Insights into Jewish History

Insights into Heaven and Earth

Dovid Eidensohn

Heaven and earth are different dimensions. HaShem is in Heaven with the angels. People in this world are not angels, have evil inclinations, and sin regularly. But HaShem created this world for people come into a world filled with sin and evil and to be strong and resist, and when they do sin, which is probable, they should repent, and HaShem will accept their penitence. A person who sins and repents merits to enter heaven and enter the heavenly throne perhaps cleansed of sin.

The world began without Jews. The first Jew was Abraham, whose father was the producer of idols in a major country. When Abraham grew older and rejected idols, he was flung into a furnace and the king and community watched the site. They were amazed to see that Abraham walked here and there in the raging fire and was accompanied by strange hosts. The king was no fool and realized that although he told everybody that he was god, this was an indication that he had competition. But he instructed Abraham and his father to leave the country, and they left. Avrohom went to Israel, but even there, the hand of HaShem struck, which happens in a world where evil is something given to people to resist and find HaShem and salvation.

A famine struck Israel and Avrohom and his wife Sara, a beautiful woman, who was also, like her husband, a holy prophet of HaShem, had to go to Egypt. Abraham had no choice because HaShem had driven him to Egypt, but he knew that if the Egyptianian would see his wife they would kill him. He therefore told her that when they came to Egypt they should declare that they are not married but brother and sister. In those days, before the Torah was given, even those who were the early Jews before the Torah was given, were lax in marrying certain relatives, so the statement was not necessarily a lie. Yaacov himself the greatest of the Avose married two sisters, which is surely forbidden by Mosaich law at Sinai. Early Jews did not have a Torah as it was finally delivered by Moshe and G‑d Himself at Sinai when the Jews left Egypt.

That is, Jews who did not suffer did not merit the Torah. The suffering in Egypt brought the Jews to the level to merit to accept the Torah with its strict rules. Moshe born in Egypt that killed male babies, became the leader of the Jews who spoke regularly to HaShem and visited heaven many times, not the previous generations of Avrohom Isaac and Yaacov. Not everybody can tolerate all of these rules. But they are the path to eternity in heaven.

Speaking of Avrohom and Sarah, another major  rule in the Torah, as taught by all of the biblical books and the Talmud in various places, is that men may be the leaders of the family and the world, but HaShem prefers women. Simply, the bible is filled with terrible sins done by men, but we don't find these stories about women. Our present story with Avrohom and Sarah going to Egypt will illustrate the beginning of this.

When Avrohom and Soro came to Egypt he concealed Sarah in a box, but it was opened and she was revealed. She was declared a woman fit for the king,  who was called Pharoah. Pharoah embraced both Abraham and Sarah, Sara as his wife, and Abraham as her brother. Abraham was seated at the seat of honor of Pharoah and lavished with great honor and gifts. Sarah to her doom. Pharoah came to her and after the basic greetings, got down to business.

Sarah cried out to HaShem and an angel came from heaven and struck Pharoah. Pharoah jumped away, not knowing what happened, but ashamed to tell Sarah. He gathered his energy and returned to her and this time he got such a smack that he knew that he was not dealing with a woman, and probably was dealing with something much more formidable. He didn't want any more beatings, so he thought things over, and realized, that Sarah was the wife, not the sister of Abraham.

He therefore turned away and went to Abraham, telling him that he now knows that Sarah is his wife, so why did Abraham lie to him and get him such a beating. Abraham answered honestly that he knew that the Egyptians would kill him if they knew he was married to Sarah.

Pharoah accepted this and told Avrohom. Come to me with your wife, and I will send you out of Egypt. A woman like this is not safe in Egypt. I will give you and your children a wonderful land, the place of Goshen, as well as great gifts. But you must leave Egypt immediately. I personally and my senior servants will escort and protect you until you leave.

From Avrohom and Sarah, after many years, came a son Yitschok.  Yitschok married Rivka. From this came Yaacov and Aisov. Yaacov was the primal member of the Avose, and Aisov was wicked, although his love for his father was greater than even a Jew displays. These three are the Avoth, the fathers of the Jewish nation. We have much more to discuss, but for now, we conclude.

Shalom,

Dovid Eidensohn

davideidensohn1@gmail.com