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What made Avrohom fundamentally different from earlier righteous figures like Noach and Shem? The shiur develops a yesod that prior to Avrohom, tzaddikim understood God as offering mankind an opportunity for reward but remaining uninvolved. Avrohom discovered that Hashem (ה׳) is a manhig—actively invested in our growth, placing man at the center of His agenda. This shift from passive test to committed relationship is what launched the two thousand years of Torah (תורה).
The shiur opens with a fundamental question: Why does the Mishna in Avos say that the two thousand years of Torah (תורה) begin with Avrohom Avinu? After all, there were righteous people before Avrohom—Noach, Chanoch, Metushelach, Shem, and Ever all kept the seven Noachide laws and believed in God. Moreover, the people Avrohom converted were merely Ger Toshavs who observed the Noachide laws, and their influence didn't last beyond their lifetimes. So what changed with Avrohom that warranted calling his era the beginning of Torah? Rabbi Zweig presents additional puzzles: The Gemara (גמרא) says Avrohom recognized his Creator at age three (ben gimel hikir es Boro), while the Rambam (רמב"ם) says it happened at age forty. The Ran asks how both can be true. Furthermore, the Rambam emphasizes that Avrohom had no teacher and figured everything out on his own (v'lo haya lo melamed), yet the Midrash on Lech Lecha describes God revealing Himself to Avrohom in response to his question about whether the palace (birah) has a master. How can the Rambam say no one taught him if God Himself appeared?
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Parshas Lech Lecha (Bereishis 12:1)
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What is the primary purpose of the cities of refuge - protecting the accidental killer or something else? The shiur argues that creating respect for law takes precedence over providing sanctuary. True deterrence comes from recognizing the gravity of murder itself, not fear of punishment.
