ויירא

 Interesting how in the same parsha we see how Avraham and Avimelech had similar views of G-D and the world 

By Avraham trying to save Sodom

יn,כה

חָלִ֨לָה לְּךָ֜ מֵעֲשֹׂ֣ת ׀ כַּדָּבָ֣ר הַזֶּ֗ה לְהָמִ֤ית צַדִּיק֙ עִם־רָשָׁ֔ע וְהָיָ֥ה כַצַּדִּ֖יק כָּרָשָׁ֑ע חָלִ֣לָה לָּ֔ךְ הֲשֹׁפֵט֙ כׇּל־הָאָ֔רֶץ לֹ֥א יַעֲשֶׂ֖ה מִשְׁפָּֽט׃

Far be it from You to do such a thing, to bring death upon the innocent as well as the guilty, so that innocent and guilty fare alike. Far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?”

By Avimelech trying to save himself-

כ,ד וַאֲבִימֶ֕לֶךְ לֹ֥א קָרַ֖ב אֵלֶ֑יהָ וַיֹּאמַ֕ר אֲדֹנָ֕י הֲג֥וֹי גַּם־צַדִּ֖יק תַּהֲרֹֽג׃

Now Abimelech had not approached her. He said, “O lord, will You slay people even though innocent?

It's interesting that God apparently agreed with Avimelech that he is a tzadik with his comment

כ,ו וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו הָאֱלֹהִים בַּחֲלֹם, גַּם אָנֹכִי יָדַעְתִּי כִּי בְתָם-לְבָבְךָ עָשִׂיתָ זֹּאת, וָאֶחְשֹׂךְ גַּם-אָנֹכִי אוֹתְךָ, מֵחֲטוֹ-לִי; עַל-כֵּן לֹא-נְתַתִּיךָ, לִנְגֹּעַ אֵלֶיהָ.

In fact we have chazal  that use the pasuk in mishlei of-

לֹא־יְאֻנֶּ֣ה לַצַּדִּ֣יק כׇּל־אָ֑וֶן וּ֝רְשָׁעִ֗ים מָ֣לְאוּ רָֽע׃

No harm befalls the righteous, But the wicked have their fill of misfortune.

to teach us  that God prevents real tzadikkim from sinning

Also another interesting contrast of similar language by both where hiding or lack of knowledge is a negative by not revealing; while sometimes used as a positive in preventing a sin

וַֽיהֹוָ֖ה אָמָ֑ר הַֽמְכַסֶּ֤ה אֲנִי֙ מֵֽאַבְרָהָ֔ם אֲשֶׁ֖ר אֲנִ֥י עֹשֶֽׂה׃

Now יהוה had said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do,

וַיֹּ֩אמֶר֩ אֵלָ֨יו הָֽאֱלֹהִ֜ים בַּחֲלֹ֗ם גַּ֣ם אָנֹכִ֤י יָדַ֙עְתִּי֙ כִּ֤י בְתׇם־לְבָבְךָ֙ עָשִׂ֣יתָ זֹּ֔את וָאֶחְשֹׂ֧ךְ גַּם־אָנֹכִ֛י אֽוֹתְךָ֖ מֵחֲטוֹ־לִ֑י עַל־כֵּ֥ן לֹא־נְתַתִּ֖יךָ לִנְגֹּ֥עַ אֵלֶֽיהָ׃

And God said to him in the dream, “I knew that you did this with a blameless heart, and so I kept you from sinning against Me. That was why I did not let you touch her.

The use of the word אחשך is interesting because חשך(darkness) is where things are hidden or unknown(מכסה). 

Another interesting fact, is that אבימלך was also a man of גמילת חסדים with his 

וַיִּקַּ֨ח אֲבִימֶ֜לֶךְ צֹ֣אן וּבָקָ֗ר וַעֲבָדִים֙ וּשְׁפָחֹ֔ת וַיִּתֵּ֖ן לְאַבְרָהָ֑ם וַיָּ֣שֶׁב ל֔וֹ אֵ֖ת שָׂרָ֥ה אִשְׁתּֽוֹ׃

Abimelech took sheep and oxen, and male and female slaves, and gave them to Abraham; and he restored his wife Sarah to him.

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֲבִימֶ֔לֶךְ הִנֵּ֥ה אַרְצִ֖י לְפָנֶ֑יךָ בַּטּ֥וֹב בְּעֵינֶ֖יךָ שֵֽׁב׃

And Abimelech said, “Here, my land is before you; settle wherever you please.”

The argument that he was trying to appease or vindicate himself, so that Avraham would pray for him, is only in the last pasuk of 

וּלְשָׂרָ֣ה אָמַ֗ר הִנֵּ֨ה נָתַ֜תִּי אֶ֤לֶף כֶּ֙סֶף֙ לְאָחִ֔יךְ הִנֵּ֤ה הוּא־לָךְ֙ כְּס֣וּת עֵינַ֔יִם לְכֹ֖ל אֲשֶׁ֣ר אִתָּ֑ךְ וְאֵ֥ת כֹּ֖ל וְנֹכָֽחַת׃

And to Sarah he said, “I herewith give your brother a thousand pieces of silver; this will serve you as vindication before all who are with you, and you are cleared before everyone.”

Notice again the torah using the strange  words of  כסות עינים in this pasuk (to mean 

Vindication)

Finally this idea of hidden or כסות עינים

becomes a common theme in the rest of בראשית from יעקב hiding his identity from יצחק to the brothers hiding the whereabouts of yosef from their father. There are endless cases of כסות עינים in between, that I didn't mention such as שמעון ולוי fooling the residents of שכם etc

שלש רגלים ובלעם

 I noticed something interesting in this past weeks parsha regarding Billam hitting the donkey three times. The terminology used when confronted by the donkey and the angel is שלש רגלים(three times). Interesting that the term שלש רגלים is mentioned three times.  

Here are the פסוקים  in  פרק כב

כב,ל וַתֹּאמֶר הָאָתוֹן אֶל-בִּלְעָם, הֲלוֹא אָנֹכִי אֲתֹנְךָ אֲשֶׁר-רָכַבְתָּ עָלַי מֵעוֹדְךָ עַד-הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה--הַהַסְכֵּן הִסְכַּנְתִּי, לַעֲשׂוֹת לְךָ כֹּה; וַיֹּאמֶר, לֹא

כב,לב וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו, מַלְאַךְ יְהוָה, עַל-מָה הִכִּיתָ אֶת-אֲתֹנְךָ, זֶה שָׁלוֹשׁ רְגָלִים; הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי יָצָאתִי לְשָׂטָן, כִּי-יָרַט הַדֶּרֶךְ לְנֶגְדִּי

כב,לג וַתִּרְאַנִי, הָאָתוֹן, וַתֵּט לְפָנַי, זֶה שָׁלֹשׁ רְגָלִים; אוּלַי נָטְתָה מִפָּנַי, כִּי עַתָּה גַּם-אֹתְכָה הָרַגְתִּי וְאוֹתָהּ הֶחֱיֵיתִי

The term שלש רגלים is normally used in the context of the fulfillment of God's command for the Jew to visit his temple three times a year. In this part of the story, Bilam was forced by God to take a path (or off the path), that he did not choose. This is a sort of intro to the idea that a Navi, even Bilam, cannot deviate from the prophecy that he is given(even when the vision includes a speaking donkey :)).

Later in the story Balak confronts Bilam, on his lack of obedience of the fulfillment of his employment; the cursing of the Jewish people. Here to it was three times that he refused to fulfill the wishes of Balak. In fact it seems that Bilam has now figuratively replaced the donkey with Balak, trying to steer Bilam to fulfill his will of staying on the path of cursing the Jewish people. This however, was not the will of God, as Bilam responds by replacing שלש רגלים with the more commonly used term of שלש פעמים.

Here is the pasuk in פרק כד

כד,י וַיִּחַר-אַף בָּלָק אֶל-בִּלְעָם, וַיִּסְפֹּק אֶת-כַּפָּיו; וַיֹּאמֶר בָּלָק אֶל-בִּלְעָם, לָקֹב אֹיְבַי קְרָאתִיךָ, וְהִנֵּה בֵּרַכְתָּ בָרֵךְ, זֶה שָׁלֹשׁ פְּעָמִים.