Terror in Har Nof – Eleh Toldot Yizchak
Adapted from Rabbi Braun’s sermon in 5775
Last year I received the following email from the RCA.
Condolences to our chaver Rabbi Shlomo (YUHS 57 YC 61, RIETS 64) and Dr. Bracha (YUHS 60) Kupinsky on the tragic murder of their son,
Rabbi Aryeh Kupinsky HY”D
Husband of Yakova. Father of Eliyahu (18), Yitzchak (13), Devorah (11), Miriam (8), Yehoshua (6), and Chaya Chana z”l Brother of Nechama, Chayim, David Yaakov and Dov.
Rabbi Aryeh Kupinsky was murdered on Tuesday’s terrorist attack in Har nof.
I read it again and the name of his mother Bracha Kupinsky sounded familiar. So I called my mother and asked her “is Bracha kupinsky the woman who was your shadchan?” Yes she was, my mother responded. I remember Aryeh when he was 18 months old.
On Tuesday afternoon I called Tamar to ask her what her aunt and uncle’s address was in Har nof. It was 6 Agassi. The shul in which the murders occurred- 5 Agassi.
Rabbi Moshe Twerski’s brother was one of my Rebbeim at YU.
This hit very close to home.
We pray that Hashem Yinkom Damav- God should avenge their blood. And we do want their blood avenged.
Why do we ask for God to do it?
Maybe we ask for God to avenge their blood because when the phrase was coined it was not within in power to do so.
Or maybe and hopefully we ask that God do it because we are not a violent and vengeful people. Justice, yes, and deterrence yes, self-defense yes, but violence and vengeance are not for the children of Abraham!
I believe that is the message of the very first verse in the parsha. We read:
בראשית פרק כה
יט) וְאֵ֛לֶּה תּוֹלְדֹ֥ת יִצְחָ֖ק בֶּן־אַבְרָהָ֑ם אַבְרָהָ֖ם הוֹלִ֥יד אֶת־יִצְחָֽק
19. And these are the generations of Isaac, Abraham’s son; Abraham fathered Isaac;
Every commentator notes, that the last clause, Abraham fathered Isaac is superfluous. Once we read that Isaac is Abraham’s son, we know that Abraham fathered Isaac!
What then does it come to teach us?
Rashi quotes a fascinating Midrash (agadah) that the scorners of the generation started a rumor that Avimelech was Isaac’s biological father and not Avraham. Avimielech had taken Sarah until God intervened and maybe, they suggested, during that time Isaac was conceived. To combat these rumors God ensured that Isaac looked just like Avraham and that is what the verse means when it says אַבְרָהָ֖ם הוֹלִ֥יד אֶת־יִצְחָֽק. Abraham fathered Isaac
That is the most well known explanation but not the simplest and certainly not the majority view. Nearly all of the other medieval commentators, Rashbam, Radak Eben Ezra and Ramban offer a different answer, one that I believe speaks to us today!
They believe that this phrase is a reaction to the end of last week’s Parsha where we find the progeny of Yishmael. Yishmael is also Avraham’s son.
The Torah begins our parsha with a clarification. Yes Avraham had two sons, but אַבְרָהָ֖ם הוֹלִ֥יד אֶת־יִצְחָֽק. Primacy is given to Isaac. He is Avraham’s son. The Tradition runs through him and not Yshmael!
The Eben Ezra adds that “holid” here means to raise. Avraham raised Yitzchak. He taught him and trained him and molded him in his image.
Proof that this is the correct approach I believe can be found in the text itself. Listen to these two verses.
בראשית פרק כה
יב) וְאֵ֛לֶּה תֹּלְדֹ֥ת יִשְׁמָעֵ֖אל בֶּן־אַבְרָהָ֑ם אֲשֶׁ֨ר יָלְדָ֜ה הָגָ֧ר הַמִּצְרִ֛ית שִׁפְחַ֥ת שָׂרָ֖ה לְאַבְרָהָֽם
יט) וְאֵ֛לֶּה תּוֹלְדֹ֥ת יִצְחָ֖ק בֶּן־אַבְרָהָ֑ם אַבְרָהָ֖ם הוֹלִ֥יד אֶת־יִצְחָֽק
Avraham fathered Ishamel and Isaac but Hagar raised Ishmael while Avraham raised Isaac.
The Kli Yakar has a fascinating nature/nurture discussion but that we leave for a different time.
What does it mean to be like Avraham? To be raised on the values of Avraham? What is his legacy?
The Radak expresses it beautifully:
רד”ק בראשית פרק כה פסוק יט
ויש לפרש עוד שהיה ישר ונאמן והולך בדרך טובה ואוהב לבריות כמו אביו עד שהכל אומרים אברהם הוליד את יצחק
He was honest and trustworthy; he walked in a good path and loved all people.
That is who we are; it is what we believe and it is our legacy from Avraham.
Unfortunately Ishmael’s legacy we know as well.
On Tuesday I listened to Rabbi Moshe Meiselman eulogize Rabbi Moshe Twersy HY”D. Two of the themes that he kept returning to were:
First, the legacy that Rabbi Twersky received from his grandfather, the Rav, who in turn received it from his father and grandfather, Rabbis Chaim and Moshe Soloveitchik. That was a legacy of learning, depth, spirituality and holiness. That is our legacy. It was his from his ancestors and it was that legacy he was transmitting to his children and students.
The legacy of Ishmael is handing out candy to celebrate murder, cruelty and barbarism.
Secondly, Rabbi Meiselman repeated described Rabbi Twersky as one with Taharas hanefesh, purity of soul, in everything that he did and in everyone that he came into contact with.
Purity, holiness, love for people, and righteousness are the hallmarks of Avraham and the Jewish people.
Thus Hashem Yikom Damav, God should avenge their blood.
Yes, we must protect ourselves and bring terrorists to justice but that is what must be done, not who we are.
We remain committed to the ideals of Avraham, we will live them and transmit them to our children. We will remember those who were murdered, we will help take care of their families and yes we will pray that God avenge their blood, Hashem yikom damam!
For discussion at the Shabbat table:
If it is not for us, then why is it ok for God?
How is God’s vengeance different than human vengeance?
