Parshas Lech-Lecha: Stars of Blessing

In this week’s Torah portion, Parshas Lech-Lecha: Bereishit (Genesis) 12:1 - 17:27, we meet Abraham, the first Jewish Patriarch, and his wife Sarah, the first Jewish Matriarch. Known as Abram and Sarai at the beginning of the portion, they leave their home and venture forth according to God's call: Go out into pagan society and transform it into a monotheistic culture.

A visionary blessed with the Almighty's presence, Abram embarks on his journey with a hopeful heart that any idolator he meets has potential for knowing God and serving God. His every action inspires and enlightens those around him.

God's Promise to a Holy Nation

God reassures Abram that his lifelong journey will culminate in blessings for his family, his country, and the world. He and Sarai will parent a great nation as numerous as the stars in Heaven. His descendants will have a country of their own. This nation will uphold and teach moral guidelines for living to all people of the earth. The ones who bless the nation of Israel will be blessed; the ones who curse the nation of Israel will be cursed.

Abram encounters hazards on his journey, safeguarded by God's love and protection. His cheerful spirit and friendly personality attract many converts along the way. When Abram is 100 years old, God changes his name to Abraham, father of multitudes. Sarai gets a new name, too, Sarah. The childless couple receive God's promise of a son to be born next year.

The portion closes as Abraham endorses the Holy covenant by circumcising himself and the other men in his household.

Isaiah Recalls Abraham's Military Victory in Canaan

Our Haftarah portion this week, Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 40:27 - 41:16, compliments the Genesis reading with references to Abraham's adventures in Canaan, including a miraculous military victory engineered by God against four powerful pagan armies, a testimony of God's blessings merited by a righteous man. Isaiah makes clear that God will always bless a holy Israel and vanquish her enemies.

100 Million Stars and 100 Million Jews

The Torah portion declares that Abraham is the progenitor of a nation as numerous as the stars. According to The Nine Planets, an encyclopedic overview with facts about our solar system, there are about 100 million stars in the average galaxy. So, the nation of Israel should number 100 million!

How Many Stars are in the Milky Way?

https://nineplanets.org/questions/how-many-stars-are-in-the-milky-way/

As of 2025, the world's Jewish population is estimated to be around 15.8 million, approximately 0.2% of the global population. Our Divine destiny of 100 million Jews seems as unreachable as an unreachable star. A history of genocide against Jews and decades of abortion homicide by Jews have taken their toll.

A tendency to forsake monotheistic worship in favor of all sorts of isms hasn't helped the Jewish nation negotiate the many challenges we face. Our Torah reading and Isaiah's prophecy remind us that only a holy nation will receive God's blessings. One of these blessings is abundant and healthy children.

Abraham as a Model for Jewish Pro-Life Advocacy

Abraham serves as an excellent example for pro-life Jews who traverse the broad landscape of Jewish abortion advocacy and culture driven by agnosticism and idolatry. Not to be deterred, we continue on our journey with a kind and friendly spirit to inspire our Jewish brothers and sisters to choose life. Each Jew has an inherent Jewish soul that knows and loves God. It may be suppressed and damaged beyond human repair, but God can work wonders in a human heart.

Let us go forth again today imagining a future multitude of Jews as numerous as the stars in the Heavens. If God blesses our work, we may fulfill His promise of 100 million. Abraham and Sarah, we thank you for starting us on our way. Now, it's up to us to complete the mission.

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Cecily Routman 

May there be abundant peace from Heaven, and good life upon us and upon all Israel. Amen.

Cecily Routman is the founder and president of the Jewish Pro-Life Foundation. She opposes abortion homicide in general and among Jews in particular and laments secular policy making in Israel that results in loss of Jewish life and delays the messianic redemption. Cecily envisions a Torah based holy Land of Israel and a world that respects the life of every human being from conception.

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