"pinchus gold"
And Hashem said to Avrom, get up and go (Bereishis 12:1)
In the previous Sedrah, when the Torah mentions Noach, it spoke of his righteousness before Hashem addressed him. The posuk (Bereishis 6:9) calls him a complete Tzaddik immediately. Why doesn't the Torah say Avrohom was a Tzaddik and a G-d fearing person before Hashem spoke to him?
Had the Torah done this, there would have been an implication that Hashem chose Avrohom and his children because they were righteous. If, G-d forbid, K'lal Yisroel became less than meritorious, Hashem would undo His having chosen them, Chalila. Chazal say (Avos 5:19), "Any love that is dependent on something vanishes when that thing is gone". This posuk, therefore, does not speak about Avrohom's righteousness right away. This is to teach us that Hashem chose Avrohom because that was His Will. This choice was permanent and unconditional. Yisroel will forever be Hashem's Holy People, even if they sin.
--The Maharal of Prague
And I will bless those that bless you and those that curse you, I will curse (Bereishis 12:3)
Why does the posuk reverse the order of words? Why doesn't it say, "And I will curse those that curse you" like it says, "I will bless those that bless you"?
There is no comparison between pouring something from an overflowing vessel and pouring something from a nearly empty vessel. We find in Bircas Kohanim (the priestly blessing) the posuk, "So shall you bless B'nei Yisroel...say to them". The Chazzan says each word of the brochos first. He is a conduit between HaKodosh Boruch Hu and the Kohanim. He says each word first and brings down the Heavenly Effects by way of the Spiritual Pipes. This allows the Kohanim to be "filled' with the brochos of Hashem. The Kohanim then "pour' from this "overflowing vessel' on to K'lal Yisroel. This enables the brocha to really take hold. It is coming from someone who has truly received brocha. Someone who is not blessed cannot bless others. Therefore, the posuk says, "And I will bless those that bless you". Before they bless you, I will bless them so that they will be a vessel filled with My brochos. They will "pour' brochos upon you from an overflowing vessel. This concept does not apply to cursing, however. The posuk therefore says, "And those that curse you, I will curse". After and not before.
--K'li Yakar
...And see from the place where you are (Bereishis 13:14)
A person follows his thoughts. Wherever his thoughts are is where he is. A person could be standing in Shul davening but his mind wanders to the edges of the Earth and he thinks about his business ventures. It's as if he is there conducting business and not in the Shul. This is the lesson of this posuk. See - see with a spiritual sense of sight, from your soul. From the place where you are - don't let your mind wander to other locations and become distracted from what you're doing.
--The Baal Shem Tov
Not a thread or a shoelace (Bereishis 14:23)
In Masechta Chullin (89a) it is stated, Rava said, "In reward for Avrohom Avinu's statement, "Not a thread or a shoelace", his children merited two mitzvos. The first is the thread of T'cheilis (in tzitzis) and the other is the straps used in Tefillin". Perhaps this is why K'lal Yisroel wear their Tefillin and Tallis during Shacharis instead of Mincha. The Gemara in Brochos (26b) says that Avrohom established the Shacharis davening and these two mitzvos came in his merit.
--Meshech Chochmo
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