The Shechina rests where there is Simcha
A lesson from the Tiferes Shlomo Parshas Lech Lecha
ויהי השמש לבא ותרדמה נפלה על אברם ויאמר לאברם ידוע תדע
As the sun was setting, a slumber came upon Avram and He said to Avram “you shall surely know…”
As the sun was setting, a slumber came upon Avram and He said to Avram “you shall surely know…”
The Tiferes Shlomo questions why the verse does not use the normal formula mentioning Hashem’s name; “and Hashem spoke to him” or “Hashem spoke to Avram.” Instead, the verse says “and He spoke to Avram” without identifying Hashem explicitly as the speaker.
These words come from the passage of the Bris Bein Habesarim, the Pact Between the Parts. Hashem told Avram to cut various animals in two and to pass between them to enter a covenant.
This came after Hashem promised Avram that his descendants would inherit the Land and Avram asked him “how will I know?”. Hashem answered saying “you shall surely know that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not their own for 400 years. They will be enslaved and oppressed”. This referred to the future exile in Egypt.
Our sages teach that the Shechina - the Divine Presence - does not rest on a person in a state of sadness. The Shechina only rests where there is Simcha - joy.
Avram was being told about the future exile of his children and the suffering they would experience. Presumably this would of caused him sadness. Hashem’s Name is not explicitly mentioned in the verse to allude to the fact that Shechina could not rest on Avram openly while he was lacking Simcha.
The Tiferes Shlomo suggests that the slaughtered animals was like a sacrifice to “atone” for Avram’s sadness, which is considered like a sin, because we must always serve Hashem with joy.
These words come from the passage of the Bris Bein Habesarim, the Pact Between the Parts. Hashem told Avram to cut various animals in two and to pass between them to enter a covenant.
This came after Hashem promised Avram that his descendants would inherit the Land and Avram asked him “how will I know?”. Hashem answered saying “you shall surely know that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not their own for 400 years. They will be enslaved and oppressed”. This referred to the future exile in Egypt.
Our sages teach that the Shechina - the Divine Presence - does not rest on a person in a state of sadness. The Shechina only rests where there is Simcha - joy.
Avram was being told about the future exile of his children and the suffering they would experience. Presumably this would of caused him sadness. Hashem’s Name is not explicitly mentioned in the verse to allude to the fact that Shechina could not rest on Avram openly while he was lacking Simcha.
The Tiferes Shlomo suggests that the slaughtered animals was like a sacrifice to “atone” for Avram’s sadness, which is considered like a sin, because we must always serve Hashem with joy.