by Jonathan Kaplan
Scholar-in-Residence
Congregation Avodat Yisrael
Philadelphia, PA

Our parashah begins a new phase in the narrative of the Torah.  In Lekh Lekha, God's interaction with humanity is particularized to the family of Abram and Sarai.  This parashah begins with his call narrative, recounts their circuitous journey to the land of promise via a sojourn in Egypt, and culminates in the newly renamed Abraham marking all the males of his household (including Ishmael!) with the sign of God's covenant - the absence of a foreskin.  As we will see with the Akedah in next's week parashah, when God commands, Abraham responds. 

As it says in the Torah:

vayyamol et besar arlatam beetzem hayyom hazzeh kaasher dibber itto Elohim - and he circumcised their foreskins on this very same day just as God said (Gen 17:23; cf. 17:26).

What motivated Abraham's quick diligence?  We may never know.  Perhaps, he was concerned about attending to God's commandment as soon as was possible.  Perhaps, he wanted to get the painful deed over with.  Perhaps, he thought that the circumcision of the men in his household was not only a sign of the covenant but also a ritual which would enable the fertility which had eluded him and Sarah.  Regardless of his motivations, the Torah is careful to remind us that Abraham did not delay; he circumcised all the males of his household beetzem hayyom hazzeh - on this very same day!  Those of you who know some Hebrew may recognize this phrase as overly emphatic.  If the Torah wanted to specify the day, it could have easily said bayyom hazzeh - on this day.  But it takes the extra step to tell us beetzem hayyom hazzeh.  Why the etzem?  Is it necessary?

The mepharshim observe this problem as well.  Saadia Gaon and Radaq, David Qimchi - the medieval grammarian, observes that this phrase means "on the same day which God commanded."  Rashi takes it to mean that Abraham did not tarry and performed the circumcisions during the day and not into the night.  When the phrase appears again three verses later, Ibn Ezra points to the great number of people whom Abraham circumcised that day - 318 children, his slaves, Ishmael his only son, and himself.  Ibn Ezra attributes his quickness to a desire "to do and fulfill the will of Hashem."

This emphasis on mitzvah - commandment and obedience - is striking.  Why does the parashah end here on this emphatic commandment and Abraham's diligent obedience when so much of this section has been concerned with Abraham's call and God's giving of the promise?  How does commandment and obedience fit into this section of call and promise?

(1) As messianic Jews, answering this question is complicated by the varied views we have on the Torah and its role in the age of Messiah.  An increasingly dwindling number of messianic Jews regard the law as obsolete - as being fulfilled in the Messiah and no longer applicable or obligatory for Jewish followers of Messiah.  It is a yoke which has been cast off the burdened.

(2) A slightly larger group views the ceremonial and civil aspects of the law as obsolete whereas the moral statues of Torah still apply.  In other words those parts of Torah which are uniquely Israel's are superseded whereas those moral components are universalized and applied to all followers of Yeshua - Jew or Gentile. 

 

(3) Another subset of the wider messianic community also views the moral aspects as still binding but allows for the continued practice of (rabbinically interpreted) ceremonial and civil law as useful, particularly for evangelism.

 

(4) Another group avoids such carefully nuanced theories and sentimentally embraces tradition for tradition's sake.

(5) A permutation of this group are those who keep some form of the Torah with a belief that mitzvot should be done for mitzvah's sake (cf. Ex 24:12).  They believe that there is an inherent goodness in keeping God's Torah.

(6) A further development of this group are those who keep (at least some) mitzvot for mitzvah's sake but attempt to engage in these practices with some level of Kavvanah - spiritual intent.

 

(7) An increasing majority of messianic Jews generally agree that we have a unique covenant calling different from that of non-Jews; this calling is expressed through following Yeshua in our keeping of Torah.  But this conviction that Jews have different responsibilities than non-Jews - even in the Body of Messiah - does not mean we have everything worked out?  Unlike other religious sectors of the Jewish community, we do not have a unifying philosophy of the Torah for our community?  Which commandments are we to keep and when?  What is the law?  Is it merely the "literal" interpretation of the five books of Moses?  Or does our practice of interpretation interact with rabbinic interpretation and codification?  What about the Brit Chadashah?  What role does it play in our understanding and practice of Torah-keeping?  For many of us this confusing array of questions keeps us from entering the fray.  We do not know where to begin or how to proceed.  Certainly, some of our leaders are beginning to work on these questions in extensive detail, but as a community we are still taking our first staggering, stumbling baby steps into this brave new world of messianic Judaism.
It is at this point that truly understanding the example of Abraham and Sarah, our father and mother, is so important.  Shaul understood this in his letter to the predominately non-Jewish community of Yeshua-followers in Galatia.  Shaul understood that the Torah was not for this community, the particular responsibilities of the Torah were the responsibilities of the Jewish not the gentile followers of Yeshua.  Nevertheless, he understood that Abraham and Sarah's story was important for this largely non-Jewish community because it emphasized that God's promise to bless the nations through Abraham's singular seed preceded the giving of Torah on Sinai.

The non-Jews who entered the commonwealth of Israel through belief in Yeshua did not have to keep Torah because they were children of Abraham through Messiah.  They did not stand at Sinai as we messianic Jews did.  Paul understood that "the inheritance comes . . . through the promise" (Gal 3:18) and this was the most important point for non-Jews in their understanding of their relationship to the God of Israel through Messiah.

But for us, as messianic Jews, as people who stood at Sinai with all Israel, the Torah remains central to our identity as Abraham and Sarah's descendents.  For just as Abraham and Sarah received the promise through which all the nations of the world are blessed, they were also obedient to God's demands upon them as bearers of that promise - particularly through circumcision.  For Abraham, as the Torah shows us, answers God's call and promise at the beginning and throughout Lekh Lekha with obedience.  This pattern of promise answered with obedience is central to Israel's understanding of the giving of the Torah.  For God's deliverance of Abraham's descendents from Egypt and giving of the Torah was done out of God's own faithfulness to the promise first made to Abraham (Ex 3:1ff).  Our obedience is our answer to God's promise.  As we said at Sinai - Naaseh veNishmah - we will do and obey (Ex 24:7).  As our father Abraham did on this very day - beetzem hayyom hazzeh - so to are we called to a life of obedience lived in response to God's promise on this very day, a life of keeping the mandate of mitzvah.

Shabbat Shalom.