Well, and we talked about Parshah Lech L’cha, Genesis 12:1 � 17:27, and it went OK. It was a rambling discussion, even more so than usual, since Rabbi was away (she’s in Boston tonight, and good luck to her, particularly if she’s trying to park near the Symphony). I asked about the initial get-thee-out bargain, and why Abraham took it.
There were a couple of interesting ideas. One was that, despite the bargain being given pretty much in terms of wealth and fame, when the Lord presented it to Abraham, presumably he already knew that Abraham was not particularly keen on wealth and fame, as later evidenced in later actions (particularly refusing the war loot and letting Lot have the fertile land). That, presumably, is what makes the Lord pick Abraham for the bargain, and what makes the bargain a good one for the Lord.
Another thing that was brought up was the part of the bargain that reads “And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee” (Gen 12:3, and it might actually better read curse him that disseth thee). And it was pointed out that, later in history that seemed to be true, that the cultures that accepted Jews and treated them comparatively well seemed to do all right, but that the phase where Jews were expelled and/or oppressed seemed to be right before the downfall of the particular empire, all the same Rome, Spain, the Middle East etc., etc. I don’t know that I agree with that, as I could probably come up with counter-examples, but it suggests a reading of this passage as encouraging a liberal tradition, dare-I-call-it diversity, and warning against xenophobia and disrespect not just for Jews but for other cultures generally. Stability not through exclusion but through acceptance.
There was also a good deal of loose talk about circumcision. Anyway, next week is Vayeera (18:1 � 22:24). Sodom and Gomorrah, the expulsion of Ishmael, and the birth and the Binding of Isaac. Whew.
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-Vardibidian.