Lech Lecha

After Avram and Lot split up, Hashem promises Avram and his descendants all the land that he can see (13:14). Even if the parsha ended here, I would be happy. But it gets even better with the next pasuk, yud chet. After Avram gets this incredible promise, which is a huge bracha, where is the first place he goes to live? CHEVRON!!! Anyone who knows me knows that for some reason I love Chevron. I feel some kind of weird connection to the city. Maybe it's because of the incredible history we have there, rooting in parshat Lech Lecha. Or maybe it's because of the crazy political impact the city has for the Land of Israel. Or maybe it's just because of the symbolism that comes with the city, everything it represents. Chevron represents the beginning of some pretty integral parts of my belief (more to come when I write about Chayei Sarah, I'm sure). And because of this love for Chevron and what the city stands for, this promise Hashem makes to Avram feels even more significant. When Hashem says, "Avram. It's all yours. Forever..." the first place Avram pitches his tent, the first place he puts this promise into action, is Chevron!

In perek yud daled, we learn about the famous war of the 5 kings versus the 4 kings. Avram hears that
Lot and all his things have been taken by the enemy, and he right away gets his crew together to go save him from captivity. What I find interesting is that we never see Lot say thank you to Avram for saving him and bringing him home. While the king of Sdom offers Avram all the posessions he wants as a token of gratitude, Lot kind of just fades into the picture. What's his deal? I really just don't get him. What's his beef with Avraham? First, in perek yud gimmel, his group couldn't get along with Avram's group so they moved away, and now he doesn't even thank Avram for saving his life. Or if he did, it's not included here. I'm a bit curious about how Lot responded to this whole ordeal.

Everything up until this point I wrote before vacation. I'm extremely happy I waited to write the rest of this post because it was nice to think about some of these things in Israel instead of in America. It gets better than that, though. Yesterday I went to the one and only Chevron. Yet again, I was fortunate to experience the first place in Israel where Avram decided to live. He saw some other places on the way, but when he got to Chevron, he knew it was the right choice. And it was in Chevron that our history as Jews really begins. It was here that Hashem made Avram the promise of all promises, the brit bein habetarim. Avram was promised descendants as many as the stars AND the land of Israel. So there it is folks, our biblical claim to the land of Israel. The root of why it means so much to us as Jews. It all started in Chevron.

So here is what I find a little bit ironic. It was in Chevron that Hashem made this tremendous promise, yet it is in Chevron that we fight for the right to live in our city. Every time I visit this city of both spiritual and historical significance, I am reminded of the mind-boggling statistics. Out of the entire city of Chevron, only 20% is under Israeli control, with the other 80% under control of the Palestinian Authority. According to Wikipedia, the Israeli 20% is home to 166,000 Palestinians, but only about 500 Jews. And THIS is the place where we were promised everything? It's not that Jews don't want to live in Chevron, it's that they can't get permission for more property. There is even a waiting list to get in to the community! Something seems a bit off. Back in biblical times, Eisav had a birthright that he foolishly gave up. Now, we have a birthright, and we need to stand up for it. In this place where the brit bein habetarim happened, the brit should also be fulfilled. I always hear about how important it is to take lessons from Tanach and its characters. So here's one for everyone. Hashem said to Avram, “lech lecha”, and Avram went. Not only did he go, but his first stop was Chevron. Does lech lecha still apply? Well, if you believe that the Torah is eternal, then yeah, it probably does. So do what Avram did. Go to Israel. And even better than that, go check out Chevron.