music] >> Ari Goldwag.