18 – People Skills
Study Partners, We have days where our people skills jump the tracks. Personality hiccups happen. We wonder why am I experiencing supersonic stress? Maybe it’s the money monsters, kuckoo kids or Parent Personality Ping Pong Plaza Place, and maybe it’s the egotistical egomaniacal employer, or co-workers cluck cluck chicken coop, or new next-door neighbors nuances, cat collisions, doggie step-in-it secret stuff, or the block by block bang bang on the door bible thumpers. Maybe we need to take a break and check ourselves into Torah Obedience Training.
Let’s begin in (Genesis 13.8) where we previously discussed ‘A Painful Separation’ between Abraham and his nephew Lot. We learned a little about Abraham’s people skills when he said to his nephew Lot, ‘Please, do not let מְרִיבָה – Mih Ree Vaw – strife, contention, quarrels occur between me and you, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brothers.’ Abraham addressed his concerns with Lot. He wanted to resolve the מְרִיבָה – Mih Ree Vaw.
Abraham was a Torah Teacher. He taught Ha Torah to his relatives, converts, and those who sojourned with him. He expected those who lived among him and Sarah to follow Ha Torah’s Commands/Observances. Lot and his herders were no different! (Numbers 15.16) says, ‘One Torah and one Statute/Code shall be for you, and for the stranger who sojourns with you.’
(Numbers 15.16)
תּוֹרָה אַחַת וּמִשְׁפָּט אֶחָד יִהְיֶה לָכֶם וְלַגֵּר הַגָּר אִתְּכֶם: ס
(Midrash Bereisheit 41.5 – 7) states that Abraham’s cattle were muzzled when traveling, but Lot’s cattle were not muzzled. Abraham’s herdsmen asked Lot’s herders, since when does Ha Torah permit robbery?
Lot’s herdsmen replied: ‘The Holy One, Blessed be He, said to Abraham in(Genesis 12.7) ‘Unto your seed will I give this land.’ Abraham is barren. He cannot beget children. Lot will be his heir, so if the herds eat, they are eating their own.’
The Holy One, Blessed be He, said to them: ‘I did say to Abraham: ‘Unto your seed, I have given this Land, (Genesis 15.18). When will I give Abraham and his seed this Land? When the seven nations are uprooted from it. However, until that time, The Canaanites and Perizzites that dwell in the Land still have a right to the Land.’ It was about this time that Lot expressed his desire to revert to idolatry like the people of the Land (Zohar A 84a). Immediately Abraham said, ‘Please separate from me.’ ‘The whole land is before you. If you take the left hand, I will go to the right; or if you depart to the right hand, I will go to the left. And Lot lifted his eyes and saw that the valley of the Jordan, was well watered everywhere, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, like the garden of the Lord, like the Land of Egypt, as you come to Zoar. Then Lot chose for himself the valley of the Jordan, and Lot journeyed east, and they separated themselves, one from the other.’
(Genesis 18.19)
כִּי יְדַעְתִּיו לְמַעַן אֲשֶׁר יְצַוֶּה אֶת־בָּנָיו וְאֶת־בֵּיתוֹ אַחֲרָיו וְשָׁמְרוּ דֶּרֶךְ יְהֹוָה לַעֲשׂוֹת צְדָקָה וּמִשְׁפָּט לְמַעַן הָבִיא יְהוָֹה עַל־אַבְרָהָם אֵת אֲשֶׁר־דִּבֶּר עָלָיו: כ
(Genesis 18.19) says, ‘For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the Way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may Bring upon Abraham that which he has spoken of him.’
Genesis 18.19 informs us that the Lord Loved and continues to love Abraham and each of us. The Lord Commended Abraham’s pattern of observing The Torah. Why? ‘Abraham taught Torah Observances to his children and his household after him. The children referenced here are us. We are the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The Torah was speaking directly to us. Ha Torah does not say, child. Ha Torah Says, children. Why? At that time, Abraham did not have any children. He had one child, Ishmael. Yet, years later, we are Abraham’s children. We are the ones Ha Torah is addressing in Genesis 18.19. The Lord Knows us and Loves us! We are a part of Abraham’s household because we follow the path of Ha Torah. We read, study, and listen to the teaching of Abraham as Isaac did. We learn from Abraham’s people skills. Abraham was NOT brash or insulting. He was calm, relaxed, and together even when his life was stressful. Abraham displayed compassion, lovingkindness NOT anger. These are people skills we learn from Ha Torah.
Abraham kept the Way of The Lord? That means Abraham guarded all 613 Observances/Commands in Ha Torah even though only some Observances applied to him. He carefully followed what The Lord God Commanded. He was meticulous with the Observances that applied to him. In (Genesis 26.5) the Lord Speaks with Isaac explaining why Abraham was so successful.‘Because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My Commandments, My Statutes, and My Torah.’ Do we understand the impact of this Holy Scripture, which is written ONLY in Ha Torah? In my book entitled ‘Would You Like To Be Jewish,’ I write, ‘Some Observances are just for women. Some Observances are just for men. Some Observances are for the High Priest. Some are just for the Priests. Some are just for the Levites. Some are just for farmers. Some are just for children. Some are for plants, some for animals, some are for mother earth. The point is that there are 613 Observances. Each Observance is a Revelation of God’s Light/Ha Torah to us. No one Observes all 613 Commands/Observances. Yet each of us is obligated to observe some of our Creator’s Directions for living. How well our world functions or fails to function depends upon each of us doing our righteous part.’ Dr. Akiva Gamliel Belk Would you Like To Be Jewish? (Cedar Hill Missouri, B’nai Noach Torah Institute, LLC, Publisher 2013) PP 45 – 46
Abraham judged situations fairly without deviation. He stayed on the Path of The Lord. He taught his children and those living with him to follow the Observances that applied to them, i.e., to us. Following the Observances worked for Abraham. Following the Observances work for us. First, we must learn what the Commands/Observances are, and then each of us applies the Commands individually.
Lot had the opportunity to learn with his Uncle Abraham but did not value that time. We have the opportunity to learn from Father Abraham. Lot left Abraham’s household. That was an unwise departure. Lot’s life immediately changed because he left the way of Ha Torah. He removed himself and others from the benefit of learning from a tzaddik. (Avot 1.4) says, ‘Let your house be a house of meeting for the sages and allow yourself to be covered with the dust of their feet and drinking in their words with thirst.’ God Spoke with Abraham. Angels visited Abraham. Abraham was a Prophet. Kings honored Abraham like a prince. Abraham was a battle-tested General. He was a nomadic shepherd that thousands of people attached themselves to. He settled many disputes through teaching Ha Torah.
Abraham is the father of three major religions. He learned with Noah and Melchizedek, i.e., Shem in the Academy of Shem and Eber In other words, Abraham spoke the language of kings and ordinary people.
Immediately after departing from Abraham, Lot’s well began to run dry. Lot had a vast hole in his life and did not recognize it. When one separates themself from a tzaddik, their well begins running dry. Lot was not a son of the covenant. He was not Jewish. Yet, he benefited from the Covenant God made with Abraham.
Great Tzaddikim like Father Abraham do things that we know little about except for specific instances that are shared in Ha Tanakh/The Hebrew Bible. They often have strange erratic behavior. Regardless, look at the results. Abraham was from a righteous line of descendants reaching back to Adam.
We want to teach our children and those we love to interact with Spiritual people. We want to help those we love to guard their entrances, eyes, ears, thoughts. Corruption is very accessible to each of us. We must be diligent to guard those we love. That requires us to take active roles in the lives of those we love.
May we stay within the Torah’s Guidelines of righteous living and repentance. May we help others and bring peace and healing to our world. May this coming Sabbath and every Sabbath be a blessed Day.
Good Sabbath!
Dr. Akiva Gamliel Belk
JewishPath.Org
