Abraham My Lover
Contrary to the identification of Abraham with love; he also possessed other traits when necessary. We cannot be monolithic beings. Mono-dimensional behavior is good for angels and animals. It is neither human or G-dly. LECHA LECHA
Love: Abraham’s Most Salient Trait
If we had to find one word to describe the primary characteristic of Abraham, what would it be?
Arguably, the answer to our question would be the word “love.”
Abraham is known for many great accomplishments. He was a man who brought Monotheism to the world. He was an indefatigable fighter for justice. He was the ultimate man of faith. Abraham was unmatched in the art and science of hospitality. Abraham was a valiant soldier. Indeed, Abraham possessed unparalleled mesiras nefesh, self-sacrifice for G-d and all of G-d’s teachings.
Notwithstanding all of these qualities with which Abraham was blessed, Abraham was the personification of love.
LECHA
Abraham is described by the prophet as: “Abraham My lover.” His love for G-d was only matched by his love for G-d’s creatures.
(It is by Divine providence that this issue #414 (when this essay was originally published) equals the numerical value of the word Ve’ahavta-and you shall love. Moreover, the number 414 is double the number for the word “ohr” which means light. The implication of this fact is that love is a composite of two reciprocal forces of light that are generated from the lover to the one who is loved and back.)
Reconciling Love with Driving Hagar out of the House
When we are in love with another, our love will manifest itself in many ways. The very first and most basic manifestation of love is acting kindly towards the object of our love. Abraham’s love of G-d and His creatures was translated in Abraham’s untiring efforts on behalf of others. Whether it was his hospitality, his defending of his nephew Lot, or his prayers to save the wicked people of Sodom, Abraham was always seeking to shower his kindness on others.
LECHA
With this introduction about Abraham’s personification of love, the question arises how do we reconcile Abraham’s love with his consenting to throw his pregnant wife Hagar out of their home? True, it was in response to Sarah’s request, but, nevertheless, why did Abraham not even utter one word of protest? It is also true that Hagar, upon conceiving, started to speak condescendingly, to Sarah. However, how does that justify Abraham’s complete acquiescence to Sarah in performing an act that appears to be the very antithesis of Abraham’s trait of love?
To be sure, Abraham and Sarah were both prophets, who were in touch with G-d. Indeed, our Sages tell us that Sarah was an even greater prophet than Abraham. It is thus safe to assume that everything Abraham did was with Divine sanction, including the apparently improper treatment of Hagar.
The question, however, remains, how does Abraham, the epitome of love, so easily give in to his wife’s demand that he do something to punish Hagar?
Abraham: Multiple Characteristics
LECHA
One approach to answering this question requires a better understanding of what it means that Abraham personified love. Does it mean that Abraham was incapable of expressing any other emotions? If that were to be true, then Abraham would cease to be human. What distinguishes a human being from an animal is the multifaceted and multifunctional nature of a human being as opposed to the uniform nature of an animal.
Furthermore, people who possess multiple characteristics, but is dominated by one, even if it is boundless love for G-d, is, in truth, not serving G-d, but expressing his or her own nature.
Abraham must have had the capacity to be a disciplinarian as well as a person of unlimited love and kindness. And though he would rarely express anything but love for others when someone, as Divinely connected as his wife Sarah, would alert him to the need to act harshly, Abraham had the capacity to express a totally different attitude than what was his norm.
Abraham’s ability to suppress his dominant nature of love and replace it, albeit for a short duration with the opposite of love, was LECHA an indication that Abraham was eminently human by virtue of his possession of multiple characteristics.
In addition, Abraham was a true servant of G-d, and was therefore capable of transcending his own dominant nature to do the right thing, even if it meant allowing his dominant nature of love to be suppressed.
We must be Living Paradoxes
We are living in times that demand of us to exhibit contradictory traits. On the one hand, the greatest emphasis must be on cultivating Abraham’s love and kindness. If senseless hatred caused the destruction of our second Temple and the ensuing exile, it follows that the way to end the exile and usher in Redemption is to perform acts of “senseless kindness” and love.
Nevertheless, in these unique times, when the most potent forces of evil have reared their ugly heads—as the last stand of evil, before the ultimate Redemption when evil will cease to exist—we must be able to shift gears and reveal another part of our personalities— total and uncompromising rejection of evil.
LECHA
When someone threatens the integrity of the Jewish people or our connection to the Land of Israel, we must change our focus, albeit, for a few moments, to express our absolute outrage at those who seek to undermine our existence.
To be capable of properly expressing opposite emotions is not only a sign that we are human, but it also indicates that we are capable of liberating ourselves from anything that might inhibit our ability to serve G-d in the most complete manner.
This paradoxical approach will surely help us realize the collective liberation of all the Jewish people and the entire world, with the imminent coming of Moshiach. Moshiach, like his ancestor Abraham, distinguishes himself with his unparalleled love for others, while also fighting against evil whenever necessary.
LECHA
From the book Light from the Future: Parshas Lech Lecha by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.
