Rabbi Yossy Goldman
“Abraham’s great trek would be the fulfilment of his calling as the father of monotheism” writes Rabbi Yossy Goldman of Sydenham Shul in his commentary of the weekly Torah portion.
The story of Abraham receiving his marching orders from G-d appears in Genesis 12. “Lecha lecha – go from your land, your birthplace, your father’s house to the land I will show you.”
Hashem told him to leave all his familiar comfort zones and travel to a yet unknown destination. Eventually, it would become known as Israel and Abraham was the original one it was promised to. At the time, though, Abraham probably had no idea as to where exactly he was going. But orders are orders and so he went faithfully.
In the end, Abraham’s great trek would be the fulfilment of his calling as the father of monotheism. He would take on the whole pagan world of the time and succeed beyond his own wildest dreams.
Most people fail to appreciate the enormity of Abraham’s contribution to civilisation. He single-handedly changed the mindset of the world! Believing in one, invisible Creator was culture shock to the idol-worshippers of the day. This makes Abraham not only the founding father of the Jewish people but also the father of all the monotheistic faiths of the world. The fact is that countless billions of believers owe their faith to Abraham.
According to Maimonides, this journey to the unknown was the first of 10 tests of faith the A-mighty would impose upon Abraham. Yet, the final test, which we read about on Rosh Hashanah, and again this week in Vayeira, (Genesis 22), is considered the supreme test.
The Akeida, the binding of Isaac, the near sacrifice of the son he waited a century to have, generates far more coverage in Torah, in our prayers, and in the writings of commentary.
Why? The first test had a universal impact while the binding of Isaac was just between a father, his son and G-d. Somewhere on a secluded mountaintop, far removed from public scrutiny, a personal drama was played out.
The journey of Lech Lecha, however, had an almost global audience. Is it not strange that this universal test should not be considered much more important than the personal test of father and son?
The answer is that before we can undertake a universal mission to humankind, we must first understand our personal mission to G-d. Or, to put it simply, before you can change the world, you have to know who you are. If you don’t know yourself, if you don’t recognise your own personal spiritual mission, how can you hope to influence the broader society?
Years ago I came across a one-liner that had a profound impact on me personally. “Every rabbi has only one sermon – the way he lives his life.”
It’s all too true. We can preach from today until next Rosh Hashanah, but if we don’t “walk the talk” and live the game we purport to play, we will leave our audiences unmoved.
The most eloquent orators will fail to make an impression if their listeners know that their message is hollow and isn’t backed up by genuine personal commitment.
So, while the story of Abraham’s journey and universal mission appears in the Torah and comes chronologically before the final test, in essence, the Akeidah, the Binding of Isaac, reigns supreme – not only because it was the most difficult, but because our personal commitment and integrity always form the moral basis for our mission to the world. At the end of the day, only these validate the man and his message. And that is the acid test for all of us.
