This week’s Parsha, Lech Lecha, introduces us to the first Patriarch and Matriarch of the Jewish people, Avraham and Sara. The stories depicted in the next few Sedras (Torah portions) illustrate the actions of these two people, which serve as the example of how we are to serve Hashem.
Many people may regard themselves as “servants of G-d,” but what they consider as the proper worship may very well not be in accordance with the standards approved by Hashem. Hashem explicitly endorsed the religion of Avraham when He revealed why He was informing him about His decision to destroy Sedom and Amorah imminently:
“For I [have loved] him, because he commands his children and his household after him that they keep the way of Hashem, doing loving-kindness and justice; in order that Hashem might then bring upon Avraham that which He had spoken of him” (Bereishit 18:19).
Those who wish to live a life that truly finds favor with the Creator of the Universe should seek to follow the religious example of Avraham. [Note: We are the heirs of the religion of Avraham which we implement and fulfill by observance of the Torah, its commandments and Hashkafat HaChayim (Way of Life).]
The First Trial: Lech Lecha and the Call to Uproot
In this Parsha, Hashem confronts our forefather with the first of the ten trials with which he would ultimately be tested. Hashem instructed him to abandon “your homeland, your birthplace, and your father’s house” (Bereishit 12:1) and travel “to the land that I will show you” (ibid.). Avraham’s compliance with this command is regarded as a momentous accomplishment which brought him great rewards.
But the question arises, what was so special about this? Throughout history, many individuals have, for various reasons, disengaged from their places of origin to travel to destinations far and wide.
Echoes of Exile: Forced Journeys in Jewish History
We can glean from this episode the great extent to which a person is entrenched in his birthplace. It not infrequently happens that the circumstances prevailing in a person’s homeland undergo significant changes that are not in his favor. It may reach the point where an inhabitant’s presence is no longer desired and can lead to dire consequences. Thus, this individual now faces a “Lech Lecha” (abandon and travel) situation that has been brought about by untoward circumstances over which he has no control.
There is no question that the need to escape one’s society because of lethal Jew-hatred has been a constant feature of our nation’s history.
This can clearly be seen in the life of one of our greatest sages, the Rambam. He was born in Cordova, Spain, in a society favorable to Jewish life. For the first thirteen years of his life, he enjoyed peace and tranquility, enabling him to devote all his time and energy to the study of Torah.
Then suddenly, conditions changed devastatingly. At the time, various Muslim sects were at war with one another. The Almohad Islamic radicals, who were absolutely opposed to religious tolerance, gained control over Cordova.
Their wicked ruler decreed that only those who adopted Islam could live, and all others would be put to death. Thus, for the Rambam and his family, a “Lech Lecha” situation had been created. Not all Jews exited Cordova; some went along with this decree of Shmad (apostasy) or perhaps simply pretended to be Muslim publicly. However, Maimonides’ family and many others gave up everything they had accumulated in this formerly hospitable enclave and embarked on a dangerous journey to the “land I will show you. (Bereishit 12:1)”
The Rambam and his family traversed many lands and faced very dangerous conditions until they found Menucha (tranquility) in, of all places, the land of Egypt. It is no small irony that the country which had enslaved and oppressed the Jews and from which they had been liberated by Hashem would now host a Jewish community. It would provide comfortable living conditions for one of its greatest ever Torah scholars.
It must be noted that the superhuman intellectual and spiritual achievements of the Rambam are almost impossible to fathom. Anyone even remotely familiar with his works must wonder whether the author of such writings was indeed a mere human being.
Such would be the case even if the Rambam had lived all his years without the stress of exile and ever-present danger. That he mastered all the advanced areas of Torah, religious philosophy, and medicine-while on the run for many years-is almost impossible to comprehend. But we know that it happened, and in my opinion, Rambam’s survival and enduring superhuman contributions to Jewish and general knowledge constitute impressive evidence that the Guardian of Israel (Tehillim 121:4) watches over His people.
It must, however, be acknowledged that in other calamitous circumstances Jews did not always pull up stakes and seek refuge elsewhere in time, even though the danger in their native lands had reached grave proportions. We should not be judgmental of Jews who had to endure anti-Semitic violence in various scenarios across the globe. There is a great resistance to abandoning one’s homeland and becoming a stranger in an alien country which speaks a strange language. And it must never be forgotten that during the tragic years of the Holocaust, virtually all Western countries tightened their immigration policies. There was hardly a haven of refuge that was available to the desperate Jews.
The heartbreaking story of the voyage of the St. Louis luxury liner is instructive. Almost a thousand Jews were permitted to leave Germany aboard this ship and head to Cuba, for which visas had been acquired, but when the St. Louis arrived the doors were locked in their faces, and they were denied entry.
They then headed to Florida seeking sanctuary, but hardened American hearts turned a blind eye to their plight. The rescue ship was turned back to Europe, and the Jews were scattered among the countries that were subsequently conquered by Hitler. A significant number of these passengers were killed in the concentration camps, from which they had ostensibly escaped.
No one wanted them. Their blood is on the hands of the so-called bystanders, who could have easily saved them, yet clamped shut their hearts and refused to empathize with their agony.
Avraham's Unique Faith: Leaving Charan for the Unknown
The Lech Lecha of Avraham was in a different category from all the others. There were no practical circumstances pressuring him to leave Charan. Indeed, he had lived through a period of great danger brought about by his denial of the idolatrous religious establishment of the time and his teaching mankind about the existence of the true Creator.
He had been raised to worship idols by his parents, but his mind began questioning things at the precocious age of three. His prodigious intellectual powers were engaged in the search for the real Deity, by day and by night. Finally, at the age of forty, he discovered what he had been searching for and “realized that there was one G-d who controlled the sphere, and that He created everything, and that there is no other G-d in existence besides Him” (Hilchot Avodat Kochavim 1:3).
But Avraham was not content to keep his discovery to himself. He deemed it his responsibility to proclaim the truth of Hashem’s existence to all mankind. So he arranged disputations with the citizens of Ur Kasdim, where he displayed to them the fallacy of their erroneous position. His great success in destroying the idols and undermining their intellectual foundation led to great danger.
“Once he overcame them through the strength of his arguments, the king desired to kill him. He was saved through a miracle and went to Charan, where he began to call in a loud voice to all people and inform them that there is one G-d in the entire world, and it is proper to serve Him” (ibid.).
With the assistance of Divine Providence, Avraham had been successful in his search for Hashem, Who then protected him from the king who sought to kill him. He had moved to Charan with his father, who, according to our Sages, had renounced idolatry and embraced the religion of his son. He was now free to spread his teachings among all interested parties. From every practical standpoint, it made sense for Avraham to remain in Charan where he was free to instruct humanity about Hashem and where he could take care of his parents in their old age.
But then, out of the blue, the clear prophecy came to Avraham saying, “You must give all that up and simply ‘follow Me.’”
“Follow You? To where?”
“Just follow Me to the land I will show you. If your faith in Me is absolute, and without doubt, you do not need to know where. All you need to know is that it is the place to which I am leading you.”
The greatness of Avraham was that his faith in and love of Hashem was the prime mover in all of his activities. He lived his life in consonance with the Will of G-d, whatever that entailed. Because of this, he reached the level where Hashem said of him, “I have loved him because he commands his children and his household after him that they keep the way of Hashem, doing justice and charity…”
The unique Chesed (loving-kindness) of Avraham, rooted in his profound knowledge and love of Hashem, qualified him to be the first Patriarch of the Jewish people. He therefore serves as the model of a true servant of Hashem, who we must strive to emulate.
May Hashem assist us in this exalted endeavor.
Shabbat Shalom.
Questions? Comments?
Please reach out to Rabbi Mann on WhatsApp at 050-709-2372 or by email at [email protected].
Alternatively, contact Mitch Rosner on WhatsApp at 054-426-3419 or by email at [email protected].