Abraham Today: Would He Recognize Us?

Description

What would the man who gave us monotheism and embraced a life of virtue, justice and kindness say about religion in our times? Would he even recognize it? How would Abraham react if he entered a modern-day synagogue? How would he respond to a synagogue squabble between his great great-grandchildren?

And if he went out into the larger society and witnessed abusive situations? Would he intervene or mind his own business? Or would he break down in tears?

Whatever he would do, Abraham would certainly not retreat. He would not choose the easier path of protecting his own reputation and give up on our generation. If Abraham prayed for the sinners of Sodom and Gomorrah, he surely would pray for us, and he would do all he possibly could to help us re-discover the path he had forged.

This is a two-part sermon imagining Abraham’s interaction with today’s world:

Part I: Would He Recognize His Children?

Part II: Would He Intervene?

It contains some extremely relevant guidelines for dealing with distressing situations we encountered often in today’s wounded world – guidelines based on the Torah’s universal values and the extraordinarily sensitive approach to dealing with the human condition epitomized by our great patriarch Abraham.