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March 29th, 2024

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Achieving the Impossible: Elephants, Abraham and Us --- Journeying Beyond the Star

Rabbi Shmuel Reichman

By Rabbi Shmuel Reichman

Published November 7, 2020

 Achieving the Impossible: Elephants, Abraham and Us --- Journeying Beyond the Star


A young boy once went to the circus and was astonished when he saw a giant elephant tethered to the ground by a thin rope. Curious, he walked over to the elephant trainer and asked: "How are you holding down such a huge elephant with such a tiny top? The rope doesn't look very strong. This elephant could break down a brick wall, why doesn't he break free of this tiny rope?"

The trainer smiled at him, and explained: "When this elephant was a baby, weighing just 250 pounds, we tied it up with this same rope. Every day he tried to break free, but he couldn't manage to do it. He tried and tried, but to no avail. After a few months, he finally gave up, convinced that it was impossible to escape. Now, he weighs two thousand pounds, and is strong enough to easily break free of these ropes. However, in his mind, he is still chained by an unbreakable rope, so he doesn't even try to escape."

Dust & Ashes

In this week's Torah reading, Parshas Vayeira, Abraham famously says, "Anochi afar v'efer" (Genesis 18:27), which literally means "I am but dust and ashes".

This is generally understood as a statement of extreme humility. While we previously began to discuss the deeper ideas embedded in these words, there is an even deeper layer that we have yet to fully develop.

In order to understand the deeper intimations of this important statement, we must return to a previous reading Parshas Lech Lecha (Genesis 12:1 - 17:27), in which Abraham has a perplexing encounter with the Divine.

He promises Abraham that he will become the father of an immeasurably populous nation, to which Abraham seems to voice his doubts. He challenges the Divine, claiming that not only is he currently childless, the stars (mazalos) say that he will never have a child. How then, he asks the Divine, can You promise that I will be the father of a great nation? The Creator responds by taking Abraham "hachutza"--- outside. (Genesis 15:5.) The foremost commentator, Rashi, explains this to mean that the Divine took Abraham "above the stars".

This entire episode is peculiar. Abraham argues with the Divine, using what he saw in the stars as his evidence. What does it mean that Abraham saw in the stars that he was not destined to have a child? And how can Abraham argue with the Divine about what will happen? If the Divine tells Abraham that he will have a child, how can Abraham even think of suggesting otherwise? And finally, what does it mean that the Divine took Abraham "above the stars"?

The Mazalos (stars)

Our sages explain (Talmud, Shabbos 156a) that the world has a natural course, referred to as mazal (literally translated as a divine "flow"). Just as a scientist can study an apple seed and see the exact apple tree that will eventually grow forth from it, astrologists can study the stars and see which events the Divine has designed to come to pass in the world.

Therefore, Abraham had a valid question: on the one hand, the Divine had just promised him a child. On the other hand, the Divine created the mazalos, which are telling Abraham the opposite, that he will not have a child.

In response to Abraham's question, the Divine takes him "above the stars." The Talmud (Ibid.) explains that the Divine was teaching Abraham a very deep principle: "ein mazel li'Yisrael" --- we are not bound by nature.

The stars may say one thing, but the stars themselves are controlled by the Divine. When you are connected to the Source of reality itself, the Divine, you can transcend the stars, you can overcome any mazal. Thus, as long as Abraham lived within the limits of nature, he could not have any children, but once he transcended the natural, anything was possible.

One question remains: If the events in this world emanate from the mazalos, how can we reconcile the fact that they foretold that Abraham would not have children?

The Sages do not claim that the mazal changed, only that Abraham transcended it. How did this work?

The answer is profound. At this point, Abraham's name was still Avram. The mazalos told the truth: Avram would not have a child. But once Avram realized that he wasn't bound by nature, he transcended his current state, and transformed himself.

Two chapters later, Avram's name was changed to Abraham. "Avram" wasn't destined to have a child, but "Avraham" was! Rashi explains that as soon as Avram became Abraham, he was able to have Yitzchak (Isaac).

In Jewish thought, a name reflects essence. (The Hebrew word for name (shem) shares the same root as the word for soul (neshama), because a person's name reflects their very essence.

Therefore, changing one's name reflects a much deeper change, a change at the very root level of the self. In other words, Abraham's change in name resulted in a complete metamorphosis, it was his way of transcending his mazal, and living on a plane above nature.

( Even if we ourselves don't change our name, we can still tap into this idea of self-transformation and choose to create a more empowering identity for ourselves.)

Recreation of Self

Now we can understand Abraham's famous statement, "Anochi afar v'efer," on an even deeper level than we previously discussed.

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To briefly review, ashes represent an elemental breakdown, the most basic particles of an object. Dirt is the starting point of growth, the place where seeds are planted and given life. In a deeper sense, Abraham was saying that every day he would "ash" himself, breaking his very "self" down into its elemental, root form, and he would then plant himself anew. In other words, Abraham would recreate himself every single day.

The most amazing part of this famous statement is its placement. When does Abraham say this phrase? Right after his name is changed from Avram to Abraham! Only once Abraham realized that his potential is limitless, and that he can transcend his mazal, did he also realize that he could endlessly develop himself further; ashing and planting himself anew every single day.

The Ultimate Revelation

Now we can return to our opening story. What happens when the elephant discovers that the rope isn't strong enough to hold him down? A fire once broke out in the circus, and during the ensuing chaos, the circus tent fell down. After the dust settled, the trainers began searching for the elephant. To their amazement, they couldn't find the elephant anywhere.

Finally, a few hours later, they found him wandering in the nearby forest. During the fire, the elephant had been overcome with fear and adrenaline; in his panic, he easily broke free of his ropes. When they tied him down again, the elephant escaped just moments later. They tried again, but the elephant broke loose once more. It was clear that once the elephant realized that the ropes couldn't hold him, he wouldn't be held back by these "chains" any longer. While at one point he thought these ropes controlled him, he now realized that the only one holding him back was himself! The trainers had no choice; they had to get a new elephant for the circus.

Does this idea ring true for you? How often do we create mental cages of our own? How often do we allow other people's opinions of us to become our reality? We allow people to tell us what we can or cannot do. Sometimes it's a friend or loved one. But worst of all, it's usually our own inner voice that is the cause of our self-doubt. We convince ourselves that "we can't"; we're not smart enough, good-looking enough, or funny enough. We're too old or too young, too short or too tall.

But here's the key: we are the only ones who hold the key to our mental cages, because we created the lock. Opening the lock is simple, it requires only that we make a new decision; that we change our identity; that we believe it is possible.

History is being read, but it's also being written today by people with courage and imagination.

( In other words, your acts of greatness will be forever engraved into history. History is not only a past event, being read; the present moment as well is forever being transformed into a part of human history.)

We need to imagine a greater future, a greater version of ourselves. We need to close our eyes and picture an ideal future, then open our eyes and make that our reality. This is the actualization of ein mazel li'Yisrael; there truly are no limits. When we are in touch with our best and higher selves, and connected to the Divine, the Source of all self, anything is possible. Let us be inspired to follow in Abraham's footsteps, and journey beyond the stars. There is a famous saying: "Let's shoot for the moon, for even if we miss, we'll land amongst the stars." I say, let's land above the stars.

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Previously:
Are You Willing to Journey Into the Unknown?
We Only Love Ourselves: How to Go From Loneliness to Oneness
Finding Your Role Within the Cosmic Symphony of Life
The Hanukkah hoax: What the media -- and most Sunday schools -- refuse to reveal

Shmuel Reichman is an inspirational speaker, writer, and coach who has lectured internationally at shuls, conferences, and Jewish communities on topics of Jewish Thought and Jewish Medical Ethics. He is the founder and CEO of Self-Mastery Academy (ShmuelReichman.com), the transformative online course that is revolutionizing how we engage in self-development. He is also the founder of "Think. Feel. Grow.", a platform from which he shares inspirational Torah videos that have reached hundreds of thousands of people. You can reach him and find more inspirational lectures, videos, and articles from his website.

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