VAYEIRA 18:1-22:24

   VAYEIRA 18:1-22:24

So you think that you've had a busy week. Listen to this:

.In this week's Parshah, Abraham is visited by three angels and is promised a son. The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah are destroyed.  Sarah gives birth to Isaac at the age of 90, Hagar and Ishmael are banished.  G‑d orders Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac.

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Seeing Is Believing

At our weekly shiur Reb Yitz remarked that the Parsha involves seeing, hearing and listening to Hashem.

For example at 18:1- וַיֵּרָא אֵלָיו יְהוָה, בְּאֵלֹנֵי מַמְרֵא

 “The Lord appeared to him by the terebinths of Mamre,”

 Reb Yitz commented that by Hashem appearing to Abraham this implies that Abraham “saw” G-d.

Compare this to Exodus 33:20 where Hashem says to Moshe:

 וַיֹּאמֶר, לֹא תוּכַל לִרְאֹת אֶת-פָּנָי:  כִּי לֹא-יִרְאַנִי הָאָדָם, וָחָי

 “And He said: 'Thou canst not see My face, for man shall not see Me and live”.

One implication is that the holiness of Abraham was so great that he was able to see God.

Abraham is noted for doing chessed.  Perhaps doing chessed is “seeing God.

At 18:2 –  וַיִּשָּׂא עֵינָיו, וַיַּרְא

“And he lifted his eyes and saw…”

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Abraham is Visited by Three Angels

What exactly are Angels?

At 18:2  Abraham senses that his visitors are special, and he runs to them.

וַיִּשָּׂ֤א עֵינָיו֙ וַיַּ֔רְא וְהִנֵּה֙ שְׁלשָׁ֣ה אֲנָשִׁ֔ים נִצָּבִ֖ים עָלָ֑יו וַיַּ֗רְא וַיָּ֤רָץ 

“And he lifted his eyes and saw, and behold, three men were standing beside him, and he saw and he ran toward them…” 

In this instance Abraham’s visitors are described as men, אֲנָשִׁ֔ים.

At 19:1, They are described as Angels or messengers, מַּלְאָכִים

וַיָּבֹאוּ שְׁנֵי הַמַּלְאָכִים סְדֹמָה

“And the two angels came to Sodom…”

Of the three Angels or messengers from Hashem, one had the task of informing Abraham of the future birth of Isaac, and the remaining two had the task in assisting the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

 Much later on, at 28:12 Jacob has a vision of Angels going up and down on a ladder.  These are referred to as מַלְאֲכֵי. Likewise at  32:2 when Jacob enters Canaan he is greeted by מַלְאֲכֵי.

Still later on at 32:25, Jacob wrestles with a supernatural being, who is called a man, אִישׁ .

In the Chumash, Angels are nameless.  It is only in the Book of Daniel that some  Angels are named: Gabriel and Michael. 

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The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah are destroyed:

At 19: 24 and 25 we learn about the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah:

וַֽיהֹוָ֗ה הִמְטִ֧יר עַל־סְדֹ֛ם וְעַל־עֲמֹרָ֖ה גָּפְרִ֣ית וָאֵ֑שׁ מֵאֵ֥ת יְהֹוָ֖ה מִן־הַשָּׁמָֽיִם

“And the Lord caused to rain down upon Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire, from the Lord, from heaven”.

וַיַּֽהֲפֹךְ֙ אֶת־הֶֽעָרִ֣ים הָאֵ֔ל וְאֵ֖ת כָּל־הַכִּכָּ֑ר וְאֵת֙ כָּל־יֽשְׁבֵ֣י הֶֽעָרִ֔ים וְצֶ֖מַח הָֽאֲדָמָֽה

“And He turned over these cities and the entire plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and the vegetation of the ground”.

The destruction had two elements: The raining down of fiery sulfur and an earthquake that overturned the cities.  Where were these cities located? 

Sodom and Gomorrah were located in the Jordan Valley, a geologic rift zone characterized by earthquakes.  I would guess they were close to what is now the Dead Sea.  In the Dead Sea today there are seeps of natural asphalt or bitumen.

And we learned at 14:16  that in the battle of the fives kings and four kings there were pits of asphalt:

 וְעֵמֶק הַשִּׂדִּים, בֶּאֱרֹת בֶּאֱרֹת חֵמָר

 “The valley of Demons was full of bitumen (asphalt) pits”

 It must have been a forbidding, foul-smelling place.  I’m guessing that anaerobic bacteria lived off of the sulfur contained in the asphalt, producing hydrogen sulfide that has a rotten egg smell and native sulfur.  This is the phenomenon that place in Louisiana and Texas where there are economic salt and sulfur deposits. 

With the raw materials on-hand plus an earthquake, you have the elements of destruction. Sulfur is easily ignited,, hydrogen sulfide is a deadly gas and for good measure sulfuric acid is able to be produced, culminating in an acid rain…what a catastrophe!

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 Lot and His Daughters (or Let's Hop on Pop):

 

                                                 Lucas Cranach the Elder, 1528

Lot was Abraham’s nephew, the son of Abraham’s deceased brother Haran.  Sara was his Aunt.  Terach was his grandfather.  Lot like the rest of the family was a Sumerian.  He chose to live in Sodom.  The question is why?

On its face, Sodom was not a place for any of Abraham’s family, who for want of a better term were straight-laced.  And Sodom at the very least was a city of questionable morality, I speculate that unlike the rest of the family, Lot belonged to that group of Sumerians who in matters of sexual intimacy were lax if not indulgent.

When Sodom’s townspeople wanted to have “their way” with Lot’s guests, he volunteered his daughters in their stead. At first I thought this repugnant,  but on refection I am of the opinion that the daughters were part of the scene and not horrified as to what might have happened.

Furthermore when the daughters are in the cave with their father, at  19:31, one says:

אָבִ֣ינוּ זָקֵ֑ן וְאִ֨ישׁ אֵ֤ין בָּאָ֨רֶץ֙ לָב֣וֹא עָלֵ֔ינוּ כְּדֶ֖רֶךְ כָּל־הָאָֽרֶץ

 "…Our father is old, and there is no man on earth to come onto us, as is the manner of all the earth”.

I think that the daughters were not concerned whether or not mankind had been destroyed, but were simply behaving in the manner of the erstwhile Sodom population.  And Lot went along with the program.

Five hundred years later we learn in Devarim 25:4-5 about the sweeping prohibition against marrying an Ammonite or Moabite, offspring from the incest between Lot and his daughters:

 “No Ammonite or Moabite shall be admitted into the congregation of the Lord; none of their descendants, even in the tenth generation, shall ever be admitted into the congregation of the Lord.” 

Despite the prohibition, King David's ancestor is Ruth who is a Moabite and whose line will come the Messiah.

What do we learn from this?

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Hagar and Ishmael are banished:  

In the Parshah, 21:10,  at the behest of Sarah, Abraham sends Hagar and Ishmael away”

וַתֹּ֨אמֶר֙ לְאַבְרָהָ֔ם גָּרֵ֛שׁ הָֽאָמָ֥ה הַזֹּ֖את וְאֶת־בְּנָ֑הּ כִּ֣י לֹ֤א יִירַשׁ֙ בֶּן־הָֽאָמָ֣ה הַזֹּ֔את עִם־בְּנִ֖י עִם־יִצְחָֽק

“And Sarah said to Abraham, Drive out this handmaid and her son, for the son of this handmaid shall not inherit with my son, with Isaac."

This is tantamount to divorcing Hagar and disinheriting Ishmael who would have normally not only shared with Isaac, but perhaps would have taken a double share.

Question arise as to why Sarah did not want Ishmael to remain in her home?

And why should Ismael not share the inheritance with Isaac?

Are there racial, religious or ethnic  implications for Jews in Israel today?

Rabbi Riskin addresses these questions, firstly looking at why Sarah was so upset with Ishmael.  At 21:9 -

  וַתֵּרֶא שָׂרָה אֶת-בֶּן-הָגָר הַמִּצְרִית, אֲשֶׁר-יָלְדָה לְאַבְרָהָם—מְצַחֵק

“And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne unto Abraham, making sport.”

Rabbi Riskin sees מְצַחֵק as not just “amusing himself”, but probably Isaac being sodomized by Ishmael, the older brother overpowering the weaker brother.

And in the previous Parshah at 16:12 Rabbi Riskin translates – “…  יָדוֹ בַכֹּל, וְיַד כֹּל בּו…”

“…his hand grasps for everything…”

וְהוּא יִהְיֶה, פֶּרֶא אָדָם--יָדוֹ בַכֹּל, וְיַד כֹּל בּוֹ; וְעַל-פְּנֵי כָל-אֶחָיו, יִשְׁכֹּן.

 And he shall be a wild ass of a man: his hand shall be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the face of all his brethren.' 

Rabbi Riskin interprets this verse differently: “his hand is in everything and a hand in all.”

Ishmael is not a person who shares.  And given an opportunity he will overpower his brother.  He will take it all.  Ishmael is a person who can not be tamed.

Since 1947 we have always been willing to share, but Ishmael has always wanted it all.  If Rabbi Kahane had his way, Ishmael and his Egyptian mother will have been banished, sent away. 

I think that Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood are related to Ishmael.

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Hashem orders Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac:

Abraham came to Canaan when he was 75 years old.  He is now 137 years old when Hashem orders him to sacrifice Isaac.

For more than 60 years he has been gathering followers and bringing the concept of monotheism to the people of Canaan.  Isaac has been destined to carry on this work.

What is to be gained by testing Abraham’s loyalty so late in the game?  

Perhaps, it is Isaac and not Abraham who is being tested.

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Just prior to the beginning of the Binding of Isaac and after the incident at Beersheba, at 21:34 – “And Abraham lived in the land of the Philistines many days”.

Then at 22:2 Abraham is commanded to go to the Land of Moriah and on a mountain that God will show him he is to offer up Isaac as a sacrifice.  Notice that God tempers His command by saying, "please" , נָ֠א.

וַיֹּ֡אמֶר קַח־נָ֠א אֶת־בִּנְךָ֨ אֶת־יְחִֽידְךָ֤ אֲשֶׁר־אָהַ֨בְתָּ֙

"And He said, "Please take your son, your only one, whom you love"

A question is raised as to just where is the Land of Moriah?  All we know is that the party starts out by donkey, from the land of the Philistines and on the 3^rd day they see the place at a distance (22:4).   

My guess is that they started out from the coast plain, followed a corridor through the foothills, going eastward until they reached the Judean Mountains.  A donkey can average 3.5 miles per hour, so by the 3^rd day could have gone more than a 100 miles.  The mountain in the Land of Moriah could have been the Temple Mount as per 2 Chronicles 3:1 or not.

I would speculate that Moriah, מוֹרִיָּה means “God instructs” and could be the Temple Mount.

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The Akedah As Interpreted In The Muslim World

In Chapter 22 we have the Akedah, the Binding of Isaac. These passages are central to our belief system; we read them every morning.

However, there are approximately two billion Muslims in the world who hold differently. The vast majority of the Muslim world distort the Chumash and hold that it was Ishmael and not Isaac who was to be sacrificed.

Muslims erroneously believe that the episode begins prior to the birth of Isaac: Abraham tells Ishmael that he has had a vision regarding the sacrifice. Ishmael agrees to be sacrificed. No binding is necessary. As one of the rewards for his righteousness, Abraham is told that he will have another son, Isaac. Go figure.

 יִשְׁמָעֵאל means :God listened.

Whether you are a Jew or a Muslim or are a Christian it seems that a very important son is called upon to be sacrificed.

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According to Rav Kook, A careful reading of the Torah’s account clearly indicates that Lot did not deserve to be saved on his own merits alone.

At 19:29:

 וַיְהִי, בְּשַׁחֵת אֱלֹהִים אֶת-עָרֵי הַכִּכָּר, וַיִּזְכֹּר אֱלֹהִים, אֶת-אַבְרָהָם; וַיְשַׁלַּח אֶת-לוֹט, מִתּוֹךְ הַהֲפֵכָה, בַּהֲפֹךְ אֶת-הֶעָרִים, אֲשֶׁר-יָשַׁב בָּהֵן לוֹט

“And it came to pass, when Hashem destroyed the cities of the Plain, that Hashem remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot dwelt.”

While it is true that Lot rejected the cruel nature of the people of Sodom, that was not enough. Unlike his uncle Abraham, Lot presented no alternative vision, and did not properly contest the Sodomite ideology of cruelty.

Likewise for Jews it is not enough to reject ideologies that contradict the Torah’s ethical ideals.  It is insufficient to only engage in negative criticism. Jews must present a positive outlook, based on a vision of chessed as did the Patriarch Abraham.

(adapted from “Gold from the Land of Israel” by Chanan Morrison 

, pp. 46-48. Adapted from Ein Eyah vol. II, p. 250)

LECH LECHA 12:1-17:27

 

 

LECH LECHA 12:1-17:27

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Parshat Lech Lecha begins at 12:1 –

 וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֶל-אַבְרָם, לֶךְ-לְךָ מֵאַרְצְךָ

וּמִמּוֹלַדְתְּךָ וּמִבֵּית אָבִיךָ, אֶל-הָאָרֶץ, אֲשֶׁר אַרְאֶךָּ

“And the Lord said to Abram, "Go from your land and from your birthplace and from your father's house, to the land that I foresee you.”

Hashem’s command to Abraham is very specific as to how the journey is to begin, but ambiguous as to the actual ending.  But whatever or wherever Abraham’s destination is to be, one thing is certain:  Hashem will be part of it.

At the outset, Abraham is commanded to go from or rid himself of past influences and trappings, whether they be cultural, religious or parental. 

He will be his own man, and moreover: God’s man.

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 וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֶל-אַבְרָם, לֶךְ-לְךָ מֵאַרְצְךָ וּמִמּוֹלַדְתְּךָ וּמִבֵּית אָבִיךָ, אֶל-הָאָרֶץ, אֲשֶׁר אַרְאֶךָּ.

 “And the Lord said to Abram, "Go forth from your land and from your birthplace and from your father's house, to the land that I will foresee for you”.

Abraham’s birthplace was the city of Ur, in what is now Iraq and what was then the country of Sumer.

At the time when Hashem commanded Abraham to leave,  Abraham was living with his father in Harran, חָרָן, a major trading center located in southernmost Turkey next to Syria.  If you scroll further down this post you will find a map that shows the location of Ur and Harran.   See the long journey made by Terach and family traveling in the Euphrates valley or upstream in the river and its canals. Years  later when our Parsha begins,  Abraham and family made the arduous trip from Harran to southern Canaan.  They must have passed through Aleppo one of the oldest cities in the region. If you consider that it all began in Ur, they made what amounts to a wide U-turn.

There are commentators who say that God did not immediately reveal the destination, wanting to make it a surprise…ridiculous.   Abraham could of hopped on a barge going down the Tigris or just as well he could of headed out to Asia Minor or somewhere else.

Olim: Abraham was called to leave his father's home, and start on his journey; Olim, so have we.

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Paraphrasing the Star Trek mission statement “to boldly go where no one has gone before”, Abraham is the Man:

From Haran he crossed the Euphrates River, ventured out from his land, his birthplace and his Father’s house to come to the Land that we now call Israel.  And because of Abraham’s bold stroke we are here today, and I for one am very grateful. 

In a larger sense, of the six billion human beings that populate our planet, because of Abraham, half of them recognize that there is only one God who created them and everything else. 

 All of us are beholden to Abraham our Father…and rightly so.

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In Parshat Lech Lecha we learn at 12:10 that, without being prompted by Hashem and on his own volition, Abraham and family leave the Promised Land and descend down to Egypt:

וַיְהִי רָעָב, בָּאָרֶץ; וַיֵּרֶד אַבְרָם מִצְרַיְמָה לָגוּר שָׁם, כִּי-כָבֵד הָרָעָב בָּאָרֶץ

“And there was a famine in the land, and Abram descended to Egypt to sojourn there because the famine was severe in the land”.

The Ramban takes Abraham to task for sinning in the first place by going to Egypt, and in compounding that sin by putting his wife in jeopardy of committing adultery. 

With all due respect to the Ramban, I have another take on this matter:  It is no secret that Sarah was sharper than her husband.  I can see Sarah telling Abraham: “No problem, Sweetie.  I can handle Pharaoh.  Just you wait and see.  When I’m through with him we’ll be leaving Egypt with a basket full of gold and silver.  And so it was.

Sarah in Pharaoh’s Palace.

Our Ancestors were giants, and but for their trail blazing deeds we probably would not be here today. Although they were heroic, they were  not super heroes; they were men of flesh.

The Zohar says that the famine was of spirituality. This sounds dubious.

But what did they expect to find in Egypt?

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There is an apparent contradiction in Parshat Lech Lecha:

 At 12:16, Abraham has no problem accepting gifts from Pharaoh:

  וּלְאַבְרָם הֵיטִיב, בַּעֲבוּרָהּ; וַיְהִי-לוֹ צֹאן-וּבָקָר, וַחֲמֹרִים, וַעֲבָדִים וּשְׁפָחֹת, וַאֲתֹנֹת וּגְמַלִּים.

“And he benefited Abram for her sake, and he had flocks and cattle and he donkeys and men servants and maid servants, and she donkeys and camels”.

Don’t lose sight of the fact that one of those “maid servants” was probably Haggar, who may have had a family connection with the Pharaoh.

Often when two kings want to enter into a treaty, they seal the agreement by exchanging royal women in marriage.  The women then also serve as hostages.

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Compare this action with Abraham’s refusal to accept any booty at all from the King of Sodom in 14:23 -

אִם-מִחוּט וְעַד שְׂרוֹךְ-נַעַל, וְאִם-אֶקַּח מִכָּל-אֲשֶׁר-לָךְ; וְלֹא תֹאמַר, אֲנִי הֶעֱשַׁרְתִּי אֶת-אַבְרָם

“Neither from a thread to a shoe strap, nor will I take from whatever is yours, that you should not say, 'I have made Abram wealthy”.'

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In this week's Parsha, Lot and Avram have separated.  Lot has chosen to dwell in the lush Jordan valley in the city of Sodom, despite the city's sinful reputation.

The Jordan valley is made up of five or more City-States.  For a period of 12 years five City-States, including Sodom, have been vassal kingdoms under the empire of Elam which is now Iran.  The time period is approximately 1850 BCE.

 

 In the 13th year, the five vassal states rebel.  The king of Elam is named Chedarlaomer.  Elam is located east of the Tigris river in what is now Iran, not to be confused with Iraq where Ur is located, and where Terach family originally came from.  And history tells us it was Elam that destroyed Ur resulting in Terach and his family maybe becoming refugees.

Chedarlaomer along with three other allied kingdoms put down the revolt.  They defeat Sodom and take Lot and his family captive.  Avram, aided by 318 armed men from his household give chase and rescue Lot. 

It is an exciting story, a precursor to the Entebbe rescue mission.

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Rabbi Avichai Rontzki, Z’L served in the position of IDF Chief Military Rabbi from 2006 to 2010, with a rank of Brigadier General.

 At 14:14 we learn:

וַיִּשְׁמַע אַבְרָם, כִּי נִשְׁבָּה אָחִיו; וַיָּרֶק אֶת-חֲנִיכָיו יְלִידֵי בֵיתוֹ, שְׁמֹנָה עָשָׂר וּשְׁלֹשׁ מֵאוֹת, וַיִּרְדֹּף

“And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed (led) his trained boys, born in his house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued…”

חֲנִיכָיו   has been defined as “his trained”, but may also mean dedicated, tutored, educated, consecrated and more.

It would seem then, that Abram gave intellectual, moral, and social instruction to his “boys” as well as how to handle weapons...the 1st Hesder Yeshiva.

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Meeting of Abraham and Malchizedek – by Dieric Bouts the Elder, 1464–1467

In Parshat Lech Lecha at 14:18-20 we are introduced to the gentile King of Shalem, Malchi-Tzedek, and Priest of  a deity called the Most High, אֵל עֶלְיוֹן.  

וּמַלְכִּי-צֶדֶק מֶלֶךְ שָׁלֵם, הוֹצִיא לֶחֶם וָיָיִן; וְהוּא כֹהֵן, לְאֵל עֶלְיוֹן

“And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine; and he was Priest of God the Most High.”

We witness some questionable behavior on the part of Abraham:

Let's not gloss over the problem of Avraham Avenu accepting not only bread but accepting wine from an idol worshipper, Wine in particular raises a problem. In today's Halakhic environment there is a prohibition against wine touched by a non-Jew: If the person who touched it is possibly an idol worshiper, the wine is forbidden.  

In Israel wine that is Kosher bears a kosher label,כשר. Non-Kosher wine may say כשרלא 

When I moved to Israel and poured my first bottle of  wine it took me  a minute to realize that לא meant "not", and it went down the drain. Live and Learn.

Traditionally, Shalem is assumed to be Jerusalem, the city of peace or the city of ” שלום" .  However, Shalem is the name of a Canaanite god, and this seems to be a better interpretation.  The name ירושלים is not mentioned in any of the Five Books, and only first appears in the Book of Joshua at 10:1 where we are introduced to the King of Jerusalem whose name is Adoni-Tzedek.

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Sarah presenting Hagar to Abraham, Adriaen van der Werff, 1699.

When Hagar became pregnant Sarah treated her harshly, and Hagar ran away.  An angel appeared to Hagar, who instructed her to return to Sarah, promising her that the child she will bear will become a great nation.   She was told to call her son Ishmael. יִשְׁמָעֵ֔אל

At 16:11 -

וַיֹּ֤אמֶר לָהּ֙ מַלְאַ֣ךְ יְהֹוָ֔ה הִנָּ֥ךְ הָרָ֖ה וְיֹלַ֣דְתְּ בֵּ֑ן וְקָרָ֤את שְׁמוֹ֙ יִשְׁמָעֵ֔אל כִּֽי־שָׁמַ֥ע יְהֹוָ֖ה אֶל־עָנְיֵֽךְ

“And the angel of the Lord said to her, "Behold, you will conceive and bear a son, and you shall name him Ishmael, for the Lord has heard your torment”.

This meaning for Ishmael is readily seen in his name:  יִשְׁמָעֵ֔אל;  “The Lord has heard”.

Afterward, Hagar referred to God as "El Roi", אֵ֣ל רֳאִ֑י  , my seeing Lord.

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How does Abraham compare to Noach?

Noach is characterized at 6:19 being as having been:

--נֹחַ אִישׁ צַדִּיק תָּמִים הָיָה, בְּדֹרֹתָיו:  אֶת-הָאֱלֹהִים, הִתְהַלֶּךְ-נֹחַ

“Noah was a righteous man; he was perfect for his generation(s); Noah continually walked with God”.

In the Parshah at 17:1 Hashem expresses his aspiration for Abraham, telling Abraham to:

וַיֵּרָא יְהוָה אֶל-אַבְרָם, וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו אֲנִי-אֵל שַׁדַּי--הִתְהַלֵּךְ לְפָנַי, וֶהְיֵה תָמִים.

“…and God appeared to Abram, and He said to him, "I am the Almighty God; continually walk before Me and be perfect”, but not necessarily a tzadik.

Abraham pleads with Hashem to forestall the destruction of Sodom. While the Chumash is silent on whether or not Noach acted in a similar fashion with respect to saving all of Creation.  Because of this possible dichotomy, some commentators attribute Abraham to be more of a Mensch than was Noach.

However, Abraham was pleading from afar in his lofty perch overlooking the valley. In contrast for at least 100 years, Noach was in harm’s way, where the action was, day after day after day.  

So you tell me; will the real tzadik please stand up.

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At 17:27 Abraham follows out the commandment of circumcision:

וְכָל-אַנְשֵׁי בֵיתוֹ יְלִיד בָּיִת, וּמִקְנַת-כֶּסֶף מֵאֵת בֶּן-נֵכָר--נִמֹּלוּ, אִתּוֹ

“And all the men of his house, those born in the house, and those bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him”.

What is interesting to me here is that Abraham purchased people, presumably foreign Canaanites.  He was a slaveholder.  When the “Black Lives Matter” people get wind of this do you think they will ask for compensation from us Jews?

LECH LECHA 12:1-17:27

 LECH LECHA 12:1-17:27

 

“If you know whence you came, there are absolutely no limitations to where you can go.”, James Baldwin

 

HASHEM’S PLAN:

CHOOSE ABRAHAM’S FAMILY TO BE THE 1^ST PROTO-JEWS,

AND RELOCATE THEM TO CANAAN

THIS RELATES TO THEIR PROPENSITY FOR ABSTRACT THOUGHT 

 In Summary

Abraham’s family 4,000 years ago was tasked with bringing the heretofore unknown concept of monotheism to the world at large.  They were Sumerians, a people known for incredible innovations such as the invention of writing, an example of abstract thinking where symbols represent words.  

Abraham’s family were trail blazers. Jews today carry on their legacy.

introduction

Hashem no doubt has a plan to make Himself known to the world at large.  In order to implement His plan, Hashem requires a select group of trailblazers who will transmit His Message.  

Like or not we Jews inherited this task, but how did it all begin?

Why did God choose Abraham’s family to be the founders of monotheism and of the Jewish nation?  What traits did this special family possess that singled them out to be the first leaders of the Jewish nation?

The answer to the first questions begins with the dawn of humanity, 100’s of thousands of years before Abraham and his family.  It has to do with the connection between the first human beings and abstract thought, which means  putting two and two together.

The answer to the second question is a no-brainer.  Abraham’s family are not passive; they movers and shakers.  The Patriarchs and Matriarchs are not complacent individuals, in that they will not stand for the status quo and will make sacrifices in order to achieve their goal.  Moreover, They are innovators willing to break new ground.

This leads us to a more difficult question: Is there something in their DNA, their biological heritage and perhaps something in their cultural heritage that gives rise to the individuals chosen by Hashem to be our Fathers and Mothers, our אבות ואמהות ?

To answer the question, let’s start by doing some reverse engineering.  Let’s take a look at today: of how Jews have made their mark in the land of Israel, and in the USA and in the world at large.  Then let’s travel back by stages to the first human beings about 50,000 years ago, then to the Sumerian people about 6,000 years ago, and finally to Abraham and his family about 4,000 years ago, and then try to connect the dots.

JEWS MAKING THEIR MARK IN TODAY’S WORLD

ISRAEL TODAY

Israel is a land of innovation.  Israel is called the “the Startup Nation”.  Implied in this term is that Israel is a country characterized by the formation of thousands of brand new corporate enterprises that seek in some way to better human life, not only in Israel, but in the entire world.  Innovation, initiative and intelligence are keys to this endeavor.  They are also the characteristics that define Abraham’s family.

USA

As to the USA, Jews have made their mark:

• Forty percent of the top 40 of the Forbes 400 richest Americans are Jewish.

• One-third of American multimillionaires are tallied as Jewish.

• Twenty percent of professors at leading universities are Jewish.

• Forty percent of partners in the leading law firms in New York and Washington are Jewish.

Of American Nobel Prize winners, 37 percent have been Jewish Americans.   This is 18 times the percentage of Jews in the population. 

Then there are the Jews prominent n the visuals arts:

For instance, the roster of Jewish entrepreneurs in the American film industry is legendary: Samuel Goldwyn, Louis B. Mayer, the Warner Brothers, David O. Selznick and Marcus Loew for starters.

How about Radio Corporation of America and the Columbia Broadcasting System.  They were created by David Sarnoff and William S. Paley. And these Jewish innovators were also among the first producers of televisions, both black-and-white and color.

Of course there are Jews who have excelled in the performing arts, i.e., theater, dance and music.  One, Bob Dylan, walked away with a Nobel Prize.

 ABSTRACT THOUGHT IN THE FRST HUMAN BEINGS

Abstract thought is the basis of innovation and creativity.

Innovation, initiative and intelligence are keys to this endeavor.  It has been so throughout 50,000 years of modern human existence.  Abstract thought is a defining characteristic of human beings.  It is also the characteristic that defines Abraham’s family.

The ability to think outside our immediate cultural setting and surroundings, beyond basic needs like eating, sleeping and reproducing, is indicative of a higher degree of thought. Without this ability to consider the implications of an abstract idea we would not have developed intricate tool use, complex cultures and unique social behavior that define humanity to this day.

For the first modern human beings abstract thought meant putting two and two together as in if we attach a pointed stone to a stick, we get a weapon, a spear for hunting and protection. 

If we go back further in time, maybe 500,000 years, preparing food with fire is an activity unique to a predecessor of modern humans who were called Homo erectus humans.

The ability to form hypotheses using abstract thought and test them in physical form characterizes scientific thinking; abstract thought also goes hand in hand with the development of technical innovation, language, art and culture, in the progression of human behavior through time.

Abraham’s call to leave, in my view has something to do with an expression of abstract reasoning, a hallmark of our fellow coreligionists.  Signs of abstract reasoning as expressed in the Bible are the concept of monotheism and of the Sabbath:

Monotheism -, Abraham, somehow or other 4,000 years ago, put together that the world was governed by one deity, a supreme deity. This is the revolutionary concept.  What makes this leap in abstract thought even more amazing is that in contrast to how “gods” were perceived at that time, Abraham’s God was invisible and incorporeal.

Sabbath - About 500 years after Abraham, at Mt. Sinai, God commanded his people, recently freed from centuries of slavery, where they were worked like animals, to take one day off a week.  He called this day the Sabbath, an unheard of abstract concept then and to some extent even now.  The people hearing the command had to have the capacity to receive it, to get their “arms” around it; all of which requires abstract reasoning capability.

SUMERIANS

Terach, Abraham and family started their journey from the city of Ur ( אור), their birthplace, about 4,000 years ago.  Ur was a city-state and part of the ancient civilization of Sumer. Interesting enough אור or Ur means “light”.  Could it be that the inhabitants of Ur were “enlightened People”? 

Here are some facts about Sumer and the Sumerians that relate to Abraham and his family:

Sumerians are noted for having black hair.

The Sumerian language has no demonstrable genetic relationship with other languages.  It did not descend from a common ancestor  language.  Sumerian is unique.

At the time of Abraham, people in Sumer also spoke Akkadian, a Semitic language and they wrote in cuneiform.

Sumer may be derived from the Hebrew word “Shinar”, שִׁנְעָר.

 

Sumer is mentioned in the Book of Genesis at 11:1-2 when the descendants of the Flood come to Sumer and shortly thereafter in the text build the Tower of Babel. 

 

יְהִי כָל-הָאָרֶץ, שָׂפָה אֶחָת, וּדְבָרִים, אֲחָדִיםוַ

וַיְהִי, בְּנָסְעָם מִקֶּדֶם; וַיִּמְצְאוּ בִקְעָה בְּאֶרֶץ שִׁנְעָר, וַיֵּשְׁבוּ שָׁם 

“And the whole earth was of one language and of one speech.

And it came to pass, as they journeyed east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there”.

SUMERIANS AND ABSTRACT THOUGHT

The Sumerians were great innovators.  Among other things, Way back, 5,000 years ago they are credited with creating time and writing.

Prior to the Sumerians, a day began with the sunrise and ended with the sunset. People went to work from when the sun was positioned at a certain height in the morning sky and returned to their homes when it set.

It was the Sumerians who divided the day from the night by time, by increments of sixty-second minutes and sixty-minute hours which made up twelve hours of night and the twelve hours of the day

Cuneiform writing is said to be also of Sumerian in origin. Egyptian hieroglyphs came into existence a little after Sumerian cuneiform script .  it is probable that the general idea of expressing words of a language in writing was brought to Egypt from the Sumerians.

Here is an example of cuneiform.

 

Other examples of Sumerian technology and the Sumerian legacy include: the wheel, arithmetic and geometry, irrigation, formal schools, mapping the stars, first known codified legal system, mail delivery, war chariots, and beer.

Since beer drinking is very personal to me, let’s expand on this subject: Beer brewing was very important to the Sumerians. It was referenced in an epic poem where one of the characters was introduced to beer and told: "Drink the beer, as is the custom of the land... He drank the beer-seven jugs! and became expansive and sang with joy!"

Clearly, when Hashem wanted to select a people to advance the concept of monotheism, the abstract thinking Sumerians made for a good choice.

PROTO - JEWS LIVING IN CANAAN

Remember that when they started out Abraham and his family were not Jews.  The phrase in Devarim 26:5 carries some weight:

אֹבֵד אָבִי  אֲרַמִּי,My Father was a wandering Aramean. 

Actually we are not just talking about Jews or for that matter Hebrews or Israelites.  What we are talking about is a particular Aramean or maybe an Akkadian Sumerian family.  They are what I think to be a very special family, Proto-Jews, who show a propensity for abstract reasoning.

From an anthropological point of view, God notwithstanding, it all has to do with Abraham and family’s propensity for abstract reasoning or abstract thought. 

Monotheism 

Abraham 4,000 years ago, living amongst the Arameans in Charan, put together that the world was governed by one deity, a supreme deity.  I don’t think that at first Abraham was completely convinced.  I am of the opinion that when Abraham first landed in Canaan he still bore some of the influences of pagan culture.

Consider Genesis 21:33  where Abraham calls out or prays in the name of 

אֵל עוֹלָם , and plants a tree to commemorate the event. 

וַיִּטַּע אֶשֶׁל, בִּבְאֵר שָׁבַע; וַיִּקְרָא-שָׁם--בְּשֵׁם יְהוָה, אֵל עוֹלָם

“And Abraham planted a tamarisk-tree in Beer-sheba, and  there in the name of the LORD,  Everlasting God”.

Much later on in Exodus 6:3, Hashem tells  Moses that to the Patriarchs 500 years earlier He was identified as אֵל שַׁדָּי, God Almighty:

וָאֵרָא, אֶל-אַבְרָהָם אֶל-יִצְחָק וְאֶל-יַעֲקֹב--בְּאֵל שַׁדָּי; וּשְׁמִי יְהוָה, לֹא נוֹדַעְתִּי לָהֶם

 “And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name Hashem I made Me not known to them”.

Monotheism was a revolutionary concept.  What makes this leap in abstract thought even more amazing is that in contrast to how “gods” were perceived at that time, Abraham’s God was invisible and incorporeal.  In contrast this is how the Canaanites depicted their “El”.   For them, El was the supreme god, the father of mankind and all creatures. And he also fathered many gods.

 

When Abraham is received by Abimelech, King and Priest of Shalim at Genesis 14:19 the Priest refers to his god as אֵל עֶלְיוֹן, God Most High.

וַיְבָרְכֵהוּ, וַיֹּאמַר:  בָּרוּךְ אַבְרָם לְאֵל עֶלְיוֹן, קֹנֵה שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ.

“And he blessed him, and said: 'Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Maker of heaven and earth” 

What’s in a name?

In Genesis 14:13,  Abraham is referred to by gentiles as an Ivri, עברי. The Biblical term Ivri  means "to traverse" or "to pass over". The root is  from ever (עֵבֶר) 'beyond, across' (avar (עָבַר) 'to cross, to traverse'), as a description of migrants who are 'from across the river', probably the Euphrates.

In Genesis 11:where the genealogy is laid out, Abram is described as a descendant of Eber, עֵבֶר‎ from which perhaps the designation Hebrew is derived.

This raises a question:  What character traits were exhibited by the Proto-Jews that distinguished them from the bulk of Sumerian society?

As best as I can see, Sumerian society was lax when it came to sexual norms and conventions.  This is not a value judgment, but a fact.  Compared to the “Thou Shall Nots” set out in the Chumash, Sumerian society was fast and loose. 

From what we know when it comes to sexual intimacy, patience and the ability to forgo is highly regarded. Witness what is considered positive behavior:

Jacob waiting 7 years before marrying Rachel.

Joseph not giving in to Potiphar’s wife’s demands.

In contrast, consider these negative behaviors:

Lot being intimate with his daughters,  Reuven's loss of standing when he cohabited with Billah, and the punishment of David and Bathsheba.  

The analogy is not 100%, but points us in a certain direction.  And in regard to the standards of morality for the descendants of the Proto-Jews in Talmudic and modern times, the same high standard holds true.

Historically Jews have been isolated, originally by geography, then by culture and religion.  All of which leads to inbreeding and a resultant preponderance of mutant gene expression.  It is not a wild speculation that throughout Jewish history, Jews married, if not a close relative, then within their tribes or villages or with a fellow Jew.   If there is a 4,000 year history of inbreeding, then there should be evidence of some sort of mutant gene expression.

 That having said, our ancestors married close relatives: Abraham married his niece Sarah; Isaac married his cousin Rebecca, as did Jacob marry his cousins Rachel and Leah.  Even Moses’ father Avram married Jochebed his aunt.

 it would appear that the Jewish population at large has a unique gene pool.  I am of the opinion that our proto-Jewish ancestors through inbreeding developed into a special population, ands aided  by culture, developed into  an extraordinary genetic population.

This was all part of Hashem’s plan.

WHY WERE THE PROTO-JEWS DESTINED TO LIVE IN CANAAN?

I conjecture that as part of Hashem’s plan for us Jews, that we were destined to be called the “People of the Book”.

Cuneiform writing was made up of 600 characters and does not lend itself to be bound in a book.  Cuneiform characters were inscribed in a soft clay tablet and then baked, the tablet becoming hard like a giving the tablet or a cylinder.   

Schleping a 600 character tablet or cylinder does work, but using a 22 letter alphabet works even better. Such an alphabet and writing system existed in northern Canaan, and in my opinion was the major reason for Hashem sending us there.

 

 In Summary:

Abraham’s family 4,000 years ago was tasked with bringing the heretofore unknown concept of monotheism to the world at large.  Abraham’s family were Sumerians, a people known for incredible innovations such as the invention of writing, an example of abstract thinking where symbols represent words. 

Abraham’s family were trail blazers. We Jews today carry on their legacy.