On Avrohom Avinu’s Emunah

by Moreinu HaRav Boruch Mordechai Ezrachi zt”l Translated by Rabbi Yair Hoffman

Often, we fail to realize the greatness of our Gedolei Torah.  What follows is a small glimpse of the Torah that Rav Boruch Mordechai Ezrachi zt”l, son-in-law of Rav Meir Chodosh zt”l, gave to his students on a weekly basis.  What follows is one of the shmuessim that he delivered on this week’s parsha, Parshas Lech Lecha.  It is particularly appropriate for the situation that we currently face.

Bereishis 15:6 – “And he (Avrohom) believed in Hashem, and He (Hashem) accounted it to him as righteousness.”

Rashi explains:  And He accounted it to him as righteousness: The Holy One, blessed be He, accounted it to Abram as a merit and as righteousness for the faith that he believed in Him.

The Ramban asks on Rashi, “Why would Avrohom Avinu NOT HAVE believed in the Creator of the world?”

Therefore, the Ramban rather interprets the meaning of the Pasuk to be that Avrohom Avinu considered both Hashem’s promise and that it will unquestionably be fulfilled – as a complete charity toward him.  This is because it would never have crossed Avrohom Avinu’s mind that he was personally deserving of it at all. [The English language capitalizations in the pasuk are, therefore, reversed:  “And he believed in Hashem, and he (Avrohom) accounted it to Him (Hashem) as charity.” YH]

To Avrohom Avinu, he deserved nothing.  All of the promises made to him by Hashem were – complete charity on Hashem’s part toward him.

The matter is most unnerving.  If Avrohom Avinu felt undeserving – that never once was there a perspective of, “I deserve this,”  or this is “coming to me,”  then what do we, who are so below Avrohom Avinu’s great stature, what do we have to say?  Certainly for us, we are entirely undeserving and everything is charity from Hashem!

ANSWERING FOR RASHI

But we must also strive to answer for Rashi. Shall the question of the Ramban remain unanswered by our master, Rashi?

Go out and learn. Emunah is not a substitute for hindsight  – for evidence or for knowledge. Emunah is not the concept of “being content with little.” Emunah does not come because of lack of knowledge or evidence.

Emunah is far more than all that.

When the power of knowledge ends, when the horizon hides all evidence, then it is within our power to see beyond that horizon.  Emunah is seeing beyond the power of our own vision and to know above all the power of knowledge of reason or conclusions.

New horizons then open up to us.

We now have the ability to see things in a special capacity that is showered onto us from on high. This is the true power of Emunah.

Emunah is a renewed creation by the Creator Himself – to cover situations and fields of vision that cannot be shown or communicated by ordinary means or known powers. This is a special power created by the Creator of the world for the needs of man, which, with proper use, is capable of seeing and knowing all that transpires, to truly seeing it and truly knowing it.

This power is granted to man on condition.  He must bring this perspective on himself – through effort, work and studying Hashem’s nature and His Torah.

NO LIMITS

When a person does all that is incumbent upon him in this area, and he brings himself to this Emunah, then there is no limit to his vision and knowledge, to his understanding and reasoning.

Man does not reach such a level without tireless work and labor. Emunah is the product of the hard work of the believer. Therefore, it will not be difficult to understand that it is indeed a right and a righteousness, since the very ability to reach this is the fruit of Avrohom Avinu’s work.

FROM HIMSELF

It was never revealed to Avrohom that he was capable of being a believer to such a degree. It was never told to him that even after Hashem’s speech, even after the making of the covenant and the promise of descendants, that there is still room for a greater and truer clarity – brighter and even more powerful.

Avrohom Avinu drew and drew all this from within himself, and from the results of his efforts.  He, therefore, deserved a prize. This is the meaning of, “And Hashem accounted it to him as righteousness” according to Rashi.

It is said in the name of Chafetz Chaim zt”l, that Avrohom’s greatness was that after all his knowledge and what he had seen, it was not these that made him, but his Emunah in Hashem.

The deeper meaning of this is that not only that his closeness of mind to Hashem guided him more than what he saw and knew, but that there is a deeper seeing and a deeper knowing  that are far brighter and clearer one that comes from Emunah and this is what “will count as righteousness.”

Rabbi Hoffman can be reached at [email protected]