For the past ten weeks we have been reading the stories of the Patriarchs and their faltering steps in the 18th century BCE, at the time of the birth of our nation. The story of Abraham tells of his spectacular rise to fame in the midst of a pagan civilization. For the first time in the annals of mankind, He proclaimed his faith in a single God. Isaac followed him. He became famous because he was prepared to be offered up as a sacrifice on the altar. He distinguished himself by preserving and keeping the tradition of his father intact and by passing it on in its entirety to his son. Jacob maintained the illustrious contributions of his father and grandfather by laying the foundations for the development of our entire people. He saw his small family of 70 people becoming a nation.
Our ancient Rabbis never saw the stories about our patriarchs as mere biographical narratives. They interpreted all their experiences as ‘signposts’ for every generation. They said that that which happened to our patriarchs happens to us in a similar way. The patriarchs accompany us every day. We mention them in the opening words of our most important prayer, the Amida. We recite: “our God and the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Why don’t we say the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob? Why the repetition? Because our rabbis believed that each of the patriarchs discovered and worshipped God in his own unique way.
In other words, each of the three patriarchs represents a special ideal, an individual quality which is not found in the other two. Each one of them made their own separate and unique contribution to our faith. What did Abraham contribute? What ideal does he represent? Abraham brought an exploratory attitude and a restless, inquisitive mind to our faith. When he turned his back upon the idols of his age, he stood alone. He was very brave. He rejected the doctrines of his own father. According to our rabbis, this was at a great risk to his life because Nimrod, the king of Ur, persecuted him for his belief. He cast him into a furnace from which he was saved through a miracle. No one was at Abram’s side when he made his religious discoveries. Our ancient Rabbis say that he was an Ivri, a Hebrew, in the sense that he was on the other side. EVER means one side. His was a uniquely personal search. He was an original thinker. He refused to accept received wisdom. He asked questions and went off on his own to the fields to think and to seek new answers. He was determined to reach his own conclusions. At the end of a long search, he came to the conclusion that this universe has only one God.
Our rabbis teach us to emulate Abraham and set out to search for life’s meaning in a similar way. It should be an individual enterprise. We should not rely only on what others tell us. We should develop a curiosity to discover more and more about Judaism and in doing so create our own interpretations. This is what people do in Yeshivot and seminaries and other higher places of learning. We don’t have to be revolutionaries, like Abraham. He has laid the foundations But there is a lot that we can add to the knowledge of Torah if we study it in depth. This is the reason that the Amidah begins with the word Elokeinu, which means our God. Before we invoke the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, we must try to discover aspects of our faith by ourselves.
By contrast, Isaac did not make new discoveries. He preserved a tradition; he held on to it; he received it and he was loyal to it. He was a remarkably obedient and respectful son. His commitment to his father’s teachings was extraordinary. Twice in the story of the Akeida, the Torah emphasises that he walked, for three days, side-by-side with his father. This is one of the greatest sentences in the Bible. He didn’t even know where he was going to and for what purpose. He had an amazing loyalty to his father. His obedience reached its peak in the one moment when his father placed him and bound him on the altar on Mount Moriah. This act of obedience and self-sacrifice has inspired countless generations of Jews, because obedience is at the very heart of our religious living. Isaac taught us that our faith has to have its roots in our sacred traditions. Without respect for tradition, there is no religion at all. We cannot obey God, by making up our own rules. When we fashion Judaism according to our own wishes and fashions, rejecting the interpretations of the Torah which our rabbis offered over countless generations, we end up being a secular community as opposed to a religious community, interested in supporting and helping other members but far less interested in worshipping God.
Isaac teaches us a most important ideal. In a world of constant change, where new fashions are sought constantly, Isaac stands for something immutable. He was the son of Abraham and the father of Jacob. He kept the chain that was handed to him. We call it SHALSHELET HAKKABALAH. The tradition did not break with him. He emphasised that there is a continuity that binds the generations together; there is a bond that links us, although our outer environment differs from that of our parents and previous generations. It is advantageous and beneficial to be able to enjoy something which has existed for thousands of years. It is good to trust our tradition. It brings stability to our lives. Our children grow up knowing what to believe and able to distinguish right from wrong. If everything changes all the time, then he whole of society disintegrates and crumbles into darkness.
A famous Canadian Rabbi, Morris Adler, put it beautifully: “Isaac said: It is important to move along with life and appreciate its constant movement, but it is also important to say, “Here I stand. These are my principles. This is my tradition. From it I shall not swerve, from it I shall not stoop, I shall not bend.”
Jacob came after Isaac. Jacob’s life was different again. He was not an original thinker, like Abraham and he did not live a calm life, like Isaac. His life was a turbulent life. He learnt through experience. His courage was tested many times. He had to learn to stand up for himself and for his faith several times. In his childhood he had to endure a serious conflict with his brother and was forced to use dubious means to receive the blessing which he deserved. As a result, he had to flee from home and leave his parents for many years. He came to his uncle Laban’s home. He worked tirelessly for 20 years. However, Laban was a crafty employer who cheated him many times. The whole atmosphere in Laban home was a severe test of faith. Laban’s children were jealous of him. He experienced what we would nowadays call antisemitism. Yet, he succeeded in building his family and after terrible tragedies he emerged triumphant. He lived in Egypt for 17 years. All his children loved him and listened to what he had to say. He commanded their respect. They obeyed him without question. His status as a father was extraordinarily high. Before he died he blessed all of them and prophesied their future. He also became one of the most respected leaders in Egypt. At his funeral, The whole Egyptian nation mourned for him for 70 days. Because of his leadership qualities, he transformed his family of 12 sons into a nation, which has survived for more than 3000 years. Jacob bequeathed to us the qualities of hard work, determination, obstinacy, ingenuity and tremendous courage to overcome the many challenges which we have always faced as a nation.
We need all these three elements in our Jewish life. The God of Abraham reminds us of the need for a serious Judaism, with its profound intellectual disciplines. The God of Isaac reminds us of the importance of preserving and practicing our sacred tradition. And the God of Jacob reminds us of the need to believe in and fight for our rights.
May the three great forefathers, to whom we say goodbye this morning, continue to inspire us and give us the strength to live as Jews with pride. Let us be strong and strengthen each other. CHAZAK CHAZAK VENITCHAZEK
Based on a sermon by Rabbi Morris Adler.