In the Jewish tradition there’s a beautiful and deeply meaningful custom of studying Torah in honor or memory of an individual. At our weekly Shabbat morning Torah study, and many of our adult learning classes we invite students to dedicate their learning reflecting that practice.
As the war in Gaza enters its third week, I dedicate the Torah that I’ll be sharing to the victims of the terrorist, attack in memory of those who were killed, in solidarity with those who were taken hostage, and in honor of those who are risking their lives to protect the citizens of Israel. For the entire Torah portion click here.
Wandering is at the core of our foundational narrative. At first, Abram’s father Terach, leads his whole clan from Ur-Kasdim towards Canaan for reasons unknown. Strangely, the family makes it to Haran (thought to be in southern Turkey and still carrying that name today) where Terach dies. Abram and Sarai then continue the journey to Canaan. Based on a 19th century scholar, Ur-Kasdim was thought to be in southern Iraq, which is the location given in most Biblical history books even today, however, as you might anticipate from the previous days’ writings, modern Biblical scholars are challenging that assumption.
First, compare the traditionally understood route of Abram and Sarai’s entourage (in red) to the usual, well-attested trade routes (green and blue):
You’ll notice right off the bat that Harran is way out of the way. It’s one thing to add such a diversion by car or plane. It’s another to do soby camel caravan. This is quite a detour! Perhaps adding weeks to the journey.
At other places in the Bible, (Joshua 23:2) the text says that Terach lived “beyond the river.” This is generally thought to be on the far side of the Euphrates River. As you can see by the map above, Ur is on “this side” of the river Euphrates — that is, the Israel side. Scholars suggest that the Bible is actually referring to another Ur, this one is located farther north in Turkey, on the “other side” of the river and in line between Haran and Canaan. Today it’s called Urfa. There are even villages in the region that carry names very similar to those in Abram’s family (Terach, Serug). There’s also much historical evidence to place both the Chaldeans (Kasdim) and Arameans in the region in Turkey. Remember the text from Passover (and the Torah), “My ancestor was a wandering Aramean?” It makes sense based on the map below. The wandering Aramean was Abraham! Here’s a map that makes things more clear.
Of course, like any scientific hypothesis, this theory needs to be tested and confirmed. However, it is intriguing and solves many puzzles in the text itself.
It is astounding that our thousands of years-old text still engages the attention of not only adherents to the world’s three Biblically based religions but also that of modern scholars, and that the findings of these scholars actually shed new light on our contemporary understanding of the text.
The story of Israelite wandering, regardless of where Abram and Sarai’s journey began, is the story of a people seeking to find a home and then return to that home. Parashat Lech Lecha (this week’s reading) captures the power of that eternal Jewish story. We returned to Israel over the last 100 years from around the globe. We brought our various customs, languages, and variations on Judaism; together we built a nation. The events of the last few weeks have reminded us, once again, that we are far stronger when we join together despite our many differences, and recognize that our shared origin story carries far greater value to unity than those things that divide us.
Rabbi Ron Stern
