Abraham's Legacy: Lessons for All Humanity

The actions of our forefathers are signs for future generations. Now let us consider another point: the deeds and struggles of Abraham in the Land of Israel are a sign not only for his descendants but for all humanity.

Abraham contends with the Egyptians and the Philistines. Abraham represents Shem, his great-grandfather. The Egyptians are descendants of Ham, and the Philistines descend from Japheth. Shem, Ham, and Japheth represent the entirety of humanity.

The Land of Israel serves as a microcosm, a small world. To the north is the snowy "Land of Hermons," to the south is the "Great Desert," to the east is the Dead Sea and the Jordan River, and to the west is the Mediterranean Sea. From the south, the Egyptians, descendants of Ham, extend their reach; from the west, the Philistines invade, descendants of Japheth, while Abraham walks in the center, setting the path for his descendants.

Our grandfather Noah, upon exiting the ark, summed up the history of humanity in a few sentences: "Cursed be Canaan; A servant of servants shall he be to his brethren. And he said, Blessed be Hashem, the God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant. God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant."

There is a clear ethnological, cultural, and historical division here. This division provides an unparalleled depiction of human history as we know it.

This description best encapsulates the course of history, particularly when viewed retrospectively. During the time of the Torah's giving, the statement "God shall enlarge Japheth" could not yet be made, nor the subjugation of Ham or the bond between Japheth and Shem. At a time when nations were still in their infancy, kingdoms struggled for existence and space, populations migrated and races depleted, this division wasn't as prominent. Today, there is no doubt that humanity is generally divided between the West, the East, and the Third World.

The ethnological division is the most distinct. Africa is home to the descendants of Ham (the hot land, its brown-skinned people reflecting the desert sands, and their hot temper). Europe houses the descendants of Japheth (the beautiful land and the handsome race that created a culture of beauty). Asia accommodates the descendants of Shem (marked by barren plains and the calling of Hashem).

The noted anthropologist Linnaeus wrote in his "Systema Naturae" (1735): "The European lives by laws, the Asian by opinions, the African by chaos." This definition is astoundingly accurate, summarizing the distinctions between the cultured Europeans, the underdeveloped Africans, and the devout Asians.

There is undoubtedly a clear connection between people and land. Just as Europe is beautiful and picturesque, its inhabitants view beauty as the ideal, their laws being the outward expression of cultured behavior. In the desolate Asia, one "sees the divine" amid the wilderness, far from civilization, feeling His presence. In cursed, self-consuming Africa, one "sees" only demons and spirits.

The historical trajectory of these peoples is intertwined with this clear division: Ham - Canaan - is cursed, a servant of servants to his siblings. Indeed, the descendants of Ham have always been a race of servants. Our sages have already recounted (Genesis Rabbah, Vayeshev): "Typically a German sells a Cushite." The Africans weren't slaves merely by chance; they were enslaved by their nature and character. It was no accident that American pirate ships journeyed to Africa. African slaves were uniquely suited to their role: ignoble and lacking independence by nature. Even after the emancipation of the slaves, they were still exploited in forms of servitude, and even to this day in the 21st century, many African nations are subjugated to European nations, with no logical reason. The Hamitic peoples are cursed and doomed, slaves of slaves to their brethren Japheth and Shem! Who could have foreseen such a phenomenon? A perennial curse lasting millennia that allows no deviation!

Shem represents the faithful race. Indeed, faith originates from Semitic Asia and remains primarily there to this day. Jews, Chinese, Arabs, Indians, and the nations of the Far East — these are the custodians of faith and religion today. Even hundreds of years after the world became atheistic, all descendants of Shem stubbornly cling to their beliefs, and the East will always be a center of spiritual pursuit. And here lies another intriguing difference: the Torah ambiguously states "God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem." There is a connection between the embellishment of God granting Japheth and His dwelling in the tents of Shem. Indeed, Japheth absorbed from the heavens the belief in one God, but this is merely an external belief. The name of the heavens dwells in the tents of Japheth, but Japheth does not truly represent this faith. And the Africans, descendants of Ham, cannot even absorb the outer layer. They are the only people still upholding primitive idolatry rituals from thousands of years ago, without any ability to break free.

Japheth is the embellished race, Greek culture, Roman culture, the foundation of all beauty, art, and culture. The flag-bearers of culture throughout the ages and to this day are the descendants of Japheth. Storytelling, artistic poetry, rhetoric, architecture, philosophy, sculpture, painting - all have their origins in the people of Japheth. It is unnecessary to expand on the European culture of the last two thousand years. The European nations are creators of culture, and to this day, they are the most "cultured," insofar as it is expressed outwardly. But their culture dwells in the tents of Shem; the heavens accept culture and also harness it. The descendants of Ham take no culture; they are uncultured and pose no threat to culture.

The rule "God shall enlarge Japheth" is not only about beauty and culture. It also encompasses empowerment, strength, and might. All of Europe could fit multiple times into each of the vast lands like China, Australia, India, Canada, Brazil, or Saudi Arabia, yet the seat of power and control in the world is, ironically, in Europe. All lands "discovered" by Europeans came under their possession. The entire Americas, most of Africa, and parts of Asia and Australia became European colonies. Even today, no political action in the world would proceed without Europe's consent; no cultural action would occur without Europe's participation, and so forth.

This overarching picture already exists in the Torah, in Noah's words, and in the reality of Abraham's life, who contends in the Land of Israel with the descendants of Ham and Japheth, each according to their nature and way. The Torah teaches us how Abraham engaged with them and how his descendants should engage with them throughout the generations.