As we digest the alarming fallout of this week’s midterm elections—where a progressive blue wave swept radical figures like Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed into Congress—supporters of the U.S.–Israel alliance face a staggering turning point. This political shift threatens not only to dismantle vital bilateral ties, but to accelerate a global surge in antisemitism. In addition, while some Americans have always been less sympathetic to Israel or opposed its current government, these electoral successes have emboldened the loud voices that seek to normalize a virulent anti-Zionism that openly rejects the very existence of a Jewish state. For Jews worldwide, this toxic political environment brings into sharp focus our two most enduring anxieties: the physical security of Eretz Yisrael and the continuity of the Jewish people.
These twin concerns are precisely what animatethe two main episodes related in detail in Parshas Chayei Sara, Avraham’s purchase of a burial place for Sara, and finding a wife for Yitzchak. Regarding both Avraham’s ownership of Eretz Yisrael and his future progeny, G-d made outsized promises. He told Avraham five separate times that he would own the land, but he now owns none of it. Instead, he is forced to struggle with Bnei Cheis to pay an exorbitant price for Sara’s burial site, which is no more than an infinitesimal piece of the promised land. He told Avraham five separate times that his children would number more than the stars of the sky, yet now that Sara has died, he has only one son, Yitzchak, since he had to send Yishmael away. Meanwhile, he remains anything but certain of the outcome as Eliezer embarks on his perilous and doubtful journey to find Yitzchak’s bride. When can Avraham expect the quintupled promises to come to fruition?
“The astonishing fact is that today, four thousand years later,” R. Jonathan Sacks (1948–2020) writes, “these remain the dominant concerns of Jews throughout the world – the safety and security of Israel as the Jewish home, and the future and continuity of the Jewish people. Abraham’s hopes and fears are ours.” He suggests that these two stories show that, yes, Avraham will have the land and children, but it will not happen soon, suddenly, or easily. The promises are not what they first seemed: assurances that G-d will make those things happen. More than assurances, they are invitations to Avraham and his descendants to act themselves. The outcome will be what G-d said it would. But not without total commitment from Avraham’s family, even when obstacles seem overwhelming.[1]
As we confront the daunting political aftershocks of these elections and the intensifying storm of antisemitism and anti-Zionism, we must remember the central lesson of Avraham Avinu: Divine promises are not a guarantee of passive comfort, but a summons to active responsibility. Just as Avraham refused to yield to despair when securing a single plot of land or safeguarding his son’s future, we too cannot afford to be passive bystanders in our own era. The political tides may shift, and our ancient anxieties may resurface with renewed force, but the Almighty’s covenant remains unbroken. Just as what worried Avraham still worries us, G-d is still with us, with His five promises to give us hope during an unimaginably trying time. When we rise to meet these overwhelming obstacles with unwavering resolve, we carry forward Avraham’s legacy, ensure the enduring promise of the Jewish people, and will find that He is still here for us and will make sure we get there.
[1] This paragraph paraphrases R. Sacks. https://www.rabbisacks.org/covenant-conversation/chayei-sarah/hopes-and-fears/