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Why does the Torah (תורה) describe Yitzchok's weaning and Avrohom's party celebrating it? The Midrash reveals that vayigamal means being weaned from the yetzer hara — both literal weaning and bris milah represent moving away from self-gratification. Only when a person stops seeing everything as meant to serve him can he achieve gedlus and give God a place in his life.
The shiur analyzes Parshas Vayeira's account of Yitzchok's weaning and the party Avrohom made to celebrate it. Rabbi Zweig begins by questioning why the Torah (תורה) records such an apparently mundane event — every child is eventually weaned, so why does this merit special mention? Similarly, why did Avrohom make a "mishteh gadol" (great feast) for this occasion, something we don't see practiced today? The Midrash in Bereishis Rabbah offers two interpretations of "vayigamal": Rabbi Hoshaya says it means Yitzchok was weaned from the yetzer hara, while the Rabbanan say he was weaned from milk. The Midrash also explains "mishteh gadol" as either God's presence being there or that great people of the world attended.
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Parshas Vayeira 21:8
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