2020/5781

At the end of this week's Parashah, one of the most famous and important series of events in Judaism occurs: the Akeida. Moments before slaughtering his only son, an angel comes to Avraham Avinu and instructs him, “Al Tishlach Yadecha El HaNa’ar VeAl Ta’as Lo Meumah, Ki Atah Yadati Ki Yerei Elokim Atah, VeLo Chasachta Et Bincha Et Yechidecha Mimeni,” “Do not raise your hand against the boy, or do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your favored one, from Me” (Bereishit 22:12). The Gemara (Bava Batra 15b) quotes the phrase “Ki Atah Yadati Ki Yerei Elokim Atah” and uses it to compare Avraham to Iyov (the Torah Temimah, written by HaRav Baruch HaLevi Epstein, points out that the Gemara is comparing the two as they are both righteous converts - there is much to discuss about the connection between Avraham and Iyov).  The Gemara states that the way in which Iyov is praised is greater than this praise of Avraham.  In regards to Iyov, the Pasuk says, “HaIsh HaHu Tam VeYashar Yerei Elokim VeSar MeiRa”, “The man was a blameless and upright man who feared God and turned from evil” (Iyov 1:1). In this Pasuk, Iyov is described with more (quantity and quality-wise) righteous adjectives than Avraham Avinu (see above). 

At first glance, the Gemara seems to be saying that scripture attributes a higher level of greatness to Iyov than to Avraham, and by extension, Iyov was a greater person than Avraham. Is this really true? The Torah Temimah questions this Gemara with another Gemara : “VeAmar Rabi Yirmiyah Ben Elazar, ‘Miktzat Shivcho Shel Adam Omrim BiFanav, VeChulo SheLo BiFanav’,” “And Rabbi Yirmiyah Ben Elazar further said, ‘Only some of a person’s praise should be said in his presence, and all of it may be said not in his presence’”(Eiruvin 18b). If only part of a person’s praise should be said in his presence and the Pasuk regarding Avraham was said in his presence, while Iyov’s Pasuk was not, then how can these two Pesukim serve as proof that Iyov’s qualities were greater? It could just be that the angel held back praise because he was talking directly to Avraham. Furthermore, the one about whom it is said that no one was involved in Mitzvot like he, the one who jumped into a fire for Hashem, the one who was willing to slaughter his son for Hashem, and the list goes on and on, HaYiTaChein — is it possible — that he was inferior to Iyov? 

Rather, HaRav Baruch HaLevi Epstein explains that the extension made above, that Iyov was a greater person than Avraham Avinu because scripture seems to praise him more, is utterly wrong. He writes that the Gemara specifically says “Gadol HaNe’Emar Bi’Iyov...,” “that which is said by Iyov is greater...” to prove the opposite of our initial thoughts: Iyov’s description is greater than Avraham’s, but Avraham himself is greater than Iyov. The Torah Temimah explains based on a Gemara (Berachot 33b) that the Chachamim rebuked a man who added on extra praise to Hashem in his davening for the Tzibbur. The Rabbis said that by adding adjectives to Hashem’s name, you make it seem like you said all His praise and that there is no more to be said. On the other hand, when we keep Hashem’s praises short, it shows that we can’t even begin to start saying them because they are so numerous. So too, here, Hashem kept Avraham’s praise very short, not only because He was in front of him, but because Hashem did not want to make it seem as if He was saying all of Avraham’s praises and there was no more to be said. Truly, Avraham Avinu is, and always will be, one of the greatest people in Klal Yisrael. A lesson we can learn from the Gemara in Bava Batra and its interpretation by Rav Epstein is that sometimes we need to use the previous and current great Rabbis of Klal Yisrael to understand and/or reinterpret Torah sources. We see this frequently when the Gemara analyzes and reinterprets a Mishnah from its simple understanding. When facing new Torah sources, we must always analyze them with a keen eye and make sure that we understand them in the way of the great Torah scholars.