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Chayei Sarah
Va’eira א ָרֵּיַו
£The Prayers of Heshvan The Prayers of Heshvan
££The Prayers of Heshvan
and Abraham’s Prayer for Sodom
and Abraham’s Prayer for Sodom and Abraham’s Prayer for Sodom
Heshvan is the only Hebrew month containing no holiday,
commemorative event, or fast day. Following the month of Tishrei,
which has the major holidays of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur,
Sukkot, and Shemini Atzeret, this lack is particularly noticeable.
For this reason some call it ‘Mar Heshvan’ (Bitter Heshvan). Yet,
tradition teaches that in Messianic times, Heshvan will be “rewarded,”
for the Third Temple will be inaugurated during it. For this reason
some people already refer to this month as ‘Ram Heshvan’ (Exalted
Heshvan). Alluding to this, the word ‘ram’ is actually the inverted
form of the word ‘mar.’
Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach teaches that this month’s enormous
spiritual potential is created by the nature of our Heshvan prayers:
prayers that reflect how we pray when it seems as if our task has been
completed, the verdict for the year finalized. During Tishrei, when
we are surrounded by the holiness of all the holidays, it is easy to
find the incentive and inspiration to pray. But what happens when
the holidays are over and we return to our ordinary routines? If we
fall back into our old ways as well, then the prayers and spiritual
service of Tishrei failed to touch us deeply enough. If we can actually
bring to fruition those changes we strived for and keep praying with
the same commitment and intensity, then we have the ability to
transform a potentially bitter month into an exalted one.
The importance of not letting go of the achievements we have
attained in Tishrei is also reflected in the portion of Va’eira, which
always occurs in the middle of Heshvan. In this portion, the first
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Indeed, when God first told Abraham to leave his home, his life
style, and his entire belief system and go “to the land that I will show
you” (Genesis 12:1), it is clear that God was not just commanding
Abraham to wander until he found a suitable place which God would
then give him. Clearly God planned to lead Abraham to a certain
preordained spot. This spot was the Land of Canaan, later known
as the Land of Israel. The fact that God brought Abraham to that
specific land suggests that it possessed certain qualities and energies
which God wanted Abraham and his progeny to benefit from.
The Midrash actually teaches that the Land of Israel played a
central role in the lives of all the generations predating Abraham.
Adam and Eve lived on what would be the Temple Mount after they
were banished from the Garden of Eden (Bereishit Rabbah 21:11).
When Noah sent the dove from the ark in search of dry land, it
brought back an olive twig from the Land of Israel (Bereishit Rabbah
33:9). Both Adam and Noah built altars on the very spot where the
Temple would be built (Bereishit Rabbah 38:9). Noah’s descendants,
Shem and Ever, founded and led a school in Israel dedicated to
teaching all the existing spiritual traditions (Bereishit Rabbah 68:5).
Malchizedek, who according to tradition was Shem, was a High
Priest in Shalem (Jerusalem), and it was he who greeted and blessed
Abraham (Genesis 14:18-20). From time immemorial Israel was a
spiritual magnet, drawing people knowledgeable in spiritual matters
to it.
Taking this discussion to an even deeper level, the Hebrew words
for “human being” (Adam) and “earth” (adamah) stem from the 24107-EYAL - 24107-EYAL | 3 - B | 18-01-28 | 12:12:04 | SR:-- | Magenta #24107-EYAL - 24107-EYAL | 3 - B | 18-01-28 | 12:12:04 | SR:-- | Yellow 24107-EYAL - 24107-EYAL | 3 - B |
same root. The simple reading of the verse, “dust you are and to dust
you will return” (Genesis 3:19), means that when we die we return to
the earth – but what is the significance of the first half of the phrase,
“dust you are?” The Torah states that man was formed from the dust
of the ground and that G-d “breathed into his nostrils the breath of
life, and man became a living soul” (Genesis 2:7). One version of the
Midrash recounts that dust was gathered from all over the world and
brought to the Temple Mount where God formed Adam (Sanhedrin
38). The connection between the earth and the human being made
up of a body and a soul teaches us that humanity’s relationship with
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