The following is a brief summary of some of thoughts said over by R' Frand on the parsha this evening. I have attempted to reproduce these vorts to the best of my ability. Any perceived inconsistency is the result of my efforts to transcribe the shiur and should not be attributed to R' Frand.
R' Frand said two vorts on the parsha tonight, both in the name of R' Moshe Freundlich. Both also tied into interesting stories and would be perfect for the Shabbos table.
The first vort was in relation to the first pasuk in the parsha, wherein Hashem said to Avram, לֶךְ־לְךָ֛ מֵֽאַרְצְךָ֥ וּמִמּֽוֹלַדְתְּךָ֖ וּמִבֵּ֣ית אָבִ֑יךָ אֶל־הָאָ֖רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֥ר אַרְאֶֽךָּ. The meforshim take issue with the order of departure, in that Avram is told to leave his land, where he was born and the house of his father, when usually a person would first leave his father's house and as he continued to travel would eventually leave the country.
R' Frand offered a novel approach based on a story of R' Moshe Turkichinsky who was born in Israel and traveled to learn in Slobodka for the summer z'man. Before Shavuous, the Rosh Yeshiva, R Isaac Sherer asked him whether he would be keeping two days of Yom Tov as he was now in galus. R' Moshe did not answer and this was more of a statement than a question, but still he was confused. The halacha is that someone who intends to return to Israel does not do work on day 2, but also davens as if it is Chol.
R' Moshe went and asked the Rav of the city what he should do and was told that he should be davening the Chol davening. When asked again by the Rosh Yeshiva about keeping two days he decided that he would daven in his dorm with tefillin first and then go to the Yeshiva when they davened and no one one would know that he had previously prayed. But then as the Yeshiva was going to daven Maariv to begin the second day, the Rosh Yeshiva approached him and asked him to be the Shaliach Tzibbur. Now he was stuck, how could he lead the Yom Tov prayers?
R' Moshe decided that the only solution was to take upon himself not to return to Israel and become a ben Chutz L'Aretz. He then went up and led davening and recited all of the Yom Tov prayers. When he was done, R' Sherer said to him - I know the halacha that you should only keep one day, but I also saw that your head and heart were not in the yeshiva. You may have been physically in Slobodka, but you were thinking about your birthplace and I needed you to commit to being a bochur here.
R' Frand closed the vort by saying that this was the meaning of the order, based on the Malbim - a person may physically leave his home first when he travels, but it is much easier to depart from one's country than to emotionally depart from the customs of one's home.
The second vort was based on the pasuk in Bereishis 12:3 where Hashem says to Avram "וַֽאֲבָֽרְכָה֙ מְבָ֣רֲכֶ֔יךָ וּמְקַלֶּלְךָ֖ אָאֹ֑ר" - I will bless those who bless you and those who curse you, I will curse. The statements are not parallel as the blessing by Hashem comes before the blessing of Avram and the cursing by others precedes the cursing by Hashem.
R' Frand again linked this to the story of the son of Chafetz Chaim who went with his mother to get a suit for his wedding. The tailor measured the boy and said to come back in a few weeks. When they returned the boy tried on the suit and the mother put the money down to pay for it and then the tailor gave the boy a bracha that he should have a life of wealth and honor. The mother was taken aback - this is the blessing you gave my son? My husband shuns wealth and honor and this is what you give as a bracha? You should be blessing him to be a Yarei Shamayim or Ben Torah!
This is the meaning of Hashem's words to Avram - I will bless those who bless you in order to elevate them and bring their blessings to a higher spiritual level, thus their blessing to you will be from a higher spiritual plain and not just wishes for wealth and honor. In contrast, those who curse you, will be cursed and they will continue to sink as a result of their bad wishes.
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