Lech Lecha Artscroll p.54 | Haftarah p.1133 Hertz p.45 | Haftarah p.60 Soncino p.60 | Haftarah p.82 Volume 32 No. 7 1 In loving memory of Shemuel Yosef ben Avraham Moshe “God said to Avram after Lot had parted from him, ‘Raise now your eyes and look out from where you are: northward, southward, eastward and westward. For all the land that you see, to you I will give it, and to your descendants forever’” (Bereishit 13:14-15). 9 November 2019 11 Cheshvan 5780 Shabbat ends London 5.10pm Jerusalem 5.21pm
In loving memory of Shemuel Yosef ben Avraham Moshe
“God said to Avram after Lot had parted from him, ‘Raise now your eyes and look out from whereyou are: northward, southward, eastward and westward. For all the land that you see, to you I willgive it, and to your descendants forever’” (Bereishit 13:14-15).
9 November 2019 11 Cheshvan 5780
Shabbat ends London 5.10pmJerusalem 5.21pm
Sidrah Summary: Lech Lecha
United Synagogue Daf HashavuaProduced by US Living & Learning together with the Rabbinical Council of the United Synagogue
God appears to Avraham (at this stage still calledAvram), telling him to leave his homeland,Charan (Babylonia), and travel to a land “thatGod would show him”, where he would flourishand father a great nation (see p.3 article).Avraham takes his wife Sarah (at this stage stillcalled Sarai), his nephew Lot and his entirehousehold. They arrive in Cana’an. Avrahamtravels throughout the Land. Famine strikes andthey are forced to go down to Egypt in order tosurvive. Afraid of being killed if the Egyptiansdiscover that Sarah is his wife, Avraham asks herto say she is his sister.
Question: Where did Avraham build an altar?(12:8) Answer on bottom of page 6.
2nd Aliya (Levi) – 12:14-13:4
Pharaoh’s officers take Sarah away to theirmaster’s house. They give Avraham copious giftsas ‘payment’. God strikes Pharaoh with a plague.Suspecting that Sarah may in fact be Avraham’swife, Pharaoh confronts Avraham and thenorders him and Sarah to leave. They travel backto Cana’an with Lot.
3rd Aliya (Shlishi) – 13:5-13:18
Arguments break out between the shepherds ofAvraham and Lot. Avraham suggests that theypart ways. Lot chooses to live in the immoral cityof Sedom. God appears to Avraham andpromises that his offspring, who will becountless, shall inherit the Land.
4th Aliya (Revi’i) – 14:1-14:20
A war breaks out among nine kings. The king ofSedom is defeated and Lot is taken captive. Thisprompts Avraham to mobilise his small force,which miraculously defeats the victorious kingsand rescues Lot.
Point to Consider: Who came to tell Avrahamthat Lot had been taken captive? (see Rashi to14:13)
5th Aliya (Chamishi) – 14:21-15:6
Avraham refuses the King of Sedom’s offer tokeep the spoils of the war. Avraham relays hispain to God at being childless. God tells him thathis offspring will be countless, like the stars.
6th Aliya (Shishi) – 15:7-17:6
Wary of future sins, Avraham asks for a hint asto how his offspring will merit to inherit and tokeep the Land (see the Ramban’s commentary).God instructs Avraham to cut up several animals,indicating that the future Temple offerings willprotect the nation. Birds of prey descend on thecarcasses. Avraham falls into a deep sleep. Godtells him that his offspring will be enslaved in aforeign land for 400 years. Sarah, still childless,tells Avraham to take her maidservant, Hagar, asa second wife. Hagar becomes pregnant and isdisrespectful to Sarah, who sends her away. Anangel appears to Hagar in the desert, telling herto subjugate herself to Sarah. Hagar gives birthto Yishmael.
7th Aliya (Shevi’i) – 17:7-17:27
God instructs Avraham in the mitzvah of britmilah. God says that Sarah will have a child,Yitzchak. Avraham circumcises both himself andYishmael.
Haftarah
The Biblical prophet Yeshaya reassures Israelthat even when they are downtrodden, Goddoes not tire of them and does not forget them;He remains in charge of Creation and weremain His chosen people.
3In memory of Devorah Bat Avraham
Travelling with God by Rabbi Baruch Davis, Editor-in-Chief, Daf Hashavua, Chigwell & Hainault UnitedSynagogue
This autumn is the 80thanniversary of the outbreakof World War II and webegin the serialization ofextracts from Dr JudithGrunfeld’s book Shefford. It recalls the evacuation ofthe 450 children of the
Jewish Secondary School, in Stamford Hill andhow they preserved – and even strengthened –their Jewish commitment in the process.
This week’s parasha, Lech Lecha, in whichAvraham (then Avram) was commanded to leave “his land, his birthplace and his father’shouse” is, of course, a most appropriate weekto begin such a series, as many of the children,refugees from Europe, had done exactly that.
God’s command, at the very opening of ourparasha (Bereishit 12:1), raises variousquestions:
God said to Avram “go for yourself, from your land,from your birthplace and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you”.
On all other occasions, when God spoke toAvraham, we are first told that “God appeared to Avraham”. Why was the first time different?Why are we not told why God chose Avraham?Many of us are familiar with the midrashic storiesof Avraham smashing his father’s idols and ofNimrod throwing him into the fiery furnace, butthese stories are not in the Torah.
The Sefat Emet (Rabbi Yehudah Leib Alter, 1847-1905), quoting the Zohar, suggests why Avrahamwas singled out by God.
He heard the call of “go for yourself” which comesout from God to all people at all times… Our fatherAvraham heard the call and received its message.It turns out that the Divine word was calling to him
alone, because only he was listening. This was his greatest praise – that he was ready to receivethe call.
According to the Sefat Emet, God speaks toeveryone, “dropping hints”, but it is up to us togo in search of God and listen for the messages.Aside from the geographical message, there was a spiritual message, of stepping out ofoneself and connecting with God. Avraham was the one who listened to this message. Only having done this did God then appear tohim. While it was laudable for Avraham to stand up for his beliefs, it was his listening toGod that the Torah specifically wishes tohighlight. As the Ohr HaChaim (Rabbi Chaim ibnAttar, 1696-1743) says:
God therefore decided to test Avraham beforespeaking to him. He did this by demanding ofAvraham that he leave his home, etc. Only afterhe had successfully passed that test did Goddecide to reveal Himself to Avraham in a vision,as we find in Bereishit 12:7.
Even this, however, was only the beginning, asAvraham was to face ten trials, each causing himto step out of himself and become stronger inhis commitment to God. In the words of theSefat Emet:
Avraham was tested with ten trials and each trialre-created him as a new being.
We each have our own ‘lech lechas’. My ownfather, z’l, was nine at the outbreak of war andwas evacuated three times. During the thirdevacuation, he insisted on returning home everythree weeks, in order to attend cheder and toprepare for his barmitzvah, which was onparashat Lech Lecha, at Brixton UnitedSynagogue (which is now incorporated into theSouth London Synagogue). He also merited theultimate ‘lech lecha’, living the last 25 years ofhis life in Jerusalem.
4In memory of Shalom ben Pinchas
History of Jewish Philosophy Part 10: Kant, Rabbi Desslerand the Hidden Fugitive by Rabbi Chaim Burman, US Rabbinic Intern
Making the right decision canbe very challenging when wehave to decide between twoconflicting values that areboth important to us. In thisarticle, which concludes thisseries on the history of JewishPhilosophy, we will examine a
challenging ethical dilemma that has beenaddressed by Jewish and non-Jewishphilosophers alike and examine the conceptualbackground for the Jewish position.
Often referred to as the “central figure of WesternPhilosophy”, the German philosopher ImmanuelKant (1724-1804) is credited with providing solidframeworks for autonomously solving ethicaldilemmas. Still, his position on the followingquestion has often been met with surprise due toits rather cold and heartless outcome.
Imagine there was an innocent victim hiding inyour home and his pursuer confronted you andasked if you knew where he was. Kant, in acontroversial essay written in 1797, asserted thatif you cannot deflect the pursuer in some otherway, you must tell the truth regarding the fugitive’swhereabouts, even if you know he will be torturedand killed. Kant argued that truth-telling is such afundamental duty that it can be limited “by noexpedience whatsoever”. Once we countenancean exception to truth-telling, this could bereplicated in all kinds of improper situations andtherefore there cannot be an exception to thesteadfast rule of “no lying”. To lie in order to savea life would be a crime against one’s personalduty, humanity and society.
Kant, through his childhood Lutheran education,was familiar with the teachings of Augustine (354-430) who, centuries before, had suggested thisvery solution to the hiding fugitive dilemma.Subsequent Catholic theologians also saw lyingas a “mortal sin”.
Jewish halachists and philosophers came to aradically different conclusion. Of course oneshould never lie when it can be avoided. If youcan shrug off the pursuer with the “technicaltruth”, even when you are knowingly deceivinghim, you should do so. But, failing that option,there actually is a halachic obligation to lie to savea life, as long as by doing so one does not putone’s own life (or the life of others) in danger.
Often, choices like these are perceived as a kindof suspension of Jewish Law; we disregardcertain halachot for a more important value. Sowhen one calls an ambulance on Shabbat to savea life, we have suspended the laws of Shabbat forthe more weighty consideration of saving a life. Inthe case of truth-telling, however, several Jewishphilosophers have given a more nuancedapproach to explain the permissibility of lying insuch situations.
Rabbi Eliyahu Dessler (1892-1953) noted that theHebrew word emet, often translated as truth, isnot always synonymous with verifiable reality.Emet is a positive value which is coherent withthe course of action that one should take. Whenone discloses the fugitive’s whereabouts, one hasdeviated from the desired course of fact-sharingand that cannot be considered emet. This can beillustrated through the following verse: “Thewicked man performs actions of lies” (Proverbs11:18). Only when we conceptualise emet as acourse of correct behaviour can we see how it ispossible to associate action with truth or lies. Inthese terms, one never really lies to save a life. Inthese difficult situations, the truthful course ofaction is to do the right thing.
We thank Rabbi Burman for this fascinatingseries, which has covered many foundationaltopics in Jewish philosophy.
5In memory of Frida Mirel bat Chaim Simcha
Jewish Contemporary Ethics Part 44: Artificial Intelligence 1 – Introduction to AI by Rabbi Dr Moshe Freedman, New West End Synagogue
The last few years havewitnessed a flood of interestin the science of ArtificialIntelligence (AI). In the early20th century, neurologicalresearch had demonstratedthat the brain works vianetworks of interconnected
cells called neurons which fire pulses ofelectricity to communicate with one another.
Concurrently, advancements in three crucialscientific areas jointly served as the catalyst forhelping to describe how it would be possible toartificially replicate the functions of the humanbrain. American mathematician Claude Shannon(d. 2001) developed Information Theory whichdescribes how information is transmitted over amedium. English computer scientist Alan Turing(d. 1954) established the Theory of Computationwhich deals with the use of algorithms (aprocedure or set of rules followed in calculationsor other problem-solving operations) to solvecomputational problems. Norbert Wiener (d.1964), another American mathematician at MIT,formed his theory of Cybernetics, whichdescribes the science of control andcommunication.
The portrayal of AI in popular science fiction andthe media is often misleading and unhelpful.Modern-day AI algorithms are excellent atperforming specific tasks such as analysingbanking data, playing chess or detecting trendsin the stock market. But they cannot simulategeneral human intelligence which makes itpossible for us to perform a plethora of diversetasks requiring very different skills. Simulatinghuman intelligence is known as Artificial GeneralIntelligence and firmly remains the stuff ofscience fiction.
This does not, however, diminish the ethicalreservations of contemporary AI, nor theconcerns that accompany the potential for futurescientific developments.
AI has been used for specific tasks for sometime. If you have ever used a banking app, socialmedia or bought anything online, you haveinevitably used AI algorithms which havefacilitated your experience. The data from ouronline activity, including how much we spend,what we comment on, where we go and what wesearch for, is then collected and sold on tocompanies who use AI algorithms to build aprofile of who we are. This picture may try topredict anything from whether we should beeligible for a loan, our life expectancy or what the chances of our having a car accident may be(see part 36 of this series).
This is where the ethical difficulties of AI begin,for while these algorithms are tremendouslyefficient at quantifying large amounts of data,they are very poor at assessing the quality of thatdata. For example, if someone searches for ababy toy online, it does not necessarily meanthey are expecting a baby. It might mean thattheir friend is expecting a baby, it might meanthat they’re feeling nostalgic about a particulartoy their baby had and have no intention ofmaking a purchase, or it might mean thatsomeone else who is expecting a baby is usingthat person’s device.
Given the upsurge in AI use, the next four articleswill examine some of the potential ethical issueswith using AI in a variety of fields, includingmedical diagnosis, financial technology (FinTech)and warfare.
6In memory of Leah Bat Shmuel Nissan
Answer: Beit ElShefford and Dr Judith Grunfeld, of blessed memory by Miriam Marson, US Judaica Executive
The picturesque Bedfordshiretowns of Shefford, Clifton,Stotfold and Meppershall,approximately 40 miles northof London, do not appear alikely backdrop to a fascinatingpiece of British and Jewishhistory.
Yet, in September 1939, for Dr Judith Grunfeld,then Headmistress of the Jewish SecondarySchool in Stamford Hill and her colleagues andpupils, these towns and their inhabitants were toassume enormous significance. Britain had justdeclared war on Germany. Evacuation ofschoolchildren from cities to the countryside, inanticipation of the German bombing of urbanareas, was in full swing.
Dr Judith Grunfeld (nee Rosenbaum) was born inBudapest in 1902, moving to Frankfurt two years later. Judith attended the schools founded by Rabbi Shimshon Raphael Hirsch. A committed member of the Religious-Zionistyouth movement Ezra, she planned to go on aliya after she finished her studies at FrankfurtUniversity in psychology, philosophy, educationand science (the latter to doctorate level).
However, in 1925, Jacob Rosenheim, a leader ofthe Agudas Yisroel organisation, spotted Judith’spotential as a charismatic educator. Hepersuaded her to move to Poland and teach in the fledgling Beis Yaakov movement for girls’ education, which had been established bythe legendary educator Sarah Schenirer.
At the young age of 23, Judith took responsibilityfor implementing work by Dr Leo Deutschlanderto professionalise the teaching methods used inBeis Yaakov and for fundraising internationally forthe rapid expansion of its network of schools.
She remained in Poland until 1932, when shereturned to Germany to marry Dr Isidor Grunfeld,a lawyer with a developing practice. After the
Nazis rose to power in 1933, and the physicalattacks Isidor Grunfeld suffered for his oppositionto them, the young couple moved to Jerusalem,but a lack of employment opportunities saw themrelocate to London in 1934. Soon afterwards,Judith was appointed as headmistress of theJewish Secondary School.
A few years later, her husband, who had attainedordination as both a rabbi and a dayan, wasappointed to the London Beth Din and was to write many well-known works, such as The Sabbath. Alongside this, the Dayan and his rebbetzen, Dr Grunfeld, served the UScommunity in Finsbury Park for many years.Dayan Grunfeld passed away in 1975, Dr Grunfeld in 1998. Their descendants continueto play an active role in Jewish communities,including Rebbetzen Rachie Lister, of EdgwareUnited Synagogue.
Yet as she stood on a train platform on a Fridaymorning bound for Bedfordshire as the warclouds darkened, Dr Grunfeld and her charges,including many who had escaped fromcontinental Europe and would never see theirparents again, faced an uncertain future.
Over the next few weeks, to mark the 80thanniversary of thosetumultuous times, wewill serialise extractsfrom Dr Grunfeld’sbook, Shefford. Wethank her family forpermission to do so.
