God delayed the destruction of Sdom
until Avraham had an opportunity to intercede on behalf of the city. God’s
reason for involving Avraham is outlined in Parhsat Vayera, Breisheet 18:17-18:
And God said, “Shall I conceal from
Avraham that thing which I intend to do; seeing that Avraham is surely to
become a great and mighty nation, and the nations of the earth shall be blessed
in him? For I know him, that he will command his children and his household
after him that they shall keep the way of God, doing tzedaka (righteousness)
and mishpat (justice); in order that God might then bring upon Avraham that
which He has spoken of him.
Rambam (Maimonides) in Hilchot Avodat Kochavim 1:3 teaches: Avraham was
forty years old when he recognized God. He then began to spread the word about
Monotheism to the inhabitants of Ur Kasdim. He wanted to destroy all of the
idols ensuring that the people would no longer have any other gods to pray to.
The king of Ur Kasdim tried to kill him, yet Avraham escaped to Charan. There,
he alerted the world that there is one God and he gathered followers from
different cities and kingdoms until they arrived in the Land of C’naan, where
he called out in the name of God. His followers would ask him questions and he
would set them on the path of truth until there were thousands and then tens of
thousands of followers who became known as the “house of Avraham.”
In Sheilot u’Tshuvot (Questions and Answers) 293 of the Rambam, Ovadia
Ger Tzedek, a sincere convert, not
biologically a descendent of Avraham asks if he can say the following parts of prayer :“Elokeinu v’Elokei Avoteinu”, “Our God and the God of our
fathers” and “Shehinchalta l’Avoteinu”, “You have given (the Land of
Israel) to our forefathers as a heritage.”
Rambam answers that since Avraham was the one who taught “his children and his household after him that they shall keep the
way of God, doing tzedaka (righteousness) and mishpat (justice)”, everyone who
converts to Judaism until the end of time as well as whoever recognizes that HaShem, our God is
One is a student of Avraham and they are all considered to be the future
members of his household. Just as Avraham brought the people of his generation
to the right path through his teachings, so too he will also bring in all of
the future converts.
Rambam concludes that Avraham is the father of his descendants who
follow in his path as well as the father of all of those who convert to
Judaism. Therefore, converts should not change the words of the Amida (Silent
Devotion), and they should recite “Elokeinu
v’Elokei Avoteinu”, “Our God and the God of our fathers” since Avraham is
their “father” and in Birkat HaMazon (Grace After Meals) converts should
recite “Shehinchalta l’Avoteinu”, “You have given (the Land of Israel)
to our forefathers as a heritage” since Avraham was given the Land of Israel as
it says (Breisheet 13:17) “Arise, walk about the Land through its length and
breadth! For to you will I give it.”
May the rabbis today learn from the
Rambam the importance of having respect for those who sincerely convert to
Judaism.
