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Why does the Torah (תורה) omit Avrohom's story of Ur Kasdim while detailing his later activities? Torah is not a history book but the story of Klal Yisrael's development. Ur Kasdim represents Noach's legacy of mesirus nefesh, while Avrohom's unique contribution is kiruv — going out to influence the world.
Rabbi Zweig presents a fundamental approach to understanding Chumash that he learned from his rebbe sixty years ago, sparked by a question about why the Torah (תורה) omits the famous story of Avrohom being thrown into the furnace at Ur Kasdim. The answer revolutionized his understanding: the Torah is not a history book cataloging the righteous deeds of great figures, but rather the story of the development of Klal Yisrael. Every narrative serves this purpose, which explains why many events in the lives of the Avos are omitted — they weren't relevant to building the Jewish nation. The shiur explores this principle through Rashi (רש"י)'s comment on "Eileh toldos Noach. Noach ish tzaddik" — that whenever a tzaddik is mentioned, we must say something praiseworthy (zecher tzaddik livrachah). The Maharal questioned why this pattern appears uniquely with Noach and not consistently throughout the Torah. Rabbi Zweig explains that "zecher tzaddik livrachah" refers to the legacy each tzaddik leaves for Klal Yisrael. When the Torah mentions Noach as a tzaddik, it's highlighting what his legacy teaches us.
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Parshas Lech Lecha
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