Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 6 Cheshvan, 5785

Peace. Harmony. Quiet. Listen.

I write these words and for some? They come naturally. They wash over us like warm water.

For others, these words are a catalyst for our brains to begin to turn around in our heads – gears moving slowly at first, then increasing speed and complexity.

Still others? These words create confusion.

And others? They don’t even read them at all.

What about you? What about me? What about us?

Peace. Quiet. Harmony. Listen.

What feelings do these words invoke? Not thoughts. Not definitions. Feelings?

The war was over between the king and Abram.  It was time to negotiate. The king lost. He asked for the souls of his people back.

This is what gets lost in war. Not possessions. Souls.

What wars have you been fighting? What wars have finished?

Where is your soul? Are you looking for it back? Or are you devastated at the loss.

We don’t often get lessons from those who are NOT the main characters of the Torah. And? This may be a good instance.

What do we need to ask for our souls back after a great conflict? A great war?

It’s about safety. Where does our safety come from?

The king sacrificed his soul for his perceived safety – and he lost souls doing it.  He just wanted his souls back.

Abram FELT safe – and – brought his wounds to Hashem. Instead of being grateful, Abram asked for a kid. Hashem was KIND in his response. Abram truly was safe.

I wrote this a year ago, and it feels super salient:

Listen. We are safe.

Hashem (The Universe, etc) can bring us through the UGLIEST of battles.  He doesn’t stop the battle from happening.  He guides us through it.  He protects us.  So we learn to trust.

And we are safe. We can bring our hurts to Him. We can bring our desires to Him.  And He cares.

This is the path to spiritual freedom and liberation.  And. Abram believed. And THAT is what made Abram right in Hashem’s eyes.

What is our soul’s purpose?  This was also from last year:

Safety? Is righteousness. Understanding we are safe?  That is right.  Our mission. Our purpose. Is to be in touch with our own safety. To trust. To believe. AND to inspire others to understand they are safe. And to support others on their journey of safety.  This is the heart.

Babies are born and need their parents to provide safety.  The struggle from childhood to adulthood?  Learning to be safe. Many adults I know don’t feel safe. Maybe they feel safe with their possessions. Maybe they feel safe clinging to a future they believe in. Or a past (Al Bundy scored 4 touchdowns in High School, don’t you know?  Married with Children reference FTW). 

Peace. Harmony. Quiet. Listen.

We. Are. Safe.

That is the message.

It’s ok NOT to feel safe – as Abram demonstrates – he wanted a child. That was a sense of safety for him.

To desire is a good thing.

And? A reminder. We are safe.

What are your thoughts?

Here are my thoughts from last year:

Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 11 Cheshvan, 5784
Parsha Lekh Lekha: (Genesis 12:1 -17:27)
Fifth Portion: Genesis 14:21 -15:6

Shema. Listen. Just listen.  Safety. We are safe.

These are the themes of today’s portion. 

Let’s dig in. 

We have just experienced a war. A battle. Abram and 318 men beat a King that whooped on a major force.  And Abram had the spoils of the war.  What did he do with them?

21And the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the souls, and the possessions take for yourself.”

22And Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I raise my hand to the Lord, the Most High God, Who possesses heaven and earth.

23Neither from a thread to a shoe strap, nor will I take from whatever is yours, that you should not say, ‘I have made Abram wealthy.’

24Exclusive of what the lads ate, and the share of the men who went with me; Aner, Eshkol, and Mamre they shall take their share.”

So the King asked for the souls back, and was cool with letting Abram keep all the material wealth.  That is fascinating isn’t it?

Listen. The King doesn’t desire possessions. 

The King desires souls.

What Abram desires; isn’t the King’s possessions.  It’s Hashem.

Abram knows. His safety comes from Hashem.  He doesn’t need an earthly King to make him wealthy.  He does not want to be in debt to any earthly king. He wants all credit to be given to Hashem.

And. Abram does not require others to live according to HIS principles. 

24Exclusive of what the lads ate, and the share of the men who went with me; Aner, Eshkol, and Mamre they shall take their share.”

Abram tells the King, the men “will take their share.”

Abram gives each person sovereignty over their lives.  Abram does not require others to live according to his rules.  He is safe.  His actions demonstrate Abram is safe.

But does he FEEL safe?

Here’s the next part:

1After these incidents, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Fear not, Abram; I am your Shield; your reward is exceedingly great.”

2And Abram said, “O Lord God, what will You give me, since I am going childless, and the steward of my household is Eliezer of Damascus?”

3And Abram said, “Behold, You have given me no seed, and behold, one of my household will inherit me.”

Abram just won a great battle. He was confident. He was safe.  Top of his game.  And yet? We get a sense Abram didn’t FEEL safe at some point after.  Hashem’s words to Abram were “Fear not.”

Listen.  Abram felt unsafe.  And IMMEDIATELY Hashem reminded him.  “I am your Shield.” 

Where does Abram’s safety come from? Hashem.

Where does our safety come from? Hashem.

Listen. The King doesn’t desire possessions. 

The King desires souls.

What Abram desires; isn’t the King’s possessions.  It’s Hashem.

Abram knows. His safety comes from Hashem.       

If our heart and thoughts are on possessions.  Or even on other’s souls.  We aren’t safe.  If our desire is Hashem? We are safe.

The last part of verse 15:1 is interesting, isn’t it? Hashem tells Abram; “your reward is exceedingly great.”  Abram took his eyes off Hashem it would seem and focused on a reward.  Hashem knew this and was reassuring Abram.

And Abram felt safe.  Safe enough to communicate to Hashem what he desired and needed.  Think about THAT. 

Hashem reassured Abram he was safe.  And what did Abram do with this safety? He asked. He communicated a hurt. A wound. He was childless.  He wanted his soul to live on.

And was Hashem’s response “you ungrateful little kid! I just delivered the armies of the greatest king on earth to you! You were safe with me – we had it GOOD! How dare you complain about not having a kid!  What an ungrateful child you are!”

Um. Ok.  There may have been a little bit of my childhood trauma (and adult trauma) in that writing there. 

But let’s look at Hashem’s response.  Remember. Hashem started this with “Fear not.”  And Abram trusted he could be open and honest. Share his woundedness. Here’s how Hashem responded (Genesis 15:4-7)

4And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This one will not inherit you, but the one who will spring from your innards-he will inherit you.”

5And He took him outside, and He said, “Please look heavenward and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” And He said to him, “So will be your seed.”

6And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him as righteousness.

7And He said to him, “I am the Lord, Who brought you forth from Ur of the Chaldees, to give you this land to inherit it.”

There is NO anger in Hashem’s response. Hashem heard Abram’s woundedness.  His perception of lack.  His desire for a child.  And reassured him; “I got you.”

Listen. We are safe.

Hashem can bring us through the UGLIEST of battles.  He doesn’t stop the battle from happening.  He guides us through it.  He protects us.  So we learn to trust.

And we are safe. We can bring our hurts to Him. We can bring our desires to Him.  And He cares.

This is the path to spiritual freedom and liberation.  And. Abram believed. And THAT is what made Abram right in Hashem’s eyes.

And. I intentionally made a mistake to drive a point home.  Did you even question the connection between verse 6 and 7?  As we would discover tomorrow, verse 7 isn’t in today’s portion. It’s in tomorrows.

7And He said to him, “I am the Lord, Who brought you forth from Ur of the Chaldees, to give you this land to inherit it.”

That is for tomorrow’s portion.  The break is important.  I think the idea of today’s portion ending with this:

6And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him as righteousness.

This is the message. 

Shema. Listen. Hashem is safe. Believe. And this? This is what makes us righteous.  Not “being right.”  Listening. Being safe in Hashem.  This is righteousness.  That is all.  All that is needed.  We don’t need to add to this.  We don’t need to subtract.

Shema. Listen.  Hashem brought Abram through a battle. Kept Abram safe.  Abram felt confident. Safe.  And yet? He began to fear. Have desires that were unmet. And it created fear.  And Hashem reassured him. And Abram believed again.  And Abram was safe. This is righteousness. 

I am going to say something bold here. Many may challenge me.

Safety? Is righteousness. Understanding we are safe?  That is right.  Our mission. Our purpose. Is to be in touch with our own safety. To trust. To believe. AND to inspire others to understand they are safe. And to support others on their journey of safety.  This is the heart.

Babies are born and need their parents to provide safety.  The struggle from childhood to adulthood?  Learning to be safe. Many adults I know don’t feel safe. Maybe they feel safe with their possessions. Maybe they feel safe clinging to a future they believe in. Or a past (Al Bundy scored 4 touchdowns in High School, don’t you know?  Married with Children reference FTW). 

Our journey here on this earth is a journey of safety.  Where does our safety come from?

Hashem.

And. Understanding. Hashem is in each of us.  He has gifted us with His Neshama.  And our life journey is connecting our body and mind to our soul.  Our inner source of safety. Hashem cares about our Neshama. We are safe.

What are your thoughts?