As Abraham entered the Land, he built altars in Sh'chem and in Ha'Ai. The first altar he built as a response to the quintessential promise: "To your offspring I will give this land." (Bereshit 12:7) The reason for the second altar is not stated explicitly in the Torah. Our sages teach that Abraham prayed in Ha'Ai that his sons would not fall in that place (Bereshit Rabbah 39:16).
This refers to the battle of Ha'Ai in the days of Yehoshua, in which Israel was defeated. Not only did the battle cost lives, it caused great devastation. We read: "... and they fled before the men of Ha'Ai. And the men of Ha'Ai smote of them about thirty-six men... And the heart of the people melted and became like water. And Yehoshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of HaShem until the evening, he and the elders of Israel and they put dust upon their heads." (Yehoshua 7:4-6)
Why did Abraham need to build an altar in Ha'Ai? What was so special about what was to happen in Ha'Ai that a simple prayer did not suffice? Jewish history was bound to bring dangers that would be infinitely more mortal. Moreover, despite Abraham's efforts, both the bodies and the spirits of Abraham's sons did fall in Ha'Ai. And so, even with the altar, the effectiveness of his prayer does not seem to be very impressive.
The reason for the altar in Ha'Ai was very closely related to the reason for the altar in Sh'chem: "To your offspring I will give this land." In Ha'Ai, the greatest threat was not the loss of life, but the ensuing spiritual depression that could have caused the people of Israel to give up on conquering the Land. Abraham prayed that his sons would not fall from the faith that the Land was to be theirs.
It was a very close call. After the failed battle, the leaders of Israel fell in desperation (7:6), with Yehoshua exclaiming that he would have preferred staying at the other side of the Jordan (7:7). Yehoshua earned a sharp rebuke for his weakness: "Stand up, why are you lying on your face?" (7:10) Hence the phrase "the heart of the people melted." The heart of the people is its leadership. The Nation needs it as a human being needs his heart. If the leadership becomes like water, there is an acute danger that the Nation will fall. In the merit of Abraham, this did not happen. His prayer was thus answered in full.
The similarity with our generation is hard to overlook. The threats of our enemies made our 'leaders' effectively shrink back from the whole idea of conquering the Land. A bereaved Nation is longing for a real heart, authentic Jewish leadership.
After the Jerusalem Court declared Arutz-7 against the law, the Yesha Rabbinical Council stated - according to Arutz-7 - that the Court's decision stresses the need for the Sanhedrin.
Rabbinical leaders of Yesha, might it be that the messenger has a task and that it is your Council whose minyan should be changed to seventy-one? Stand up, elders, why are you lying on your face? If you do not act, who will? If you are not the true leaders of the Nation, who is? If this is not the time to act for HaShem, when will it be? "Do not keep falling, stand up! The virgin of Israel was abandoned. There is none to raise her up." (Amos 5:2)
This refers to the battle of Ha'Ai in the days of Yehoshua, in which Israel was defeated. Not only did the battle cost lives, it caused great devastation. We read: "... and they fled before the men of Ha'Ai. And the men of Ha'Ai smote of them about thirty-six men... And the heart of the people melted and became like water. And Yehoshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of HaShem until the evening, he and the elders of Israel and they put dust upon their heads." (Yehoshua 7:4-6)
Why did Abraham need to build an altar in Ha'Ai? What was so special about what was to happen in Ha'Ai that a simple prayer did not suffice? Jewish history was bound to bring dangers that would be infinitely more mortal. Moreover, despite Abraham's efforts, both the bodies and the spirits of Abraham's sons did fall in Ha'Ai. And so, even with the altar, the effectiveness of his prayer does not seem to be very impressive.
The reason for the altar in Ha'Ai was very closely related to the reason for the altar in Sh'chem: "To your offspring I will give this land." In Ha'Ai, the greatest threat was not the loss of life, but the ensuing spiritual depression that could have caused the people of Israel to give up on conquering the Land. Abraham prayed that his sons would not fall from the faith that the Land was to be theirs.
It was a very close call. After the failed battle, the leaders of Israel fell in desperation (7:6), with Yehoshua exclaiming that he would have preferred staying at the other side of the Jordan (7:7). Yehoshua earned a sharp rebuke for his weakness: "Stand up, why are you lying on your face?" (7:10) Hence the phrase "the heart of the people melted." The heart of the people is its leadership. The Nation needs it as a human being needs his heart. If the leadership becomes like water, there is an acute danger that the Nation will fall. In the merit of Abraham, this did not happen. His prayer was thus answered in full.
The similarity with our generation is hard to overlook. The threats of our enemies made our 'leaders' effectively shrink back from the whole idea of conquering the Land. A bereaved Nation is longing for a real heart, authentic Jewish leadership.
After the Jerusalem Court declared Arutz-7 against the law, the Yesha Rabbinical Council stated - according to Arutz-7 - that the Court's decision stresses the need for the Sanhedrin.
Rabbinical leaders of Yesha, might it be that the messenger has a task and that it is your Council whose minyan should be changed to seventy-one? Stand up, elders, why are you lying on your face? If you do not act, who will? If you are not the true leaders of the Nation, who is? If this is not the time to act for HaShem, when will it be? "Do not keep falling, stand up! The virgin of Israel was abandoned. There is none to raise her up." (Amos 5:2)