Parashat Lech Lecha- Our Teachers Make our Souls

“Vayikach Avram et Sari ishto v’et Lot ben achiv v’et kol r’chusham asher rachashu v’et hanefesh asher asu b’Haran…”  “And Avram took Sarai his wife and his nephew Lot and all the belongings that they gathered and all the souls they made in Haran…”  (B’reishit 7:5)

Parashat Lech Lecha begins with God commanding Avram to leave his land, his birthplace, and his father’s house to go to a land that God will show him.  For this God promises great blessings.  Without a question Avram leaves with Sarai, Lot, and “all the souls they made in Haran.”  The p’shat of this most likely refers to the servants and slaves that were part of Avram’s and Sarai’s household along with any other dependents who left with them. 

Commentary on this verse focuses upon “hanefesh asher asu…  the souls they made…”  What does it mean to make a soul?  The Rabbis teach that these are the converts whom Avram and Sarai gathered and taught.  Later in the Torah our laws are incumbent upon all who reside within the Israelite camp, whether Israelites, slaves and servants, or strangers residing with us.  All these are followers of God.  In fact, we are expected to teach any strangers who are part of our community so they can join the community fully.

“All the souls they made…” also gives us a sense of obligation.  As teachers Avram and Sari were responsible for these people, and these individuals obligated to Avram and Sarai.  Interestingly, our tradition teaches that we are obligated to say Kaddish for parents, siblings, children, and spouses, but we also say Kaddish for our teachers.  This is based upon parashat B’midbar, “Eileh toldot Aharon u’Moshe;” “these are the generations of Aaron and Moshe.”  The rest if the verse only mentions the sons of Aaron.  Rashi teaches, based on Talmud Sanhedrin, that this is because whoever teaches Torah to another, our tradition regards that person as a parent to the student.

In the summer of 1996, while pregnant with Jesse, Bob Brown, aka Moshe, was the program director at Ramah Poconos.  He was ill, and camp had rented a golf cart for him to get around.  Bob, a teacher of mine for many years prior to our time at Ramah, decided it was his job to drive me around camp.  Bob said to me, “As your teacher I am your parent.  I need to take care of this grandchild.”  Five years later, we named Keren after Bob, but that’s another story.