Rav Askenazi explains that these three opinions explain Avram‘s purpose in life. “He is the last of Ever’s descendants who still speaks the language of prophecy, Hebrew, which was the universal language prior to the confusion of the tower of Babylon. Avram launches the messianic project of the history of Israel, a project that places him in opposition to the imperialisms of the entire world, until the project’s goal [the Redemption] is achieved.” People of ProphecyRav Avraham Livni’s book “The Return of Israel” elaborates on this. (I’m quoting liberally from him, without necessarily quoting each idea directly, to save time.) Rav Livni explains that the Hebrew people are the lone people blessed with prophecy - the transmission of G-d’s Word. Indeed, Hebrew is the language in which prophets receive prophecy. (That doesn’t mean that everyone who speaks Hebrew is a prophet, but rather that they have one of the basic requirements to prophecy.)Furthermore, Rav Askenazi explains, the bare details in the Torah about the first Hebrew, Ever, show that he was a prophet. In the course of enumerating Sem’s descendants, the Torah just lists each generation by name, except for Ever. Ever named his son Peleg, “for in his days the earth was divided (niphlega).” Ever named his son based on what would happen in the course of his son’s lifetime.In parallel to this, Rav Askenazi would explain that as the universal language, the message carried by the Hebrews is meant to be heard by the entire world. Not that the whole world or even any of it needs to convert to Judaism – Judaism is not a “universal” religion, in Rav Askenazi’s terms. However, the moral message of Judaism has a “universalist” component. This is encapsulated by the 7 Noahide laws. (For more on the Noahide laws, and a new prayer book written by Rabbi Ouri Cherky for gentiles abiding by the 7 Noahide laws, see the Bnei Noah World Center.)That explains Rav Nechemia and part of the Sages’ view. That Avram was The Hebrew indicates that he is the lone descendent of Ever to still speak the language in which prophecy can be received, and that Abram is descended from a prophet. This also explains the use of the definite “The” in the phrase, “The Hebrew.” The other people who were genetically Hebrews stopped speaking the language of prophecy and were lost to assimilation and to persecution by the Chaldeans (Abram’s natal town of Ur Kasdim translates as Furnace of the Chaldeans...).Opposing The World’s Idols Aka IdealsTo better understand Rav Yehudah’s comment that Avram opposed the world, we need to know that G-d’s message is often unwelcome amongst the nations. When Moses, speaking for G-d and the Hebrews, called upon Pharaoh to release the Hebrews, Pharaoh says, “Mi HaShem Asher eshma beKolo.” “Who is G-d that I should listen to His Voice?”G-d has many names.Joseph, in his interactions with the Egyptians, taught them the name Elokim. Elokim is associated with the laws of nature, as in the verse, “Bereshit Bara Elokim,” In the beginning, G-d created. The laws of nature are strict, immutable. Though the Egyptians knew and could accept a “G-d of nature,” when it came time to recognize a force beyond nature, Pharaoh answers, “Who is G-d that I should listen to His Voice?”Pharaoh cannot grasp the name HaShem. That name’s Hebrew spelling, Yud-Keh-Vav-Keh, is a contraction of the Hebrew words for Past (hayah), Present (hoveh) and Future (ihyeh). It thus indicates that G-d is Infinite. The miracles of yetziat mitzrayim – the departure from Egypt - overturned nature to express that HaShem is the Lord of All - even the usually immutable laws of nature. And since He created the world and didn’t just abandon it thereafter, since He created and continues to care about the world - as seen in the departure from Egypt - it’s essential to hear his message and what he wants of mankind.The Worship of Nature Today – Materialism & Science as godsToday, the worship of nature continues.“Rav Yehudah says: The whole world was on one side (“ever” - the same root as Ivri or Hebrew), and Avram was on the other side. Rav Nechemia says: He was one of the descendants of [a person called] Ever. The Sages says: He was on the other side (ever) of the river (the Euphrates) and he spoke Hebrew.”
- On the most literal level, the environmental movement leads some to an ideal of man serving nature. Perhaps the most notorious example of this ideal was the kindness that the Nazis showed to animals, while torturing humans.
- In a broader sense, nature is the measured, limited world. This is symbolized by the Hebrew word for Egypt, mitzrayim, from the root tzar – limited and thus measurable, as opposed to infinite.
- This measured, material world is the focus of Western society. The exact quantity of wealth of the richest people fascinates the media. Science, Tech, Engineering and Math (STEM) education is the new ideal for high school students in the West – the exact sciences that are characterized by measurement via the scientific method. Top scoring athletes are revered, even when they show themselves to have miserable characters. For the West, quantity is quality.