parshaמפרשי הפרשה

אלשיך — מהרי שלש סאים קמח סלת לושי ועשי עגות

Why does Avraham phrase his request to Sarah as 'מהרי שלש סאים... לושי ועשי עגות'? Why not 'לושי במהרה'? And why instruct her to knead — surely Sarah knows that bread is made by kneading?

וגם בדברו אליה לא אמר לושי כו' במהרה, כי אם טרם גלותו הצווי אמר 'מהרי', לומר כי קודם כל דבר תשים נגד פניה הזריזות והמהירות, אחר כך אמר הציווי... ועל השנית אמר לושי כו' והוא בשום לב אל אומרו 'לושי', כי האם ללמדה סדר עשיית הפת בא אברהם, כי מי לא ידע שעל ידי לישה יעשה העוגות. אך כיוון אל תאמרי הנה שפחתי הגר וחברותיה הן יעזרוני... על כן אמר אליה אוחזי במצוה על ידי עצמך כי אַתּ לושי וגם עשי העוגות.

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אלשיך

Alshekh on Torah, Genesis 18:11

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Q — Why does Avraham phrase his request to Sarah as 'מהרי שלש סאים... לושי ועשי עגות'? Why not 'לושי במהרה'? And why instruct her to knead — surely Sarah knows that bread is made by kneading?

A — Two lessons in how to perform mitzvot, taught by Avraham's word order. First: 'מהרי' comes before the mitzvah itself, not after. The mindset of זריזות must be set in place before one even hears what the mitzvah is — 'קודם כל דבר תשים נגד פניה הזריזות והמהירות.' Second: the word 'לושי' is not culinary instruction; it is a command that Sarah herself do the kneading rather than delegating to her maidservant Hagar. The chiddush: 'שכל מה שיכול לעשות בכבודו בעצמו יעשה, ולא יניח למשרתיו עושי רצונו.' A person should grasp a mitzvah personally rather than outsource it.

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