Devar Torah for Parshat Lekh Lekha,
on the occasion of the 8th yartsayt
of Yitzhah Rabin.

On the night of Saturday November 4, 1995, Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin traveled to the Kings’ Square in Tel Aviv where tens of thousands of Israeli peace supporters massed to assure him of their enthusiastic support. They rallied with wild enthusiasm under banners that proclaimed “Yes to Peace – No to Violence.”

After his speech, and a closing song, Rabin descended the steps to his car. The young Jewish student wheeled out of the darkness and shot him in the back. Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, the hero of war and the soldier of peace, was critically wounded. A short time later, at the hospital, he died of his wounds.

Of the Jewish prophetic voices of our time, we tend not to think of Israeli government leaders, at least not past the figure of David Ben-Gurion, the country’s first Prime Minister. Certainly Golda Meir, General Moshe Dayan, and others, have achieved iconic status. Heroism and military leadership have inevitably been paired when assessing and lionizing the leaders of Israel, who from the moment the state was declared have been engaged in some form of military operation or another.

Thinking back to the stories and characters of Torah, certainly Abraham does not pop to mind when we consider our warrior heroes. Perhaps the young David, before he was king, and the story of slaying the giant Goliath; certainly Joshua, who “fought the battle of Jericho;” Samson is another, lauded for his incredible strength.

But Abraham? We associate him with hospitality, but mostly, of course, with being the first of the Avot, the forefathers of our people. And when we consider this parsha, in which we are introduced to him as Abram, who, with Sarai his wife, and Lot his nephew, heeds God’s call to abandon his father’s house, and his homeland, to received God’s inheritance in an unknown land.

What rarely comes to mind, however, is that Abram had quite a bit of experience with military engagement and with inter-governmental diplomacy, as recorded in this parsha, and the next as well.

One example: while on their journey, Abram assigns to Lot a specific portion of land, in order to settle some quarrels between their herdsmen. Four kings raid the cities nearby Lot’s camp, and take him as hostage. Abram gathered a troop of fighters to rescue him. Not the story we most readily learn about the father of monotheism!

Rabbi Harvey Fields, in his helpful guide to the Torah portions, asks a question that has been posed through the generations: “what qualified Abram for leadership of the Jewish people?” After reviewing some the midrash written by the rabbis to answer that question for themselves, he concludes: “God chose Abram as the founder of the Jewish people for his wisdom and bravery. He was not afraid to ask hard questions or to stand up for what he believed. He was willing to risk ridicule, even suffering and persecution, for his convictions.”

And so it came to pass that another leader of our people, a prime minister of Israel, took a great risk, and though he had been a warrior too in his day, he stood up for peace, and paid for that courage with his life.

Yitzhak Rabin was not an expressive or effusive man. This week I looked at some video, on line, from the rally 8 years ago, as the crowd, and the performers and speakers on stage, were gathered for the closing song, Shir Lashalom. Shimon Peres was smiling broadly, and singing with gusto; the main singer was holder her microphone with one hand and waving with the other, swaying to the beat. Rabin, head inclined towards the sheet of paper with the lyrics, was certainly singing along, but his posture, and the expression on his face, were contained and, you might even say, stern.

However, when he had started his speech, earlier in the rally, his first sentence was clearly improvised, in the moment. He said:

“Permit me to say that I am deeply moved.”

He went on to say:

“I was a military man for 27 years. I fought as long as there was no chance for peace. I believe that there is now a chance for peace, a great chance. We must take advantage of it for the sake of those standing here, and for those who are not here -- and they are many.

I have always believed that the majority of the people want peace and are ready to take risks for peace. In coming here today, you demonstrate, together with many others who did not come, that the people truly desire peace and oppose violence.

Violence erodes the basis of Israeli democracy. It must be condemned and isolated.”

There were tens of thousands of people in that square in November of 1995. And last weekend, 100,000 gathered there again for yarzheit observance/peace demonstration in Tel Aviv.

Rabin’s closing words eight years ago would have been just as fitting this week. I share with you a desperate hope that next year, it will be unnecessary for them to be repeated:

“This rally must send a message to the Israeli people, to the Jewish people around the world, to the many people in the Arab world, and indeed to the entire world, that the Israeli people want peace, support peace.

For this, I thank you.”

Then-president Bill Clinton, in his eulogy for Rabin, used the phrase “Shalom haver,” good-bye friend, which then became a by-word for the peace movement. It had, however, been struck a fatal blow, and we are now mired in a situation that even the most active and knowledgeable analysts of the time could not have predicted.

I urge us all to take a look at the current situation in Eretz Yisrael not as hopeless, but as one in which we must look for signs of potential visionary leadership. Just as Abram was a willing negociator with the rulers of ancient Egypt, Elam, and Gerar, and even with a vengeful God about to destroy Sodom, we can see on the horizon peace-loving visionaries among our people who, like Rabin, like Abraham, understand the times when it is necessary to become “a warrior for peace.”

A verse near the beginning of Chapter 2 of the prophet Isaiah read: “They shall turn their swords into ploughshares;” they shall transform their tools of war into tools for peace.

The next verse is found at the end of the Prayer for the State of Israel on page 420 of our prayer book. Please join me:

Rock and Champion of Israel, please bless the state of Israel, first fruit of the flourishing of our redemption. Guard it in the abundance of your love. Spread over it the shelter of your peace. Send forth your light and truth to those who hold elective office. Establish in them, through your presence, wise counsel, that they might walk in the way of justice, freedom, and integrity. Strengthen the hands of those who guard our holy land. Let them inherit salvation and life. And give peace to the land, and perpetual joy to its inhabitants. Appoint for a blessing all of our kindred of the house of Israel in all the lands of their dispersion. Plant in their hearts a love of Zion. And for all people everywhere, may God be with them, and may they have the opportunity to go up to the land. Cause your spirit’s influence to emanate upon all dwellers of our holy land. Remove from their midst hatred and enmity, jealousy and wickedness. Plant in their hearts love and kinship, peace and friendship. And soon fulfill the vision of your prophet: “Nation shall not lift up sword against nation. Let them learn nor longer ways of war.”

And let us say: Amen.