You're Greater Than Normal

Sermon – Chayei Sarah

  נְשִׂ֨יא אֱלֹה-ים אַתָּה֙ בְּתוֹכֵ֔נוּ

Maya Angelou

“If you’re always trying to be normal, you will never know how amazing you can be.”

This Shabbat we say goodbye to Avraham and Sarah. The narratives that describe their lives fill our lives for a mere 4 Shabatot. There is so much to learn from both of them. The Prophet Yishaya  tells us (51.1) “Listen to Me, you who pursue justice, You who seek God: Look to the rock you were hewn from {return to your roots} , To the quarry you were dug from. Look back to Abraham your father And to Sarah who brought you forth. For he was only one when I called him, But I blessed him and made him many.”

Avraham needs to purchase a burial plot for his wife. The promise of the Land would only be realised with Yitzchak. He turns to the local Hittite tribe and asks them to sell him a burial site. Their response reveals the depth of Avraham’s impact on society.

Hear us, my lord: (you are not merely an ordinary person)  you are a prince of God in our midst, (as your status is greater than that of the head of a small tribe.) in the choicest of our graves bury your dead; none of us shall withhold his grave from you, from burying your dead.

The phrase Nasi Elokim- Prince of God is unique to Avraham.

The Netziv explains:

English Translation

"A Prince of God (Nesi Elokim). There are two kinds of greatness and leadership.

1. One who leads the state with wisdom and is called a Prince (Nasi). Focuses on worldly and state affairs, requiring general wisdom and statecraft.

2. One who leads the people of the world in matters of divinity (God) – an individual and a nation – in the name of his God, and is called a Man of God (Ish Elokim). Focuses on spiritual and divine matters, leading individuals and the nation toward God.

And Abraham our Father  was characterised by both things. Two types of Leadership:  Ish Elokim. By calling him "Prince of God" (Nesi Elokim), the people acknowledged that his worldly leadership (Nasi) was not merely based on human wisdom and statesmanship, but was elevated and rooted in his divine connection and mission ("in the name of divinity"). He was a worldly leader with a spiritual source.

The Gemarah  in Bava Batra (91a) tells us:

“On the day that Abraham our Father died, all the great men of the nations of the world stood in a row and said, Woe to the world that has lost its leader! And woe to the ship that has lost its captain!'

There are many great individuals whose absence is not felt until after some time has passed. Regarding Avraham, on that very day, immediately and straight away, it was noticeable that the world had lost its leader.

'Woe to the world that lost the one who taught them that the world has a leader and does not just proceed by chance. This world is likened to a ship that lost its captain who steers it on a straight course so it does not fail, so too, woe to the people who lost the one who guided them on the straight path of moral character”

The two roles reflect the dual nature of Avraham’s impact. The loss of the leader of the world is more difficult than the loss of the captain. Not all are wise and discerning, or sufficiently intelligent to lead.  But in one respect, it is the opposite: when the leader of the world dies, the world will not be immediately ruined. However, when the captain of the ship is lost, the ship is in danger. Avraham excelled in both areas, making his loss doubly devastating.  He was the intellectual and theological educator as well as a moral and ethical guide in correct living.

When the world is at rest (in an ordered settlement/state), it still needs a leader.

When the world is in distress, such as a ship upon the sea, it needs a wise captain/navigator to save their lives. And such was Abraham. The loss of Avraham created panic and fear for the future.

Maya Angelou was an American, poet, and civil rights activist, she wrote:

People will forget what you said.

People will forget what you did.

But people will never forget how you made them feel.

The same piece of Talmud can also be understood as distinguishing between Avraham’s two roles in terms of his focus. As Leader of the World Avraham's role was the universal and communal figure, guiding all the nations of the world in the general principles of morality and faith. His concern was for the collective.

As the Captain of the Ship: Represents his role in tending to the needs of every individual. Just as a captain ensures every person on the ship has food, water, and rest, Avraham ensured the welfare of every specific person—even those not part of the greater world order. His concern was for the individual.

“If you’re always trying to be normal, you will never know how amazing you can be.”

Part of my fascination and relationship with the Torah comes from presenting its heroes in human terms. We don’t have demi gods or supernatural creatures. The Torah presents people in the very rawness of what it is to be human.  This presentation is designed to be a springboard for our own personalities to develop, they are role models of what a human can become or how far a human can fall. The choice will always remain ours to make. Avraham became “amazing” precisely because he didn’t settle to be like everyone else. He took a stand against his society, he shattered the illusion that to be connected to God is to be detached from reality and society and especially those who don’t follow your path.

As Nasi Elokim he walked the path of the universal and the particular.  As Avram he was limited to his own inner world and devotions. As Avraham he was truly the “Father of many nations,” demonstrating love and gain way beyond the confines of his own desert community.  As Yeshaya tells us we must look back to where we came from. Not nostalgically but critically, to understand how our past  must shape our present."

We must look back critically, analysing how our past experiences, both the triumphs and the failures, have directly shaped the present circumstances we inhabit today. By looking back analytically, we can glean the essential lessons and fundamental wisdom required to effectively guide our future actions. Ultimately, this critical self-reflection must be done purposefully, allowing us to define the new direction we must take now, and wisely, so that we avoid the predictable pitfalls and repeating the old mistakes that hindered our progress before. We are not called  upon to be copies of Avraham, but we are called to learn from him. Our community needs those who will strive to develop their inner spiritual world, through the different opportunities that we have each week in Shul and those who will go out to our members and provide them with love and care.

We are one prince down and potentially and couples of princesses so come and join me and let us try to become Nesiai Elokim- Princes and Princesses of Hashem.