Vayeira

Genesis 18:1–22:24

By Lord Rabbi Jonathan Sacks

To Bless the Space Between Us

There is a mystery at the heart of the biblical story of Abraham, and it has immense implications for our understanding of Judaism.

Who was Abraham and why was he chosen? The answer is far from obvious.  Nowhere is he described, as was Noah, as “a righteous man, perfect in his generations”. We have no portrait of him, like the young Moses, physically intervening in conflicts as a protest against injustice. He was not a soldier like David or a visionary like Isaiah. In only one place, near the beginning of our parsha, does the Torah say why God singled him out:

 Then the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him. For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just, so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.”

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Lech L'cha

Genesis 12:1−17:27

Educating Against Egypt

Through his experiences with his nephew Lot, Abraham learns valuable parenting skills.

By Rabbi Jonathan Rosenblatt, provided by the Orthodox Union, the central coordinating agency for North American Orthodox Congregations for MyJewishLearning.com

The birth of Yitzchak [Isaac] is anticipated with prayers, prophecies and Divine promises. Moreover, his birth and upbringing are prefigured by the trials and errors of his father’s two earlier son figures–one a nephew and the other a concubine’s child.

The patterns and mistaken assumptions that cost Abraham the fidelity of both Yishmael and Lot also served as parenting instructors. The course adjustments in the wake of these disappointments contributed to the excellence of the third attempt. And although there can be no doubting the primacy of transmission through Yitzchak, the Torah’s deference to Yishmael and to Lot’s descendants suggests that even a failed son of Abraham is esteemed.

A careful reading of a small passage in Lech Lecha may illustrate how a crucial element in faith-training is discovered.

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Noach

Genesis 6:9−11:32

Lessons Of The Flood

The story of the Flood provides us with numerous insights into human nature and human relationships.

By Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald, provided by the Orthodox Union, the central coordinating agency for North American Orthodox Congregations for MyJewishLearning.com

Secular scholars speak of the story of the flood as if it were a myth, or a fairy tale. Not surprisingly, several ancient documents report striking parallels to the story of the flood.

Perhaps, the most famous document is the Babylonian “Epic of Gilgamish,” which tells the story of a man by the name of Utnapishtim. The gods decide to destroy the earth, there is a great flood, and because Utnapishtim is the favorite of one of the gods, Eau, he is saved.

Gilgamesh and Noah

Despite the parallels between the “Epic of Gilgamish” and the Torah’s story of Noah, they are strikingly different. In the Babylonian story, the gods arbitrarily decide to destroy the earth as if it were a plaything. Furthermore, the gods choose to save Utnapishtim only because he is a “favorite” of theirs, not because he is worthy of being saved.

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B'reishit

Genesis 1:1−6:8

The Complexity Of Creation

Recognizing that Creation and many natural phenomena are clouded in mystery can actually enrich our lives with meaning.

By Rabbi Jonathan Glass, provided by the Orthodox Union, the central coordinating agency for North American Orthodox Congregations for MyJewishLearning.com

Every child knows the story of Creation. The Torah gives us a day-by-day account, describing how God, in His omnipotence, benevolently brought forth all that we know–light and darkness, dry land and sea, trees and plants, stars and planets, animal and man.

The text reads so simply and orderly that one is tempted to skim through it to get to the “meat” of the parashah–the story of Adam and Eve. The story of Creation remains an introduction, one that poses little difficulty for believers.

But Rashi, the great commentator, does not see it that way. He says that the opening sequence cries out for interpretation. It cannot be that these verses are telling us about the chronology of Creation, he writes, for the Torah’s second verse tells of God’s Presence “hovering on the face of the water,” before any account of God’s creating water is given.

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