The Fire of Avraham
At the end of our Sidrah we mention the fires of Ur Kasdim and the death of Avraham Aveinu’s brother Haran. Let us attempt to set the scene for this inspirational moment in history. Hashem had brought a mabul to restart a world steeped in idolatry and lust. Since Noach had left the teivah, and the world had became repopulated, mankind was heading south once more. Initially they had defied Hashem without idolatry, and now the infamous Nimrod led the world in serving foreign gods. Avraham Aveinu was unique; he was a rebel, an outcast, different from everyone around him. He had destroyed his father’s idols and blamed it on the largest idol, to prove the utter silliness of idol worship. Terach, his father, did not know what to do with his crazy son, and brought him before King Nimrod. It was Avraham against the world; the spark of good against the masses of evil. Nimrod presented Avraham with a choice; either he could comply with idol worship and live, or remain loyal to Hashem, and die. The rest, as we know, is history. But let us understand why Hashem chose to miraculously save Avraham. Hashem saw that not only was Avraham ready to sacrifice his life for Hashem’s honor, but that he wanted to do so. Avraham looked around him at a world devoid of observance - a world empty of its purpose - and wanted nothing more than to leave it behind. He was not frightened by Nimrod and his power. Rather, he truly felt that there was simply no point in living in a world so depraved of spirituality! This is what Hashem saw in Avraham Aveinu, and what He knew would ultimately give Avraham the strength to change the world. Hashem “needed”, as it were, a person that would shine as a bastion of light and faith for the masses. Someone who felt he simply could not exist without connection to his Creator was going to be the key to influencing others about Hashem and His sovereignty. And so Hashem saved Avraham because Hashem was going to use him for a holy mission. Let this be a chizuk to us, as we continue our spiritual journey. We often struggle to understand why we are not seeing true success when imparting lessons to others, or even when we learn them ourselves. We explain the lessons, we drive them home, we teach them from different angles, but something might be missing. What can be missing is that we need to show how Torah and our connection to Hashem are something that we cannot live without! We need to live in a way that shows our students and our children that a Yidishe life - a Torah life - is the only way we wish to live. Torah is not only a great and rewarding mitzvah, but it is also the only thing we wish to do. Improving one’s own character and learning the intricacies of Emunah and Bitachon are not only prerequisites to true yiras Shamayim; life simply would not be worth living any other way. This understanding can help create an incredibly focused attitude towards Torah and mussar, and with it one can cultivate true motivation upward. A gut Shabbos! A Project of the YSI Alumni Association Written by R’ Moshe Weiss