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19:29 We know that Loit was saved from the Mahapeicha of Sedoim. Why was he saved? The Posuk seems to say clearly that Loit was saved Bizchus Avraham, וַיִּזְכֹּר אֱלֹקים, אֶת-אַבְרָהָם; וַיְשַׁלַּח אֶת-לוֹט, מִתּוֹךְ הַהֲפֵכָה, meaning Elokim remembered Avraham and he sent Loit out of the upheaval. The Gemara actually says that he was saved in the Zchus that Loit was quiet when Avraham pretended Sarah was his sister. This was all connected to Avraham Avinu. The problem is, Chazal also say that the Malachim came to Loit as guests in order for him to have a Zechus to be saved. So it seems to be a Stirah in why he was saved. The Kasha by itself is not such a strong Kasha. We find by Chazal many times that there are many reasons for something; however it fits very beautifully into a very important Yesoid.

21:17 In order to give over this Yesoid we have to go to another section of this Parsha that has nothing to do with S’doim. It says that Yishmael was saved because כִּי-שָׁמַע אֱלֹקים אֶל-קוֹל הַנַּעַר בַּאֲשֶׁר הוּא-שָׁם. As Rashi says, (לפי מעשים שהוא עושה עכשיו הוא נדון ולא לפי מה שהוא עתיד לעשות) Boisoi Sha’a Tzaddik Haya. In the future he was going to do Aveirois, however, this wasn’t included in his Din at this point.

Rav Wolbe in Alei Shur in a piece titled Yoimim Noiraim, has an incredible Pshat in which he brings a Yerushalmi about Ba’asher Hu Sham. Hakadoish Baruch judges a person Ba’asher Hu Sham the way he is today, L’afukei, the way he will be in the future. It not only excludes the future, it also excludes the past as well. A person might have Zechusim from the past that would facilitate him to be saved today, however, Hashem judges Ba’asher Hu Sham. Of course the past counts, however, to the degree that a person is connected to those past Zechusim, to that degree he is saved today. If a person has Charata about Ma’asim that he did in the past, the Ma’asim get erased. Hashem judges Ba’asher Hu Sham.

With this, we understand many places in the Toirah. For example, Klal Yisrael needed Dam Milah and Dam Pesach as a Zechus to go out of Mitzrayim. Why did they need a  Zechus, it was already promised to Avraham Avinu that his children would be taken out of Mitzrayim, so it had to happen anyway?

The Teretz is, if you want to be saved with a Zechus from the past, from Avraham Avinu, connect to the past, connect to the Avois. Dafka they had Dam Milah which was a connection to Avraham Avinu or Dam Pesach which we also find by Avraham Avinu. In that Zechus, if you are connected, than you have the old Zechus.

The same thing by Kriyas Yam Suf, they needed the Mesiras Nefesh of Nachshan Ben Aminadav jumping into the Yam Suf, for the Yam Suf to split. What do you mean; Hashem didn’t take Klal Yisrael out of Mitzrayim just so that they should be murdered by the Yam Suf? Why did Nachshoin Ben Aminadav have to jump in?

The Teretz is, of course they would be saved because of the Zechus Avois, nevertheless they had to connect. Nachshoin Ben Aminadav had to do a Ma’aseh of Mesiras Nefesh like Avraham Avinu to connect.

The same thing with Loit. Loit was going to be saved because of the Zechus of Avraham Avinu or for something he did for Avraham Avinu. Either way, he would only be saved if he was still connected. The past only counts if it is Mashpia on you today. By taking in these guests, he showed that the Middah of Hachnasas Oirchim of Avraham Avinu was still alive. He was still connected to the past. This is why the Zechusim of the past applied to him.

Many B’nei Toirah who are out in the workplace, they remember the Geshmake years of Yeshiva, they want those years to be a Zechus for them. You must stay connected for that to be the case. You have to have a Shaychus to it and it has to be Mashpia on you. It has to be alive in you. If it is dead and in the past then it is not a Zechus for you today. If it is something still alive, then it can be a Zechus for you.

19:26 As you know Loit’s wife turned into a pillar of salt when they ran out of Sedoim. The Posuk says, וַתַּבֵּט אִשְׁתּוֹ, מֵאַחֲרָיו; וַתְּהִי, נְצִיב מֶלַח. There is a Pliyadicka Gemara in Maseches Niddah 70b (first wide line). The Gemara relates that when R’ Yehoishua Ben Chanaya visited Alexandria in Mitzrayim, they had an Asifah when he arrived. They asked him Shaylois. One of them was,  (אשתו של לוט מהו שתטמא אמר להם מת מטמא ואין נציב מלח מטמא) Ishtoi Shel Loit if you touch the pillar of salt that she became, are you Tamei? Is it like a dead body that is Metamei or not?

It is interesting to note, in ’67 when Israel won the 6 day war, Yidden started visiting Eretz Yisrael, and they were actually selling pieces of salt that they said was from the wife of Loit. Apparently she was a very heavy woman as there was a lot of salt being sold. Assuming the salt was form the wife of Loit, is it Metamei that a Kohen has to stay away from it or not?

He answered that a Mais is Metamei and salt is not Metamei. The Gemara itself says it is a strange question. What is behind the question? It could be that what is behind the question is a Shittah of Rebbeinu Yoina.

Rabbeinu Yoina has a Shittah in Hilchois Kashrus which is brought in the Magein Avraham Siman 217:3. He says a Yesoid. Something that changes chemically from one thing to another, does not retain the old Dinim, it gets brand new Dinim. For example there is something called Musk. This is derived from a gland of the Deer which comes from blood which is of course Treif. That turns into a different product in the body of the animal. It turns into Musk. The Musk that comes from Dam, Rabbeinu Yoinah says is Kosher. It changed, so it is like Panim Chadashois. This Psak of Rabbeinu Yoinah is a matter of great dispute. Rav Chaim OIzer held that it is Halachah L’mayseh. It may be that the Musk Heter is in part related to this Gemara. Ishtoi Shel Loit turned into Melach, chemically she wasn’t flesh and blood of a human being. Maybe the Gemara had in mind this particular Din of Rabbeinu Yoinah in mind.

19:16 The Shalsheles that appears only 4 times in the whole Chamisha Chumshei Toirah, appears in this Parsha by the overturning of S’doim, וַיִּתְמַהְמָהּ. They hesitated when they were running out of S’doim. The Malachim grabbed them and pulled them out of S’doim so that they shouldn’t be destroyed in the destruction of S’doim.

To be Makdim the significance of the Shalsheles, when you learn Nach, you will see that there are 3 Seforim in Nach that have many Shalshelesim. They are Tehillim, Iyoiv, and Mishlei. These 3 Seforim are called Sifrei Emes as they are referred to in the first Perek of Bava Basra. These are the Seforim that have the secrets of life and the Jewish People. Iyoiv has the secrets of suffering, Mishlei the secrets of normal life, and Tehiilim has the secrets of relating to Hakadoish Baruch Hu. In these 3 books there are many Shalshelesim. Why?

Rav Dovid Singer Zatzal asked what is the significance of the Shalsheles in that it appears only 4 times in the entire Chumash? If you look at something you do with a Shalsheles Hadoirois, what this whole chain of events might lead to, it is a sign of being an Adam Gadol. That when you do something today, you realize what the future ramifications are.

They say over about Rav Shloimo Heiman, that he would be very active when giving his Shiurim. One day there was a snowstorm and there were only 3 boys in Shiur. He was still giving the Shiur over with the same Hisla’avus as if it was a full house. One of the Bochurim mentioned to his Rebbi that since it is only the 3 of us you don’t have to get all heated up. Rav Heiman replied, you think I am talking to the 3 of you? I am talking to you, your children, your Talmidim, your generations. That is the Shalsheles.

The 4 places where the Shalsheles appears fit beautifully into this. “וַיִּתְמַהְמָהּ–וַיַּחֲזִיקוּ הָאֲנָשִׁים בְּיָדוֹ וּבְיַד-אִשְׁתּוֹ וּבְיַד שְׁתֵּי בְנֹתָיו, בְּחֶמְלַת יְרוָר עָלָיו; וַיֹּצִאֻהוּ וַיַּנִּחֻהוּ, מִחוּץ לָעִיר.”Meaning, and he delayed – so the men grasped onto his hand, onto his wife’s hand, and onto the hand of his two daughters, in Hashem’s mercy on him; and they took him out and left him outside the city. Why did they get pulled out? Moshiach who was a descendent from Moi’av had to come out of these children, which is why they had to be saved from S’doim. So the Malachim said Vayismama, you can’t wait to leave S’doim as the whole Shalsheles of events has to come, Dovid Hamelech, Shloimoi Hamelech…the whole Malchus Bais Dovid has to come out of Rus who was from Moav who was from Loit’s daughter. Vayismamah, they saw the urgency and acted by pulling them out.

24:12 It is not only a Vort on Parshas Vayeira it is also a Vort on Parshas Chayei Sarah. When Eliezer is at the B’air he says וַיֹּאמַר and it has a Shalsheles. He is Davening for finding the correct woman for Yitzchok. Why? He saw that when you are dating a girl, it is not just for that girl, it is for Doirei Doirois. A whole Shalsheles of Doirois. The whole Klal Yisrael has to come from her. וַיֹּאמַר, Eliezer Davened that the whole Shalsheles of Doirois should come about with Hatzlachah.

39:8 The third place that the Shalsheles appears is in Parshas Vayeishev. What happens there, וַיְמָאֵן. Eishes Poitifar is trying to entice Yosef and he refrains. Vayima’ain. Why? The Gemara brings in Maseches Soitah , he knew that if he sins now, he wouldn’t remain part of the Shiftei Ka. וַיְמָאֵן, he used the Shalsheles Hadoirois to fight his Yeitzer Horah.

The 4th place is in Parshas Tzav by the Shechita of the Par Hamilu’im. That Shechita made Aharoin into Aharoin Hakoihen, the Shalsheles Hadoirois of Koihanim came from that Shechitah. From the Ail Hamiluim.

The Sifrei Emes that was mentioned before, the Seforim that discuss dealing and thinking in life properly, whether it is in Tehillim, Iyoiv, or Mishlei, requires a constant Shalsheles, which is why they appear numerous times. You need to see the Shalsheles of events, the sequence of events that could come from your Ma’asim to be able to deal with them beautifully.

21:17 There is an apparent Stira in 2 Rashi’s. Rashi says in Ba’asher Hu Sham, Yishmael was saved because at that time he was a Tzaddik. However, in 21:9, Rashi says that מצחק is לשון גילוי עריות, רציחה, and עבודה זרה. Which means he did do Aveirois? This seems to be a Stira to the Ba’asher Hu Sham? The 2 Rashi’s need a Yishuv. Rav Schwab has something of a Teretz on this. Ayin Sham.

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