Parashat Lech Lecha 5763/2002
EJD
The Bagel: The way of Abraham. Think of the many mighty things Abraham gave up for the presence of God in his life:
Strong Ur of Chaldea vs. weak Canaan
Strong Egypt vs. weak Canaan
Strong Sodom vs. weak Canaan
Strong army to fight the 5 kings vs. a small band of 318
Power of the spoils vs. refused spoils
Great darkness (Gen 15:12) vs. distant stars (Gen 15:5)
Natural strength of Hagar vs. no strength of Sarai (to conceive)
Abram* vs. Abraham
Forskin vs. circumcision
Sarai* vs. Sarah
Like Jacob when he wrestled with the Man and became Israel leaning on his staff (Gen 32:24-32), so Abraham chose the weak things to become strong in God.
The Haftarah looks this idea from a different angle:
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Weary Jacob will become strengthened Jacob (Isaiah 40:27-31)
Strong idolatrous nations will be humbled (Isaiah 41:1-7)
Called Jacob will be delivered Jacob (Isaiah 41:8-13)
Weak (as a worm) Jacob will become mighty Jacob (Isaiah 41:14-16)
The Brit Chadashah agrees with this pattern of choosing the weak to be strong in God:
"....he (God) said, 'My gracious favor is all you need. My power works best in your weakness.' So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may work through me" (2 Corinthians 12:9).
Cream Cheese: Only God can "Claim it and name it."
* A traditional view holds that Abram means Av-Aram, meaning the father of Aram, which signified a great regional reputation. The same could be said of Sarai, meaning my princess, which tied into that same reputation. The name changes for both Abraham and Sarah became prophetic for their faith that would eventually spread to all people in time, but didn't have the same prestige and power that a national name held in the region of the Ancient Near East.
The weekly reading for the week of 13 Cheshvan, 5763 - Oct 19, 2002 Torah: Lech Lecha Genesis 12:1 to 17:27; Haftarah: Isaiah 40:27 to 41:16
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