Chayei Sara תרל”ה

תרל”ה

ב”ה

במדרש יודע ה’ ימי תמימים ונחלתם לעולם כו’. כי האדם נברא בעוה”ז לתקן הזמן כי חיות הנשמה למעלה מהטבע והזמן והשגחת השי”ת מקיים ומחדש חיות העולמות. והכל תלוי בהאדם כפי מה שעובד השי”ת וזוכר שהכל מאתו ית’. כמו כן מתחדש השגחתו ית’. ובכלל יש עולם שנה נפש. ויש מצות שתלוין בגוף האדם. ויש בזמן. ויש בכל המעשים שבעוה”ז. כדי לתקן ג’ בחי’ הנ”ל. ונרמזים בזה הפסוק ימי תמימים הוא שנה נפש. ונחלתם לעולם בחי’ עולם כנ”ל. וידיעתו ית’ הוא כפי ההארות שמעורר האדם בג’ בחי’ הנ”ל שעושה שיהי’ גם הזמן מקושר להבורא ית’ כמ”ש כך שנותיהם תמימים כו’. גם שבת קודש מקשר הזמן וכתיב בו לדעת כי אני ה’ מקדישכם ומתעורר בו ידיעתו ית’ ע”י העדות שבני ישראל מעידין עליו בש”ק כנ”ל:
The Midrash (see above תרל”א) HaShem knows the days of the righteous, that their years are perfect.
Now the life force of one’s soul is above time and nature, yet we are sent to this world (not to gain anything physical) rather to uplift the physical to the element above nature.
There is a constant flow of life force from HaShem in to this world, (that gives teh world its existence), yet this too is dependant on mans actions, In as much as one serves HaShem properly and remembers that everything is from HaShem, one is able to bring about a renewal and greater connection of HaShem to this world.
The general principles of everything can be divided into three categories. The world, time and mankind. Mitzvos are also divided into hree main categories: Those pertaining tot he body, those pertaining to time, and those pertaining to the world, to parallel and repair these three elements.
In the abovementioned pasuk “HaShem knows the days of the righteous, and their inheritance is for the entire world”, these three elements are all referred to . “the days of the righteous”, refers to time and mankind, “their inheritance will be for the entire world” refers to the world. as above.
A person’s ability to understand HaShem, is in proportion to the light that one brings about into these three elements. By doing so one also elevates time that it becomes connected to HaShem. This is how “their years (of the tzadikim) become perfect.
This is also the idea of Shabbos, ehci connects time to HaShem, as the pasuk says about the Shabbos: “So you shall know that I am HaShem who sanctifies you”. Though this testimony, it awakens in us an understanding of HaShem. As above.

בת ק’ כבת כ’ לחטא. וקשה אף שאינה בת עונשין מ”מ הדמיון הוא להיות נקוי’ מחטא באמת. אך נראה דודאי אין צדיק בארץ כו’ ולא יחטא רק שיש מדריגות רבות. וכמו קודם זמן עונשין אין נחשב לו החטא שאין בו דעת שלימה לשמור מחטא כן יש חטאים שאין נחשבין לחטא ומצינו לעתיד ג”כ החוטא בן מאה שנה יקולל. וגם במלאכים מצינו חטאים כי אין שיעור לזה וז”ש בת ק’ כבת כ’ לחטא שהיתה נקוי’ מחטא כנ”ל:
(The Midrash Bereishis Rabbah 48:1, explains that we learn from the way the Torah tells us the age of Sara, 100 and 20 and 7, that each one of these stages was significant), “Just as she had not sinned when she was 20, so too she had not sinned by the age of 100”.
The comparison to the age of 20 is because only at the age of 20 one becomes fully liable for one’s sins. Nevertheless, the comparison is seemingly teaching us how she had not sinned, yet if she had sinned by the age of 20, but just not held liable, then the age of 20 is no longer significant in the equation, because it does not indicate sin, it only indicates liability for sin?
However it would seem, that in reality it is impossible not to sin, as the pasuk (Koheles 7:20) explains “there is no one righteous who only does good and does not sin”. Yet there are many levels (it is not a simple case of right or wrong). Therefore just as before the age of 20 one is not accountable for sins because of one’s lack of understanding, so too there are sins even at a alater stage that one is not held accountable for, because one does not have the necessary faculties. So too we find that in the future (Yeshaya 65:20) “One who sins at the age of 100 will be cursed”, and we also find that angels sineed. This all shows that there is no limit (and it is impossible to be completely perfect), Rather the explanation is what level of accountability they have for the sin, as explained above.

במדרש עבד משכיל ימשול בבן מביש כו’ וקשה מה חכמה עשה בזה. אך זה מודיע לנו המדרש כי ע”י האמונה יכול האדם לתקן עצמו מבחי’ עבד לבן. כי ב’ מדריגות יש. ועבודה בבחי’ בן הוא לידע שהכל מהשי”ת ולבוש מפניו שלא לבוא לידי גסות כו’. ובחי’ עבד הוא שלא להיות עצב מזה. רק לידע ולהכיר באמת שאין כדאי אף לזה. וע”י שמקבל זאת העבדות באמונה הוא נמשל כבן כנ”ל:
The Midrash “A wise slave, will rule over an incapable son”. However, what was the wisdom that Eliezer demonstrated?
Yet the Midrash is teaching us that it is through emuna that one is able to repair oneself to elevate oneself from a “slave” to a “son”.
There are 2 levels of service of HaShem. The one is as a son, where one needs to put one’s effort into realizing that everything is from HaShe, and to be embarrassed of Him and not become haughty. The other level is serving HaShem as a slave (see above תרל”ג, where one needs to force control over one’s urges), and here the focus needs to be that one does not get down and sad from being in such a state, rather one needs to know and be aware that he is not even worthy on his own of this level. Through this level of emuna, one indeed merits to be elevated from a “slave” to a “son”. as above.

ואני תפלתי לך ה’ עת רצון. אף כי לפניו ית’ אין שינוי. רק הפי’ שהזמן מסתיר רצונו ית’ אך בזמנים מקודשים בש”ק שיש להקב”ה נייחא מהבריאה וע”י שרצונו יתברך מתלבש אז בהזמן והטבע כדכתיב וירא ה’ כו’ טוב מאוד. ועי”ז מזדכך הזמן. ולכך יכול כל אדם למצוא רצון אמת אז. ולכן הוא זמן בקשה כמ”ש יתפלל כל חסיד כו’ לעת מצוא. שאף שלכאורה נראה כי בזמן ההסתר צריכין לבקש ולהתפלל. אבל באמת עיקר זמן התפלה הוא כשנמצא השעה לאדם כמ”ש אין לך אדם שאין לו שעה. ואז קרובים לתפלה. ועל ידי התשוקה והרצון להיות נשאר אצלו ההארה לעולם. יפיק רצון מה’:
“And my prayer is that I shall approach You HaShem, in a time of willingness” (Tehillim 69:14).
Even though HaShem is in essence and does not change with time (so how is it possible that there are times when HaShem is more favorable? (See Elul תרל”א). The explanation however is that the time (physicality) covers up the will of HaShem. Yet in holy times, like on Shabbos, when HaShem gets pleasure from creation, and since HaShem’s desire is enclothed in time and nature, as HaShem said when he created the world “it is very good”, so through this will time can be purified.
Therefore each person can indeed find a true desire then (On Shabbos). It is therefore an auspicious time from prayer, as the pasuk (Tehillim 32:6) “all those who are righteous should pray at an auspicious time”. Even though one may think that it is better to pray in a time of difficulty, however in truth the main time of prayer is in when things are going for the person, for everyone has a time when things are going well. At that time one is indeed close to tefila, and through the desire and will one is able to connect to the light so that it will remain with him forever, and “draw forth good will from HaShem”.
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