Adath Israel San Francisco | Modern Orthodox Synagogue in San Francisco | A Welcoming Shul and Jewish Community

What's in a Name?

Before an election, neighborhoods are often flooded with signs supporting candidates running for all levels of government. When you went to vote, you probably saw many of these signs strategically placed so that voters can see them, but far enough to observe the rules against electioneering at the polls. 

One has to wonder: do people really make a decision based on lawn signs? If someone is choosing between two town controllers that he/she knows nothing about, will the sign be the deciding factor? 

An article from two years ago tells us that the answer is yes. Perhaps not too many people do this, but enough people to swing a tight race do. They point to a 2011 study called the “Ben Griffin Experiment” where lawn signs were placed all around town advocating for Ben Griffin to gain a seat on the local school board. The only problem was that Ben Griffin didn’t exist. The researchers then sent out surveys to parents asking who they support for the school board. The list included five real candidates, plus Ben Griffin. Sure enough, 25% of respondents chose Griffin among their top three picks. In politics, name recognition alone can be a factor.

In this week’s parasha, after Avraham saved his nephew, Lot, along with all the other residents of Sodom, the King of Sodom says to him “Give me the people and take the possessions for yourself.”

Since we are talking about a king of a nation that epitomizes corruption, one would think that when faced with the situation he was in, he would abandon the people and try to get as much money as he can for himself. Yet, he seemed to take the approach that a righteous king would take, to worry about the people and not worry about the money. 

The Midrash Lekach Tov (11th century) provides the following insight. The King of Sodom was just as corrupt as his people. The only difference is that he was also a politician, and when you mix politics and corruption, the priorities are different. He would have loved to line his pockets, but there’s one thing that’s more important to a corrupt politician than money — power. 

If the king had no followers, what would be the point of being king? So, he tried to cut a deal with Avraham. The midrash points out that he misjudged Avraham, thinking that Avraham’s values were like the people of Sodom. Avraham must have only got involved in this war because his nephew was captured and now that it’s over, who wouldn’t be happy walking away with the cash? It seemed like a win-win. The king becomes the hero who saved his people and Avraham gets the money. 

In the end, the king gets more than he bargained for, and he gets to keep the people and the money (according to Rav Yochanan in the Talmud, Nedarim 32a, Avraham was punished for giving the people to the king rather than trying to bring them closer to HaShem). The king had one goal in mind in this exchange: to build his brand and make a greater name for himself.

By contrast, G-d at the beginning of the parasha promised Avraham that his name will be made great. What does that mean to someone like Avraham? Radak (R. David Kimchi 12th/13th cent.) writes: Avraham wasn’t looking to build a name for himself. The bracha G-d gave him was to have a reputation of being a Prince of G-d (Nesi Elokim) and his success comes from the fact that he is an ambassador of HaShem.

The people of Sodom may not have appreciated Avraham’s righteousness in refusing the spoils of war, but Avraham’s reputation as an ethical person only helped his cause in bringing people closer to G-d.

For Avraham, building a good name was a tool (or even a necessary evil) to help achieve his mission. For the king of Sodom, building a name was the mission. Politics these days are complicated. Every politician will say that they put the interests of their constituency ahead of their own. And while some may come across as more sincere than others, even if the candidate is sincere, his/her definition of “best interests of the community” may be very different or even antithetical to what we believe. Through all the haze of bitter politics and nasty rhetoric, we shouldn’t lose sight of what an ideal leader should be. The ideal leader, whether in the community or even leading our own home, should be a student of Avraham. Someone who is not looking to build a name but rather to be a good person, looking out for the welfare of others and leading by example.

And with that, I’d like to end with the following call to action:

TAKE ACTION:

Fight BDS Pressure on Trader Joe's

Anti-Israel group CODEPINK is pressuring Trader Joe's to stop carrying Israeli products in their stores, as part of the antisemitic Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions campaign. Trader Joe’s has rejected similar pressure in the past and we must mobilize to ensure they do so again. 

Take action now:

1) Contact Trader Joe’s by phone (626.599.3817) or complete this online form and thank them for carrying Israeli products. Let them know how much you appreciate being able to buy products made in Israel.

2) If you have Trader Joe's in your area, buy these Israeli goods and thank the staff for carrying them:

• Bamba Puffed Peanut & Corn Snacks
  • Original
  • Hazelnut Crème Filling
  • Dark Chocolate dipped
• Dorot Gardens Crushed Garlic
• Dorot Gardens Crushed Ginger
• Trader Joe’s Israeli Feta Cheese
• Givon Wine

3) Encourage your friends and family to take action.