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Cities Have Personalities - Parashat Lech Lecha 5779 - October 19, 2018

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Cities are places defined not only by geography – cities have personalities and identities that are tied to the peoples and cultures that reside within them. For example, the city of Memphis has geographical nuances – it is a city on a bluff bordered on three sides by rich agricultural land and on the fourth side by North America’s greatest river. Memphis, like other cities and lands, has a personality that transcends its geography; a personality shaped by the economic and sociological history of its residents.

In this week’s parasha, Lech Lecha, the Torah introduces us to our patriarchs, Avram and Sarai. The Torah tells us that Hashem commanded Avram to leave his land, his birthplace and the land of his fathers – to leave Ur Kasdim – and to go to the land that Hashem would show him. It was in this new land that Hashem would make Avram into a great nation and where he would be blessed. Apparently, Ur Kasdim was not a fitting place for Avram to become the father of a new nation that was devoted to Hashem. Ur Kasdim did not have the appropriate personality for Avram’s growth.

The Torah shares with us Avram and Sarai’s early encounters in Eretz Canaan. One of Avram’s early encounters with his meeting with Malki-Tzedek, king of Shalem and priest of Hashem. Malki-Tzedek means “king of justice” and Shalem is a variant of the word Shalom, “peace”. In this encounter, Avram takes a tenth of his possessions and gives them as a gift to Malki-Tzedek – presumably to assist him in his work as a priest of Hashem. The Midrash and mefarshim teach us that Malki-Tzedek is none other than Noach’s righteous son, Shem, and that Shalem was the future location of the great city of Yerushalayim. Why does the Torah refer to Shem by his pseudonym, Shem, and what message is conveyed by the name of Malki-Tzedek’s city – Shalem?

The Land of Canaan was a place designated by Hashem to convey values and enduring truths. By using these special names, Malki-Tzedek and Shalem, the Torah teaches us that Jerusalem was a city with a personality and identity from its very inception. Jerusalem was established as a center of justice and peace for all of humanity. When Avram donated ten percent of his assets to Malki-Tzedek, he was declaring that his work in ensuring justice and peace in the world was a vitally important endeavor. 

The prophet Isaiah teaches, ki mitzion tetze Torah – Torah comes from Zion. Isaiah is declaring that Zion-Israel is more than just the location where many of our greatest books and scholars come from. Zion is a beacon of Torah – its existence declares the importance of Torah and supports the promulgation of Torah. Similarly, Jerusalem proclaims an idea to the world declares that justice and peace are fundamental human values. As a city universally associated with Hashem, Yerushalayim declares to the world that societies must be built on justice and peace.

Hashem has blessed our generation with the ability to witness the growth and development of the State of Israel and its capital, Jerusalem. May we use this blessing to incorporate the values of Torah, peace and justice into our own lives and to influence the city in which we live.


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