Lech Lecha: It'll Just Cost You Your Soul...

In honor of Halloween, I thought I'd write a slightly spookier post than usual. That's right, even though I'm both Jewish AND a rabbi, I can still say the pagan/Christian/heretical/scandalous/evil word "Halloween" without melting. Personally, I don't subscribe 

to the Jewish poopooing of Halloween; I think it's as American as the Fourth of July, Memorial Day, New Year's Eve, and Superbowl Sunday. And as American Jews, we should embrace it. (Except the horror films; those freak me out...) Or, if it makes you feel better, think of it as a Purim celebration in the Fall, perhaps. Either way, it ain't anti-Jewish. And so, let's move on to our scary-themed blog post:

This week, we are introduced to Abraham (or "Abram," as he was originally called before God renamed him). For a short while, and rarely the parts we talk about in Hebrew School, we get to see him as a young, vibrant guy. He's a pretty fearless military leader, and in our

parashah he takes on several menacing kings, and beats them all!! He rescues his nephew, Lot, from captivity, and seizes a sizable fortune from his enemies. When he returns from battle, a group of OTHER kings, his allies, come out to greet him (and take their share of the wealth...). It is at this moment that we see a fascinating, and eery, sentence in our text. The king of Sodom (and yes, we ARE talking about one half of Sodom and Gomorrah, and we know what lovely people THEY were! Keep that in mind for this scene...) approaches Abram and says, "Give me the persons [you captured] (i.e. slaves), and take the possessions for yourself" (Genesis, 14:21). But that is just the English translation. The Hebrew text is much more ominous and terrifying.

The actual words spoken by the king of (awful) Sodom are: "Give me the soul, and keep the possessions for yourself." It doesn't even say "souls," plural, but just "soul." Whose soul is he asking for? I hear 

the king saying: "Become my ally. Align yourself with me, my people, and our way of life; sell your soul to me, and I'll make you wealthy." I think Abram hears it this way too. It's not that the king is offering to split the spoils with him, he's offering a deal that would make Abram indebted to him, and Abram will never get out of it. Which is indeed why he sharply refuses. He knows he would be making a deal with the devil, so to speak. It sounds so innocent at first, until you really read what is being offered. Then it is haunting and terrifying, and sends a shiver down your spine.

Because we're not just talking about Abram, are we? Looking at our Jewish history, we have often found kings and rulers making us this 
offer. "Sell your allegiance to God, abandon your traditions and restrictions, and you'll become wealthy." Or we can even look at our own lives. Are we sometimes tempted to abandon morals or overlook the wrongdoings of others, for personal gain or just to avoid making waves? In your life, has someone come to you with this kind of offer? Inviting you to share the riches, and perhaps only later do you realize they were actually asking for your silence/agreement/vote/endorsement/acquiescence - your soul - in return? Halloween can serve as a reminder that sometimes things that appear scary are really harmless, while other things (or deals) seem innocent and simple at first, but are actually frightening and damaging under the surface. The trick is to learn from Abram and determine when someone is really wearing a mask. Or perhaps it's the ones NOT wearing masks you truly have to watch out for...

Happy Halloween!

Photos in this blog post:
1. CC image courtesy of Crakkerjakk on Wikimedia Commons
2. CC image courtesy of Megistias on Wikimedia Commons (Yes, I know this is not likely what Abram/Abraham looked like in battle, but it's an ancient soldier (Greek, maybe) and it's probably not TOO dissimilar, so LAY OFF!! Sheesh...)
3. CC image courtesy of Jujutacular on Wikimedia Commons
4. CC image courtesy of Lyd0286 on Wikimedia Commons