Rabbi's Musings

The following is included in this week’s Jewish Herald Voice:

Soon we will be reading about Abraham and his calling by God to enter into a sacred covenant with God. But why does God call Abraham? Why does God choose Abraham?
My favorite rabbinical interpretation of the Torah seeks to answer why God called Abraham. It turns out the call of Abram is the call to Abram.

The Lord said to Abram: Go forth from your country…. (Gen. 12:1) This may be compared to a man who was traveling from place to place, when he saw a birah burning. (I will explain what this is in a moment.) He said, "Might you say that the birah is without a leader?" The owner of the birah looked out at him and said, "I am the owner of the birah."

Similarly, because our father Abraham had said, "Might you say that the world is without a leader?" the Holy One, blessed be He, looked out at him and said, "I am the owner of the world."

For the ancient rabbis a birah was a tenement with an absentee landlord. A firetrap. A sign of disregard, of contempt for the poor.
So, the question asked is:
Does God care about the world? And if God is the owner maybe God is helpless to fight injustice alone.
God needs us.
Abraham was the first person to ask God if God cares about the world.
God’s answer was yes, but I need your help. In the parable, God is the owner of the building on fire. He is in the building. He needs our help to save the building, to save the world.
Abraham steps up to help.
The call of Abraham is the call to Abraham.
And as Abraham’s descendants we are also called.
The New Year reminds us we are each called to make a difference, to bring justice, tolerance, and compassion to a world on fire. God is calling. Will we answer?