Covenant & Conversation

Abraham, father of monotheism, knew the paradoxical truth that to live the life of faith is to see the trace of G‑d in the face of the stranger. It is easy to receive the Divine Presence when G‑d appears as G‑d. What is difficult is to sense the Divine Presence when it comes disguised as three anonymous passers-by.

Abraham was chosen to be a parental role model. But how can a man who banished his son Ishmael, sending him off with his mother Hagar into the desert, where they nearly died, be thought of as an exemplary father? And how could a man who was willing to sacrifice his son Isaac be a model for future generations?

Throughout history, Jews were called on to value children. Our entire value system is built on it.

Faced with a choice between listening to G‑d, and offering hospitality to human beings, Abraham chose the latter.

The early history of humanity as told in the Torah is a series of disappointments. G‑d gives human beings freedom, which they then misuse.