Curse..I will Show the Light!
"I will bless those who bless you, and those who curse you I will curse... (Genesis 12:3).
The Hebrew terms here break symmetry in an interesting way. The root for 'bless' (BRCH) is used twice in the verse. But there are two different Hebrew roots for cursing (KLL and ARR). G-d says: Those who curse (KLL) you - I will curse (ARR). The actual word used the second time (from the root) is "AhOhr" - which can be read as "I will show the light"!
In the previous verse G-d told Avram that He will make his name great and that he would be a blessing. Verse 3 ends by saying, "and through you, all the families of the earth will be blessed".
This is the glorious destiny of the people of Israel. To be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Exodus 19:6). To be G-d's witnesses (Isaiah 43:10) and a light to the nations (Isaiah 42:6; 49:6). And that one day, all nations will walk by that light (Isaiah 60:3).
By Rabbi Michael Skobac
Rabbi Michael Skobac had been involved with Jews for Judaism (Canada) since 1989 and currently serves as its Director of Education and Counselling. He is a leading authority on missionaries, cults and issues relating to Jewish continuity and Jewish spirituality. Rabbi Skobac's publications include Missionary Impossible; Counter-Missionary Survival Guide; The DaVinci Code: A Jewish Perspetive; and Intermarriage: Is There Ligth at teh End of the Tunnel?
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Republished by Angelique Sijbolts with permission for the Noahide Academy.
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