The Baal Haturim says that the first words in Parshas Lech Lecha are foreshadowing what is to come at the end of the Parsha. At the beginning of this weeks Parsha we are introduced to Avraham and his many fascinating characteristics but he seems to be missing one thing, fatherhood. After years and years of searching and looking for meaning in his life he lacks the one thing that he wants most, a child.
The Baal Haturim tells us that the words Lech lecha in this weeks Parsha hint to Avrahams eventual bracha of becoming a father. If one were to add up the words lech lecha. It would equal 100 which is the age at which Avraham was zoche to have Yitzchak. The problem is however that Yitzchak was Avraham’s second child not the first!? He answers that that too is hinted to in the words “Lech Lecha.” If we count up the nekudos (dots equaling 10 each and lines equaling 6) then they add up to 86, which was Avraham’s age when Yishmael was born.
In this weeks Parsha we learn of Noach’s teiva (ark). Noach takes his progeny with him onto the ark to seek a safe haven for them so they too will not be decimated by the tumultuous flood. Noach did not go on the ark as a measure of panic, but strictly because Hashem told him too.
Rav Weiss from Kfar Roeh writes that, on Shabbos we have a chiyuv to eat three meals. The first meal is on Friday night after a long week we are famished and looking forward to a delicious and warm meal. On Shabbos day as well, after a long Shacharis and Mussaf in Shul we are anxious to get home to fill our stomachs with the fine delicacies that have been prepared. The third meal however, is different from the previous two meals. It occurs shortly after the second meal when our stomachs are full of food. Nevertheless we still eat this meal because Hakadosh Baruch Hu tells us to. Therefore we don’t call this meal Shalosh Seudos to reflect that even though it appears that we ate the first two meals in order to satiate our own palates we infact ate them for the same reason why we ate the third meal, because Hakadosh Baruch Hu asked us to.
Just like Noach who could have used the teiva as a safe haven but instead enters it because Hashem tells us to. We eat our meals on Shabbos not only because we have delicious food but primarily because Hakadosh Baruch asks us to.
