This week’s Parasha is Lech Lecha.  It begins “HaShem said to Abram, ‘Go for yourself from your land, from your relatives, and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you.”

And so the journey began.  As we continue reading, Gen. 12:6 states, “Abram passed into the Land as far as the site of Shechem…”  This brought to my mind the events of last week, when the Palestinians set fire to the tomb of Joseph, which is located in Shechem.  Hundreds of Palestinians gathered and threw molotov cocktails at the compound.  Some of them broke in and began throwing flammables inside the compound.

We find out in Joshua 24:32 (and Acts 7:16) that Jacob had bought the plot of land for 100 shekels.  Jewish tradition states that Shechem was the first place conquered by the Jews nearly 300 years before Israel gained full possession of the Land.

The Joshua passage also contains the very famous charge to choose whom the Israelites would serve and they said, “As for me and my house, we will serve the L-rd.”

As this difficult time in Israel continues, each of us must decide how we are going to respond to this.  Are we going to bless Israel and be blessed, or are we going to curse Israel and be cursed?  Are we going to affirm that G-d showed this land to Abraham as an inheritance for the Children of Israel, or are we going to remain silent as the world turns against this tiny country?

Below is the tomb of Joseph in flames.

credit: photo grab

Shabbat Shalom,

Rivka