When the Jewish Nation is Blessed, All Humanity is Blessed
“And all peoples on earth will be blessed through you”
(Bereishiet 12,2-3)
The Torah relates (Bereishiet chapter 14) that four powerful kings from the east – Chedorlaomer of Elam, Amraphel of Babylonia, Arioch of Ellasar, and Tidal of Goi’im (the regions of Iraq and Iran), conquered the cities of Sodom, Amorrah and three more (in Eretz Yisrael) capturing Lot, Avraham’s nephew who lived in Sodom.
Upon hearing of Lot’s capture, Avraham gathered a force of 318 trained disciples. They defeated the four kings and rescued Lot and the other captives.
The incidents described here are seemingly bizarre. They are dealing with an international force of four states that defeated five other states and involved thousands or even tens of thousands of soldiers.
It is not the nature of victorious armies to make an “about face” and go home. They continue to threaten more nations for the glory of their forces and the enrichment of their coffers. If so, this force of four powers was a threat to other nations in the region, including Europe to the north and Egypt and other nations in North Africa to the west. The question is why were Avraham and his 318 men the only military force fighting these four nations? Where were the other armies of the region? And why was it necessary for this saga to appear in the Torah?
I submit:
It appears in the Torah to serve as a precedent in Jewish history for future times, when many nations will stand on the side while the numerically small nation of Israel will single-handedly destroy the enemies of civilization.
The Western world and its civilization are now being threatened by Islamic Jihad. These Moslems infiltrate into a country just as a malignant cell invades a healthy organ and eventually takes control of its genetic, hormonal and environmental growth factors until the organ loses its life vitality.
Europe and the rest of the civilized Western world, including the United States, are feeling the beginnings of the cancerous invasion of Arabs and other Moslems.
So where are the armies of these enlightened people? Why are they not joining the “soldiers” of Israel? Where are the “friendly” countries that have placed an arms embargo on Israel, leaving us to fight alone on seven fronts?
Answer: In the deep recesses of their Christian minds is the knowledge that they will be saved from annihilation by virtue of HaShem’s promise to Avraham, Yitzchak and Ya’akov that the Jewish nation will survive forever. Therefore, they are sitting on the sidelines, while “Avraham” fights and bleeds for them.
Tiny Israel is reliving the battle between our father Avraham and the four nations, when he and his 318 disciples were victorious.
The message of this episode is that no matter who our opponent is, the Jewish nation will survive and thrive and be a blessing to all mankind as HaShem promised Avraham (Bereishiet 12,2-3):
ואעשך לגוי גדול ואברכך ואגדלה שמך והיה ברכה
ואברכה מברכיך ומקללך אאר ונברכו בך כל משפחת האדמה
I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you;
I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.
This miraculous scene is imbedded in the words of King David (Tehillim 117.1) and is recited in the Hallel prayer:
הללו את ה’ כל גוים שבחוהו כל האמים
ב) כי גבר עלינו חסדו ואמת יקוק לעולם הללו יה)
Praise the Lord, all you nations,
extol Him, all you peoples.
For great is His love toward us (the Jewish nation),
and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.
Question: Why should the gentile nations praise HaShem for aiding the Jewish nation?
Answer: HaShem blesses humanity through the blessings He showers upon His chosen people Israel. When we are blessed so too is all humanity blessed.
Chag Sameach.
Together, with HaShem’s help, we will win…
Nachman Kahana
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