Advice
From Avraham and Sarah
Hearken
to Me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the LORD; look unto the
rock whence ye were hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye were digged.
Look unto Avraham your father, and unto Sarah that bore you; for when he was but one (one = Love) I called him, and I blessed him, and made him many.
Look unto Avraham your father, and unto Sarah that bore you; for when he was but one (one = Love) I called him, and I blessed him, and made him many.
–
Yishayahu (Isaiah) 51 : 1-2
Notice that Torah *identifies* Avraham (whose name is equal to the Hebrew word Rechem, which means Womb) and Sarah.
Notice that Torah *identifies* Avraham (whose name is equal to the Hebrew word Rechem, which means Womb) and Sarah.
More
than Edom, who are the Children of Avraham and Sarah, have to turn to the role
model of Avraham and Sarah, continuously if they are to find God and walk in
the ways of Righteousness; Yisra'El, the Children of Avraham and Sarah must
have cleave to them in Spirit continuously and know that they are their flesh
and blood and sinew and bone.
It is all too easy to say: Me? I am the favored Child. I'm adored and adorable just as I am. Am I not the chosen Son? I can do no wrong. I am not susceptible to the excesses and idol worship that my brother Edom is! I don't have to constantly be looking over my shoulder to Avraham and Sarah. I am Yisra'El's Child. I am exempt.
God help those Jews who think that way!
Every Jew must cleave to Avraham and Sarah in every generation and model their attributes in the living flesh.
We have to model their love, their generosity, their humility – but we also have to model their sensitivity to idol worship and their honesty in calling it for what it is. And we have to be ready and willing to smash the idols of our own Fathers and Mothers if need be – no matter how much we love, fear and honor them.
This is most true for the Children of famous Rabbinical families. If a Prophet of the stature of Yishayahu had to be told this specifically, is there a Rav who would dare say he does not need to be reminded of this? Is there a Rav who would dare to say that he knows this well enough?
If your Rabbis are not able and willing to admit – and eradicate - the idol worship that has taken root in their own house and in their own lineage, it is dangerous to learn from them.
Avraham and Sarah are not blasts from the past and the trials they endured are not over and done with. We, Edom and Yisra'El, are gilgulim of Avraham and Sarah and we will encounter these same tests in every generation. Know this and learn only from those who know this well and meet the challenge full force.
It is all too easy to say: Me? I am the favored Child. I'm adored and adorable just as I am. Am I not the chosen Son? I can do no wrong. I am not susceptible to the excesses and idol worship that my brother Edom is! I don't have to constantly be looking over my shoulder to Avraham and Sarah. I am Yisra'El's Child. I am exempt.
God help those Jews who think that way!
Every Jew must cleave to Avraham and Sarah in every generation and model their attributes in the living flesh.
We have to model their love, their generosity, their humility – but we also have to model their sensitivity to idol worship and their honesty in calling it for what it is. And we have to be ready and willing to smash the idols of our own Fathers and Mothers if need be – no matter how much we love, fear and honor them.
This is most true for the Children of famous Rabbinical families. If a Prophet of the stature of Yishayahu had to be told this specifically, is there a Rav who would dare say he does not need to be reminded of this? Is there a Rav who would dare to say that he knows this well enough?
If your Rabbis are not able and willing to admit – and eradicate - the idol worship that has taken root in their own house and in their own lineage, it is dangerous to learn from them.
Avraham and Sarah are not blasts from the past and the trials they endured are not over and done with. We, Edom and Yisra'El, are gilgulim of Avraham and Sarah and we will encounter these same tests in every generation. Know this and learn only from those who know this well and meet the challenge full force.
We all speak most
about those with whom identify, love the most and who entertain our thoughts
and emotions the most.
If a Rav speaks more
about the Rabbis than about the Fathers and the Mothers, the Rock from which we
were hewn, it means they are on the level of boulders at best, rubble at worst
- but not the bedrock.
