The Secret of the “Yud” of Sarai

THE DAILY MA’AMAR OF OUR REBBE RAV ELIEZER BERLAND SHLIT”A, FROM MONDAY, 16 SIVAN 5783, COURTESY OF THE “HASHEM HU HAELOKIM” LEAFLET:

The Yud of Sarai complained and was upset for 402 years – why was it taken from Sarai through no fault of its own, and it did not do anything bad that it should need to be taken from Sarai and to switch Sarai’s name and to give Sarai the new name – “Sarah,” and it was tossed aside and stood embarrassed this 402 years.  Because, a year before the birth of Yitzchak, the Yud [numerical value 10] was taken from Sarai and divided into two – to two Heh’s [each Heh equal to 5] – one Heh was given to Moshe, and one Heh was given to Avraham.  Because Avraham received the Heh from his wife Sarai, and then her name changed from “Sarai” to “Sarah.”

From the year before Yitzchak’s birth, and until the redemption from Egypt -- another 400 years, and until the sin of the spies was another year.  Altogether, the Yud was waiting embarrassed, humiliated, and insulted for 402 years.  And it waited for the Holy One Blessed is He to join it anew to one of the Tzaddikim, like Avraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov, and afterwards Levi, Kahat, and Amram, and other Tzaddikim.

And this the Zohar asks (in 91a, Bereishit) in Lech Lecha:  Why is Avraham called Avraham?   Call him “Avreimi” with a Yud?  And the Zohar does not give an adequate answer to this question.

And this is what Targum Yehonatan says (Bamidbar 13:16): “When Moshe saw the humility of Yehoshua.”  For what new humility did he see in him?  Here, Avraham said (Bereishit 18:27): “I am dust and ashes,” and Moshe said (Shemot 16:7-9): “We are what,” and Avraham and Moshe already reached the zenith of perfected humility, that there is no perfection greater than it.

Rather, the true reason is found in the Sefer Lekutim, in Sha’ar HaPesukim Beshelach: That really, Yehoshua bin Nun was in a state of terrible distress, and mamash a danger to life, and like one step between himself and death, because the ten spies decided after the prophecy of “Moshe dies and Yehoshua brings [the people into the land]” that they are not relenting on Moshe, and it is preferable to relent on the land of Israel and not to relent on Moshe.  Whereas Yehoshua – so the spies thought – wants the death of Moshe, chas v’shalom, because he wants to be king.  And the law is that “One who comes to kill you – rise early and kill him,” and therefore, they ruled that Yehoshua warrants the death penalty, under the law of a pursuer, and they permitted [spilling] his blood.

And this was the humility of Yehoshua, who did not pay attention to this at all, and did not say to Moshe, “Perhaps we should relent on my mission and send someone else instead of me, and I will not need to be involved in a danger to life, chas v’shalom.”

And Yehoshua conceded this possibility and chose to perform in simplicity the word of Moshe, and to go on this mission no matter what would happen, chas v’shalom.

And this was humility that has no equal, and will have no equal in any generation!

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