The first two parshiyot (sections of Torah/Bible), Bereshit and Noach that make up Chapters 1-11 of Genesis, is really the prologue to the story of Israel that begins with Abram (exalted father) who became Abraham (father of many), beginning this week in Genesis 12. But even before we got here the Torah aspires to establish some foundational criteria before moving forward with the relationship between God and humankind. We saw this in the lives of Adam and Eve, Cain and Able and Noah, meeting the conflict of their divine image in the struggle with personal choice, a lack of moral responsibility and an awareness or even concern for the collective whole. The voice of Torah wants us to know the following; proper human character built upon the divine image within speaks to every part of how life is to be lived in this world.
Yet in this parasha, Lech Lacha, we encounter fundamental change that is best summed up in the words of Martin Buber. Buber wrote that the words of Torah (or the Bible) are not directed to an “isolated individual but always as an individual member of the people.” Yes we saw this in part with Adam and Noah for all humanity in general, but those stories are limited to their immediate circumstances: Adam was about tending to the garden and Noah was about building a boat to save his family. But with Abraham it was different, Buber going on to say concerning Israel (who we will meet later in the book of Exodus), “its (Israel) father to be, Abraham, is addressed as such; he is to become a ‘blessing’ in his seed,” something that we did not read with Adam and Noah even though they had the opportunity to do so. Abraham therefore became the figure head not only for Judaism but also for other religions, like Islam and Christianity, Islam telling their story through Abraham’s other son Ishmael as opposed to Isaac and Christianity viewing Abraham’s descendants spiritually as grafted on children to God.
For Judaism the story of Abraham, which will play out over the next few weeks, is ultimately tied directly to the role of all people in this world, but in particular the Jewish people. In the very beginning of this parasha Abraham is told, not that he will be blessed (although he was), but that he will be a “be a blessing” to others (Gen. 12:2). According to a Midrash, Genesis Rabbah 39:11, Abraham is blessed in order to distribute blessings as he sees fit, it says “I blessed Adam and Noah — but from now on you (Abraham) shall bless whomsoever you wish.” But it is also important to recognize that in the Torah, and for that matter the entire Hebrew Bible, Abraham is just the beginning. This is pointed out by Rabbi Shlomo Riskin who says there are two covenants in Torah, the first being with Abraham here in Genesis 12:1ff and the second being with Israel at Mt. Sinai in Exodus 19:1ff. In the same way that Abram became Abraham, Israel went from being called slaves to a “holy nation and kingdom of priests,” a nation who would be given the same mandate as Abraham. It says according to the Prophet in Isaiah 49:3 “You are my Servant, Israel in whom I will be glorified,” something that Buber would say the people of Israel were to “embody,” God was glorified because Israel became a blessing to all peoples, just as one person can be been blessed by the hand of another, which begins this week with Abraham.. It is way too simple to say that this is simply a religious thing, spreading your beliefs so others can believe what you do, it’s much more than that.
Abraham was given the power to bless others, something that would later be given to Israel and something we shall encounter over and over again as we travel through Torah. While sure life was different back then in almost every way one might imagine, the human need to receive in love and goodness is always the same. Contemplate this for just a moment: We have the ability and the power to be a blessing in another person’s life. In the narrative of the Bible, Abraham and Israel were just not proverbial puppets on a string with God, but they were partners with the Divine to bring blessings into their world. I am going to pass on those particulars at this moment, yet it’s good to take a breath and reflect upon the fact that we too have the power and ability to be a blessing to those around us. That is the role of our inner holy spark within, impacting those who we encounter on any given day. We have been given a wonderful opportunity - please join me in remembering that.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Adam
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