PARASHAT VAYERA Hang in there, Shabbat is coming! We know that Abraham is famous for being the first monotheist - the first person to believe in one God. At least that is what we are always told. But actually for the Torah he wasnt. The Torah believes that monotheism was the original belief and that it then deteriorated in paganism. Adam and Eve were for the Torah monotheists. Noah seems to have a relationship with only one God. For the Torah Abraham is the first new monotheist. The first one to return to that idea after mankind had drifted so far from it. But its really much more than monotheism that is at the center of concern for Abraham and for God. Its isnt the number of gods - it isnt the belief that there is only one Creator that is being emphasized. The concern of Abraham is Ethical Monotheism - the belief that there is one God and that one God has imposed upon his creation basic ethical concepts which all humans are responsible to uphold. The difference between Noah and Abraham is not that one is ethical and the other is not - that one is a monotheist and the other is not. They are both monotheists and they are both good and righteous people. The difference is that Abraham is given and accepts the mission of spreading the word to others and of seeing himself and later his people as role models. To train Abraham for this task of spreading the ideal of ethical monotheism God puts him through a series of tests - training sessions if you will. Several are in this Shabbats Torah reading. First is the approach of the three strangers (we know them to be messengers/angels but Abraham does not. How one treats a stranger is of the utmost concern in the Torah. It is the most important measure of a society. Abraham and Sarah are wonderful hosts and most hospitable to the three strangers who then reveal the message from God that finally they will have a son. But hospitality is not the norm in that part of the world. In the same Torah reading we will read about the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah whose principle sin is the abuse and mistreatment of strangers. Later on we will see how Egypt treats its strangers - enslavement, abuse and murder. This is the world that Abraham lives in and he run counter culture to that world. He treats the stranger with kindness. For the Torah a nation is judged by how it treats its weakest links: the widow, the orphan and the stranger. These are the people without power and protection. So the Torah commands that they be treated with special care and concern and that they be protected from abuse. It is the lesson that began with Abraham. Noah also lives in a time of violence and abuse and strangers were certainly victimized. But Noah did nothing to try and influence his neighbors. He did nothing to try and change them. Unile Abraham who pleaded for the innocent in Sodom and Gomorrah hoping to save the cities because of them - Noah had nothing to say to God in defense of his neighbors. He made no attempt to save innocents even though it would have turned out as it did for Sodom and Gomorrah that there were no innocents. Abraham and Sarahs hospitality to strangers and his fervent plea in behalf of innocents before God (that there were no innocents is beside the point - Abraham didnt know that at the time) set the stage for the people of Israel role modeling Ethical Monotheism for the entire world. It is ironic that today - over 3000 years later - the world is focused on that same geographic location - that place where the spiritual descendant of Abraham and Sarah live - the land and State of Israel - judging our dealings with our enemies and the minorities in our midst. Much of the world just lies about Israels treatment of her enemies during war and how she deals with minorities in her midst. She is not perfect but she is not only light years ahead of her neighbors in this area - she stands side by side with the good nations of the world as a beacon of light in striving for equality and justice. Israel is self-critical and always striving to improve in spite of the constant threat of terror and war. The heirs of the tradition of Ethical Monotheism which began with Abraham are still busy trying to live up to the standard and role model it for the world - a world in which the divide between religious groups and nations seems to have grown over the last few decades rather than diminish. It means that the heirs to that tradition have a lot more work to do. Shabbat Shalom! Rabbi Ed Farber
Posted on: Fri, 07 Nov 2014 21:43:32 +0000
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