3000 years ago, there lived a man who didn’t look for the sure thing. Abraham of Ur was the son of a well-off artisan (of idols, of course). The sure thing would have been to ignore the pining of his soul for the Creative Power greater than himself, to just go with the communal flow, and connect to his spirituality in the unfree way everyone else did. But no, he had to break all of his father’s idols, and risk the wrath of the establishment religious authorities. In so doing, he freed mankind from the bonds of idol worship. He bequeathed to all time a legacy of a free-will moral man following the Infinitely Free Creator.
He did it again.
He knew in his heart that that Creative Power had called upon him to leave the city of his birth for an unknown heritage. The easy thing would have been to ignore it, to marry, have a family in Ur like his fathers and the fathers before them had done.
He left. For where? He did not know. He went anyway, because he knew he had a calling. That act paved the way for generations of “wandering Jews” throughout history.
He did it again.
Abraham knew it when this Creative Power, greater than himself, called upon him to bring his only son as an “elevating offering”. He recognized his prophecy and he knew this would likely mean—the end of his dreams for a progeny, a future family to build upon what he had begun. But it wasn’t about him, his family, his wants.
The sure thing would have to ignore it. To go back to his preaching. To play it safe. But he didn’t-- so he offered his son, and found out that he didn’t lose his son, he was laying the spiritual genetic framework for an eternal People, his people, the Jewish people.
2500 years ago, a leader of this people, Abraham’s great-great grandson, Nachshon, the son of Aminadav, of the tribe of Yehuda, did it too. He went into the sea and didn’t look back because Moshe Rabbeinu, Moses Our Teacher, told him that G-d wanted him to do so. He didn’t know the sea would split. He didn’t look for the sure thing. He took the action necessary, and let G-d guide him, and the result was the creation of a new, free People who would receive the Torah, G-d’s law, 6 weeks later on Mount Sinai.
Nachshon didn’t act because he knew it would change the world. The sure thing would have been to run away from the madness—surrounded on all sides by enemies, wild animals, and the raging waters—but he acted.
In my spiritual world, I also do not know the cosmic effect of my deeds. But I know one thing—I want to follow the lead of my holy ancestors and not simply look for the sure thing.
We begin to think about Passover when Purim is over. We just celebrated Purim. Let’s now begin thinking about Passover, and for the next month, let’s not look for the sure thing.
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