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Avraham and the Search for Balance

By: Rabbi Nir Knoll

The Mishna in Pirkei Avot (5;2) states that: "There were ten generations from Adam to Noach. This is to teach us the extent of God's tolerance; for all these generations angered Him, until He brought upon them the waters of the Flood. There were ten generations from Noach to Avraham. This is to teach us the extent of God's tolerance; for all these generations angered Him, until Avraham came and reaped the reward for them all." Embedded in this Mishna is the idea that Avraham represented a fundamental break with the way society had functioned before him. What is the nature of the revolution that Avraham brought to the world?

The answer to this question can be found by analyzing of the flaws of two societies that God had to wipe out or recast in Parshat Noach and Avraham's rectification of those flaws.

The Torah tells us that the major sin of the generation of the flood was theft. God tells Noach that "the end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth has become full of robbery because of them, and behold I am destroying them from the earth" (Bereishit 6;13). A society that is steeped in theft is a society in which each individual is only invested in his own interests. The property rights of the other are inconsequential in relation to one's own personal needs. Therefore, if a person wants something, he will take it away from another by force to satisfy his own selfish needs. God makes it clear to Noach that a society in which the individual's needs are all that matter cannot continue to exist.
In response to the generation of the flood, the society of Migdal Bavel (the Tower of Bavel) erred by moving too far to the other extreme. As mankind united to build a tower that would reach the heavens, the goal of the community completely outweighed the value and needs of the individual. The Midrash states that during the construction of Migdal Bavel, if a person fell to his death, no one would notice; however, if a brick would fall, the people would cry and mourn its loss. In essence, society had become so totalitarian that the common goal of the community trumped the value of a human life. Again, God must intervene and disrupt the functioning of this society.

It is on the heels of the failure of these two societies that Avraham introduces a balanced approach. On the one hand, Avraham is well known for the chesed and generosity that he displays towards others. Rashi states that Avraham and Sarah dedicated their lives not only to their own spiritual growth, but strived to educate and bring others closer to God as they amassed a group of followers (Rashi on Bereishit 12;5).

However, despite his penchant to contribute to the world and help others, there were times that Avraham understood that he needed to look after his own personal interests as well. This realization comes to the fore in this week's parsha, when Avraham asks Lot, his nephew, to leave his camp due to a dispute between their shepherds. Rashi states that the shepherds of Lot claimed that since God has promised the land of Israel to Avraham, Lot, as Avraham's potential heir, had the right to allow his sheep to graze on the private property of the current inhabitants of the land of Israel (Rashi, Bereishit 13;7). Upon realizing that Lot's immoral attitude presented a threat to Avraham's way of life, Avraham requested that each of them must go on their own separate paths. Avraham was forced to part ways with his kinsman in order to protect his own individual way of life. In essence, Avraham demonstrates that although one should strive to help others and bring them into the fold, there are times where one's personal needs must take precedence. It is this balanced approach that Avraham brings to the world.

May we all merit to the emulate the ways of Avraham and find the proper balance between our personal needs and communal responsibilities in our journey through the complex world around us.

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