VaYerah Aylov Hashem, And God appeared to him. VaYerah means much more than merely appearing, God filled Avraham with His Holy Light, Ohr, אור, His very Presence, what we often refer to as Shechinah. Everyone who has ever studied and taught this parsha points out that this was on the third day after his brit milah, self-circumcision, the most painful day of recovery. In fact, God made the day especially hot in order to discourage travelers so Avraham wouldn’t be disturbed by passersby. Avraham, of course, motivated primarily in his life by Chesed, love, the will to give, felt bereft–not only was he in terrible pain, but his greatest comfort was being withheld, so God also sent him some visitors so he could share hospitality.

There are those who attack Judaism from its very foundation, arguing to ban brit milah. Such were the Greeks in antiquity. Today’s enemies, too often misguided folks from within, think the purpose of life is to avoid pain. And then there are apologists who talk about newborns not yet developing the nervous system to truly register pain at all, as if making the brit a passive experience that the baby won’t even be aware of somehow makes it ok.

The fact is that it does hurt, although it’s true that for most eight-day-olds the pain is transitory. But if it were only cosmetic, giving all Jewish males a common look, conformity, although mostly hidden, it would be a waste of time rather than holding the position of the first mitzvah every Jewish boy participates in. It hurts to remind us, as we mature and grow into love and its physical manifestation of sex, that this organ, intended to give, to create new life, also has the potential to hurt and punish, and thus must always be used with care, with holy kavannah (intention/focus), with love.

Timely, as the Torah always is to contemporary life, falling just a few weeks after the outrageous massacre by Hamas and other Gazan palestinians, characterized by brutal rapes and abuse, the negative potential of the penis cannot be ignored. Must not be ignored. This reminder of how Avraham entered into the covenant with God, how he dedicated himself and his descendants to only engage in sex if it is motivated by love and the desire to give life, tells us what we need to know about what it truly means to be a Jew.

Sublimating selfish and self-directed pleasure, any temptations to dominate another, to equal cooperation to create new life should be the goal of all humanity. Modeling that is our first step as Jews to be Ohr l’goyim, a Light to the Nations. When all mankind reaches this level of awareness and of just being civilized is when we have made room for God’s Light, always waiting in the wings for the opportunity, to enter the world with overwhelming blessing to all. Such a great light as to equalize the cosmic lights of the sun and the moon, Bimhayra b’Yameynu, Soon, in our days.

Shabbat Shalom