Parashat Lech-Lecha

Avraham: The Man, the Mystery, the Legend

This week’s parashah begins with a kind of mystery. We know that God appeared to Avram, and we know what the message was: “לך לך! – Go! To the land that I will show you, and I will make you into a great nation…” But, we don’t know why God chose to appear davka (specifically) to Avram, and not to one of Avram’s many contemporaries. Of course, the rabbis of the Talmud and Midrash have their own traditions regarding Avram’s origin and selection; however the challenge we face in understanding this forefather remains: Based on the Torah alone, why Avram?

Let’s start off with some quick geographical and biographical information. Avram, a wealthy Mesopotamian, living in the town of Ur (the major city in the kingdom of Chaldea) is married to Sarai and has no children, and we have some information regarding his lineage. That is the sum total of the knowledge that we have about Avram at the time of his selection. To understand his personality, dispositions, and outlook on life, we need to dig into his actions in the coming perakim (chapters) of Sefer Bereshit (Genesis), and to look to rabbinic discussions of his childhood.

I’d like to focus on two scenes from the Torah. Avram travels from Ur to the land of Canaan with his wife, his nephew, Lot, and their combined wealth and belongings, including an entourage of shepherds, assistants, and even an estate manager. As it turns out, Lot too had shepherds and although the uncle-nephew team is close-knit, drama arises when the shepherds of Avram and the shepherds of Lot argue about grazing land. The elder Avram certainly could have put Lot in his place, punishing the younger, or deciding against his shepherds, afterall, God said the land would be his, forever. Avram, however, chooses kindness. Brokering a peace, Avram says: “Let there not be disagreement between you and me, your shepherds and my shepherds, because we are brothers, people.” Arranging for an equitable division, Avram offers the following: “Look out at the entire land in front of you, and please separate from me. If you go left, I’ll go right, and if you go right, I’ll go left.” Avram, it turns out, is a peacemaker, and in a humble, gentle manner brokered peace. 

Shortly thereafter, in the opening verses of Chapter 14 Avram is swept up into geopolitical drama when a regional war breaks out between four different kingdoms. Avram’s nephew, Lot, is taken hostage / prisoner / as a slave when his area is raided by a neighboring king. Rather than resigning to desperation or negotiating with these vile kidnappers, Avram engages militarily. Bereshit Chapter 14 reads: “When Avram heard that his kinsman had been taken captive, he armed his 318 attendants who had been born in his household. He set out in pursuit of Lot’s captors… pursuing them through the night…” Avram, the peacemaker, acts immediately and decisively, mustering the entire might of his household, engaging in the geopolitical drama and fighting valiantly. When the battle is done, Avram refuses any loot, and instead relinquishes the property to the original owners. Avram, it turns out, is a powerful military leader who fights for what’s right.

Although we won’t ever see a picture of Avram, and we cannot interview him to understand his personality, presence, and power, we can investigate his character traits through his actions. His actions paint the picture of a person deeply involved in the world around him, willing to be flexible when possible, unwavering in his support for his extended family, and an individual with integrity. May we all learn the lessons that Avram, later Avraham, teaches in this parasha – to fight when necessary, to live the ideals we hold dear, and to do what we have to do.

The rabbis of the Midrash (some of the most ancient traditions we have other than the Torah) share stories about Avram’s early days. Many of us grew up hearing about Avram the iconoclast — breaking the idols in his father’s shop, and sharply critiquing his father: “If they are only statues then why do you bow down to them?!” A second midrash, found in Midrash Beresheit Rabbah, recounts a scene:

There was once a person who was

traveling from place to place and

he saw a palace in flames. He said:

“Can it be that there is no owner to

this palace?” So the owner of the

palace looked out to him and said

to him: “I am the master of the

palace.” By the same token,

because Avraham would go around

saying, “Can it be that the world

has no master?” God looked out

and said: “I am the owner, the

master of the world.”

From this text it’s not totally clear what it was that drove Avram to question the world around him. The Hebrew is not particularly helpful: בירה אחת דולקת – a capital city on fire? A palace on fire? A shining castle? Here are two ways to understand this catalytic moment. Either Avram notices that there is a fire going on unabated – and wonders: “Is no one in charge [to put out the fire]?” Said differently: “What is going on here?! Why is the one in charge not dealing with the burning issues in the world? Is there no one in charge?” To which God responds: “I am in charge.” And the rest of the Torah can then be seen as a way of God asserting sovereignty, laying down the law (which is the meaning of the word תורה), and setting up a more just world through Torah. Alternatively, one can read the analogy, not as a critique but as an appreciation — “Could it be that the world is glowing with such beauty, and it’s totally random? Could it be that there is no greater power that sets up this intensely beautiful world that we get to live in?!” To which God responds: “I am the One.” The One who set the stars and planets on their path, the One who built this beautiful universe.

Some days we, like Avram, breathlessly wonder: “Isn’t there anyone in charge?” and other days we take a deep breath and wonder: “How beautiful is this world? There must have been a supreme intelligence who designed this incredible universe.” The challenge is to be all the Avrams. On the days of beauty to acknowledge it, and on the days of challenge to question. When the going gets tough, to rise to the occasion, and to do right whenever possible. Avram’s ultimate legacy is one of belief and loyalty to God, and the chutzpah to question and demand more from God. 

Shabbat shalom!