A PEOPLE, ETERNAL
This week’s Parsha, Vayechi, concludes the first Book of Torah, the Book of Breishis. Breishis is also referred to as the Book of the Straight, which is a reference to our fathers who set the straight path upon which we walk.
I would like share a perspective on our relationship to our fathers using an insight that someone gave me many years ago.
People ask how do we know that we are the chosen people, after all, there are many cultures and societies who believe in a god and each of them claim that they are the chosen people of that god. To answer this question I ask them for their reaction to the following two people.
While walking along the street you meet an older-looking gentleman. You notice that in spite of his advanced age he has young mannerisms. You muster up the guts and ask him how old he is. He tells that he is 102 years old. “Wow! What’s your story? How is it that you appear to have such youth?” He tells you that 102 years ago at his bris there was a great Rabbi who told his father to give his newborn child a very good education. This baby will live to be 1000 years old. He will travel around the world and teach the world what it means to be a decent human being. “Therefore” he continues “I appear so young because I am, in fact, very young. I sti11 have another 900 years left to Iive.”
Compare this story to the story of the second person.
There is a person who you heard very much about from your grandfather. Your grandfather told you that he knew this person since he was a child and that his grandfather knew him as well from when he was a child. At that time, this person was well over 80 years old. In other words, this elder person was known to your great great great great grandfather when he was yet young. And at that time this elderly gentleman was over 80 years old, thereby making him over 220 years old. You have the opportunity to meet this elderly gentleman and you ask him what his story is. He them tells you the same story that the first fellow. When he was born a great Rabbi told his father that this newborn baby will live to be 1000 years old and so on.
If I were to meet the first person I would discount his ridiculous story for the simple reason that nobody lives beyond 100 and some years. This old man is fooling himself. However, with regards to the second gentleman who I know first hand that he has been around well over 200 years and has far surpassed the natural deadline, I would lend his story serious credibility. After all, he has already lived two long lifetimes and is showing no signs of frailty, he has traveled around the world and he is teaching many people much about life. He is respected everywhere he goes, although in some places he is also hated. In spite of the fantastic story which in its own right seems absurd, nevertheless given his absurd longevity it makes sense. One can reasonably believe his story.
The life of a culture, of a society does not extend beyond hundreds of years. Even when a people continue living in their native land and have never been exiled they are subject to change. Their morals may change, their values may change, their religion may change. Nothing remains constant in this world. The law of entropy applies to peoples and nations just as it applies to the material world.
Our people, on the other hand, are still the same people following the same Torah as our ancestors did 3,700 years ago. While we have certainly undergone changes none of them have altered our commitment to our Torah. In spite of our travels and homelessness we continue our journey showing no signs of frailty. Our unbelievable story is quite believable.
So what is our story?
This is the Book of Breishis. Many years ago there was a family that developed a very close relationship to the Director of History. The Director chose this family and became Personally involved in training them to be the most upright human beings that ever lived. He gave them the necessary challenges to develop the most incredible traits of selflessness, honesty and moral integrity. The Director did this so that they would travel through world and teach Mankind and so on.
These are who are our Fathers and our Mothers were.
May we be proud of them and learn to follow in their ways.
Have a wonderful Shabbos
Paysach Diskind