Generation Gap
Going against the grain and breaking out of one’s own cocoon is what made Abraham worthy of being the first Jew. LECHA LECHA
Abraham the First Jew
Abraham, whom tradition regards as the first Jew, was not the first righteous person to have lived. Noach is described in the Torah as a tzadik tamim, a perfectly righteous person. Methuselah, Chanoch, Noach’s son Shem, Shem’s grandson Ever and others were also righteous people.
When we reflect on the fact that we are all descendants of all these righteous people we confront an interesting question:
Why do we single out Abraham as the first Jew? Why do we trace ourselves back to Abraham and no further? What unique contribution did he make to society that placed him head and shoulders above all the other righteous people who came before him?
The same question can be asked in yet another way. In this week’s Torah portion, Lech Lecha, LECHA G-d makes two covenants with Abraham. In making these covenants, G-d promises to establish a special relationship with Abraham and his descendants. Again, the question must be asked why did G-d not make the same covenant with earlier righteous people. What was so unique about Abraham that warranted G-d’s special relationship with him?
Bending His Will
One special quality that Abraham possessed is illustrated by the opening verses of our Parshah. G-d told Abraham to uproot his entire family and move to Israel. The word for “your land” in Hebrew – me’artsecha – can also be translated “from your will.” Abraham’s uniqueness is exemplified by his total and selfless compliance with G-d’s will – to the extent that he was ready to alter his entire way of life for G-d.
By doing so, Abraham earned himself the distinction of being the first Jew. Abraham epitomized the character that is the hallmark of the Jewish people; the ability to go against our grain to conform to that which G-d wants.
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The reason Abraham is also called Ivri-Hebrew which derives from the term “the other side,” our Sages tell us is that Abraham stood on one side of the world and everyone else on the other side.
Being Jewish implies that we are capable of standing faithful to our beliefs and practices no matter how unpopular they may be.
Internalizing Judaism
One may challenge this assertion that it was his ability to stand his ground despite universal opposition that earned him the title of the first Jew. Wasn’t Noach (and some members of his immediate family) the only righteous person in his generation? What distinguished Abraham from Noach in that regard?
The Torah seems to have addressed this question when it describes Noach as one “who followed in G-d’s way.” Rashi observes that the Torah uses a similar form of going in G-d’s way with respect to Abraham with one significant difference. While Noach had to be pushed in that direction by G-d, Abraham would go on his own.
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Being a Jew is not just standing firm in the face of opposition it requires an inner conviction that need not be reinforced by an outside influence. As Jews, our Judaism is internalized and we can draw on the inspiration from within.
A Light to the Nations
Abraham also possessed another uniquely Jewish trait. Abraham was not content with his own dedication to G-d, he inspires others as well. Upon hearing that G-d is planning to destroy the wicked city of Sodom, Abraham intercedes on their behalf.
This selfless concern for others is one more basic characteristic of the Jewish nation who are concerned for one another and who serve as a “light unto the nations.”
Abraham’s uniqueness actually began much earlier in his life before he was commanded by G-d to move to Israel. Abraham did not inherit his knowledge of G-d’s existence. His parents, peers and neighbors were all pagans who had no sense of what G-d was and what He wanted.
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The Generation Gap
Abraham was a descendant of several righteous people, who were still alive when Abraham was born. Even Noah lived in Abraham’s time. According to the Ibn Ezra, Abraham was 58 years old when Noah died. (Interestingly, as the Ibn Ezra points out, the word Noah, numerically, adds up to 58. Abraham was thus “Noah (58)” years old, when Noah died!) Noah’s son Shem and his grandson Ever, were also around in Abraham’s day.
Yet, notwithstanding the fact that Abraham descended from such righteous figures, Abraham did not, in his youth, benefit from their influence. There existed a “generation gap” that severed his ties with his righteous forebears Abraham was thus entirely on his own. And despite the lack of any support from his parents and his environment, Abraham realized that there was only one G-d and that this G-d was interested in living our lives according to the dictates of justice and righteousness.
Once Abraham took the first step to declare his belief in one G-d did G-d respond to him.
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After Abraham defied Nimrod’s order to bow down to him, did G-d perform a miracle for Abraham and allowed him to escape unharmed from the fiery furnace into which he had been thrown.
The Master Plan
We must now try to understand why these two features of Abraham’s life are crucial to his identification as a Jew.
When G-d created the world, He did so with a plan. The plan was for the world, that was created by design to appear independent, to transform itself into a world that was hospitable to G-d.
If G-d were to impose this on the world, there would be no reason why He created it to be independent in the first place. G-d had to allow the world, of its own volition, to choose G-d.
Towards that end, G-d had to create a sentient being endowed with free choice.
However, if G-d let it remain in the hands of mortals who can choose freely there may never be a world that conforms to G-d’s plan. He therefore “waited” for a human being to LECHA arrive on the scene who had the capacity to withstand the pressures of the world with his own power and transmit these ideals to the rest of the world.
Abraham was the first human being in whom G-d could entrust the mission of receiving the Master Plan and transmitting it to others. Abraham was thus the first of a line of “trustworthy” agents of the Master Plan, which is the Torah. G-d now had a guarantee, that humanity will eventually and inexorably come to the point where it embraces G-d’s plan and make it a reality: the Messianic Age.
To accomplish this G-d needed one who has the twin capacity to withstand pressure and transmit this knowledge and values to the next generation and to the rest of the world Our Abraham Generation We are living in a generation that shares this last distinction with Abraham. Unlike our ancestors who grew up in a Torah saturated environment, our generation has been detached from its spiritual moorings. And yet, instead of the elders imparting Jewish values to their children, there is a new phenomenon LECHA that has occurred. The youth have discovered their own Jewish identities. And it is the youth that is inspiring the parents to return to the Jewish way of life. What is happening now, represents the realization of the Messianic prophecy at the end of the book of Malachi (3:24, Rashi’s commentary) which states that “the hearts of the fathers will be restored through the children.”
From Abraham – the first Jew – until recent times, there has never been a phenomenon of Jews who have found their Jewish roots on their own and who are responding to G-d’s call, to “leave their land (or: their desires) and travel to the land that I will show you.” This gives new meaning to the phrase: “The end is wedged in the beginning and the beginning in the end.” The beginning of the Jewish people (Abraham and his discovery of Judaism) is now manifesting itself.
May we all soon see the fulfillment of the other part of that prophecy: “Behold I am sending you Elijah the prophet” who will herald the arrival of our righteous Moshiach!
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From the book Light from the Future: Parshas Lech Lecha by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.
