This week in Torah we meet Avram and Sarai, who will later become Abraham and Sarah. As we see their journey unfold we also see their humanness. We see worry emerge and faith wax and wane as a couple suffers with infertility. We watch relationships dissolve over jealousy, and we leaders lie and mistreat others.
This parsha is celebrated as the birth of the Jewish people. Its first words – lech l’cha – (“you go forth” or “go to yourself”) encourage us to be willing to both reflectively go into ourselves and to have faith to move forward.
Yet, it is also the parsha where Sarai and Avram struggle with infertility and where Sarai’s handmaiden Hagar is cast out with her young son, Ishmael, when Sarai’s pain at not having a child of her own overwhelms her. It is where Avram lies to leaders about his relationship with Sarai, calling her his sister and not his wife, allowing others the opportunity to take her to their bedrooms.
These were all acts of humans making decisions in the midst of pain and struggle. Reading of these behaviors in hindsight it is easy to say “we would never do that.” Yet, if we lech lecha – look into ourselves, is that really true? Can we honestly say we have never lied or sacrificed another’s reputation for our own benefit or what we saw as the greater good? Have we ever ignored the needs of others as we met our own?
We know the end of the story of Avram and Sarai. Their willingness to take great risks and leave the comfort of the place they knew laid the groundwork for monotheism and Judaism. Yet, there is no denying that sometimes they treated others less than admirably. In showing their missteps we learn that our ancestors are as human as we are. They, and we, make mistakes and take missteps even as they pick themselves up and move forward.
Although I know the outcome, as we approach this parsha each year I find myself pondering the same question – does the end justify the means?
The answer I have come to is this: just as Torah offers us guidance in how to behave, it also offers opportunities to learn from the missteps of others. There is much to learn from this parsha.
We are reminded to take risks and stretch beyond our comfort zone. We should try to listen, as Avram did, to all that is around us to find inspiration and strength.
We should also remember that we need to treat others with respect and ensure no one is cast off and ignored. At the end of the day we should always feel that our actions served to elevate others instead of pushing them down.
May our days be filled with steps that keep the interests of others at the center, strengthen relationships and move a community forward. When that happens, the end will always justify the means.
Prior to her position with the Grinspoon Foundation, Iris served as a synagogue educator in Syracuse NY, the Central New York PJ Library Program Coordinator and as a national consultant for PJ Library.
Iris holds a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood, Elementary, and Special Education, a master’s degree in Special Education and Reading, and Advanced Certification in School Leadership and Administration. Her experience as a secular educator and educational leader in congregational and community settings spans over 20 years. She is also a lay leader in Jewish organizations on the local and national levels. Iris served as the President of CAJE – the Coalition for the Advancement of Jewish Education, which was the largest member organization for Jewish educators in the country.
- May My (and Your) Yom Kippur Be Filled Meaning - October 3, 2014
- We All Are Standing Here.. Now What Will You Do? - September 19, 2014
- ‘Tis the Season of Transitions - September 12, 2014