CLEAR THE VISION
Excerpted from a talk from Rabbi Aaron Lopiansky
This week’s Parsha, Lech L’cha opens with HaShem instructing Avraham “Go from your land, from your birthplace and from your father’s home to the Land that I will show you.” If HaShem wishes for Avraham to go to an unidentified place that will only be revealed later why is it necessary to instruct him to leave these three places? Would it not be sufficient to instruct Avraham to “go to the Land that I will show you.” Naturally, if Avraham will go elsewhere he will be leaving these three places.
Our Sages distinguish between sight and sound as the former originates from inside the observer and the latter originates from outside the listener. Although on a physical basis both experiences originate from outside the person; the scene that is observed by the person occurs outside of himself, it is not imagined, just as the sound originates outside the person. Our Sages, however, are talking about understanding the message that is transmitted through the sense of sight and understanding the message that is transmitted through the sense of sound. When a person comes to listen to what another person has to say, he opens his mind and allows the words of the speaker into his mind. To the extent that the speaker articulates himself, the listener will understand what the speaker is conveying. There is no input on the part of the listener; he is just listening to the speaker. On the other hand, regarding understanding the message that is transmitted through the sense of sight it begins from within the observer.
Consider the following scene which is observed by three different people. An otherwise handsome fellow comes walking down the street with tattered shoes. He approaches our group of three folks and asks them if they can help him get a pair of shoes. He says that he is a man of means from out of town but has no cash with him.
Before we demonstrate how these three folks will see different things from the same sight, we must first know more about these folks. Our first fellow is a person who is always looking to do chessed for another person. Our second fellow is a businessman always looking for an opportunity to make a sale. Our third fellow is a scam artist and is always suspicious that others are trying to scam him.
All three folks meet the same person at the same time. However, the first fellow sees an opportunity to help a man out and is motivated to get him a pair of shoes. The second fellow sees an opportunity to sell this poor visitor a pair of shoes on credit and charge him a 20% finance charge. The third fellow sees this visitor as a scam artist. Behold! Each fellow sees something different.
The disparate understanding from the same scene is due because it is being filtered through the observers’ minds. This is what our Sages are saying. The sense of sight originates from the observer while the sense of sound originated from outside the person. HaShem wanted Avraham Avinu to see the Land which He was going to show him. However, before Avraham would be able to see that Land, it was critical that Avraham’s context be purified. HaShem therefore told him to first leave your homeland and the influences that it had on your vision. Then leave your birthplace; the place that had an impact on your way you see the world from when you were a child. Then leave your parents’ home; the place which had the greatest impact on your worldview. Once you have cleared the fog that may have seeped into your perception, then go to the Land which I will show you. Only then will you be able to see that Land.
May HaShem clear our fog as well so that we may merit to see the return of the Shechina to Zion speedily in our days.
Have a very safe and very wonderful Shabbos.
Paysach Diskind