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Why did Avrohom only recognize Sarah's beauty when he saw her reflection in water approaching Egypt? The shiur develops the yesod of tocho k'baro - that Avrohom always saw Sarah's physical beauty as a direct reflection of her neshamah's beauty. The water reflection showed him her physical appearance alone, helping him understand how beautiful she would appear even to Egyptians who couldn't perceive her spiritual dimension.
This shiur examines the Midrash explaining why Avrohom only recognized Sarah's beauty when he saw her reflection in water as they approached Egypt. The Tanchuma states that due to their tznius, Avrohom had never seen Sarah's beauty until this moment when he saw her reflection. Rabbi Yeshaya Greenberg ZT"L addresses several difficulties with this Midrash: How could Avrohom marry Sarah without seeing her, which would violate the halacha (הלכה) requiring a man to see his bride? Why did Hashem (ה׳) arrange for Avrohom to discover her beauty specifically through a reflection in water rather than by other means?
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Parshas Lech Lecha 12:11
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