The news has rolled in that after yet again another Israeli election, Bibi Netanyahu will become the Israeli Prime Minister, and a far-right coalition will soon take over the Knesset. The extremist ideologies of some in this coalition challenge my notion of what Israel can be for the Jewish people and the entire world. I think of Israel’s potential through the lens of expansiveness: open, inclusive, embracing.
This week we read Parshat Lech Lecha, and it describes Avram and Sarai leaving their lives behind to start a new path towards Canaan, their promised land. The Torah describes Avram hearing a call, and answering that call necessitated hope, risk, and dedication to its future. Avram and Sarai were asked to start a new nation and to be separate from the world but also to deeply be a part of it. They were asked to open their tent to outsiders, folks different from them, but they were also meant to maintain their own distinct character. God blessed them precisely so that they would be a blessing to others.
Within our dedication to Israel and her future, we too need to maintain a distinct character and also be open to others outside of our identities. We must open the doors of our tents wide and also know that the tent has walls. Maintaining this balance, living inside of these contradictions, is the spiritual struggle that we inherit and the one we must constantly navigate. Avram and Sarai eventually had their names changed to Avraham and Sarah, incorporating more Divinity into their names. Operating with expansiveness, they were able to feel the blessings God gave them so that they could be a blessing to others. But we must remember that we can only be a blessing to others if we engage with them deeply and meaningfully. If we welcome them inside and show them the beauty of our tent, they will be blessed through us.
This is our legacy to inherit. These are the ancestors that we learn from and that we are asked to emulate in this way. I remain committed to Israel, as I am to our own country, regardless of what happens on Tuesday in our own elections. The vision that drives me, the vision that I inherit from Avraham Avinu, from Abraham our Father, is one of being a blessing.
I hope and pray that these are the values that drive the leaders of Israel. I hope and pray that they, too, think about the expansiveness that animated our ancestors, and I hope and pray that they too, will be a blessing to others.
