Lead Tidbit
Our Role Models
The Torah's command V'HALACHTA BIDRACHAV, follow in His ways, is the command to emulate the traits of G-d's that humans are capable of. One of the commentaries puts it something like this: If we are to succeed in our national and individual aspirations of being Holy, then we can do so only if we do more than is required of us and only if we emulate G-d and His traits. As He is merciful, so must we be merciful... He clothed the naked, He visited the sick, He buried the dead... we too must enthusiastically perform acts of Chessed and kindness towards our fellows. We can imagine that it is difficult to have G-d as a role models. We sometimes don't know exactly what we are being asked to do. So G-d has provided us with a set of human role models, who, we can say, learned from the Master of All. These human role models are the Avot and Imahot, as well as Tzadikim, righteous men and women, Jews throughout the genera- tions, who have excelled at developing G-d-like behavior and have made it part of what it means to be Jewish.

G-d's stamp of approval, so to speak, of Avraham Avinu and Sara Imeinu can be seen in G-d's statement that Avraham will become the father of a great nation, and he and that nation will teach all the world "to keep the ways of G-d by performing righteous- ness and justice..." It is as if G-d says that Avraham and the other Avot and Imahot, have succeeded in following the ways of G-d and are authorized, licensed, and certified to be role models for the quest of the Jew and the Jewish People to rise above the mundane world and become a Holy Nation and a nation of holy people.