The Torah, of course, has no extra words; every word of Torah is a vital piece of information we need to understand reality, our place, our goals, and how to achieve those goals. Even when the words seem to be simply relaying a conversation, the recording of that conversation is only a vehicle to get the words into the Torah that must be there. When Avraham told his slaves (Eliezer, קנין כספו/store bought from כנעני; Ishmael, יליד ביתו/homemade from מצרים) to remain with the donkey, for example, the Torah is relaying to us that Avraham had an important insight to share with us. Namely, שבו פה עם החמור/remain here with the donkey was to tell us that his slaves were members of עם הדומה לחמור/a nation essentially similar to the donkey. Moreover, חמור/donkey in this context really signifies חומר/material, the stuff with which the creation started. Avraham Avinu, on the other hand, represents צורה שלם/complete form; the reason for which there is a creation.
Great. Obviously important message. Not a word wasted. One question: Why do I need to two archetypes? Very often when two examples are given, it is to reveal disparate and complimentary dimensions; neither on its own can tell the whole story. I wish I could say that I had that insightful question while reading the parsha.... but that is not the case. It was only after I learned the first few chapters of the Maharal's גבורות השם (a few times, actually), that I realized this was the question being addressed.
To add a bit more spice to mix, note that Avraham Avinu at 75 years old was told to leave his birthplace -- to shed every last vestige of influence from his origins -- and to travel to ארץ כנען, which would be given to him and his descendants as a homeland forever. Yet, when it was time to find a shidduch for Yitzchak Avinu... straight back to the point of origin and firmly refused to even consider the best of ארץ כנען. Strange, no?
There are two kinds of דומה לחמור/similar to a donkey. There is nation who make no effort to progress from what they were when created. They are what they are, and they are fine with that. They were created as חומר/material, and they remain חומר/material. That is absolute opposite of Avraham Avinu and the nation for which he is the progenitor. There is also a nation that looks to create צורה/form from חומר/material, but not in an organized plan with a goal. Such a nation wants nothing to do with any purpose other than to fulfill it's own whims.
מצרים is a nation of חומר; nothing more, nothing less. So is Avraham Avinu's birthplace, אור כשדים. Both nations contribute nothing and may just as well have not been created. However, they can and do provide an environment in which an Avraham Avinu and Klal Yisrael can be born. That is because being opposite means they are in the same category; like light and dark. They cannot co-exist, but nourish the embryonic stage of development before the organism has enough "critical mass" to live and grow on it's own. Of course, once it reaches that stage, the infant must leave -- in fact, be forced to leave -- that womb. Which is precisely why Avraham Avinu and Klal Yisrael had to be compelled by Divine Will to leave their birth home with some force and distress. (The stress of the birth process actually enables the finally transformation from dependent embryo to independent infant; המבין יבין.)
כנען, on the other hand, is not and opposite to the צורה שלם any more than bitter is the opposite of dark; they are just unrelated. However, the corruption of כנען is at odds with and corrosive to Klal Yisrael. There can be no meaningful relationship. The distorted and corrupt צורה must either be eradicated as an influence or completely subjugated by the צורה שלם; the purpose and ultimate goal of creation.
We live now in a country that promotes many values that seem so reasonable and even similar to our own. Yet, they also promote extraordinarily corrosive and anti-Torah goals. Now, more than ever, we cannot allow ourselves to be lulled into accepting these influences into our homes. The worst physical disease is cancer, specifically because it looks so much like healthy tissue. המבין יבין
Great. Obviously important message. Not a word wasted. One question: Why do I need to two archetypes? Very often when two examples are given, it is to reveal disparate and complimentary dimensions; neither on its own can tell the whole story. I wish I could say that I had that insightful question while reading the parsha.... but that is not the case. It was only after I learned the first few chapters of the Maharal's גבורות השם (a few times, actually), that I realized this was the question being addressed.
To add a bit more spice to mix, note that Avraham Avinu at 75 years old was told to leave his birthplace -- to shed every last vestige of influence from his origins -- and to travel to ארץ כנען, which would be given to him and his descendants as a homeland forever. Yet, when it was time to find a shidduch for Yitzchak Avinu... straight back to the point of origin and firmly refused to even consider the best of ארץ כנען. Strange, no?
There are two kinds of דומה לחמור/similar to a donkey. There is nation who make no effort to progress from what they were when created. They are what they are, and they are fine with that. They were created as חומר/material, and they remain חומר/material. That is absolute opposite of Avraham Avinu and the nation for which he is the progenitor. There is also a nation that looks to create צורה/form from חומר/material, but not in an organized plan with a goal. Such a nation wants nothing to do with any purpose other than to fulfill it's own whims.
מצרים is a nation of חומר; nothing more, nothing less. So is Avraham Avinu's birthplace, אור כשדים. Both nations contribute nothing and may just as well have not been created. However, they can and do provide an environment in which an Avraham Avinu and Klal Yisrael can be born. That is because being opposite means they are in the same category; like light and dark. They cannot co-exist, but nourish the embryonic stage of development before the organism has enough "critical mass" to live and grow on it's own. Of course, once it reaches that stage, the infant must leave -- in fact, be forced to leave -- that womb. Which is precisely why Avraham Avinu and Klal Yisrael had to be compelled by Divine Will to leave their birth home with some force and distress. (The stress of the birth process actually enables the finally transformation from dependent embryo to independent infant; המבין יבין.)
כנען, on the other hand, is not and opposite to the צורה שלם any more than bitter is the opposite of dark; they are just unrelated. However, the corruption of כנען is at odds with and corrosive to Klal Yisrael. There can be no meaningful relationship. The distorted and corrupt צורה must either be eradicated as an influence or completely subjugated by the צורה שלם; the purpose and ultimate goal of creation.
We live now in a country that promotes many values that seem so reasonable and even similar to our own. Yet, they also promote extraordinarily corrosive and anti-Torah goals. Now, more than ever, we cannot allow ourselves to be lulled into accepting these influences into our homes. The worst physical disease is cancer, specifically because it looks so much like healthy tissue. המבין יבין
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