A DEBT-FREE LIFE

11 Cheshvan 5779 / 19-20 October 2018
Parashat Lekh L'kha
Torah: Genesis 12:1 - 17:27
Haftarah: Isaiah 40:27 - 41:16

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A DEBT-FREE LIFE

'Then the king of Sodom said to Avram, "Give me the persons, and take the possessions for yourself." But Avram said to the king of Sodom, "I swear to the Lord, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth: I will not take so much as a thread or a sandal strap of what is yours; you shall not say, 'It is I who made Avram rich.'"' Genesis 14:21-3.

Our father Avram, soon to become Avraham, demonstrates here a characteristic which we will see again in two weeks, when he negotiates the purchase of a burial plot for Sarah. He does not want to be beholden to any person. He accepts no gifts, he pays retail. No human being can say to Avram/Avraham, "You owe me because of what I gave to you, because of the favors I did for you."

There seems to be a deeper meaning here. Rabbi Harold Kushner points out that the Hebrew word used for "persons" is "nefesh", which literally means "soul". Perhaps Avraham was being asked by the king of Sodom to sell his soul for material riches. (Compare Avraham with Lot, who moves to Sodom ostensibly because it has good pasturage) Interestingly, we are told (Exodus 31:17) that at the end of six days of creation, “(God) rested and was refreshed” – the word for refreshed is yinafash – the root of which is nefesh. Perhaps, when we work on Shabbat (except when we are at risk of losing our livelihood altogether), we are in a real way damaging or selling our souls.

On the other hand, no human being nor human desire can exercise control over Avraham, so he never has to compromise his principles. Avraham is debt-free. He is quite different from politicians who compromise their principles and sell their souls to the highest bidding donors, PACs, and special interest groups. The only one to whom Avraham owes his allegiance is God. Avraham recognizes that, whatever spiritual and material wealth he has, it has come from God, not from another human being. Would that we all could be as astute as he.

Shabbat Shalom!

Rabbi Richard A. Flom

Temple B'nai Hayim/Congregation Beth Meier

Blogging at: http://rav-rich.blogspot.com/

"שתיקה כהודאה דמיא"

"Silence in the face of wrongdoing is consent.”

BT Yevamot 88a

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Candle lighting: 5:56 pm

Friday:  Shabbat Evening Service – 7:30 pm. Oneg Shabbat follows.

Saturday: Torah study/breakfast – 8:45 am. Shabbat Morning Service – 9:30 am. Kiddush luncheon follows.

Sunday: Religious School – 9:30 am.

Tuesday: NO Lunch and Learn on October 23. Resume October 30.

Next time you come to TBH/CBM, please bring some non-perishable canned and packaged foods and personal items (no glass) for SOVA.

This d'var torah is offered in memory of Yitzchak Rabin, who died for the sake of his principles, and whose yahrzeit falls on Sunday, 12 Cheshvan. Y’hi zikhro liv’rakhah.

This d'var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah for Elisheva bat Malkah, Ze’ev ben Adeline, Liora bat Sarah, Eilite bat Miriam, Sarah bat Devorah, Susan Arbetman, Ken Bitticks, Jerry Daniels, Maya Fersht (Maya bat Esther), Dr. Samuel Fersht (Shmuel Natan ben Gittel), Annabelle Flom (Channah Bella bat Kreina), Bernard Garvin, Leah Granat, Brandon Joseph, Gabor Klein, Philip Kovac, Tonya Kronzek (Zlata Malkah bat Sarah Emanu), Barbara Levy, David Marks, Debra Schugar Strauss (Devorah bat Chaya Feiga), Helen Schugar (Chaya Feiga bat Kreina), Irwin Silon, William Sragow, and Jonathan Woolf.

Please let me know if there is anyone you would like to add to this list or if there is anyone who may be removed from this list.

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