Deja Vu Again Still The first step in writing the Lead Tidbit is to go over the weekly parsha and look at the calendar (and sometimes, current events) and see what jumps up and demands attention. Then it's looking back at previous years' TT and try to say something different. Once in a while, everything jumps up at the same time and past years' TTs scream out to be heard again. Hopefully, there will also be a new angle... Parshat Lech L'cha (and Vayeira and part of Chayei Sara) is not JUST an inside look at Avraham Avinu's diary. We are not supposed to read what happened in his life, and that's it. There is an interesting 14-year gap in Avraham's life recorded in next week's sedra. The Torah tells us that Avraham was 86 years old when Yishmael was born. The very next pasuk tells us that he was 99 years old. Are you curious about what happened to Avraham and Sara when they were 90 and 80 years old respectively? We don't know. Because neither the Torah nor any other of our sources tell us. Because it doesn't make any difference to us what happened to them then. The Torah tells us only that which is to be instructive to us in our lives as Jews. The Torah tells us about G-d's command to Avraham to circumcise himself, because Brit Mila is incumbent upon us, and because we are to be inspired by the Torah's words to the high dedication and commitment towards that mitzva and all of Torah, that was part of Avraham Avinu's life. We learn such beautiful lessons from Avraham and Sara — about hospitality, about Chesed, about prayer... WHAT ABOUT ERETZ YISRAEL? G-d says to Avraham and to each and every one of his children (us) that the Land of Israel is our forever. Then He says it again and again and again. How come some Jews don't listen to what G-d says? (I'm not talking about those who don't listen to a lot of other things that G-d says, I'm talking about people who listen when He talks about Shabbat and Kashrut and most other things, but somehow they seem to have selective hearing.) G-d told Avraham to go to the Land. that he would be blessed there. Why are there Jews, otherwise observant and religious, who don't think that G-d was also talking to them? (And again, I'm not talking about Jews who don't come on Aliya for a variety of reasons, both solid and less so. I'm talking about those who have removed Aliya from their religious agendas and from their hearts.) It might be naive to think that our problems in Israel and the world will go away if and when more and more Jews make Aliya, but what's wrong with naive? We've got two major challenges: Increase Torah study, observance, commitment among all of the Jewish People, wherever they are. And bring the Jewish People back to Eretz Yisrael. We are no longer in required Galut. It is no longer impossible (was it ever?) or even too difficult to live in Eretz Yisrael. A Jew who commits himself to Torah and to living in E. Yisrael becomes a true heir and descendant of Avraham Avinu Alav HaShalom. [The Lech Lecha Homepage]
|
