A Nation on a Mission: The Promise That Shaped Jewish Destiny

In this series, we’ll explore the historical mission of the Jewish people, from Abraham our forefather to our present times.

Nearly four thousand years ago, on the central ridge of the land of Canaan, south of what is now Ramallah, a shepherd leaned on his staff. At nearly a hundred years old, he was an elderly man, slightly stooped, with hands worn rough from tending his flocks under the sun, providing for them, chasing away wolves, and lighting fires on cold nights.

This shepherd was wealthy, with large herds that afforded him a comfortable living. He wandered with them across the land. At this time, he had parted ways with his partner, his nephew, over disagreements about grazing.

His nephew had just left with his flocks toward the Jordan Valley, disappearing into the direction of the Dead Sea. The dust from their departure had just settled.

It was then that the Creator of the Universe appeared to him and said, "Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are—northward, southward, eastward, and westward—for all the land that you see, I will give to you and to your descendants forever."

This was our patriarch Abraham, after his separation from Lot.

The ridge between Bethel and Ai towers above its surroundings. We don't know Abraham's exact location, but during his separation from Lot, he likely stood on a high peak, possibly Jebel Tawil, where one can see far into the distance.

Looking southwest, one could see the fortified walls of Jebusite Jerusalem, and the city of Hebron. To the north, beyond the hills, perhaps Mount Ebal was visible. To the west, the hills of Benjamin and beyond, the coastal plains dazzling under the sun, all the way to the Mediterranean Sea.

Alone, having left his birthplace in Ur of the Chaldees, and now parted from his nephew, Abraham was accompanied by his household steward. Though too old to father children, he held a grand promise—this land would belong to him and his descendants forever!

At that time, around 1800 BCE, Canaan was a patchwork of small kingdoms. Each city-state had its own ruler, inhabited by several peoples, mostly Canaanites among them giants.

From where Abraham stood, he could see Jerusalem, a fortified city, part of the landscape of his promised land. North was the kingdom of Shechem, also fortified. To the east was Jericho, one of Canaan's earliest cities, securely enclosed. Southward were bustling cities of the plain, and westward, the Canaanites, Philistines, and the kingdom of Gerar occupied the lowlands.

How could Abraham envision this land as his own, especially when he held no child of his own yet? Yet there he stood, a solitary wanderer, with his wife and servant with only a divine promise to rely on.