The track record does not look good! Between the years 250 C.E. and 1948 ― a period of 1,700 years ― Jews in Europe experienced an average of one expulsion every 21 years. Jews were expelled from England, France, Austria, Germany, Lithuania, Spain, Portugal, Bohemia, Moravia and 71 other countries!
As we are all too aware Jews have spent vast amounts of our history in foreign lands. How do we go about fostering the correct relationships with our host country? What is the Torah outlook?
There is a dictum that says, “the actions of the forefathers is a forbearer of what the children will experience”. Or as one Rabbi so eloquently put it, “Jewish History is Jewish Destiny!” With this in mind Rav Hirsch beautifully shows us how the behaviour of Avraham amongst his non-Jewish neighbours in this weeks Parshah is a prototype of Jewish existence in Galut – exile.
We read in this week’s Parshah how Avraham and Lot part ways – Lot chooses to go and live in the then fertile land of Sodom whereas Avraham settles in the Plains of Mammre. We read regarding Avraham: “and he dwelt in the plains of Mamre, the Amorite, the brother of Eshkol and the brother of Aner who were ‘masters of a covenant’ with Avraham”.
Rav Hirsch comments; “Not that Avraham took them in his sphere of fellowship, but Aner, Eshkol and Mamre took him into theirs. They were the ‘master’, the instigators and the owners of the covenant, he was the stranger, they were at home”.
“This whole behaviour of Avraham could serve as a model to Avraham’s offspring for all the time as long as they find themselves in a strange land. The Jew remains a Jew, in no way disturbing the peaceful strange conditions he finds; he is to develop and arrange his own Jewish conditions of life in such a way that the others want to draw him into their circle of friends, not the reverse…… Avraham did not purchase this alliance relationship by stripping himself of his calling”.
We know that Avraham was referred to as Avraham Ha’Ivri – The Hebrew. This term ’Ivri’ is from the root ’Ever’ meaning “the other side”. Whilst the whole world was on one side theologically, Avraham was considered to be on the other side. He went against the tide and preached monotheism.
When is Avraham first referred to as ‘the Hebrew’? In our very verse that describes Avraham dwelling amongst the ’masters of the covenant’ – Aner, Eshkol and Mamre. According to Rav Hirsch’s explanation we can readily understand that precisely at the point when we are told how Avraham interacted when living amongst strangers we are also reminded that he was ‘Ha’Ivri’ – ‘on the other side’.
The Medresh explains how as Jews our exile is different from anyone else’s exile. When a Frenchman for example is forced to relocate to England – once he arrives in England he starts to blend in, he’ll get an English passport, his kids will be born Englishmen. After several generations there will be no longer a trace of the fact that he’s from France, he’s a born bred n’ buttered Englishman. His exile has finished! By us however, whatever country we end up in we remain Jews, and if we begin to forget this then those around us will sooner or later remind us G-d forbid.
“The Jew remains a Jew” – no matter where we go we are always ‘Hebrews’ we don’t just go with the flow and become an Englishman, a Frenchman etc. Yes we make alliances with the non Jews around us but we let them instigate, let them be the owners of any pacts.
When Jonah is challenged by the sailors amidst the storm which is rocking the boat, “From where do you come? What is your land? And of what people are you?” he answers to all of the above, “I am a Hebrew [Ivri] and I fear Hashem”. I haven’t just blended into society I remain a Jew and hence I am ‘on the other side’.
Good Shabbos
Yaakov