בס”ד
A THOUGHT ABOUT PARSHAT LECH LECHA 5785
| 2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and be thou a blessing. | וְאֶעֶשְׂךָ, לְגוֹי גָּדוֹל, וַאֲבָרֶכְךָ, וַאֲגַדְּלָה שְׁמֶךָ; וֶהְיֵה, בְּרָכָה |
| 3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and him that curseth thee will I curse; and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed.’ | וַאֲבָרְכָה, מְבָרְכֶיךָ, וּמְקַלֶּלְךָ, אָאֹר; וְנִבְרְכוּ בְךָ, כֹּל מִשְׁפְּחֹת הָאֲדָמָה. |
Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said with regard to G-d’s blessing of Avraham: “And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing” (Genesis 12:2). “And I will make of you a great nation”; this is fulfilled in the opening of the first blessing of the Amida, as Jews say: G-d of Abraham. “And I will bless you”; this is fulfilled when they say: G-d of Isaac, as it is a blessing for a father when the name of his son is eternalized. “And I will make your name great”; this is fulfilled when they say: G-d of Jacob. One might have thought that Jews should conclude the first blessing of the Amida prayer with the names of all the forefathers; therefore the verse states: “And you will be a blessing” i.e., with you, Avraham, they will conclude the blessing, and they will not conclude with a mention of all of the forefathers. This is why the first blessing of the Amida prayer ends: Shield of Avraham.1
We see the following connected together:
| A great nation | Abraham |
| And I will bless you | Isaac |
| I will make your name great | Jacob |
| And you shall be a blessing. | Abraham – Shield of Abraham |
Many non-Jews may not be familiar with the Amida prayer, so I’ve included here the first blessing (bracha) of this prayer:
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ד’ אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ וֵאלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵֽינוּ אֱלֹהֵי אַבְרָהָם אֱלֹהֵי יִצְחָק וֵאלֹהֵי יַעֲקֹב הָאֵל הַגָּדוֹל הַגִּבּוֹר וְהַנּוֹרָא אֵל עֶלְיוֹן גּוֹמֵל חֲסָדִים טוֹבִים וְקוֹנֵה הַכֹּל וְזוֹכֵר חַסְדֵי אָבוֹת וּמֵבִיא גוֹאֵל לִבְנֵי בְנֵיהֶם לְמַֽעַן שְׁמוֹ בְּאַהֲבָה:
“Blessed are You, A-donoy, our G-d and the G-d of our fathers, the G-d of Abraham, the G-d of Isaac, and the G-d of Jacob; the Almighty, the Great, the Powerful, the Awesome, most high Almighty, Who bestows beneficent kindness, Who possesses everything, Who remembers the piety of the Patriarchs, and Who brings a redeemer to their children’s children, for the sake of His Name, with love.”
The chatima2 of the bracha reads:
מֶֽלֶךְ עוֹזֵר וּמוֹשִֽׁיעַ וּמָגֵן: בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ד’ מָגֵן אַבְרָהָם:
“King, Helper, Deliverer, and Shield. Blessed are You, A-donai, Shield of Abraham.”
This leads to the question: why does it conclude with “Shield of Abraham” rather than mentioning all three of the Jewish Patriarchs?
Let’s zoom in a bit on the attributes of these three Jewish patriarchs. The sagas tell us that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, embodied the three attributes of loving/kindness- benevolence (chesed in Hebrew), severity-restraint (gevurah in Hebrew) and harmony- truth (tiferet in Hebrew).3
Let’s supplement our table with this.
| A great nation | Abraham | Loving-kindness (Chesed) |
| And I will bless you | Isaak | Severity-restraint (Gevurah) |
| I will make your name great | Jacob | Harmony-truth (Tiferet) |
| And you shall be a blessing | Abraham – Shield of Abraham |
Let’s zoom in on Abraham.
Abraham’s love for G-d was so strong that he confidently left his native land, his father’s house, to go to a land he knew nothing about. His generosity to the people was extraordinary. He gave people Loving-Kindness (chesed) wherever he could. A Loving-Kindness that went above and beyond the natural. Abraham’s soul, his entire being, his entire existence was Loving-Kindness. Not as it is sometimes with us, because we want to help others and give to charity, but this is frequently motivated by the reward we consciously or unconsciously gain for doing so. It makes us feel good, people respond positively to it, you get a compliment, and so on. Abraham’s Loving-Kindness had nothing to do with this; he did it simply out of love for G-d, knowing that G-d had ordered him to do so, for one of the attributes of G-d is chesed and man must be in the image of G-d.
Let’s zoom in on the word chesed.
As we saw, the Hebrew word for Loving-Kindnessis chesed. It denotes the unbounded Loving-Kindness with which G-d created the worlds and with which all of creation is permeated, as the verse states in Psalms 89:3
| The world was built with chesed4 | ג עוֹלָם, חֶסֶד יִבָּנֶה; |
Loving-Kindness is the foundation of our world. It was the reason G-d created the world, so that He could offer His Loving-Kindness to it. The sages teach that the world was created for the sake of Abraham. Because Abraham was the first to openly recognize G-d as King of the world and, following suit, spread Loving-Kindness in the world…… G-d created the world with Loving-Kindness so that Abraham, and in his footstep’s mankind, would give Loving-Kindness to others.
A great rabbi said: a day without kindness is a day not lived. That resulted in him not going to bed before performing an act of Loving-Kindnesson the day.
G-d’s Loving-Kindness keeps us alive every day and provides us with all we require, but it is also the reason we live. Our task is to give chesed to others; otherwise, the day is a waste.
This Psalm says that “chesed” is the foundation of the world, which begs the question why, in Pirkei Avot 1:2, by Shimon the Righteous, says that the foundation of the world is Torah, Avoda and Chesed?
We have already seen that Abraham is associated with Loving-Kindness, dedicating his life to unconditional love, hospitality, and giving to others without limits.
Isaac, on the other hand, embodied Strength and Discipline (gevurah). His great awe of G-d and exacting self-discipline were expressed in his willingness to give his life when G-d asked, as seen in the Akedah (the Binding of Isaac). His Spiritual Service (avoda in Hebrew) was marked by self-control and the setting of boundaries, a core aspect of Strengt and Discipline.
Jacob is connected to Harmony and Truth (tiferet in Hebrew), the attribute of balancing Loving-Kindness and Strength and Discipline. He had the ability to integrate these opposing forces within his soul into a cohesive whole. Jacob, described as a “wholesome man” (tam), was dedicated to the study of Torah, as the verse states in Genesis 25:27
| 27 And the boys grew; and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a simple man, dwelling in tents.5 | כז וַיִּגְדְּלוּ, הַנְּעָרִים, וַיְהִי עֵשָׂו אִישׁ יֹדֵעַ צַיִד, אִישׁ שָׂדֶה; וְיַעֲקֹב אִישׁ תָּם, יֹשֵׁב אֹהָלִים. |
Jacob’s Harmony and Truth reflects his ability to create Harmony, Balancing Isaac’s Strength with Abraham’s Kindness. This makes him a symbol of Balance and Truth. These attributes of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob can now be seen in the table.
| A great nation | Abraham | Loving-Kindness (Chesed) | Loving-Kindness (Chesed) |
| And I will bless you | Isaac | Strength and Discipline (Gevurah) | Spiritual Service (Avoda) |
| I will make your name great | Jacob | Harmony and Truth (Tiferet) | Torah Study |
| And you shall be a blessing | Abraham – Shield of Abraham |
The Strenght and Discipline and Harmony and Truth of Isaac and Jacob are in Loving-kindness. Only through Loving-Kindness can we find ourselves “working” for G-d, praying, giving gratitude, and doing good things. Loving-kindness is the only way to learn Torah. G-d’s Loving-Kindness in giving His Word, His Torah, to humanity.6
So, while Pirkei Avot identifies Torah Study, Spiritual Service, and Loving-Kindness as world foundations, we find that Torah Study and Spiritual Service rest on, come from, and are based on Loving-Kindness.
In the Mishneh Torah, Foundations of the Torah 1:1 we find that the foundation of the foundations is Trust in G-d (Emunah in Hebrew):
יְסוֹד הַיְסוֹדוֹת וְעַמּוּד הַחָכְמוֹת לֵידַע שֶׁיֵּשׁ שָׁם מָצוּי רִאשׁוֹן. וְהוּא מַמְצִיא כָּל נִמְצָא. וְכָל הַנִּמְצָאִים מִשָּׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ וּמַה שֶּׁבֵּינֵיהֶם לֹא נִמְצְאוּ אֶלָּא מֵאֲמִתַּת הִמָּצְאוֹ:
“The foundation of foundations and firmest pillar of all wisdom is, To know that there is a First Being, that He caused all beings to be, and that all beings from heaven and earth, and from between them, could not be save for the truth of His Own Being.”
The foundation of everything is total trust in G-d. It was Abraham’s Faith (Emunah in Hebrew) in G-d that transformed his essence into loving-kindness, into a reflection of G-d’s Loving-Kindness. This trust compelled him to listen and leave his country to the land G-d promised him.
Trust is the foundation of Loving-Kindness, but it is not mentioned as one of the three foundations in Pirkei Avot. This is due to the fact that while we can conceive Loving-Kindness, Spiritual Service and Torah Study, Trust is bigger and more elusive than these three. Every day, even the greatest prophets and virtuous ones increase and deepen their Trust.
Our table now looks like this:
| Emunah | |||
| A great nation | Abraham | Loving-Kindness (Chesed) | Loving-Kindness (Chesed) |
| And I will bless you | Isaac | Strength and Discipline (Gevurah) | Spiritual Service (Avoda) |
| I will make your name great | Jacob | Harmony and Truth (Tiferet) | Torah Study |
| And you shall be a blessing | Abraham – Shield of Abraham | Trust (Emunah) | Affirmation of G-d’s Oneness (Binah) Following the Torah’s precepts and the advice of the Tzaddikim (Malchut) |
Let’s take another look at “and you shall be a blessing” and how it connects to the idea of “magen” – a shield. The Torah teaches that anyone who blesses Abraham (or his descendants) will themselves be blessed, while those who curse Abraham will be cursed. This highlights a principle: those who choose to do good will be rewarded, while those who choose evil will face the consequences.
Non-Jews can be blessed when they commit to Abraham’s path of Faith and Loving-Kindness, striving to emulate his ways. In this sense, Abraham serves as the opposite of Korah, who led people to destruction. Korah’s followers were cursed, while those who aligned themselves with Abraham were blessed. This concept is timeless—just as it applied to Abraham’s time, it also applies today. People should seek out righteous and sincere individuals, while avoiding those who are cruel or wicked, as our relationships and interactions shape us deeply.7
Abraham’s journey was driven by his trust in G-d. He had faith when he left his homeland for the unknown, relying on G-d’s guidance and protection. Because of that unwavering faith, G-d promised to shield and protect him and his descendants—both from spiritual and physical enemies.
For non-Jews, Abraham’s example holds great significance. Just as Abraham placed his Trust in G-d, those who follow in his footsteps are called to do the same. Many have left behind their previous beliefs, their communities, and even family connections to embark on a new spiritual path, trusting in G-d to guide and protect them. Abraham’s story serves as a reminder that G-d is a protector to all who put their faith in Him, providing security and guidance as they navigate this new path.
| TRUST (EMUNAH) | |||
| A great nation | Abraham | Loving-Kindness (Chesed) | Loving-Kindness (Chesed) |
| And I will bless you | Isaac | Strength and Discipline (Gevurah) | Spiritual Service (Avoda) |
| I will make your name great | Jacob | Harmony and Truth (Tiferet) | Torah Study |
| And you shall be a blessing | Abraham – Shield of Abraham | Trust (Emunah) | G-d helps us to increase our Trust, Loving-Kindness, Spiritual Service and Torah study8. |
By Angelique Sijbolts
With thanks to Rabbi Tani Burton for his feedback
With thanks to B. Yaniger for the inspiration
- Pesachim 117b:11 ↩︎
- The Chatima can be seen as a kind of “summary” of the brachot, in which the most important words are quoted. In this case “Abraham” and “Magen”. Source: Elke Morgen Nieuw by B. Folkertsma-Stichting 1978 p.59 ↩︎
- Sefaria: Noam Elimelekh, Sefer Shemot, Beshalach 3:2 ↩︎
- The common translation is: “ For ever is mercy built” ↩︎
- Rabbeinu Bahya, Bereshit 25:27:8-9 יושב אהלים, “a dweller in tents.” The plain meaning of the text is that Yaakov spent his time in the tents of Shem and Ever, i.e. in their academies. ↩︎
- The Torah consists of 613 commandments for the Jews and 7 commandments for the non-Jews ↩︎
- See also the blog: What Made Korach’s Sin so Severe? ↩︎
- This returns us to the top of our table to go through it again, but at a higher/deeper level. Abraham trusted G-d totally to leave his nation, and afterwards gained trust on a new level in situations where self-confidence may have been eroded.
↩︎
Sources
נתיבות שלום
Shemoneh Esrei by Rabbi Ezra Bick, Chapter 3
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