Lech Lcha Excerpts

לך לך

Shabbat Shalom

Before we start, a little side note from when looking at the Artscroll Chumash. It lists the 7 Noahide laws- Thievery and connects it to civil law. Apparently, thievery is where all of civil law stems from. I was looking at the shul's old books. A good 50 people owe money. I am not even talking about for MiShebeyrachs. They owe money for seats, building rentals, the Shabbat getaway...Yes, where I tried to get away from the shul, but everybody joined and it turned into a Shabbat weekend up in Colorado. We are never going to see dues, but payment for services that are not even the shul's...Honesty in business is the most basic aspect of Ben Adam LChavro. Laws between man and man, that is civil law. And thievery is at its base. When you steal in business. Taking from others. Taking others. How many of you have taken other parent's children to the zoo...That is not the point Frank. You still took them to the zoo.

So we see the dysfunction of a society, when people make decision as to what is kidnapping and as to what is babysitting.

We do need a shul oneg. Haven't had that in a while. But who is willing to babysit the kids?...

II didn't have a chance to tell you all that last week. As I was sitting in shul, looking out at you all, it reminded me of people who don't give to the community in any which way. People who don't even know how to lead in prayers.

Now we move into this week's Parsha, where H' tells Avraham to leave. To go to a different land. I have tried that with many members of the congregation, but nobody in this congregation listens to their rabbi.

'Get out.' That is what I wanted to tell to the Zweitzman family after Friday night dinner last week. But they stayed.

(15:7-17) Avaraham wants to know how he will know the land will be his. He is shown through animals that are split in half and fire running between them. And he is told that his descendants will be in Egyptian exile. Sometimes, you can only see the truth, when there is bad involved. It is that bad that leads to redemption. Which is how I feel about Frank's trip to the zoo, with all the crying children.

(5:18) 'On that day, H' made a covenant with Avraham, saying, "To your descendants, I will give this land..."' Sometimes, all it takes is a bit of dissecting to show your appreciation. In the meantime, the Zweitzman family can't even cook a normal steak. The one thing they were asked to bring for dinner....

(16 ) Sarah tells Avraham to take Hagar, but once she conceives, she starts to show off. She takes it as though she is more important than Sarah now. (16:5) Sarah says that she 'became lowered in her eyes.' That is what happens. Something good happens to you and then you are the best. Aren't you?!! You think you can run the shop?! You think there is no reason to have a decent Torah reader?! We're stuck in shul for hours, because the Bar Mitzvah boy is still reading...Did we not throw the candy hard enough, at his Bar Mitzvah? No message was sent...

So Sarah doesn't treat her well, and she leaves. That is how we should treat the Bar Mitzvah boy, getting all cocky. And because we let people who take their gifts from Gd and abuse them into this congregation, this is what we have. We should have kicked them out when they started...Then let them join the country club. Do you have money Bernie?...You can have money and not be cocky. Look at Mervin. You wouldn't think for a second that he was wealthy. Hasn't bought a new suit since the '70s. 

(16:9-12) Hagar is told she will give birth to a son. Apparently, she didn't give birth the first time she conceived. You see? You show off and...You see all that bad that happens, because she starting looking down on Sarah, who gave Avraham the go ahead to have intercourse with her. Birth doesn't happen here...I am not saying that it...It can be misconstrued...I am not talking about miscarriages. I am talking about...It is only when she is in pain and feels her wrong that is told that she will have a child, later...

Hagar is told that her son's name will be Yishmael and he will be a 'wild person' that will be at odds with everybody. It seems that a parent likes that. A parent would even want a messed up child who bullies and is hated...Look at the Frinfein family...No surprise, their parents don't pay bills.

Now we've got another covenant. A lot of covenants here. Has this shul ever made a covenant? Even the Boy Scout chapter hasn't made a pact...You all just do. No commitment.

(17:5) His name is not Avram anymore. H' gives him the name אברהם Avraham, because he is made by H' an 'אב המון גוים' 'a father to many nations. Bary tried adding an 'r' to his name and nobody would let him. They all said they are not going to pronounce the extra letter. You see how much a name change can mean.

What is in the changing of a name?

His name was changed. Not like Fishal, who changed his name to Frank. I don't get it. I don't see the blessing of H' in that. In Avraham's case, it is the addition of the 'ה' that says many nations. 

Do we add a 'n' to the Zweitsman name, for 'no,' because they don't list to their rabbi? Do we add a 'z' to Frank's name, because he scared kids when he took them to the zoo. Do we add a 't' to the Frinfein family name, because they don't pay their dues and they are thieves?

When we name our born children, with egos....