by Chaplain Jay Kurtz, Devar Emet, Skokie, IL

Torah: Genesis 12:1-17:27
Haftarah: Isaiah 40:27-41:16 
Brit Chadashah: Romans 5:1-10

Each day, I remind myself that man will disappoint (me) but God never will. Joshua 1:9 says, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." People generally are well meaning and well-intended, however they are by nature imperfect and they disappoint us, always.

Let us first look at the Torah portion, Lech L’cha, meaning "Go, go to yourself."

In Genesis, Abram and Sarai—not yet Abraham and Sarah—follow God's call to journey to Canaan, where God affirms the covenant between himself and Abraham. God said to Abram, "Go forth from your homeland to the land that I shall show you. I will make of you a great nation and I will bless you and make your name great. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you. All the families of the earth shall be blessed through you." So Abram went as God had spoken to him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he took his wife Sarai and his nephew Lot, and all their possessions and left for Canaan. God appeared to Abram and said, "To your offspring will I give this land." God also said to Abram "Fear not Abram for I am a shield for you; your reward is very great." Abram said, "O Lord God, I fear I shall remain childless and then to whom shall I give my inheritance?" God said, "You shall have a son from your own loins." God then took Abram outside and said, "Look at the sky and count the starts. See if you can count them. That is how numerous your descendants shall be." Abram believed in God and God's charity.

In this Torah portion of Lech L’cha, Abraham is promised that his offspring will be a great nation, more numerous than all of the dust on earth. In order to realize this destiny, Abraham has to withstand many challenges and temptations.

In the Haftarah portion of Lech L’cha, Isaiah offers the people of Israel a message of reassurance. By the sixth century B.C.E., Israel had been in exile for decades, but Isaiah tells the people that God has not abandoned them, and is still concerned about their welfare. Though the overall message of Isaiah's words is of God's support and attentiveness, the prophet's tone is not always comforting. The Haftarah begins with a reprimand: "Why do you say, O Jacob, why declare, O Israel, ‘My way is hidden from the Lord, my cause is ignored by my God'? Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is God everlasting." The people of Israel are reminded in the Haftarah that they will have good fortune and great things in the future, if only they can be like Abraham, following God's prescribed commandments and resisting the lure of idols.

In the Brit Chadashah reading from Romans 5, Paul reveals three benefits, and each one is identified with the same word in the text, exult. “Because we are declared righteous we exult in hope (5:2), we exult in tribulation (5:3), and we exult in God (5:11).” To exult means to rejoice, to celebrate, to be glad. Faith allows us to have hope in spite of our sinfulness, to joyfully accept tribulation because of how God uses it in our lives, and to enjoy the very presence of God without fear of his judgment.

It is difficult, sometimes profoundly difficult and severe, but we can rejoice when problems and trials arise. Recently, my wife, Gloria, and I experienced an unfathomable and severe hit. We were devastated. Nevertheless, our faith is strong and intact and we stood firm on God’s promise. We rejoiced in our sorrow. We know these situations are good for us, they test us, help us learn and to be patient. Patience develops strength of character and helps us to put our trust completely and unequivocally in him. Man disappoints us, but God never will. When we truly believe this, we hold our heads high no matter what the issue(s), because we know how much God loves us. Anything and everything become a possibility. Abraham knew it; we should too.