From Our CEO
Daring to Argue With God
November 3rd, 2017

UJA’s beloved scholar-in-residence, Rabbi Michael Paley, is known for claiming every weekly Torah portion as his “favorite.” I admire Michael’s breadth (and enthusiasm!), but in all candor, last week’s Lech Lecha and this week’s Vayeira, which both focus on the life and times of Abraham, are my favorites.

We learn in Lech Lecha that Abraham and his nephew, Lot, struggle to get along while living next to each other. Their respective workers frequently quarrel. And so Abraham and Lot decide to separate — the nephew goes one way, and his uncle the other.

Almost immediately thereafter, we read about a major war pitting five kings against four kings, with the four kings taking Lot captive. Upon learning this — and notwithstanding that he’s just separated from his quarrelsome nephew — Abraham rushes to Lot’s defense. Greatly outnumbered, Abraham fights the four kings and frees his nephew.

There’s a powerful lesson to be learned here, particularly important in these trying times. Despite significant disagreement with Lot, Abraham recognizes his responsibility to care for family members in need. He is his brother’s keeper (or, in this case, his nephew’s) — and so are we. All Jews, despite our differences, have an obligation to care for one another.

Nor is our responsibility limited to our own people. In Vayeira, God tells Abraham that he intends to destroy the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah because of their evil ways. The vast majority of the cities’ inhabitants are total strangers to Abraham, but he does not stay silent. Abraham dares to argue with God, saying that for the sake of even a modest number of righteous residents, the cities should be spared. In one of the most extraordinary and dramatic lines of the entire Torah, Abraham cries out: “Will the Judge of the entire earth not perform justice?”

It’s the values we learn from Abraham in both Lech Lecha and Vayeira that animate our work every day. Whether it’s giving comfort to Jews in a synagogue in Charlottesville or delivering humanitarian aid to the most vulnerable in Puerto Rico, UJA-Federation’s mandate is to bring the entire Jewish community together to support all in need. We cannot be silent when one of us is threatened or suffering. We must share strength and lift each other up.

And we must have the courage and determination to act — even if that means daring to argue with God.

Shabbat shalom,
Eric

P.S. We are all heartbroken over the terror attack this week in Lower Manhattan — and won’t soon forget the loss of life, the physical and emotional suffering of the injured, and the trauma of those who witnessed this horrible act. Many have already returned to life as normal, but for some, life will never be the same.

Recognizing our resilience as New Yorkers, the TCS New York City Marathon is going forward this Sunday. In honor of UJA-Federation’s centennial, 100 runners will represent us at the marathon. There are five official UJA cheering zones, and we invite you to motivate our determined and fearless runners, and all the athletes, of every background and nationality, running for themselves and for all New York.