Our search to uncover what was so special
about Abraham concludes with God. In the whole Torah,
the only person that God explains His care for is Abraham.
God says:

"I know him because he encourages his children and household after him that they cherish the path of God to do righteousness and justice..." (Genesis 18:19)

This phrase is extraordinary. "the path of God" implies commandments, e.g. keeping Shabbat, keeping Kosher, Synagogue etc., but "righteousness and justice" implies morality, fairness, honesty and being a good person. Surely they are different? God says the opposite. One is the other. People think religion is about prayer and fasting and delving into the spiritual world, but Judaism says otherwise. The path of God leads us into the world, not away from it. Giving charity and caring for the needy is not just doing what God wants, it is acting in a Godlike way. Thus the most casual everyday acts of kindness can become ways of imitating and so coming close to God. The path of God really is to do righteousness and justice.

This is what Abraham realised. Kindness means not only giving people food to eat but also food for thought. Caring for people means helping them emotionally and mentally as well as physically. Truly inspiring leaders don't only speak well, their lives are exemplary. They care for the whole person, body and soul. God saw this in Abraham and that is why He built a special relationship - a covenant - with him. God is obliged to care for the Jewish people and we are obliged to care for God and His laws. These are the terms of the covenant.

The Abraham identity

Jewish identity is the ongoing covenant that God forged with Abraham. A commitment to honesty and justice which is displayed through our tradition. The mitzvot (commandments) we perform as Jews are the way in which we express this covenant. Jewish identity is not about skin colour, dress code, social status, mindless happiness or blindly following someone or something. It is about a commitment to building good relationships with people and with our Creator.

Why circumcise?

The circumcision ceremony is called a "brit milah" which
literally means "the covenant of circumcision". The
reproductive organ, which is the means for continuing
life itself, is how Jewish males are brought into the covenant
with God. At a circumcision, immediately after the mohel (licensed circumcisor) has performed the mitzvah, the father of the eight day old boy says the following blessing:

Blessed are You - the Lord our God, King of the Universe, who... has commanded us to bring our son into the covenant of Abraham, our father.

Circumcision dates back to Abraham (Genesis 17:9-12) when God made His covenant with him. To this day nearly all Jewish families make sure their sons are circumcised. At various times in history, enemies of the Jews have attempted to prohibit circumcision, but Jews have always insisted on the bodily sign that defines our covenant with God.

Identity Today

Abraham's legacy to us can be felt in a series of self directed questions: Who am I? Where do I come from? What do I believe in? What am I committed to? What are my obligations to my family, my people, my world, my God? By sincerely looking for answers to these questions - through education and action - we discover the identity of Abraham, the path of God and the key to our innermost selves.

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