Are We Shining Stars?
Avraham, are we the children that you dreamed of?
By Rabbi Moshe Weinberger
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ltw5f7sc2dnnu32/Rabbi%20Moshe%20Weinberger-%20Week%2030.mp3?dl=0 
We are trying our best and we are shining like the stars at night, in the darkness of the last few minutes of galus. Hashem should help us that we should be able to continue shining until that day when the whole world will see the shining stars of Am Yisrael with the גאולה האמיתית במהרה בימינו אמן ואמן.
Hi Chevra. Welcome to Emunah Daily.
Eighth Day's sweet song "Avraham" is very apropos to this time of year. They sing, "Avraham, are we the children that you dreamed of? Are we that shining star you saw at night?"
It is difficult to envision oneself as the type of a child that Avraham dreamed of or the shining star he saw at night. Besides the shining star, Hashem showed Avraham Avinu something else: וְשַׂמְתִּ֥י אֶֽת־זַרְעֲךָ֖ כַּעֲפַ֣ר הָאָ֑רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֣ר ׀ אִם־יוּכַ֣ל אִ֗ישׁ לִמְנוֹת֙ אֶת־עֲפַ֣ר הָאָ֔רֶץ גַּֽם־זַרְעֲךָ֖ יִמָּנֶֽה׃ Hashem told Avraham Avinu to take a look at the sand and said, "I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, then your offspring too can be counted."Avraham's descendants were blessed in two ways: to be like the stars at night and the sand. On a simple level, both of these comparisons predict that in the future, the Jewish people will proliferate.
The Sefarim bring a beautiful, deeper explanation. Brilliant stars are in perfect, magnificent constellations. These correspond to the times in life where a person is like a shining star. For example, in the midbar, the Jewish people are described as איש על מחנהו ואיש על דגלו. We were a shining nation of shevatim and nesiim with malchus and nevuah. We brought Hashem into the world, each person was shining in his or her own way. There is also a bracha of עֲפַ֣ר הָאָ֔רֶץ, the earth and sand. Sand granules stand on their own without any seder. However, there is something magnificent about how it stands up to the ocean. Like the sand on the shore, the Jewish people in galus must also stand up to the ocean of confusion, taivos and tzaros. It is a tzunami of insanity, with so many nisyonos threatening to destroy us. Lech Lecha contains the same letters as לכלוך, dirt. There is so much dust, dirt and filth in the world. We many not feel like shining stars, but Hashem looks at us like we are strong like the עֲפַ֣ר הָאָ֔רֶץ. In such a "dirty," difficult time, we do our best to stand up to nisyonos and survive as Jews who are shomrei torah u'mitzvos. A Jew isn't only מקדש שם שמים in a grand and magnificent way, such as in the times Beis HaMikdash. It happens even in the quiet struggles of a Jew to stand up to the strong waves. Hashem loves us when we are stars, and he loves us when we are like the sand. The holy Vishioner was once benching kiddush levana, and the person standing next to him noticed that he was staring into the stars for a prolonged amount of time. The Rebbe explained that he was thinking about when Hashem took Avraham Avinu outside and said to him, הַבֶּט־נָ֣א הַשָּׁמַ֗יְמָה וּסְפֹר֙ הַכּ֣וֹכָבִ֔ים אִם־תּוּכַ֖ל לִסְפֹּ֣ר אֹתָ֑ם וַיֹּ֣אמֶר ל֔וֹ כֹּ֥ה יִהְיֶ֖ה זַרְעֶֽךָ׃. Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them." And Hashem added, "So shall your offspring be." Of course, the simple explanation is that there will be many Jews in the future. But כֹּ֥ה יִהְיֶ֖ה זַרְעֶֽךָ is also a bracha that even at the darkest times, a Jew will be able to shine. Somehow, כֹּ֥ה יִהְיֶ֖ה זַרְעֶֽךָ- we will continue shining, even in the darkest of nights.
Avraham, are we the children that you dreamed of?
We don't always necessarily act or look that way. Are we the shining star you saw at night? We are! We are the children that you dreamed of, because you dreamed of children who would be strong and faithful to Hashem.