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The Weekly Publication for Every Jew

Shabbat Shalom!

10 Cheshvan, 5773 October 26, 2012 Torah Portion: Lech-Lecha

Give Me the Soul By Yossi Goldman

There are people who have a gift or talent, but they refuse to reveal it or share it with others. They may have great knowledge, but they keep it to themselves. They endeavor to acquire more knowledge, and perhaps even more spirituality and more holinessfor themselves. Others feel that if anyone has a gift, talent or skill this surely has been given for a purpose: to share it with others who would benefit. Abra ha m, the f irst J ew, th e her o of t h is week's Torah reading, was one of the greatest examples of the philosophy that one's gifts should be shared with others. Abraham had a gifta Divine gift. In fact his gift was: the Divine. Although he was brought up by his parents to serve idols, in a generation steeped in idolatry, he had discovered that it is Gd and no other who is Master of the world. What a beautiful thought! What a tremendous idea! Gd the Creator of All is the source of all existence and of all goodness. What did Abraham do with his newfound knowledge? He might have simply tried to gain more and more spiritual wisdom for himself. The Sages tell us that Abraham's initial spiritual focus was very exalted, far beyond the physical practicalities of the world. In fact his name Abram, before it was later changed, means "exalted father" (av ram), signifying an exalted level of consciousness. Despite this, he and his wife Sarah sought to teach other people, as Rashi tells us: Abraham would communicate with the men and inspire them with belief in Gd, while Sarah would teach the women. Then the beginning of this week's reading tells us that Gd told him to travel, "Go for yourself." This meant a kind of descent, towards worldliness, in order to share further his wisdom with others. The Midrash describes him as a phial of fragrant spices which is brought into the open so that others can benefit from its fragrance. We also learn that when he reached the Land of Israel "he called in the name of Gd." Says the Talmud: Do not read this as meaning simply that Abraham himself called in the name of Gd. It means that he caused others to call in the Name of Gd. Wherever he went, Abraham and his wife Sarah fearlessly proclaimed knowledge of Gd. One Gd, one moral standard, expressed in the Seven Noahide Laws. This idea was so different from the current fashions of his time that Abraham was persecuted, his life was threatened, he was denigrated and derided. But he did not stop. Eventually he prevailed. His legacy is the Jewish Nation which has lived according to Divine teaching for thousands of years, and which has also generated an awareness of Monotheism in many parts of the world, paving the way for the Messiah. Gd gave a promise to Abraham: "All families of the earth will be blessed through you." The Torah and the later history of the Jewish people describe how this promise begins to come true, bringing positive illumination to every human being in the world.

The weekly Parshah is enlivened these days with the arrival of Abraham on the biblical scene. Our founding father brings new life to the world, as he spreads the message of monotheism in a hitherto pagan society. He also shows his prowess as a fearless fighter for justice, putting his own life on the line to save his nephew Lot, when Lot is taken captive in the world war of the day. It was after Abraham rescued his nephew that the King of Sodom thanked Abraham for liberating the other prisoners of warthe kings soldiers and citizensat the same time. The king offers Abraham the spoils of war, and asks only to have his men back. Ten li hanefesh, he says. Give me the people, and take the possessions for yourself. Twenty-five years ago, I heard a powerful and passionate call by my saintly mentor, the Rebbe of blessed memory. It was Simchat Torah, the yom tov (festival) when we celebrate the gift of Torah in a spirit of boundless joy. He had appealed for charity to be given in the same heightened spirit, i.e., beyond normal limitations or the usual budgetary considerations. Later, he explained his call to have been one of ten li hanefesh, which, literally, means give me the soul. It was a special moment, and what he was demanding of his followers was a genuine outpouring of soul, a sincere act of pure faith, beyond reason or issues of affordability. The Rebbe had called for a total, unconditional commitment. The call, Give me the soul, still reverberates. And it applies to everything we do. We are all composites of body and soul. But more often than not, our physical selves get all the attention while our spiritual side is neglected. How many times do we hear Jews, especially young Jews, complaining that Judaism lacks spirituality; that their synagogues and temples are devoid

of any real feeling or atmosphere of sanctity? And then we bemoan them trekking off to the Himalayas to find purpose, depth, and all the things we never gave them. How many bar mitzvahs and weddings have been reduced to empty shells of materialistic oneupmanship, with friends and neighbors compelled to outdo each other in garish extravagances, which miss the whole point of what the celebration is about? And Gd calls out, Give me the soul! Give me back what is mine. Put some spirit back into Judaism. Enough with the Mickey Mouse routines and rituals, the song-anddance gimmicks. Get beyond the external and the plastic. Give me some soul! When our faith is superficial, we look as foolish as the pathetic thief described in the Talmud. The thief, at the mouth of the tunnel, calls out to Gd. Here is a goniff, a lowly criminal, about to enter the tunnel he has dug to rob a bank, but before he goes in, he prays to Gd for success. What a chutzpah! He is about to violate Gds express command not to steal, and has the audacity to still ask Gd to help him do the job?! But such is the effect of superficiality. He has faith, our Talmudic thief. It just hasnt penetrated. Because this shallow pseudoreligiosity hasnt permeated his inner being, he is blissfully unaware of the hypocrisy of his actions. So whats wrong with stealing and praying at the same time? The truth is that we all believe, even the thieves among us. The challenge is for the penny to drop; for that faith to reach into our core, to touch our souls. Let us heed the call, Ten li hanefeshGive me the soul. Let us move beyond superficial Judaism to something deeper, profound and real, which will touch our own souls and inspire our children.

This Week: Lech-Lecha Genesis 12:117:27

Circumcision The Eternal Covenant

Gd speaks to Abram, commanding him, Go from your land, from your birthplace and from your fathers house, to the land which I will show you. There, Gd says, he will be made into a great nation. Abram and his wife, Sarai, accompanied by his nephew Lot, journey to the land of Canaan, where Abram builds an altar and continues to spread the message of a one Gd. A famine forces the first Jew to depart for Egypt, where beautiful Sarai is taken to Pharaohs palace; Abram escapes death because they present themselves as brother and sister. A plague prevents the Egyptian king from touching her, and convinces him to return her to Abram and to compensate the brother-revealed-as-husband with gold, silver and cattle. Back in the land of Canaan, Lot separates from Abram and settles in the evil city of Sodom, where he falls captive when the mighty armies of Chedorlaomer and his three allies conquer the five cities of the Sodom Valley. Abram sets out with a small band to rescue his nephew, defeats the four kings, and is blessed by Malki-Zedek the king of Salem (Jerusalem). G-d seals the Covenant Between the Parts with Abram, in which the exile and persecution (galut) of the people of Israel is foretold, and the Holy Land is bequeathed to them as their eternal heritage. Still childless ten years after their arrival in the Land, Sarai tells Abram to marry her maidservant Hagar. Hagar conceives, becomes insolent toward her mistress, and then flees when Sarai treats her harshly; an angel convinces her to return, and tells her that her son will father a populous nation. Ishmael is born in Abrams eighty-sixth year. Thirteen years later, Gd changes Abrams name to Abraham (father of multitudes), and Sarais to Sarah (princess), and promises that a son will be born to them; from this child, whom they should call Isaac (will laugh), will stem the great nation with which Gd will establish His special bond. Abraham is commanded to circumcise himself and his descendants as a sign of the covenant between Me and you. Abraham immediately complies, circumcising himself and all the males of his household.

The Jew is bound with a covenant engraved deep beneath his conscious self, even on his very flesh: a timeless bond Gd established with his father Abraham. Long before he could be self-aware, his mother and father brought him into this covenant through circumcision. When? The brit (covenant of circumcision) must be performed by an expert, Torah-observant mohel. Several days after birth, the mohel inspects the infants state of health. If all is well, the brit must be performed on the eighth day of the boys life, anytime during daytime hoursthe earlier the better. Otherwise, the brit must be postponed. Remember, the Jewish date begins and ends at nightfall. Consult with a rabbi if the child was born between sunset and dark. The brit is held even on a Shabbat, holiday or fast day. This is not the case, however, or if the brit was postponed, or if the child was born via C-section. Missed out? Its never too late. There are mohels specially trained to circumcise adults (anesthetics included). A brit is a joyous event. The custom is not to invite people, but to notify them of the time and place. The infant is brought in and placed on a designated Seat ofElijah the Prophetwho, according to tradition, attends every brit. The mohel recites the blessing and performs the circumcision on the baby, who lies in the lap of the sandak (considered a prestigious honor). The father then recites his own blessing, thanking Gd for this special mitzvah. A prayer is recited introducing the boys Jewish name. And then, in fine Jewish tradition, we eat. On the Friday night after the boy's birth, a special celebration, a shalom zachar, is held. The father traditionally remains awake the night prior to the brit, studyingTorah and reciting selected passages of the Zohar. In recent times, medical science has proven circumcision to be a highly effective measure against many diseases.

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