Printer Friendly

Email to A Friend

Friday October 19, 2007

Change? At your age? Consider it a blessing

by rabbi larry raphael

Lech Lecha

Genesis 12:1-17:27

Isaiah 40:27-41:16

There is a story told about Chaim Weitzman, a leader of the early Zionist movement who lived to become the first president of Israel. Weitzman, born in the village of Motel, in Russia, somehow made his way from Russia to England and from cheder to the laboratory and became a distinguished scientist.

At one point, a member of the English diplomatic corps took a liking to him, and said: “Weitzman don’t you realize that this idea of yours that Palestine can become a Jewish state is ridiculous? The land is desert that has been neglected for centuries. The Arabs are hostile, and there is no way that they are going to let you have a state there. The Middle East is a primitive part of the world, and there is no way you can hope to create a modern western society there. I am telling you, Weitzman, that you have to be crazy to be a Zionist.”

Weitzman answered: “You don’t HAVE to be crazy to be a Zionist — but it certainly helps.”

There is another dreamer who is part of our tradition and that is Abraham. Our Torah portion this week opens with God appearing to Abraham and saying: “Leave your land, your birthplace, your parents’ home, and follow me to a land that I will show you.”

And Abraham goes? With no idea of where or why he is going, Abraham hears God’s call, and he goes?

Abraham was no youngster when he received the call. The Torah says he was 75. He was at an age when most people are cautious and careful with their investments. And yet he gets a call — and he goes? What would have happened if Abraham hadn’t gone? What if he had decided to stay where he was and live out his retirement years instead of going off to a new land, with no idea of what awaited him there?

He would have remained in Ur of the Chaldees, and been forgotten. The history of Western religion might have been totally different if Abraham had played it safe and not gone on that fateful journey.

There are times in our lives each of us is faced with the same choice as Abraham. There are times in our lives when we stand at a crossroads and ask, should we or shouldn’t we? Should we play it safe or should we risk?

Perhaps it was easier for Abraham because he literally believed he heard God calling him. But even for him, the decision was surely not easy. And it surely is not easy for us.

By the same token, if we heard God speaking to us we might feel like Abraham.

But for most of us it is less clear.

But choose we sometimes must. We cannot stand at the crossroads forever. Not to decide is a decision. So each of us hungers for some guidance, some sign, some wisdom that will help with the choices and decisions we face. We know that risk can sometimes be foolhardy, yet caution can sometimes be crippling.

So how do we know which to choose? How do we know when to do what Abraham did and decide to go into an unknown future, and how do we know when to play it safe?

It’s not always wise to play it safe. Sometimes it might be the most dangerous thing we can do. It takes courage to do what we have never done before, and do things that are hard for us, and go where we have never gone. But if we always do what we have always done, then we will always get what we have always gotten.

Perhaps that is why the Hebrew of the opening words of this Torah portion are not just lech (go), but lech lecha (take yourself).

God does not merely say: go.

God says: Go for your own sake, because when we risk, when we make a commitment without waiting for guarantees, we discover ourselves. We discover who we really are, and what we really stand for, and what we value the most.

Every journey begins with an act of faith, and I think each stage of that journey is an act of faith. May we have the courage of Abraham, and Weizman, and many others to make decisions that take us into the unknown, just as they did.

And may these journeys, like theirs, be the beginning of many blessings.

Rabbi Larry Raphael is the senior rabbi of Congregation Sherith Israel in San Francisco.

Did you find this article interesting? Subscribe to our FREE newsletter and you'll be notified each week when "J." goes online. We'll tell you about the most important stories of the week and give you a link to each one.

This page contains a BETA version of Amazon contextual links. They are marked by the dashed underline.  Your purchases support our site. At times they point to items which are not related to the actual link. Please alert us by email if you discover objectionable links.