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Magen Avraham

 What is "Magen"?

We usually think of "Magen" as a shield.

We find the word "Magen" in Parshas Lech Licha, וּבָרוּךְ֙ אֵ֣ל עֶלְי֔וֹן אֲשֶׁר־מִגֵּ֥ן צָרֶ֖יךָ בְּיָדֶ֑ךָ וַיִּתֶּן־ל֥וֹ מַעֲשֵׂ֖ר מִכֹּֽל (Genesis, 14:20) And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your foes into your hand.” And [Abram] gave him a tenth of everything.

Rashi does not define the word Magen as shield , as it can't possibly mean that in this context. He says it means Hashem  closed them off and handed all of his enemies into his hands. מִגֵּ֥ן  means to close them off,  contain them and then hand them over.

So we can understand Magen as "Here, let me take all that is troubling you and contain it so that you can deal with it your own".

Because what often happens to us is when we have a problem, and we sometimes just feel that we're overwhelmed by problems.

Magen  would mean that there's a special hashkacha , interaction with the Creator, in which contains our problems for us.

There's another way to read it, which is that I have seen the most extraordinary things from others and The most beautiful, extraordinary incredible things which inspires me truly.  And so much potential so much power, so much beauty so much passion, so much strength. But sometimes we need more than "Ozer" , help, sometimes we need more than "Moshiah" sometimes, it would be the most wonderful thing if we can access "Umagen"  for HaShem to take all of those strengths and that beauty and that passion , the insights,   that sweetness,  that goodness and contain it for us so that it's more readily accessible for us.

These concepts were shared by Rabbi Simcha Weinberg, n''y in Parshas Lech Licha class 10-25-2020

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