“And Hashem said to Avraham, go for yourself from your land, from your relatives, and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you, And I will make of you a great nation. I will bless you, and make your name great, and you shall be a blessing. ” The first command ever made to the father of Klal Yisroel, Avraham Avinu, was to leave his surroundings and to begin a new nation that would be the Am Hashem. The Ramban writes that everything that happened in the life of the Avos is a portent for the future of Klal Yisroel, and their behavior teaches us how we should conduct our lives. This concept seems to pose a difficulty: How does the command of ’lech lecha’ apply to all of us, Avraham was alone in his belief in G-d, and therefore it was necessary for him to leave everything behind and form a new nation. But nowadays there are many Jews who accept the Torah and who live in observant societies - given this fact it seems that the command of ’lech lecha’ does not really apply to us!
On deeper analysis it is clear that the command of ‘lech lecha’ is still very relevant to all of us. Hashem’s command to Avraham was deeper than simply an instruction to leave his surroundings. We are given a hint to this by Rashi; He explains why Hashem promised Avraham fame, money and descendants as a consequence of leaving Charan. “Because traveling causes three things, less [likelihood of having] children, less [likelihood of acquiring] money and less [likelihood of having] fame. Therefore he needed these three brachos.. children, money and fame. ” The simple understanding of this is that Hashem was compensating Avraham for a course of behavior that would normally cause damage to a person. However, it seems that there is a deeper message implicit in this instruction. Hashem was hinting to him that if he undertook the challenge of ’lech lecha’ then he would no longer be subject to the normal laws of nature (derech hateva), rather he would live according to a whole new mode of existence - ‘ beyond derech hateva’. Consequently, even though traveling should, b’derech hateva cause loss of wealth, fame and children, Avraham would not be subject to that system of cause and effect. Instead he would live on a whole different level of existence and would benefit in all these areas.
This idea is also alluded to by the Medrash Tanchuma quoted by Rashi in the first passuk in the parsha where Hashem promises Avraham that “I will make known your teva in the world. ” Why couldn’t the Medrash have simply stated, “I will make you known in the world”, what is the significance of the word, ‘teva‘ here? We can answer with this yesod; that Hashem was promising Avraham that he would live on a whole new level of teva that was hitherto unknown in the world. Avraham would have the merit to share this new form of existence with the world, teaching them a whole new approach to life. Derech drush it is also possible that this message was alluded to in the very words, “lech lecha.” The gematria of “lecha” is 50; 49 is a multiple of 7 that represents this world, whilst 8 represents beyond this world. 49 also represents this world, as is seen in the 49 levels of tuma and tahara, whilst 50 represents beyond that, as epitomized by the fact that the 50th day after Yetsias Mitzrayim was the day of Matan Torah - the occasion where the world took on a whole new level of supernatural existence. Hashem was telling Avraham, ’go to the level of 50’, a new level of existence, beyond teva.
Hashem promised Avraham that if he would live according to a metaphysical reality then he would no longer be bound by the physical reality of cause and effect that drives teva. Indeed, after Avraham successfully passes this test Hashem reveals to him at the Bris Bein Habesarim that he will live according to a different set of rules: The passuk says that He took Avraham outside, Rashi explains that Hashem was telling him to leave the confines of the mazalos, and live on a new level of existence, and that is how he and Sarah could have children even though their mazal was to never procreate . The Zohar says that this promise would only be fulfilled on condition that Avraham and his descendants be osek in Torah and mitzovs. Keeping Torah and mitzvos is the expression of living beyond derech hateva.
A person who lives according to Torah and mitzvos is, automatically living according to a different set of rules from the rest of the world. For example, in many areas of business, the busiest day is Shabbos; a person who lives according to the normal laws of cause and effect will never give up that day’s business in order to observe Shabbos. Only a person who recognizes that the Torah prescribes a different mode of cause and effect, can confidently close his business on Shabbos with the assurance that his parnasa will not suffer as a consequence. Another example of this is found in the Gemara in Bava Metsia . The Gemara discusses a certain scenario where somebody has lent his friend an item and there is now disagreement as to the value of the item. The Gemara concludes that the borrower must take a shevua to validate his claim, whereas the lender is not required to swear. Why is the borrower required to swear whilst the lender is not? The Gemara answers that the borrower trusts the lender because he is wealthy, and that the cause of his wealth is surely the fact that he is honest and trustworthy, because if this was not the case, then “they would not have given him wealth from shamayim .” It is pashut to the Gemara that honesty is the cause of wealth - if we were to ask the average person what is the cause of wealth, honesty would surely be one of the least likely answers he would suggest! According to derech hateva, honesty is not the key to wealth, indeed, many people believe that dishonesty will provide them with money. But, Klal Yisroel lives according to a completely different mode of existence, where shemiras hamitzvos and exemplary midos are the cause of success.
This has been a pattern throughout history; The Jewish people have always been faced with the challenge of living according to the ‘laws of the goyim’ or the ‘laws of Klal Yisroel’. Unfortunately this has proved a most difficult challenge to overcome. The meraglim, for example, fell prey to the tendency to approach the world according to the laws of nature. When they saw the giant inhabitants of the land they felt that it was impossible to overcome them. Their mistake was that they did not accept that if they trusted in Hashem then He would override all the laws of nature for them just as He did at Yetsias Mitzrayim and Krias Yam Suf. This principle is fundamental to the spiritual level of a Jew. It is possible to strive to observe the Torah and yet live, to some degree, according to the regular laws of teva just like the goyim. A person can easily fall into the trap of believing that the amount of time he works is the main factor in determining his financial situation. Consequently, he may increase his work hours at the expense of his learning schedule or spending precious time with his family . There is a frightening consequence to such conduct. Hashem acts mida ceneged mida with us, if we show that we do not trust in Him, rather we rely on our own efforts, then, Hashem hides Himself and we are left more to the laws of nature. This explains why a common pattern of history has been that when the Jewish people turn away from Hashem, He consequently turns away from us, and as a result we are left unprotected from the wrath of the goyim.
Another area of Avodas Hashem in which this concept applies greatly is a recognition that spiritual , and not physical, factors are the sole cause of success or failure. This attitude was epitomized by our Gedolim. Rav Moshe Aharon Stern, zt”l, Mashgiach of Kamenitz Yeshivah, was once walking behind Rav Elyah Lopian zt”l and Rav Chatzkel Levenstein zt”l; so he hurried to be close enough behind them to hear what these two tzadikkim discuss between themselves. Reb Chatzkel noticed that Reb Elyah had a bandage over one eye and asked him what happened. Reb Elyah responded that he must have looked at something forbidden and it damaged his eye. Inspired by the question and response, Reb Moshe Aharon stepped closer to hear Reb Chatzkel’s response. To his surprise, he did not respond, he simply accepted Reb Elyah’s explanation as a point of fact, not noting anything novel or particularly righteous in Reb Elyah’s explanation. Reb Moshe Aharon explained that Reb Elyah understood that when Reb Chatzkel inquired about his eye, he was not asking about the physical condition of the eye, but the spiritual reason behind the injury. Reb Elyah understood that this was the only point of Reb Chatzkel’s question and responded accordingly . These Gedolim understood that spiritual factors were responsible for the cause-and-effect in their lives, they lived with a deep recognition that a Jew’s reality is not defined by the same laws as those of goyim. We asked how the command of ’lech lecha’ is relevant to us today. The answer is that lech lecha was not merely a command to Avraham to leave his evil surroundings, it was a call for him to live according to a different set of rules, defined by the spiritual world, and his reward would be that Hashem would in turn treat him beyond the regular set of laws that define the physical world. This lesson is very much relevant to all of us. The Sfas Emes asks, why Hashem only said lech lecha to Avraham Avinu and not to the rest of the world. He answers by bringing a Zohar that Hashem says lech lecha to everyone, but only Avraham responded to it. In the world today Hashem says lech lecha - the goyim ignore it but we cannot; and our reward for responding to is that we will rise above the limits of this world.
Showing posts with label Avraham Avinu. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Avraham Avinu. Show all posts
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Sunday, October 3, 2010
NOACH AND AVRAHAM - PARSHAS NOACH
“These are the offspring of Noach, Noach was a righteous man, perfect in his generations; Noach walked with G-d.” Noach was the greatest person in his time, the only one who deserved to be spared from the flood. And yet Noach is unfavorably compared to Avraham Avinu by the Rabbis in a number of places. What is the difference between these two great men?
Rashi brings a Midrash that contrasts Avraham and Noach. With regard to Noach, the Torah says “Noach walked with G-d.” This means that he needed help in his Avodas Hashem. But to Avraham, HaShem says “Walk before me.” This means that Avraham could strengthen himself on his own. The commentaries explain that Avraham was pro-active and self-motivated. He did not need external events to stimulate him to serve HaShem and do kindness. Noach needed external circumstances to push him forward in his righteousness.
Rav Eliyahu Dessler zt"l expands on this idea. He writes that Noach is called “ish tzaddik" (man of righteousness), whilst Avraham is “ish chessed" (man of kindness). Noach performed incredible acts of kindness in the ark, feeding hundreds of animals for several months. However, says Rav Dessler that this was only tzedek,(the right thing to do), meaning that he fulfilled his obligation. It did not stem from an overflowing desire to give, but was rather a reaction to the needs of others. Avraham, in contrast, did not perform kindness out of obligation, but because of a burning desire to give. This divergence between Noach and Avraham is not restricted to kindness in the physical realm, but also extends into the spiritual realm. The Seforno writes that Noach did rebuke the people in his generation but he did not go any further. “He did not teach them to know G-d and how to go in his ways.” Consequently, he did not possess enough merit to save the generation. In contrast Avraham went far beyond the call of duty to teach the world to know Hashem.
The commentaries also discuss why Noach’s great descendants, Shem and Ever, did not merit to attain Avraham’s greatness. The Rambam describes how Avraham fought against the idolatry prevalent in his times. “He began to call out in a loud voice to the whole world and taught them that there is one G-d in the world and it is He that one should serve… He would continually call out and gather the people from city to city and from kingdom to kingdom until he reached there, as it says, “and he called out in the name of Hashem the eternal G-d. And when the people would gather and ask him what he was preaching, he would teach to every one of them, each according to his ability, until he would bring them to the true way, until tens of thousands of people gathered to follow him.” The Raavad writes on this Rambam, “I am astonished, for Shem and ever were there at this time. how could they not protest [against the idolatry that surrounded them. The Kesef Mishnah answers, “Shem and Ever were teaching the way of Hashem to their students, but they did not rouse themselves to call and teach in the way that Avraham did. Because of this he rose to a higher level than they did.”
This seems difficult to understand. We know that Shem and Ever had a yeshivah in which they taught Torah for a very long time. Why then are they considered on a lower level than Avraham Avinu, to the extent that he is the spiritual father of the Jewish people, but they are not? We can answer this question with Rav Dessler’s principle. There are two ways to give. A person can be re-active, waiting for people who want to learn Torah and grow in their Yiddishkeit, or one can be pro-active, seeking out people who would not otherwise want to learn Torah or develop any kind of relationship with Hashem. Noach, Shem and Ever were limited to the first type of giving. This is a high level, but, as Rav Dessler explains, it does not qualify as true kindness. Avraham, however, was pro-active. He did not wait for people to come to him. He sought out people who did not even know that they were lacking anything and taught them about Hashem. This is true chessed. This is what caused Avraham to rise to a higher level than Noach, Shem and Ever.
Why would a person reach the level of reactive kindness but fail to progress to the higher level of giving pro-actively? The clue to this can be found in Noach’s name. We know that a person’s name teaches us about his essence. The word, 'noach' means 'comfortable'. It is not easy to take responsibility for something without first being called upon to do it. The negative inclination (yetser hara) will find numerous excuses to avoid taking on a challenging endeavor when the genuine reason for doing so is desire for comfort.
The great author of The Chovos Levavos reveals to us that he was subject to this very challenge. He writes in the introduction that after planning to write the sefer he changed his mind, citing a number of reasons. “I thought my powers too limited and my mind too weak to grasp the ideas. Furthermore, I do not possess an elegant style in Arabic, in which the book would have been written… I feared that I would be undertaking a task which would succeed [only] in exposing my shortcomings…Therefore I decided to drop my plans and revoke my decision.” However, he recognized that perhaps his motives were not completely pure. “I began to suspect that I had chosen the comfortable option, looking for peace and quiet. I feared that what had motivated the cancellation of the project had been the desire for self-gratification, which had driven me to seek ease and comfort, to opt for inactivity and sit idly by.” To the eternal benefit of Klal Yisroel he decided to write the Sefer and it is difficult to imagine Klal Yisroel being bereft of its spiritual guidance. The reasons that he initially cited in support of his decision not to write the sefer seem fair and logical. But he recognized that, on his level, they were tainted by a desire for comfort. We too have plausible reasons why we choose to ignore opportunities to help Klal Yisroel. But we must be extremely careful to make sure that we are not in fact just being lazy. Imagine how many great works or bold initiatives may never have reached fruition because of this yetser hara.
Another hindrance to pro-activity is misplaced bitachon. A person may have the hashkafa that Hashem will send him his tachlis on a plate. History proves that the great builders in Torah did not have this attitude. They looked at the problems in the world and decided to take action to rectify them without waiting to be told to do so. People such as Rav Aharon Kotler, the Ponevezher Rav and Rebbetsin Sarah Shenirer emulated Avraham Avinu and took the initiave to build Torah institutions. These institutions reinforced Torah, and enabled us to survive the spitirual onslaught of the Enlightenment and the physical onslaught of the Holocaust.
A less well-known example of a proactive builder is Joseph Rosenberg. He lived in the post- -Holocaust generation. He saw a world in which one particular mitzvo was largely ignored - the mitzvo of Shatnes. He single-handedly created Shatnes checking observatories and for several decades checked hundreds of thousands of garments for Shatnes. What was the key to his greatness? It was not necessarily his knowledge of Torah but it was his willingness to pro-actively go out and fix a problem he saw in Klal Yisroel .
In our generation, one does not have to look far to find opportunities to improve the word in some form. But he must not wait to be asked to step forward. If he does wait, the opportunity may never materialize. Hashem may want us to open our eyes and take action without being prompted to do so. As we have seen, there are people who have already done so, showing us that it is possible.
Noach was a great man but he is not the progenitor of the Chosen People. He did kindness, but only after he was instructed to. He rebuked the people, but only after Hashem had told him to do soas a reactive person, who needed external circumstance to arouse him to action. By contrast, Avraham Avinu did not need to be motivated to serve Hashem. He did not wait for people to come to him in order to teach them Torah. He reached the level of true chessed through great effort. It is incumbent upon us, his descendants, to emulate him and seek and pursue opportunities to make a difference to Klal Yisroel.
Rashi brings a Midrash that contrasts Avraham and Noach. With regard to Noach, the Torah says “Noach walked with G-d.” This means that he needed help in his Avodas Hashem. But to Avraham, HaShem says “Walk before me.” This means that Avraham could strengthen himself on his own. The commentaries explain that Avraham was pro-active and self-motivated. He did not need external events to stimulate him to serve HaShem and do kindness. Noach needed external circumstances to push him forward in his righteousness.
Rav Eliyahu Dessler zt"l expands on this idea. He writes that Noach is called “ish tzaddik" (man of righteousness), whilst Avraham is “ish chessed" (man of kindness). Noach performed incredible acts of kindness in the ark, feeding hundreds of animals for several months. However, says Rav Dessler that this was only tzedek,(the right thing to do), meaning that he fulfilled his obligation. It did not stem from an overflowing desire to give, but was rather a reaction to the needs of others. Avraham, in contrast, did not perform kindness out of obligation, but because of a burning desire to give. This divergence between Noach and Avraham is not restricted to kindness in the physical realm, but also extends into the spiritual realm. The Seforno writes that Noach did rebuke the people in his generation but he did not go any further. “He did not teach them to know G-d and how to go in his ways.” Consequently, he did not possess enough merit to save the generation. In contrast Avraham went far beyond the call of duty to teach the world to know Hashem.
The commentaries also discuss why Noach’s great descendants, Shem and Ever, did not merit to attain Avraham’s greatness. The Rambam describes how Avraham fought against the idolatry prevalent in his times. “He began to call out in a loud voice to the whole world and taught them that there is one G-d in the world and it is He that one should serve… He would continually call out and gather the people from city to city and from kingdom to kingdom until he reached there, as it says, “and he called out in the name of Hashem the eternal G-d. And when the people would gather and ask him what he was preaching, he would teach to every one of them, each according to his ability, until he would bring them to the true way, until tens of thousands of people gathered to follow him.” The Raavad writes on this Rambam, “I am astonished, for Shem and ever were there at this time. how could they not protest [against the idolatry that surrounded them. The Kesef Mishnah answers, “Shem and Ever were teaching the way of Hashem to their students, but they did not rouse themselves to call and teach in the way that Avraham did. Because of this he rose to a higher level than they did.”
This seems difficult to understand. We know that Shem and Ever had a yeshivah in which they taught Torah for a very long time. Why then are they considered on a lower level than Avraham Avinu, to the extent that he is the spiritual father of the Jewish people, but they are not? We can answer this question with Rav Dessler’s principle. There are two ways to give. A person can be re-active, waiting for people who want to learn Torah and grow in their Yiddishkeit, or one can be pro-active, seeking out people who would not otherwise want to learn Torah or develop any kind of relationship with Hashem. Noach, Shem and Ever were limited to the first type of giving. This is a high level, but, as Rav Dessler explains, it does not qualify as true kindness. Avraham, however, was pro-active. He did not wait for people to come to him. He sought out people who did not even know that they were lacking anything and taught them about Hashem. This is true chessed. This is what caused Avraham to rise to a higher level than Noach, Shem and Ever.
Why would a person reach the level of reactive kindness but fail to progress to the higher level of giving pro-actively? The clue to this can be found in Noach’s name. We know that a person’s name teaches us about his essence. The word, 'noach' means 'comfortable'. It is not easy to take responsibility for something without first being called upon to do it. The negative inclination (yetser hara) will find numerous excuses to avoid taking on a challenging endeavor when the genuine reason for doing so is desire for comfort.
The great author of The Chovos Levavos reveals to us that he was subject to this very challenge. He writes in the introduction that after planning to write the sefer he changed his mind, citing a number of reasons. “I thought my powers too limited and my mind too weak to grasp the ideas. Furthermore, I do not possess an elegant style in Arabic, in which the book would have been written… I feared that I would be undertaking a task which would succeed [only] in exposing my shortcomings…Therefore I decided to drop my plans and revoke my decision.” However, he recognized that perhaps his motives were not completely pure. “I began to suspect that I had chosen the comfortable option, looking for peace and quiet. I feared that what had motivated the cancellation of the project had been the desire for self-gratification, which had driven me to seek ease and comfort, to opt for inactivity and sit idly by.” To the eternal benefit of Klal Yisroel he decided to write the Sefer and it is difficult to imagine Klal Yisroel being bereft of its spiritual guidance. The reasons that he initially cited in support of his decision not to write the sefer seem fair and logical. But he recognized that, on his level, they were tainted by a desire for comfort. We too have plausible reasons why we choose to ignore opportunities to help Klal Yisroel. But we must be extremely careful to make sure that we are not in fact just being lazy. Imagine how many great works or bold initiatives may never have reached fruition because of this yetser hara.
Another hindrance to pro-activity is misplaced bitachon. A person may have the hashkafa that Hashem will send him his tachlis on a plate. History proves that the great builders in Torah did not have this attitude. They looked at the problems in the world and decided to take action to rectify them without waiting to be told to do so. People such as Rav Aharon Kotler, the Ponevezher Rav and Rebbetsin Sarah Shenirer emulated Avraham Avinu and took the initiave to build Torah institutions. These institutions reinforced Torah, and enabled us to survive the spitirual onslaught of the Enlightenment and the physical onslaught of the Holocaust.
A less well-known example of a proactive builder is Joseph Rosenberg. He lived in the post- -Holocaust generation. He saw a world in which one particular mitzvo was largely ignored - the mitzvo of Shatnes. He single-handedly created Shatnes checking observatories and for several decades checked hundreds of thousands of garments for Shatnes. What was the key to his greatness? It was not necessarily his knowledge of Torah but it was his willingness to pro-actively go out and fix a problem he saw in Klal Yisroel .
In our generation, one does not have to look far to find opportunities to improve the word in some form. But he must not wait to be asked to step forward. If he does wait, the opportunity may never materialize. Hashem may want us to open our eyes and take action without being prompted to do so. As we have seen, there are people who have already done so, showing us that it is possible.
Noach was a great man but he is not the progenitor of the Chosen People. He did kindness, but only after he was instructed to. He rebuked the people, but only after Hashem had told him to do soas a reactive person, who needed external circumstance to arouse him to action. By contrast, Avraham Avinu did not need to be motivated to serve Hashem. He did not wait for people to come to him in order to teach them Torah. He reached the level of true chessed through great effort. It is incumbent upon us, his descendants, to emulate him and seek and pursue opportunities to make a difference to Klal Yisroel.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
JEWISH HISTORY 1 - AVRAHAM AVINU
Jewish History: Avraham to Yehoshua
For many people growing up in school, history was not one of the most popular subjects Whilst math and english at least provided some benefit in our daily lives, discussing events that happened hundreds or thousands of years ago did not seem very relevant or helpful. However, Judaism views the study of history as something that can and should apply greatly to our every day lives. The past teaches us vital lessons which pertain to the present - we can gain great insights from the experiences of yesteryear, learning both from people’s positive actions and their mistakes.
Moreover, there is an additional layer to Judaism’s approach to history. The great early commentator, Nachmanides teaches a unique concept[1]; the events that happened in the lives of our forefathers will repeat themselves in the lives of their descendants. Consequently, there are patterns that repeat themselves throughout history, and understanding these patterns will provide us with great insight into understanding the times that we live in and can even help us predict the effects our actions will have in the future.[2].
The history of the Jewish people begins with Abraham. He was born into a world where the vast majority of people worshipped many gods, such as the sun, moon and stars. Abraham was born into a particularly enthusiastic family of idol-worshippers - his father actually owned a store selling them! In this background, Abraham embarked on a rare journey - a quest for the truth as to who in fact created and sustains the world. He refused to accept the immense social pressure to blindly follow the conventional gods. Rather, through an intense process of intellectual and philosophical enquiry he came to the realization that no finite beings could have created the whole world. This brought him to the revolutionary realization that there was an Infinite being (known as ‘G-d’ or ‘Hashem‘) that could not be seen or touched, and yet offered the only logical explanation behind existence.
It is true that there were a few isolated individuals before Abraham who also discovered Hashem, such as Shem, the son of Noach. However, Abraham took a further step that set him apart from everyone else. He embarked on a mass publicity campaign to teach the world about the Infinite G-d that he had discovered. This set him apart as the first Jew - for the role of the Jewish people is not merely to follow G-d but to spread His teachings to the whole world. Abraham met with considerable success through his efforts, but unfortunately not everyone appreciated his novel message. The most powerful man in the world at that time, King Nimrod, was a staunch idol worshipper and took great exception to Abraham’s dangerous activities. He had him thrown into a fiery furnace but to everyone’s shock, Hashem caused a miracle to occur and Avraham emerged unscathed.
After many years of spreading knowledge of the Infinite, G-d himself spoke to Abraham, instructing him to leave his comfortable surroundings and go to the Holy Land of Israel. This journey was fraught with difficulty. As soon as he arrived there a sever famine struck, forcing him to feel to the depraved land of Egypt, where his beautiful wife, Sarah, was taken by Pharaoh. Sarah’s great righteousness earned her Divine protection from Pharaoh and he was struck by a plague, an ominous preview of the Ten Plagues that would strike Egypt many years later. A fearful Pharaoh released her and sent Abraham and his contingent back to Israel with great wealth. The troubles did not stop there, however, when the first World War began and Avraham’s nephew, Lot, was kidnapped. Abraham set off with a small group and miraculously overcame his mighty enemies and freed Lot.
Yet after all this success, Abraham was still lacking a child, and consequently the whole future of his mission to spread the word of G-d was in severe jeopardy. In the momentous ‘Bris Bein HaBesarim’ (Covenant of the two parts) G-d promised Abraham that he would indeed merit to have a child who would continue in his path and a great nation would emerge who would undergo great hardships but would ultimately conquer the land of Canaan.
Abraham’s wife, Sarah, selflessly encouraged Avraham to marry a second wife, her maidservant, Hagar so that he could have a child[3]. Immediately, Hagar gave birth to Yishmael, the man who would emerge as the ancestor of the Moslem people. Eventually, Abraham and Sarah did merit to have a son, Isaac, who proved to be a great success in continuing his father’s teachings. Yishmael did not take too kindly to his younger half-brother and Sarah feared that Yitzchak’s life was at risk. Accordingly she persuaded Abraham to send Yishmael away where he began the dynasty that would culminate with the birth of Islam.
This difficult episode was followed by the most demanding challenge of Abraham’s life - the Binding of Isaac (Akeida). G-d instructed Abraham to offer up his only son as a sacrifice. G-d never intended for Abraham to actually follow through with this, rather He was testing Avraham’s willingness to follow His commands, even if they did not make sense. Abraham succeeded, imbuing in his descendants the ability to accept Divine Judgment even at the risk of life. Indeed, countless Jews were willing to give up their lives for their beliefs and they derived the strength to do this through Abraham’s actions in the Akeida.
[1] Parshas Lech Lecha, 12:6
[2] There are many examples where leading Rabbis accurately predicted the future based on their understanding of history. For example, Rabbi Meir Simcha of Dvinsk (known as the Ohr Sameach) wrote that history testifies that whenever Jews try to assimilate the result is a great outpouring of anti-Semitism. Accordingly, he observed that Berlin, the center of Jewish assimilation would mark the beginning of a new wave of anti-Semitism. He died in 1926, long before Hitler ascended to power (Meshech Chachma, Parshas Bechukosai, Ch.26, v.44).
[3] Abarbanel, Parshas Lech Lecha, 16:2.
For many people growing up in school, history was not one of the most popular subjects Whilst math and english at least provided some benefit in our daily lives, discussing events that happened hundreds or thousands of years ago did not seem very relevant or helpful. However, Judaism views the study of history as something that can and should apply greatly to our every day lives. The past teaches us vital lessons which pertain to the present - we can gain great insights from the experiences of yesteryear, learning both from people’s positive actions and their mistakes.
Moreover, there is an additional layer to Judaism’s approach to history. The great early commentator, Nachmanides teaches a unique concept[1]; the events that happened in the lives of our forefathers will repeat themselves in the lives of their descendants. Consequently, there are patterns that repeat themselves throughout history, and understanding these patterns will provide us with great insight into understanding the times that we live in and can even help us predict the effects our actions will have in the future.[2].
The history of the Jewish people begins with Abraham. He was born into a world where the vast majority of people worshipped many gods, such as the sun, moon and stars. Abraham was born into a particularly enthusiastic family of idol-worshippers - his father actually owned a store selling them! In this background, Abraham embarked on a rare journey - a quest for the truth as to who in fact created and sustains the world. He refused to accept the immense social pressure to blindly follow the conventional gods. Rather, through an intense process of intellectual and philosophical enquiry he came to the realization that no finite beings could have created the whole world. This brought him to the revolutionary realization that there was an Infinite being (known as ‘G-d’ or ‘Hashem‘) that could not be seen or touched, and yet offered the only logical explanation behind existence.
It is true that there were a few isolated individuals before Abraham who also discovered Hashem, such as Shem, the son of Noach. However, Abraham took a further step that set him apart from everyone else. He embarked on a mass publicity campaign to teach the world about the Infinite G-d that he had discovered. This set him apart as the first Jew - for the role of the Jewish people is not merely to follow G-d but to spread His teachings to the whole world. Abraham met with considerable success through his efforts, but unfortunately not everyone appreciated his novel message. The most powerful man in the world at that time, King Nimrod, was a staunch idol worshipper and took great exception to Abraham’s dangerous activities. He had him thrown into a fiery furnace but to everyone’s shock, Hashem caused a miracle to occur and Avraham emerged unscathed.
After many years of spreading knowledge of the Infinite, G-d himself spoke to Abraham, instructing him to leave his comfortable surroundings and go to the Holy Land of Israel. This journey was fraught with difficulty. As soon as he arrived there a sever famine struck, forcing him to feel to the depraved land of Egypt, where his beautiful wife, Sarah, was taken by Pharaoh. Sarah’s great righteousness earned her Divine protection from Pharaoh and he was struck by a plague, an ominous preview of the Ten Plagues that would strike Egypt many years later. A fearful Pharaoh released her and sent Abraham and his contingent back to Israel with great wealth. The troubles did not stop there, however, when the first World War began and Avraham’s nephew, Lot, was kidnapped. Abraham set off with a small group and miraculously overcame his mighty enemies and freed Lot.
Yet after all this success, Abraham was still lacking a child, and consequently the whole future of his mission to spread the word of G-d was in severe jeopardy. In the momentous ‘Bris Bein HaBesarim’ (Covenant of the two parts) G-d promised Abraham that he would indeed merit to have a child who would continue in his path and a great nation would emerge who would undergo great hardships but would ultimately conquer the land of Canaan.
Abraham’s wife, Sarah, selflessly encouraged Avraham to marry a second wife, her maidservant, Hagar so that he could have a child[3]. Immediately, Hagar gave birth to Yishmael, the man who would emerge as the ancestor of the Moslem people. Eventually, Abraham and Sarah did merit to have a son, Isaac, who proved to be a great success in continuing his father’s teachings. Yishmael did not take too kindly to his younger half-brother and Sarah feared that Yitzchak’s life was at risk. Accordingly she persuaded Abraham to send Yishmael away where he began the dynasty that would culminate with the birth of Islam.
This difficult episode was followed by the most demanding challenge of Abraham’s life - the Binding of Isaac (Akeida). G-d instructed Abraham to offer up his only son as a sacrifice. G-d never intended for Abraham to actually follow through with this, rather He was testing Avraham’s willingness to follow His commands, even if they did not make sense. Abraham succeeded, imbuing in his descendants the ability to accept Divine Judgment even at the risk of life. Indeed, countless Jews were willing to give up their lives for their beliefs and they derived the strength to do this through Abraham’s actions in the Akeida.
[1] Parshas Lech Lecha, 12:6
[2] There are many examples where leading Rabbis accurately predicted the future based on their understanding of history. For example, Rabbi Meir Simcha of Dvinsk (known as the Ohr Sameach) wrote that history testifies that whenever Jews try to assimilate the result is a great outpouring of anti-Semitism. Accordingly, he observed that Berlin, the center of Jewish assimilation would mark the beginning of a new wave of anti-Semitism. He died in 1926, long before Hitler ascended to power (Meshech Chachma, Parshas Bechukosai, Ch.26, v.44).
[3] Abarbanel, Parshas Lech Lecha, 16:2.
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