10/24/2026
Parshat L**h L**ha - Leadership and Elections
Elections are on the mind - Toronto's municipal elections, Israel's Knesset elections, the mid-term elections in the U.S.
Perhaps the first and greatest election in history occurs in today's Parsha. Abraham is elected by God to be the founding father of the Jewish people. The election begins with the "Go forth" words of L**h L**ha - "Go forth from your land, from your birthplace, from your parents' house to the land I will show you." Every election includes a sense of moving forward into the unknown. How will new decisions made by new leadership affect the community at large?
When the Torah introduces us to Abraham, he is already 75 years old. However, he was not chosen randomly. Rabbinic commentaries point to a younger Abraham. For example, on Rosh Hashanah, I shared the teaching which suggested that at a tender young age, Abraham believed in only one God. Thus, he was an iconoclast, a breaker of idols, and destroyed the idols in his father Terach's idol shop.
Abraham had earlier settled in Haran and was enjoying the good life. He gives it all up for something greater. He realizes there must be something more meaningful than material possessions. When the Torah says that Abraham was rich in cattle, silver, and gold, Rashi points out that the word for rich, Kaved, heavy, suggests that Abraham was weighed down by too many material possessions. Thus, he yearned for deeper meaning in his life. When his nephew Lot looks at the lush plain of the Jordan, Abraham gazes at the stars. he had a vision of a spiritual purpose.
Abraham looks beyond himself. The Torah states that he and Sara made souls in Haran, meaning that others were attracted to the spiritual leadership of Moses and Sara in recognizing the canopy of the divine presence in their lives.
When we meet Abraham in Parshat L**h L**ha, what do we already know about him? His brother had died; his wife was barren; and his family had already moved once from Ur Kasdim to Haran. Abraham already knew of loss, suffering, pain, fear, and dislocation. What might have broken another person resulted in Abraham being empathetic to the needs of others and offering a different perspective on the true matters of life.
Abraham might in fact have been the first proponent of democracy and free speech. Unlike Noah who heeded God's call and took care of his family and animal life, Abraham pleaded to God about the sanctity of life when God shared that the cities of S***m and Gomorrah were going to be destroyed. Abraham recognized the sanctity of all human life, even those people he did not know.
Abraham ruled no empire, commanded no traditional state army, and held no formal political office. Yet, he became one of history's most transformative figures.
Abraham was spiritual in recognizing a single transcendent divine source for all things. At the same time, he acted when necessary, as when he risked his own life to rescue his nephew Lot after having been taken captive by warring emperors.
Bold leaders take risks. Sensitive leaders show care for others. Visionary leaders never stop dreaming. Strong leaders have high expectations. Abraham embodied all these traits. Four thousand years later, his vision lives on - hopefully to be embodied by us in our personal lives and by democratically elected leaders in Israel, Canada, the U.S., and around the world. May contemporary leaders live up to the high standards established by the world's first divinely elected leader.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Howard Morrison
