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How to let your spirit soar

According to Jewish tradition, each Patriarch represents a Divine attribute. Abraham is the epitome of Chesed, "kindness", Isaac is Gevurah, "strength and judgment," and Jacob is Tiferes, "truth."

It would seem, however, that Abraham's life required more Gevurah than Chesed, because he was constantly challenged to be strong, judgmental, and sometimes even harsh. First he had to leave his family. Then he had to ask his nephew Lot to go away and settle elsewhere. When he heard that Lot was captured during a local war, Abraham battled valiantly to save him. Sarah, after being barren for so long, asked Abraham to father a child with her maidservant Hagar. Even though it surely pained both Abraham and Sarah, he nevertheless acquiesced to her request. Later in his life, G-d told Abraham to circumcise himself, his children and male servants. He bravely agreed. Upon the birth of Isaac, Sarah told Abraham to send Hagar and Yishmael away, and with G-d's consent he did so. And finally, at the climax of his spiritual career, Abraham was willing to sacrifice Isaac, his only son from Sarah. These were hardly the sorts of situations that express kindness. So how does Abraham represent Chesed?

We are all born with innate character dispositions. Some of us are simply naturally kind, or strong, or truthful. Beyond our natural inclinations, though, what distinguishes us from one another is whether we follow those instincts and link them with Divine values. Are we slaves to our personality or servants to G-d?

We transcend ourselves when, if the situation calls for it, we are able to do that which is the opposite of our own inclination. If a kind man is not able to be harsh and judgmental when it is appropriate, then his kindness is not truly a service to G-d. Rather, he is merely a slave to his innate personality. Abraham is known to have passed ten tests in his life. Each test was an opportunity to transcend himself from slavery to his instincts to freedom of service to G-d. Each of the forefathers is referred to as a Merkavah, a "vehicle" or "channel" for the Divine. They achieved this lofty status because they revealed G-d's attributes in the world through their service to G-d.

Abraham's innate character disposition and natural inclination was kindness, selflessness and surrender. Abraham declared: "I am merely dust and ashes." (1) Abraham was also the first person to describe G-d as a Master, "ADO-NAI" and thereby introduced and promoted the idea that man should always strive to be G-d's humble servant. The Talmud (2) teaches:

From the day that the Holy One Blessed Be He created the world no one had ever called Him "Adon" (Master), until Abraham came upon the scene and called him "Adon," as it is written (Gen. 15:8): "O ADO-NAI YKVK, with what shall I know?" Rav said: Even Daniel was heard in his prayer for the sake of Abraham, for it says (Dan. 9:17): "Now therefore, O ADO-NAI, hearken unto the prayer of Your servant and to his supplications and cause Your face to shine upon Your sanctuary that is desolate for the sake of ADO-NAI." He ought to have said "For Your sake," but he means "For the sake of Abraham, who called You, ADO-NAI."

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