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לימוד תורה

The way of Abraham Avinu - the first Hebrew warrior and warlord.

Parashat Hashavua - Shabbat Vayera - and the War of the 'Iron Swords' 5785

Rabbi Eliezer Haim Shenvald

Praying for the IDF soldiers' success, to safeguard them lest any harm come to them, to the healing of all the wounded and the return of the abducted.

In our Parashiyot we read about the history of Abraham Avinu, the father of the nation. Rabbi Zvi Yehuda Kook, zt'l, used to repeat in our ears the obligation to learn from the character of Abraham Avinu: "There is a commandment to know who Abraham Avinu is:

הַבִּיטוּ אֶל צוּר חֻצַּבְתֶּם וְאֶל מַקֶּבֶת בּוֹר נֻקַּרְתֶּם. הַבִּיטוּ אֶל אַבְרָהָם אֲבִיכֶם וְאֶל שָׂרָה תְּחוֹלֶלְכֶם

“Look to the rock from which you were hewn and to the hole of the pit from which you were dug. Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah that bore you”. (Yishayahu 51:1-2)

It is a commandment, according to the prophets, to understand, know, and study our father Abraham, not as a single individual, but as the foundation of the Israeli nation. Abraham Avinu is our rock, he is us. "מעשה אבות סימן לבנים, the patriarchs’ mode of conduct should serve as a model for their descendants when they find themselves in similar circumstances". (Sichot Harav Zvi Yehuda on Bereshit).

Abraham the Hebrew was the father of the nation and the father of the monotheistic faith who changed the future of all humanity. In these days when the Hebrew army is fighting for the future of the nation, it is important to emphasize that Abraham Avinu was also the first Hebrew warrior and warlord. Along with his characteristic measure of kindness, he also had a measure of bravery and courage. In the days when Yeshiva students and combat scholars are fighting in the battlefront, radiating faith and a fighting spirit, it is important to trace the roots of the combination between Torah and army, סָפְרָא וְסַיָּפָא -Both a man of books and a warrior - as two sides of the same coin. And also, after the roots of the combination between faith and a victorious fighting spirit.

Abraham Avinu fought against the four kings in order to free hostages from the people of Sodom, among them Lot and his family:

וַיִּשְׁמַע אַבְרָם כִּי נִשְׁבָּה אָחִיו וַיָּרֶק אֶת חֲנִיכָיו יְלִידֵי בֵיתוֹ שְׁמֹנָה עָשָׂר וּשְׁלֹשׁ מֵאוֹת וַיִּרְדֹּף עַד דָּן. וַיֵּחָלֵק עֲלֵיהֶם לַיְלָה הוּא וַעֲבָדָיו וַיַּכֵּם וַיִּרְדְּפֵם עַד חוֹבָה…

"When Avram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he armed his trained men,⁠ born in his house, three hundred and eighteen of them,⁠ and gave chase as far as Dan. He and his servants divided themselves against them by night,⁠ struck them, and chased them as far as Chovah”. (Bereshit 14:14-15)

In the military force that went with him into battle were his disciples, his Yeshiva students:

חניכיו הם תלמידיו נערים שבאו אצלו להתחנך בעבודת ה׳ וללמוד אצלו, וילידי ביתו הם עבדיו שנולדו בביתו ... וכולם היו שמונה עשר ושלש מאות, והגם שהיו רק שי״ח אנשים נגד ארבע מחנות אדירים רדף עד דן שהוא בקצה א״י השני.

“He did not request assistance from his allies but armed his trainees and those born into his household. The first were the youthful students who had come to be instructed in how to serve G-d and to be his disciples, while the latter were servants who had been born within his household. Altogether numbering three hundred and eighteen, notwithstanding which they did not hesitate to set out against four mighty armies. Avram pursued them as far as Dan, at the other end of Erez Israel”. (Malbim – Rabbi Meir Leibush ben Yehiel Michel Wisser - Bereshit 14:14)

Abraham Avinu was the commander and warlord of a force of 318 warriors only. With this force, he managed to defeat the strong and advanced army of the four kings, which had just managed to defeat the army of the five kings.

Abraham Avinu's 'Yeshiva' had a similar format to today's Hesder Yeshiva. Among other subjects that Abraham Avinu taught the students of his Yeshiva, he taught them the attribute of courage, bravery and the ways of war:

חניכיו – שחנכם פעמים רבות במלחמה.

His trained men - Abraham had trained them many times for battle. This is the meaning of the term chanichav (his trained men). (Ibn Ezra ibid)

The educator and Rosh Yeshiva goes to battle in the front! With Abraham there is no contradiction between the faith and education part of his character and the military part. This is how he could be at the same time, the educator and the commander of his students.

From among all the people of his household, Abraham specifically chose his "disciples" - his students who were educated on Torah by him, to go with him to battle:

אין ראוי שינהג האדם עימו למלחמה כי אם האנשים אשר הורגלו בתכונת הגבורה. שאם יהיה ביניהם רך לבב יבא מורך בלב שאר האנשים וינוצחו. ולזה לא נהג אברהם עימו מאנשי ביתו כי אם האנשים אשר חנכם במנהגיו מלידה. ואין ספק שעם שחנכם בשאר המידות המשובחות חנך אותם במידת הגבורה. ולזה הביאם עימו לבדם, ועזב האנשים אשר היו בביתו שלא גדלו עמו מעת הלידה, כי אלו כבר נשתקעו קודם היותם עמו במדות הפחותות ולא יכול להעתיקם מהם ולהניעם אל המידות המשובחות באופן שלם. או קרא 'חניכיו ילידי ביתו' מי שחנך מהם למלחמה.

"It is not appropriate for a person to take with him to war but the people who have been accustomed to the attribute of heroism and bravery. Because if there is a soft-hearted among them, fear will come into the hearts of the rest of the people, and they will be defeated. Therefore, Abraham did not choose people of his household but chose only people who he knew from birth, who were educated in his customs. And there is no doubt that they were educated in the other virtues as well as courage. And this is why he only brought them, and not the people of his household who had not grown up with him from birth. For those who had come later with lesser virtues, he could not completely change, from having lesser virtues to higher ones. Called 'his disciples born in his home,' those who had been educated for war”. (Ralbag Ibid)

This special combination of Torah and army, סָפְרָא וְסַיָּפָא (book and weapon), is expressed in the way Abraham Avinu, prepared his disciples for battle:

וַיָּרֶק אֶת חֲנִיכָיו “he armed his trained men, unsheathed the swords”.

This action can be interpreted in several ways.

Military preparation for battle:

וירק – שנתן להם כלי מלחמה, כטעם: והרק חנית

“He led forth his trained men - He armed them (Ibn Ezra)

Spiritual preparation:

רַב אָמַר: שֶׁהוֹרִיקָן בַּתּוֹרָה

“Rav said: He showered them [horikan] with Torah like someone who pours from one vessel into another” (Nedarim 32a:16)

From within the Torah and faith, he reinforced them with fighting spirit and victory:

שהוריקן בתורה. זרזן בזכות התורה ובשבילה נצחו במלחמה

"They were strengthened by virtue of the Torah, and for it they won the war" (Commentary of Rosh Ibid).

There is no doubt that in this war, the fighters’ mental strength and bravery were drawn from the spiritual sources of the Torah.

Abraham Avinu combined Torah greatness and military action, like two sides of the same coin. In his path followed the rest of the patriarchs and great biblical men of the nation, scholars who led the war camp. They are the source of inspiration for our generation: "We look at the first generations, related in the Torah, in the prophets and in the scriptures, those generations that were busy with war - and they are great ones. We understand that the soul's affinity is the foundation…” (Orot, "The War" 2) From them we draw inspiration for ourselves, while we are engaged in the combination between Torah study and military service. From them we learn how spiritual growth becomes a decisive military strength in times of war. However, it also works in the opposite direction. The courage that is strengthened on the battlefield increases Torah growth. 

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