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Ella Rabinowitz
Yeshiva Shaarei Tzion
Piscataway, NJ

                             Heritage vs. Inheritance

     According to the Merriam Webster’s School Dictionary, the word “heritage” can
be defined as, “Something transmitted by or acquired from a predecessor. Synonym:
Inheritance.” The average eighth grader would define the word heritage to mean
something ancient that is passed from father to son until it is finally donated to a
museum to collect dust. Synonym: Traditions. In order to resolve the questionable
meaning of heritage, I am inclined to return to the source of the word with relation to
Judaism.
     Although the creation of Adam and the story of Noah are studied in the Book of
Genesis, the first man to possess the distinction of being Jewish was Abraham.
Abraham’s life, as stated in the Torah, began with his inquiry of G-d. He searched
tirelessly to discover the true identity of the world‘s creator. He contemplated the sun
and the moon, two dynamic forces of nature. He cast aside molded and carved forms
of all sorts, and continued to seek out powerful beings until he discovered a novel
concept: The one invisible, all-powerful G-d. This theory was something unthinkable
for the age, a generation of people who were immersed in idolatry. However, Abraham
resisted the pressure of this pagan lifestyle and proclaimed his monotheistic beliefs.
     Abraham was an influential figure in many people‘s lives. He taught them about G-d’
s mercy and His kindness towards mankind. This particular attribute was unfamiliar to
Abraham’s contemporaries, most of whom were idolaters who believed their gods to be
angry and vengeful. Abraham shared his newfound knowledge with others and gained
followers for his cause. (Genesis: 12:5: “And Abraham took…and the souls that they
had gotten in Haran“- see Rashi.) As a result, Abraham succeeded in creating a new
spiritual feeling, a general awareness of G-d. This realization of G-d's existence is the
legacy that continues to have an enormous impact on the world. Although these
feelings had driven him far, Abraham recognized that action was also vital to promoting
one‘s faith.
     After all of his devotion to publicizing G-d’s true name, and encouraging many to
recognize His love of man, Abraham was tested in a challenging manner. Abraham was
commanded to sacrifice his long awaited son, Isaac. Despite the severity of the
instruction, Abraham’s faith was unshakeable and he prepared wholeheartedly for the
task at hand. Abraham even reached the point of lifting the knife to perform the
sacrifice when the voice of an angel interrupted him, tearfully asking him to stop. By
beginning to fulfill G-d’s commandment, Abraham proved his strong loyalty and
completely succeeded in “finding” G-d.
     Isaac and all the subsequent descendants did not passively inherit a tradition for
the mere purpose of commemorating their father's deeds. On the contrary, we have
been actively infused with a heritage of beliefs, a lifestyle that we practice and
propagate to our children. When one inherits material wealth, the heirs are free to use
the inheritance as they see fit, with no responsibilities to sustain it. We, as the
recipients of the heritage are obligated to follow in Abrahams footsteps by accepting,
practicing and preserving Judaism for future generations.