The Philosopher

Rejecting the beliefs of those around him, Abraham
began his philosophical search. Maimonides describes
how Abraham developed his own unique path:

"...When he was still a child he began to explore in his mind; he began to reason day and night, and to wonder... he had no mentor, no source of information, and was floundering in Ur - worshipping with them while his heart probed for insight - until at last he discovered the course of truth... using his own awareness. He knew then that there was One God... At forty he came to full awareness of God, and when he became conscious and knew, he began to debate the people of Ur, and to have discussion forums... He smashed icons and began to influence people from city to city and from nation to nation ...teaching every individual on his own level... He wrote books ...commanded his children to maintain his teachings..." (Laws concerning idolatry 1:1-3)

This is one explanation of why God began with Abraham: God chose him because he had chosen God! In other words, God did not want a follower, he wanted a leader. Noah had only followed God's word, but Abraham did more. He encouraged others to follow God's word and occasionally even challenged it.

The Chosen People

In the musical "A Fiddler on the Roof", Tevye, a poor Jewish milkman in dire straits looks up to heaven and says: "I know we're the chosen people, but just for once couldn't you chose someone else?!" This brilliantly explains what it means to be chosen. Choseness means that more is expected of us, that we are judged by stricter standards. In no way does this make us better than non-Jews, how could it? God chose Abraham and his descendants for a specific task: to live by a demanding code and be faithful to it throughout history. This covenant is a weighty responsibility which the historian Paul Johnson grandly sums up:

"No people has ever insisted more firmly than the Jews that history has a purpose and humanity a destiny. At a very early stage in their collective existence they believed they had detected a divine scheme for the human race, of which their society was to be a pilot. They worked out their role in immense detail. They clung to it with heroic persistence in the face of savage suffering...The Jews, therefore stand right at the centre of the perennial attempt to give human life the dignity of a purpose."

A choice command

This final point is seriously deep, but is truly precious when it is understood... The first phrase God ever communicated to Abraham was "Lech-lecha" which literally means "Go-for-yourself" (Genesis 12:1) God's first command to Abraham was to go to a land that He had promised for him and his descendants. But there was one condition: for-yourself implies that Abraham had to want to go, he had to choose to go. But how can you command free choice? Go because you are commanded to or go because you desire to - how can you have it both ways?

The answer is that you cannot. Personal motivation must come before obeying a command. Divine will must always encounter a pre-existing human will. This perspective is fundamental to being Jewish. We do not nullify our will before God and, conversely, we do not ignore God's will. Jews are obliged to understand and value the word of God so that they are themselves motivated to follow it. Fierce independence must pre-empt an acceptance of Jewish tradition. It is a difficult combination to achieve. Go-for-yourself means that a Jew must avoid selflessness as well as selfishness and steer a clear path to self awareness. Think about it.

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