24 Oct LECH LECHA: ”I’M THE LEADER OF THE WORLD”

Avraham Avinu was
born into a chaotic
world. It seemed like
no One was in charge
ch”v. The world
appeared to Avraham
like an abandoned house
that caught fire, that
no one was
extinguishing. It
seemed like no one
lived there!
Avraham witnessed
the events and
punishment of the
Dor Haflagah, when
Hashem dispersed
the nations. It was a
global calamity
which shook the entire world. And before
Avraham was born, the enormous destruction
of the mabul took place. There was so much
devastation and destruction in the world, it
appeared to Avraham that, chas veshalom, no
one was taking care of it.
Hashem peeked out at Avraham and told him,
“I created the world, and I am taking care of
the world.”
Many people consider the present era a time
of immense chaos and confusion. Perhaps the
world today can be compared to the house on
fire that no one is putting out! It appears like

no one is in charge, chalilah. But don’t forget,
“I created the world, and I am taking care of
the world,” Hashem is behind everything that
is happening.
There will come a time when we will know
the reason and logic for everything that’s
happening.
The Rambam (Hilchos Avodas Kochavim 1:2)
writes, “Avraham was forty years old when he
recognized the Creator.”
The Raavad writes, “There is a Midrash that
says he was three years old.”
Another Midrash states that Avraham
recognized Hashem when he was 48.
The Sar Shalom of Belz zt’l said that the
opinion which states that Avraham recognized
Hashem at age 48 needs explanation. That
Avraham recognized Hashem when he was
three years old tells us that when Avraham
was at the age of minimal comprehension, he
was already able to recognize Hashem. The
opinion that he was forty years old comes
from what Chazal say, when one turns forty,
he becomes wise. But what’s the significance
of recognizing Hashem at age 48? (And we
can’t say that it was a coincidence, without
significance, because everything that happens
in the world is for a purpose. Certainly,
everything that happened to the Avos has
significance, and especially something so
important like attaining emunah. So, why did
Avraham recognize Hashem specifically when

he was forty-eight-years-old?)
When Avraham was 48, the infamous Tower
of Bavel was completed, its purpose was to
rebel against Hashem. The spirit of the time
was a denial of Hashem; it was a generation
of immense heresy. It wasn’t easy to have
emunah during that period. However, the
truth remains that when one acquires emunah
at a time when it’s challenging to acquire it,
the emunah becomes very deeply engrained
in one’s mind and soul. This is the significance
of the fact that Avraham acquired emunah
particularly at this time. He was strong and
didn’t let himself get influenced from the
impurities around him, and therefore he
attained a very high level of emunah.
Indeed, it was at this time that Avraham had
questions about Hashem. “Who is leading the
world?” he wondered. Everything seemed
chaotic, and Avraham asked, “If there’s a
Creator, why doesn’t He take control of the
world and turn things around for the better?
Why do catastrophes happen, as though the
world is running on its own? Hashem came to
him and said, “I am the creator of the world; I
am running the world.”
So, when Avraham was 48 years old, the spirit
of the time was heresy, and the chaos in the
world roused Avraham to wonder, “Where is
the Creator?” Nevertheless, Avraham
succeeded in recognizing Hashem at this time,
and when one recognizes Hashem at a time of

immense confusion and hester panim
(concealment), the emunah that emerges is
strong and clear.
Tzaddikim tell us that before Moshiach
comes, it will be extremely difficult to believe
in Hashem. Rebbe Yisrael of Ruzhin zt’l
compared this era to someone trying to climb
up a straight wall.
Rebbe Elimelech of Lizhensk zt’l described
the hardship that one will have to endure for
his emunah to stay strong during the era
before Moshiach. It is compared to a gigantic
rope that is spread out across heaven, which
will be shaking and turning rapidly. One will
need to hold on with all his might, or else he
will fall into the abyss below. This describes
how tightly we need to hold on to our emunah
in the days before Moshiach comes.
When we remain firm with our emunah, it will
be very clear and beautiful.