Abraham: Our Patriarch of Loving-KindnessSample

Abraham: Our Patriarch of Loving-Kindness

The first patriarch mentioned in the Torah is Abraham, who Jewish people call Avraham Avinu, Abraham our father.

When we first meet Abraham (Genesis 11:26), his name is Avram, Abram. Later in Genesis 17, God told Abram that his name would be changed forever: “No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham...” The significance of this seemingly minor name change can only be appreciated in the original Hebrew.

At first, Abraham was the spiritual father, the av, of his hometown, Aram. The name Avram is a conjunction of the words av and Aram. When God entered into covenant with Abraham, He changed Abraham’s name, signifying Abraham’s new role as a global leader.

Abraham laid the foundation for the nation of Israel, and for the Christian faith as well. We see this in Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus, the son of David, the son of Abraham (Matthew 1:1). The Jewish-trained and educated apostle Paul wrote, “So also Abraham ‘believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.’ Understand, then, that those who have faith are children of Abraham” (Galatians 3:6-7).

Abraham, indeed, is father to us all.

While much has been written about Abraham’s incredible faith and obedience, in Judaism, the character trait most associated with Abraham is chesed, loving-kindness. In fact, Abraham was considered so kind that, according to the Jewish sages, the angel of chesed once came before God and said, “As long as Abraham is in the world, there is nothing for me to do.” Abraham’s loving-kindness was likened to the kindness that only angels could bestow.