Abraham Abinu discovered monotheism. When all human civilization believed in many gods, Abraham understood that there is only one God. But this is just part of the story. Abraham Abinu’s revolution did not consist only in the refutation of polytheism.
In addition to having conceived the unity of HaShem, that HaShem is Almighty, that no force of nature is outside His control and that HaShem is invisible, the greatest discovery of Abraham, I believe, was that God cares about him and loves him. This idea was as –or perhaps more –revolutionary than the idea of God’s unity or invisibility.
To better understand the magnitude of Abraham Abinu’s impressive revolution, we will briefly see how pagan peoples conceived their gods and idols.
The mythological gods ( ‘aboda Zará’) did not care about humanity at all. Pagan gods, who had bodies and human forms, were born and die, had desires and passions, and most of the time fought against each other. These gods had no interest in humanity. Their time and power were invested for conspiring and waging war, guided by an insatiable thirst for power. They were busy in their battles and in the satisfaction of their insatiable passions. According to mythology, if one of those gods, for example, “caused rain to fall on earth”, it was never because he had compassion or love for humanity and sent them the rain they needed so badly. Humans and pagan gods were completely disconnected. A god would make rain probably because as he was fighting other gods, attacking them with lightning, or deafening them with thunder and that, accidentally, caused the rain.
And even if these gods had the power to make it rain willingly, pagans thought, they would never produce rain for free. The gods had to receive something in return. Pagan priests would believe and explain that if humans would feed the gods, or if they would sacrifice ten warriors to the gods, the gods would absorb the spirit and power of these warriors, and thus would fight better against other gods, and in return for this sacrifice, perhaps they would make rain. Pagan god would never give something for free….
Abraham discovers that HaShem gives everything to humans for free, out of love. This is the deepest meaning of the word BARUKH, that HaShem is the source of all the blessing of life that we receive for free: life itself, our bodies, planet earth, family, etc, etc.
Now, our Parasha begins when HaShem tells Abraham to leave his land and go to Canaan (Israel). HaShem then promises him (Gen. 12): “And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, and you shall be a blessing. And I will bless those who bless you, and those who curse you, I will curse. And all the families of the earth will be blessed because of you.” This is a revolution! HaShem blesses Abraham and He asks nothing in return! Why would HaShem bless me? Abraham must have thought…. Why would God help me ( ‘ozer)?
Abraham then has a terrible problem. His wife is kidnapped by the most powerful man in Egypt. At the end, HaShem rescues (moshi’a) Sara. And back in Erets Israel, when the episode of the abduction of Sera reaches a happy ending, Abraham realizes that it was HaShem who protected him, even without Abraham having asked Him. HaShem took care of him and his wife Sara, even without Abraham knowing about it (maguen, which is when HaShem takes care of us without us noticing).
Why does HaShem care about me? Abraham must have asked himself.
Let’s try an explanation. Pagan peoples did not have any god whom they called “The Creator” since they did not believe in Creation. The pagans believed that the universe, the world of these gods, had existed eternally. The creation of the world and of humans, in all pagan myths, had happened accidentally. As an incidental result of wars and battles between the gods.
Now, Abraham discovered that HaShem controls the world because he is its Creator (this is: qone shamayim vaarets). And that He created life and gave us our life. Abraham realizes that HaShem is Bore Olam, the Creator. Our Creator. And as such, is He is also our father. Now everything makes sense! Abraham has just discovered why HaShem blessed him, helped him, rescued him, protected him, cares for him … and does not ask for anything in return.
The struggle against idolatry that Abraham Abinu initiated was undoubtedly the most important revolution in the history of human thought. Abraham destroyed idols, taught the world that HaShem, the one true God, has no image, no form, no needs, no human traits, no likeness to humans. He showed the falsehood of idolatry. It unmasked its leaders and built the foundations of the Jewish people. But perhaps, the greatest discovery of Abraham Abinu was that HaShem loves us, as parents love their children..
