Rabbi Roodyn

This week’s sedra introduces us to arguably the greatest hero of all time. Born into a society where the One true G-d has been all but forgotten, where idol worship was the norm, he started a revolution whose impact is still felt until today.

At the age of three, or possibly forty (the subject is a matter of debate) Avraham comes to a recognition that existence couldn’t have created itself. A world that displays such intelligent design must have an Intelligent Designer whose Hands are seen throughout history and Who charts the course of destiny.

Avraham is more than just a monotheist, although that would have been enough to transform the word. Unlike the precious few individual believers who preceded him, Avraham’s faith surpasses mere obedience. His emunah in the creator was so strong that years before Hashem appeared to him, he was willing to dedicate and even sacrifice his life for that which he knew to be true. His knowledge of Hashem led him to be the first person in history to seek a relationship with the Divine.

Rather than leave G-d as an abstract philosophical concept, Avraham’s life mission is to bring Him down to earth and thereby raise mankind up to Heaven. He draws himself close to G-d by walking in His ways and being like Him to the best of his abilities. Avraham is the one who forges a two way bris relationship with Hashem and commits himself to living a life of holiness as demonstrated by the bris milah. He reaches out to his fellow man with superhuman acts of kindness showing himself to be an active partner with G-d in bringing this imperfect world to perfection.

Avraham realises the enormity of his mission and accepts that it will not be achieved in his lifetime. His desire for a son was not born from selfish egoism, rather of a realisation that achieving perfection takes time and that his descendants will need to remain true to the mission. He dreamed of a world filled with his descendants both biological and spiritual.

We are his children who remember him and his achievements daily. We are charged with rising to the challenge of refusing to accept the possibility of a G-dless world. A world without G-d is a lonely place, a place where things just happen because they happen, with no regard for a master plan. We as children of Avraham are obliged to follow in his footsteps and be a shining example of moral and ethical living and by doing so bringing all of mnkind to an awareness of the Creator and Sustainer of the entire universe.

Wishing you a good Shabbos, and may the international Shabbos Project and Shabbat UK exceed all expectations.