According to the Talmud, while the corrupt generation destroyed by the great flood was guilty of many sins, the final straw was their disregard for other people’s property.
In contrast, among the major incidents in the lives of the patriarchs a pattern emerges, whose theme is honesty to an extreme.
Abraham parts ways with his nephew Lot over a breach of business ethics.
Isaac sacrifices his livelihood and stability to avoid trumped-up accusations of theft.
Jacob reacts severely when accused of stealing from his father-in-law: “With whomever you find your gods, he shall not live!”
The pattern comes full circle when Jacob’s sons are accused of theft and echo their father’s death sentence verbatim: “Anyone with whom [Joseph’s goblet] is found will die!”
The point of recording the identical reactions of Jacob and his children is to teach that children will internalise the values and principles of their parents to the profound point of reflex.
It’s often said that it’s not what parents say but what they do that most influences their children. The truth is that not even the actions of parents matters most but their reactions.
For example, the look of horror that instinctively crosses the face of a parent on encountering vulgarity and immorality or their radiance and refinement when engaging in goodness and decency.
Whatever evokes that reaction in a parent will often evoke the same in child, for better or worse.
The American radio host Dennis Prager tells of a friend who bragged that her children were top doctors and lawyers. He asked her, “Are they good people too?”
“Why of course,” she responded. His clincher: “Then why didn’t you tell me that first?”
Whatever parents, educators and leaders value most is what their children, students, and communities will value most.
When the leaders and higher echelons of a society promote and personify decency, kindness and good character, it has a trickle-down effect on society at large.
If in a given culture “to perform righteousness and justice” (Genesis 18:9) is idealised and idolised, aspiring members of that civilisation will seek to emulate and embody those values.
This is a truth Abraham epitomised and for which he was selected by God to father the Jewish people, who were called on to do the same.
