Abraham and the Origin of the Jewish People

Question

Dear Rabbi,
Where in Judaism does it teach that Abraham is the Forefather of the Jewish People?
Thanks

0

Answers

  1. The Just Ask! - AskTheRabbi.org Team

    To answer your question, we need to look at a verse or two in this week’s portion of the Torah.

    At the time of Abraham, some 3,800 years ago, all people worshipped idols, usually wood, stone and the like. God saw that Abraham was the only one who would not worship idols, was righteous and God fearing. Due to this, God guided him and blessed him: “Go forth from your land and from your birthplace and from your father’s house, to the land that I will show you. And I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you, and I will magnify your name, and you shall be a blessing. And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse, and all the families of the earth shall be blessed in you.”

    What are these blessings? Rashi explains: “And I will make you into a great nation”: This is the basis of saying “the God of Abraham.” “And I will bless you”: This is the basis of saying “the God of Isaac.” “And I will aggrandize your name”: This is the basis of saying “the God of Jacob” (in the initial blessing of the Silent Prayer). You might think that the first blessing of the Silent Prayer should be concluded by mentioning them all. Therefore, the verse states: “and you shall be a blessing”: meaning, with you they will conclude, and not with them. (i.e., the closing of the blessing is “the shield of Abraham,” and not “the shield of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”)

    So, we see that God promised to make Abraham into a great nation, and also to be the God of Abraham’s great nation – whose lineage would continue with his son Isaac, followed by Issac’s son Jacob – and then continue throughout history as the Jewish People to this very day.

    Best wishes from the AskTheRabbi.org Team