Miller's Musings Parshas Lech Lecho: The World on Fire

The path that Avrohom took from son of a pagan idol merchant to the father of monotheism and pioneer of all modern religions, was one that would literally change the world.  The Medrash on our Parsha depicts a towering inferno of fire engulfing a citadel and an onlooker declaring that there must someone responsible for this edifice, which promptly leads its proprietor to declare his ownership.  So too, we are told, Avrohom looked at the world and understood the absolute necessity of their being an architect of such a magnificent creation.  Our sages tell us that Avrohom’s awakening to the reality of there being only one true G-d happened at an astoundingly young age, some saying at eight whilst others maintaining it occurred when he was only three.  It seems surprising therefore, that the Midrash would choose this particular point, when Avrohom is already seventy five, to tell us the analogy of how he came to this realization

Of all the most basic tenets of Judaism, perhaps the most fundamental to our faith, is our understanding of G-d’s role with regard to the world we inhabit.  In essence this relationship is in fact twofold; one as the Creator and the other as the one who maintains and guides the world according to His desire and ultimate plan for mankind.  Avrohom’s discovery at the tender age of three or eight, was of there being a Creator of our existence, but it was only at the age of seventy five that he fully grasped that despite the world being aflame with immorality and the rejection of its chosen purpose, there is still a G-d guiding the course of history and engineering the occurrence of all that transpires so as to achieve His master-plan. 

The world can be a confusing place.  As soon as you think you have it all figured out, events can occur that show you that everything you believed to be incontrovertible truths are simply not as you thought them to be. In the blink of an eye it can change from relative calm to being ablaze with confusion and despair.  It is at this point that we are reminded how little we are truly in control of much of our fate and it is at these times that we must pause to remind ourselves Who is really in charge.  In truth we don’t need to wait for moments in history to compel us in this way for we have just such a reminder every Shabbos when we are enjoined to remember how G-d rested from His Creating and are directed to stop all our worldly pursuits, allowing ourselves to consider Who truly directs our fortunes.  When the values we thought were sacrosanct seem to fall by the wayside and the world as we perceived it is not reflected in the realities we face, it is time to remember the eternal message of Shabbos, that ultimately everything is in the hands of our Creator and it is only in G-d we trust.    

*May the meaning of Shabbos live within us always*

לעילוי נשמת לאה בת אברהם