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GENESIS 12:01-17:27
RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL
SYNOPTIC ABSTRACT:
Our parasha continues with the tales of Abraham, the father of the Hebrew
people. This portion relates God's call to Abraham, his journey to
Canaan, his trip with Sarah to Egypt, his return to Canaan and his nephew
Lot's parting, Lot being taken captive and Abraham's rescue of Lot, God's
covenant with Abraham, the birth of Hagar's son Ishmael, the commandment
of circumcision, and God's promise to ninety-year old Sarah that she will
give birth to a child with her 100-year old husband, Abraham. This is the
parasha that begins it all as far as Jews are concerned. Here are the
seeds of the present day Arab-Jew land dispute. To read all about it;
"Lech Lecha!" (Go on for yourself!).
Our parasha's title takes its name from God's command to Abraham. "Lech
Lecha!--Go for yourself!" This sums up the choice that each of us has
with our birthright of Judaism. As adults, no one is forcing Judaism upon
us. No one is forcing us to live an ethical life. No one even is
demanding that we study Torah or read these or other D'varim. We have
freedom of choice. We decide, for ourselves, to go or to do, or not to go
or not to do. This is no different than the choice that Abraham had to
make 3500 or so years ago.
The story of Abraham is the story of his trials. Mishna Pirket Avot
(5:3) says that "our patriarch Abraham was tested with ten tests and he
withstood them all to show how great was our Patriarch Abraham's love
for God." What were these ten tests?
1. In Ur, King Nimrod threw Abraham into a fiery furnace when his
father, Terach, complained about his destroying the idols (Gen. 11:26).
If you turn to this verse in last week's portion you will see no mention
of this. The Talmudic sages are quoting the Midrash story of how little
Abraham broke his father's idol. The Midrash says his father was an idol
maker.
2. He had to leave his homeland to settle in Canaan (Gen. 12:01).
3. He had to move from Canaan to Egypt due to famine (Gen. 12:10).
4. Sarah, his wife, was taken to Pharaoh's palace as a potential wife of
Pharaoh. Abraham asked Sarah to call herself Abraham's sister to spare
his life. The sages say that this was not a lie, as Sarah was Haran's
daughter. Haran was Abraham's brother. Therefore, Sarah was Abraham's
niece, which the sages say is close enough to be called a sister. But the
Torah says that Haran had two daughters. They were Milcah and Iscah. And
Milcha married Nahor, Abraham's other brother. "Aha!", the sages say.
Iscah is just another name for Sarah. The potential problem of our father
Abraham lying to save himself and passing off his wife as a virgin sister
is solved.
5. The war with the kings to free his nephew Lot (Gen. 14:01-24).
6. The covenant where Abraham was told of his children being promised the
land of Canaan, but also of being enslaved and going into exile (Gen
15:7-21).
7. Abraham undergoing self-circumcision at the age of ninety-nine years
(Gen. 17:24).
8. Expelling his wife Hagar from his home (Gen. 21:10-14).
9. Expelling his son Ishmael from his home (Gen. 21:10-14).
10. And the Akeidah--the binding of Abraham's son Isaac to be a
sacrificial offering to God (Gen. 22:1-19).
How would we fare if we had these tests today? Do any of our life's tests
compare to these?
The Mishna calls these tests "neis." The Hebrew word for "tests" is
"bechinah." "Neis" is also a "banner." It is used in Psalm 60:6, "You
gave those who fear a banner to raise themselves." The sages say a banner
is something which is raised high to show its beauty. When we pass some
of life's tests, we are lifted into a higher sphere so that we can go on
to bigger tests. This is why we say "yasher koach" after a bimah honor.
We wish people to "go from strength to strength." The Mishna's passage
could be read "And God exalted Abraham" instead of "God tested Abraham."
The last three of these ten tests take place in next week's parasha and
will be discussed then. Nachmanides (the Ramban, Moshe ben Nahman Gerondi 1194, Spain) comments on the second
test; that of leaving one's home and known surroundings to search for a
better life. I think of all of our grandparents, great-grandparents, or
those even farther back, who left their homes in Europe to resettle here
in the United States of America. The
only emotions that come to me, as a soft, third generation American-Jew,
is great alarm and fear, until I learned to have a personal trusting and faithful relationship
with God.
Ramban says that one never is given trials that he cannot deal with
effectively. He says a person has free choice and he must find the wisdom
and strength to choose correctly. If he chooses correctly, he grows as a
person. He is not rewarded by Heaven for his successes. His reward is his
successes. As the parasha's title suggests, we do good things for
"ourselves", and because it is the right choice to make. We do not do
good in hope of reward from "above."
What does it mean to be a Jew? We have a hint of this complex answer in
verse 14:13 in Genesis. For the first time, Abraham is called an "Ivri."
Some Torah scholars say this refers to Abraham being descended from Eber.
Eber was six generations removed from Abraham. Would a fugitive from a
battle in Sodom coming to tell Abraham that his nephew Lot was taken
prisoner know Abraham's lineage this closely, especially when they were
then in Canaan and Eber and his kin lived in what is now Iraq? There are
very few of us that can name our ancestors, six-times removed, and there
are still fewer strangers that can do so.
Abraham indeed was an Ivri. The word is derived from "Ivar" meaning "the
other side." Literally, Abraham did come from the other side of the
Euphrates River. Our Talmudic rabbis interpret it much differently.
Abraham was on one side of a moral and spiritual divide, according to
rabbi Nosson Scherman. The rest of the known world was on the other side.
Jews must be ready to endure isolation sometimes when we stand up for
what is morally right, even when our voices seem small and unimportant.
It is pleasant to be popular and win the approval of others. Too often we
bend our own principles in order not to "make waves." Abraham and Sarah,
rabbi Scherman continues, were given the challenge to be Ivri, and move
to the other side.
When God appeared to Abraham, renamed him from his old name of "Avram",
and gave him the commandment of circumcision, He called Himself "El
Shaddai" (Gen. 17:01). This name of God means "Who is sufficient." As
Jews we need to realize that we can do without popularity if it means
standing up for justice and ethics. It is interesting that God called
Himself "sufficient" at the time He ordered brit milah (the covenant of
circumcision). The brit is a symbol that we can do "without" sometimes
and that less can be more than sufficient if we stand up for what is
right and just, even if it puts us on the "other side". Perhaps this is
a good definition of what it means to be Jewish, and a descendant of
Abraham, the first Ivri and the first Hebrew.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Arthur Segal
ORIGINAL EDITION WRITTEN WHEN SCHOLAR- IN -RESIDENCE AT CONGREGATION TEMPLE MICKVE ISRAEL, SAVANNAH, GA
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