Rabbi Benayahu Shmueli, Head of the Yeshiva - Chizuk for the 9th of Cheshvan - Part 1
When Hashem told Avraham to count the stars if he was able, Rabbi Meir Shapiro of Lublin noted that every sensible person knows it is physically impossible to count the stars or know their exact number. Yet, upon hearing the command, Avraham immediately began counting. He did not say to himself that since it was impossible anyway, there was no point in starting; instead, he recognized that since the Creator commanded it, his task was simply to count. In response, Hashem told him, "So shall your seed be". This teaches that Avraham's descendants would behave similarly—they would not look at an impossible challenge, despair, and freeze, but would act without despair.
The following is based on Rabbi Shmueli's Hebrew Chizuk video for the 9th of MarCheshvan 5787
Counting the Stars and Overcoming Despair
Today marks the third day (Tuesday) in the holy Sabbath week, the 9th of Cheshvan, 5787. Scripture relates that Hashem brought Avram outside and instructed him, "Look now toward heaven, and count the stars". Our Sages explain that the word "outside" (chutzah) contains an additional letter Hei, which was added to Avram's name to become Avraham, and to Sarai's name to become Sarah, signifying their newfound capacity to generate offspring.
When Hashem told Avraham to count the stars if he was able, Rabbi Meir Shapiro of Lublin noted that every sensible person knows it is physically impossible to count the stars or know their exact number. Yet, upon hearing the command, Avraham immediately began counting. He did not say to himself that since it was impossible anyway, there was no point in starting; instead, he recognized that since the Creator commanded it, his task was simply to count. In response, Hashem told him, "So shall your seed be". This teaches that Avraham's descendants would behave similarly—they would not look at an impossible challenge, despair, and freeze, but would act without despair. Hashem assures them of His help because "it is not upon you to complete the work," but rather the completion belongs to the Holy One, blessed be He. Our Sages warn against "despair without knowledge," reminding us that everything rests entirely in the hands of Heaven.
Serving Hashem with Might Like a Lion
Yehuda ben Teima teaches: "Be bold as a leopard, and swift as an eagle, run as a deer, and mighty as a lion, to do the will of your Father who is in heaven". These traits correspond to the beasts of the field. Being "mighty as a lion" means embodying the lion's nature: when it acts with might, it does not calculate complex accounts, worry about opposition, or feel fear; it simply pursues its purpose without hesitation. Similarly, in the service of Hashem, a person should not overthink out of fear of what others might do or say, but should act boldly according to the will of Hashem.
This mindset applies directly when waking up in the early hours of the morning. Instead of calculating whether one has the physical strength—having stayed up late until 3:00 AM at the grave of Rachel, for instance—a person should rise immediately like a lion, without overthinking or falling into despair. As Rabbi Shalom Cohen, head of the Porat Yosef Yeshiva in the Old City of Jerusalem, explained, beasts do not require immense thought or artificial effort to be bold and mighty; a person should reach a natural state of strength where everything falls into place effortlessly.
The Parable of the Wealthy Man and the Garbage Heaps
Reflecting on the verse, "And he believed in Hashem, and He counted it to him for righteousness," Rabbi Nissim Gaon relates a story from ancient times about a fabulously wealthy Jewish billionaire who contemplated what to do with his vast fortune, knowing that every person's ultimate end is death. Following his advisors' suggestion to give charity to a truly despaired poor person who had given up hope, he searched everywhere but could not find anyone suitably despaired among the usual recipients.
Eventually, he found a destitute man sitting in garbage heaps, covered in torn rags, and concluded he must be utterly despaired. He handed him hundreds of dinars. When the poor man asked why he was receiving such an enormous sum compared to others, the rich man explained he had sworn to give only to the most despaired person. The poor man shouted at him, "Fool, stupid! I trust in the Holy One, blessed be He, who raises the needy from the garbage heaps. I am not despaired at all! There is no limitation to Hashem's ability to save me; do you think I am despaired? I am happy and trusting in Hashem!"
Realizing this man was not despaired, the wealthy man pondered who truly was despaired, concluding it must be those buried underground. In his foolishness, he dug into the earth at a cemetery and hid his entire fortune there. Later, the wheel of destiny turned against him, and he lost everything, wandering the streets in shameful poverty. Remembering his hidden money, he went to the cemetery to dig it up, but the police caught him and threw him in jail. When brought before the city governor, the man remarked, "You don't know me? I am from the garbage heaps." When he recounted the story of the wealthy man who sought the most despaired individual and hid his money in the earth, he revealed, "That person is me." He affirmed that Hashem lifts the needy from the garbage heaps to sit with nobles, proving there is no room for despair, as everything is decreed by the Omnipresent.
The Chafetz Chaim’s Parable of the Surgeon Father
Reinforcing this lesson, the Chafetz Chaim explains the verse, "Return, my soul, to your rest, for Hashem has been gracious to you." He shares a parable of a sick person facing a terrifying, complicated surgery, brought to the hospital in panic by doctors warning of grave danger. However, upon entering the operating room, the patient sees that the lead surgeon is none other than his own father. Immediately, the patient rejoices, knowing his father will expend every effort out of profound parental love. This is the true meaning of returning the soul to rest: casting away worries because Hashem, like a compassionate father, is watching over you.
The Covenant Between the Pieces and the Four Exiles
The text continues with Avraham our father witnessing the Covenant between the Pieces, where a great dread (eima), of great darkness fell upon him. Hashem told him that his seed would be strangers in a strange land, hinting at the four exiles: Babylon, Media, Greece, and Edom. While the exile of Edom was nearing its conclusion, the exile of Yishmael follows—a difficult period lasting nine months, though everyone prays for it to end swiftly.
Now we are already in the exile of Edom. Soon it finishes.
This exile is already finishing, but the exile of Yishmael begins, nine months, may Hashem help that this too will already end.
In Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, these exiles are also symbolized through the sacrificial animals offered by Avraham: three heifers representing Edom, three goats representing Greece, three rams representing Media, and a turtledove representing the sons of Ishmael. Avraham divided these animals to weaken their power, whereas the pigeon represented the people of Israel, which he did not divide. Finally, the bird of prey hints at King Messiah, who will come down to destroy all the haters of Israel and scatter them.