Shabbat Message: Let Us Reclaim the Vision of Abraham

Posted on November 6, 2020 by Rabbi Arnold S. Gluck

A Message for Shabbat Vayeira: Let Us Reclaim the Vision of Abraham

When Abraham heard of God’s intention to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, he didn’t ask if its citizens were Jewish. He didn’t ask God to save his friends. He didn’t make distinctions based on faith or race, ideology or affiliation. Abraham did not discriminate. He sought to save them all, without exception.

God had already told him of the evils of Sodom and Gomorrah, so Abraham could not have been naïve. Why, then, did he seek to redeem them all? Was it not enough for him to demand justice for the innocent only?

While others might have made distinctions between good and bad, Abraham saw only fellow human beings. He saw souls in need of redemption.

We, the children of Abraham – Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike – together with all the people who share this land we call America, desperately need to reclaim the vision of our founding father: to see each other as kin. We need to learn once again to see our neighbors as ourselves, to love our neighbors as ourselves, to acknowledge that our diversity is a blessing, to find unity without demanding uniformity.

Elections, by definition, are partisan. Yet daily life need not be so divided. God made us different and diverse, and yet we are fundamentally all the same – we all are human. We need to reaffirm this truth to heal the soul of our nation. Let this be our focus in the days and weeks ahead. Let us move from choosing our leaders to choosing to embrace one another.

May the peace of Shabbat descend upon us and upon our entire nation, and may it bring wholeness and healing to our hearts.

Shabbat shalom,

Rabbi Arnie Gluck