The People of Israel Are Alive and Well
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Parashat Lech Lecha, Genesis 12–17
Matt Absolon, Beth Tfilah, Miramar, FL
After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” (Genesis 15:1–3)
Over the past two years, many of us have joined in that defiant and enduring declaration of our people, Am Yisrael Chai!, the people of Israel live! Those words have rung out across synagogues, rallies, and quiet living rooms alike, a statement of life pitched against the chants of genocide towards the Jewish people. Perhaps more than ever before, they have carried personal weight for me, both in prayer and in public life.
This week’s Torah portion turns our attention to one of the deepest truths of Jewish life: the sacred value of life nascent in the next generation.
Abraham, still called Abram, looks upon all he has, yet feels it hollow, for he has no child to carry his name. In his eyes, even divine reward seems empty without children to inherit it. For Abraham, the fulfillment of divine blessings lay not in possessions but in posterity.
This devotion to children, to the continuation of life, is not merely biological; it is spiritual.
Over the past few decades, sociologists have charted a sharp decline in birth rates throughout the Western world, even as wealth and comfort have increased beyond anything our ancestors could have imagined. One might think that greater prosperity would lead to greater openness to raising children, but the opposite has proven true.
According to the CDC, the birth rate for women aged 20–24 in the United States has fallen by 47% since 2007, and it continues to decline unabated. The same pattern is found across Europe, Australia, and Canada. Everywhere in the Western world—except Israel.
In the one place where life is lived daily under threat, where rockets, wars, and uncertainty are part of the national daily experience, Israel stands unique among western nations in maintaining a sustainable, even vibrant, birth rate—3.06 children per woman (Israel Hayom, 6/5/25). In a land surrounded by danger the Israeli people still choose life.
What does that say to us?
For one thing, the Jewish commitment to children, to family, and to life itself, is not the product of a biological preservation, or “dancing to our genes” as evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins would say. It is a value, an act of faith, a commitment to l’dor v’dor, from generation to generation. And when we recite those words, they must not refer merely to outreach or growth programs (as needed as these programs are), but to our own homes.
As the Shema reminds us: “You shall teach them diligently to your children.” L’Dor v’dor starts in the home.
In some respects, it has never been easier to raise children than today. Maternal and infant mortality are at historic lows, education and information are within everyone’s reach, and food security is higher than at any time in history. Yet in other ways, it has never been harder. The costs of housing, healthcare, and higher education are soaring. And perhaps most concerning of all, we live in an age of spiritual fatigue, a time where many have lost confidence in family, community, and faith itself.
And yet Israel, once again, gives us a pathway to follow.
Sociologist Leo Davids, writing in The Jerusalem Post, observes: “In the Jewish tradition, it is a mitzvah to bear children, a duty based on the divine commandment in Genesis 1:28 and 9:7. . . . People in Israel have a positive attitude toward children, exhibiting more patience and warmth than in other countries.”
Abraham’s yearning for posterity echoes these sentiments. He longed to take part in that mitzvah, to bring forth life and to be a blessing to future generations. For much of his recorded life, Abraham held fast to God’s promise:
Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. (Gen 17:4)
Through faith, Abraham received the promise of becoming the father to Isaac, and 3,500 years later, he remains endeared to us as Avraham Avinu, our father Abraham.
My prayer is that we, too, in the Diaspora, might reflect that same spirit of our Israeli family, the same spirit of our father Abraham. That we would hold children in warm regard, see family as a divine calling, and nurture a personal vision for the future centered on life.
We do well to meditate on the words of our Master, Yeshua:
Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven. (Matt 19:14)
Shabbat Shalom.
Biblical citations are from the English Standard Version (ESV).
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