Every visit to Israel is special, but this one was extraordinary.
I had never traveled through Israel with committed Christians before, and when that was the purpose of their visit. It was like experiencing a completely new dimension of someone you already love with all of your heart.
I learned a great deal about the New Testament, and the Christian holy sites; I experienced the joy of Christians from a variety of denominations, in their encounters with the Holy Land; and I found new beauty in familiar landscapes.
I was also present in Israel -- again -- for another event of profound strategic importance, in this case the Hezbollah attack on Majdal Shams and the Israeli response. Hard to believe that just a day later, I was on the coast of California.
I miss the trip already. I also missed my family, and wish I had been here for all of their adventures at home. There is much to do now -- to savor the end of the summer, and work toward a successful book launch and momentous election.
This week’s portion launches the great story of Abraham, who is told to leave everything of his life behind — except his immediate family — and to leave for “the Land that I shall show you.”
There’s something interesting in the fact that Abraham is told to leave his father’s house, as if breaking away from his father’s life — but his father, in fact, began the journey, moving from Ur to Haran (in last week’s portion). His father set a positive example — why should Abraham leave him?
Some obvious answers suggest themselves — adulthood, needing to make one’s own choices, his father not going far enough, etc.
But I think there is another answer. Abraham (known for the moment as Abram) needs to establish his own household. This is not just about making one’s own choice, but really about choosing one’s own starting point. It’s starting over.
Sometimes we start over in fundamental ways even if much that surrounds us remains the same. Sometimes the journey we have to ...
The story of Noah is familiar; the details, less so.
Noah is often seen as an ambivalent figure. He was righteous -- but only for his generation. What was his deficiency?
One answer suggests itself: knowing that the world was about to be flooded, he built an Ark for the animals and for his own family -- but did not try to save anyone else or to convince them to repent and change their ways (the prophet Jonah, later, would share that reluctance).
Abraham, later, would set himself apart by arguing with God -- with the Lord Himself! -- against the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, saying that they should be saved if there were enough righteous people to be found (there were not).
Still, Noah was good enough -- and sometimes, that really is sufficient to save the world. We don't need heroes every time -- just ordinary decency.
Hi all -- as I noted last month, I'm going to be closing down my Locals page, at least for tips and subscriptions -- I may keep the page up and the posts as well, but I'm no longer going to be accepting any kind of payment.
Look for cancelation in the very near future. Thank you for your support!
