Lech Lecha: Entry from Congregation Melech Yisrael

Devotional piece was submitted from Rav. Jack Farber (Congregation Melech Yisrael)
My special thanks to Rav. Farber for this

Parashat HaShavua Lech Lecha / Go Forth Yourself

This Week's Reading List:
Y BeReshit / Genesis 12:1-17:27
Y Yeshayahu / Isaiah 40:27-41:16
Y Romim / Romans 4:1-25

Bereshit {12:1} Now HaShem said to Avram (Abram), "Get out of your country, and from your relatives, and from your aba's (farher's) house, to the land that I will show you.

Can you put yourself in Avram's shoes? You grew up in a town where everyone knew you and you knew everyone. You met your wife there. You got married their and you grew old there. Then, out of nowhere, you hear a strange voice and it tells you to pick-up your life and leave the only town you ever knew. You were told to leave your mother, your father, your relatives and all your friends; uproot your family, your business and everything that belonged to you and go to some foreign land that this voice has not revealed to you yet. Basically you were told to go, but you have no idea where you were going. What would you do? Most people like you and I would doubt the voice and think that they were hearing things. Most people would not trust what they were hearing or believe it; therefore, most people would not respond to it. However, that was not the case with Avram. He actually packed his entire life up and, without a second thought, followed the voice's instructions and left town.

Now remember, Avram was not Jewish. He was most probably an idol worshiper just like his father. He was from the city called Ur of the Chaldees, what we now know as Mesopotamia or modern day Iraq. Ur was a city that boasted the worship of the moon god, so it is very unlikely that Avram had any previous connection or even knowledge of the G-d of Yisrael (Israel). Yet Avram, after hearing this voice that must have certainly been strange to him, obeyed it. He left mother and father and followed after the G-d of Yisrael

I do not know if you are aware of it or not, but anti-missionary groups, such as Jews for Judaism, criticise a passage in the Brit Chadasha (Renewed Covenant) and use it as an example of the harshness, callousness and heartlessness of Yeshua HaMashiach. In fact, they use this passage as proof that the Brit Chadasha could not be G-d inspired because they say G-d would not require such a thing of anyone. What is this passage?

Mattityahu (Matthew) {10:37} “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. {10:38} And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.”

Do you think Avram loved his father and mother more than the G-d of Yisrael, a G-d whom did not know, which made an unreasonable demand of him? Could he not have said, “What kind of mean, heartless and cruel G-d is this who asks someone to do such a thing,” and then have turned G-d down? “You are asking me to do what G-d?” However, he did not! He just picked himself up and left everyone and everything near and dear to him behind and went to where G-d was sending him. I guess it could be said that Avram picked up his cross (the cross of leaving everything and everyone he knew behind) and followed G-d.

In exchange for listening to the voice of G-d and being obedient to what Avram heard HaShem made this promise to him.

Bereshit {12:2} “I will make of you a great nation. I will bless you, and make your name great. You will be a blessing. {12:3} I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you. In you will all of the families of the earth be blessed.”

This is very interesting, because look at what Yeshua HaMashiach says to those who love Him more than father or mother:

Mattityahu {19:29} “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name's sake, shall receive many times as much, and shall inherit eternal life.”

The Brit Chadasha has basically said the exact same thing as the Tanach (Hebrew Scriptures). Could it be possible that it is because the same G-d is saying it? Yes, they are the same G-d! Anyone who has been influenced by anti-missionaries is being deceived by them. The G-d of the Tanach is the same G-d of the Brit Chadasha. Yeshua had a rebuke for organizations like of Jew for Judaism (our modern day wayward Pharisees) He said:

Mattityahu {23:15} “Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites for you compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, you make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.

I think it is the anti-missionaries that you need to be weary of and not the Messianic Jews. Would you not agree?

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Baruch HaShem
Rabbi Ya'acov Farber