October 15th: Lech Lecha
THIS WEEK IN THE TORAH
Rabbi David E. Ostrich
One of the great mysteries of the Torah is why God chooses Abram to start the religion that eventually becomes known as Judaism. The text tells us nothing. In the closing paragraph of Parshat No’ach (Genesis 11.27-32), we are only told that Terach fathers three sons, Abram, Nahor, and Haran, that Abram gets married to Sarai, and that the family moves from Ur of the Chaldeans (the port at the north end of the Persian Gulf) up the Tigre-Euphrates Rivers Valley to Syria (Haran). Their intention is to continue their migration to Canaan, but they settle in Haran and Terach dies there. That’s it. There is nothing to explain anything about Abram’s character or accomplishments or how he somehow merits being put in such a significant position.
Then, seemingly out of nowhere, God says to Abram,
“Lech lecha: Go forth from your native land
And from your father’s house
To the land that I will show you.
I will make of you a great nation,
And I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
And you shall be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you;
And all the families of the earth shall bless themselves by you.”
(Genesis 12.1-3)
Perhaps this mystery should be no more curious than a thousand others. God seldom explains the reasons for Divine decisions, and we are not really in a position to understand. Is not God on a much, much higher level than humans? As God explains to Job, “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Do you know who fixed its dimensions or who measured it with a line…? (Job 38, 39, and 40; the answer goes on for three chapters!)
On the other hand, it seems that the Rabbis have a great desire to pattern themselves after spiritual masters—and therefore they need to know what it is about Abram that attracts God’s particular attention and trust. One way to figure this out is to go to the future and work backwards. Looking at Abram/Abraham’s life and actions after Lech Lecha can show us qualities which God could know ahead of time: great faith and compassion, spiritual enthusiasm and obedience, and generosity and courage. Perhaps God sees these virtues and realizes that Abram is the man to start the new religion?
Another avenue to understanding is to imagine Abram’s formative theological thinking. Born into a world of polytheism and idolatry, the Midrash speculates that Abram figures out the singularity of the Creative Force on his own. In one, Abram is traveling through the desert and camps at night on a ridge overlooking a city. Noticing the city’s illuminated and organized street grid, it occurs to him that such a well-ordered city could not have happened without a plan and a planner. And, if a city’s organization reflects a singular plan, then how much the more so would the interlocking complexity of the world also reflect a singular Creative Force. In other words, despite what he had been taught as a child, Abram realizes that there is only One God. It is at this point that God recognizes Abram’s unique spiritual insights and says, “Lech lecha…”
Another Midrash is equally insightful but a bit more entertaining. In this one, Abram’s father, Terach, is in the idol business. He has a shop that sells idols to all the polytheistic idolaters. One day, Terach has some errands to run and asks young Abram to watch the shop. Abram agrees, but, when Terach returns, the shop is in shambles: the idols are strewn all over the place and broken in pieces. “Abram, what happened?!” Terach cries out. Abram then tells the tragic story. “You remember that big idol that was over in the corner? Well, he decided that all of the little idols should bow down to him, and they refused. He got so angry that he took a stick and broke them all. Then I got angry at him and knocked him off his pedestal and broke him.” Terach is incredulous. “But, Abram, that is impossible. Everyone knows that the idols are just wood and stone; they cannot do anything!” “Exactly,” replied Abram. “Then why do we worship them?!” As with the previous Midrash, God sees Abram’s religious understanding and realizes that he is the one to start the new religion. “Lech lecha…”
Then, there is a possible explanation inspired by the poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Writing about the similar mystery in God’s choice of Moses (also not explained in the Torah), Ms. Browning writes:
“Earth’s crammed with heaven, and every bush afire with God;
But only he who sees takes off his shoes—
The rest sit around and pluck blackberries.”
(Aurora Leigh, 86)
Perhaps the call of God is spoken to every human and continually. Abram’s (and Moses’) uniqueness lies in the spiritual ability to perceive the Divine invitation.
Similarly, there is this more egalitarian possibility. Perhaps Abram’s unique qualifying characteristic lies not in his preparation or ability but rather in his response. All are called, but only some respond. Rather than searching for intellectual gifts or lifestyle habits, perhaps the answer is no more than that Abram responds when God invites and commands.
Translating this insight to our situation, perhaps it is not a matter of preparing for the great call from God but simply responding to the Torah that God places in our midst. We are all called, and we are all invited, and we can all respond. God is continually saying, “Lech lecha: Go, get thee up…and become a blessing.” The call is not restricted to Abram or Sarah. It is spoken to us all. Remember: pursuing both God and godliness is our family tradition.