The Influence of Abraham
The Torah tells us that after Sarah died, Abraham remarried and had six more children and many grandchildren. The Torah then states that Abraham gave all he had to Isaac and sent the other children and grandchildren to the land of the East with gifts (Genesis 25: 1-7). Drawing upon these verses, many claim that Abraham gave these offspring spiritual gifts, teachings which were then transplanted to the East, giving rise to various concepts integrated into Eastern religion and philosophy. Others dispute this interpretation altogether, claiming that the gifts were monetary in nature and thus had no effect on Eastern spirituality whatsoever. Even among those who understand the gifts as being spiritual in nature, there is a difference of opinion. Some see this process as a positive one and others as a more negative one. Rashi, drawing on the Talmudic tradition mentioned in tractate Sanhedrin, comments tersely that these gifts were of “impure names.” Some explain this to mean that they granted Abraham’s offspring magical powers, while others explain that Abraham was providing his offspring with spiritual ammunition to defend themselves from the Eastern pagan cultures. Rabbi Avigdor Miller cites the interpretation that the wisdom Abraham imparted was a profound knowledge of the natural sciences, which these sons eventually perverted (Sanhedrin 91a, see the commentary in the Artscroll Schottenstein edition).
Abraham, by the Talmud’s account, was a world-renowned spiritual figure. It is certainly not beyond the realm of possibility that his teachings were carried in his day to the East and had an influence, perhaps even a major one. However, even those who would make such a claim admit that the resulting Eastern religions took on a very different form than Judaism. This notwithstanding, such a claim would partially account for many of the similarities that do exist between the Western and Eastern paths to spirituality.
While Abraham’s direct influence on the East is a matter of conjecture, his influence on the Western world and those societies influenced by it is a matter of historical record – for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all look to him as their “father” and these three religions have shaped societies everywhere on the face of the earth. Abraham’s influence on the East and the West may also be interpreted as a fulfillment of the promise made by God to Abraham that “in you will all the families of the earth be blessed” (Genesis 12:3). Later, Isaac and Jacob are likewise blessed by God (Genesis 26:4; 28:14).
Therefore, it is quite natural to assert that the most influential person in history was Abraham, for as both the father of monotheism and the Jewish faith, his influence has no real parallel in world history. This is due to the fact that both Christianity and Islam, the most populous religions in world history, trace their development and philosophical world views to Judaism and the Torah, (albeit with major shifts of emphasis and concepts that perhaps were rooted in the Torah but took on manifestations unrecognizable to their origins). But also because of the significant influence Judaism has had on virtually every major concept underpinning Western civilization which has influenced the entire world.
In the more mundane, material world, it is Greek and Roman influence that has been the most persuasive till this very day; but in the world of religion, ethics, morals, law, mysticism, economics, philosophy and many areas of the arts and science, the major influence has been Jews and Judaism.
There are a few more candidates that could be considered for such an accolade: Moses, Jesus, Paul, Mohamed, the Buddah, Aristotle, and perhaps a few more. But none changed the thrust of world history as radically and as pervasively as Abraham. It is not that those others have not also had a major influence, but rather that Abraham as an initiator and trailblazer forged a unique path that ultimately led to the most persuasive and fundamental ideas that have influenced the world.
Most of these concepts and ideas are of course enshrined in the Torah, the Five Books of Moses, the first section of the 24 books of the Tanach/Bible, whose stories, words of wisdom and laws have influenced every aspect of life on the planet thorough the spread of Christianity, Islam and western civilization. Every New Testament is preceded by the Old Testament and anyone who has read the Koran will immediately recognize the all-pervasive influence of the Bible.
A careful reading of the Torah reveals the basic outline of much of the world’s criminal and civil legal codes, as well as the morals and ethics on which they are based. This, as we have proposed, stems in great measure from the profound influence Judaism had on both Christianity and Islam in their inceptions, and as they spread to encompass much of the planet. Due to these historical realities, Torah ideas have spread literally throughout the world, leading to a situation wherein legal systems everywhere have incorporated many of the basic principles enumerated in the Torah, as well as the more fundamental premises of justice, responsibility, and fairness on which all law depends.
Despite Israel’s long history of persecution and oppression during its 2,000-year sojourn in the Diaspora, there is no doubt that the Jewish people exerted a tremendous influence on virtually every area of human thought and practice. Although historians have largely concealed or ignored this truth, whether out of ignorance, malice, or a misguided sense of protectiveness, the truth of this statement is obvious to any serious student of history possessing a sense of integrity.
Only when an authentic history of civilization’s development is written will a deep appreciation of the Jewish contribution to civilization be forthcoming.
Irrespective of the nature of the gifts Abraham sent with his sons to the East, another possible conduit for Abraham’s wisdom to reach the East is suggested by the Talmud, which relates that all the kings of the East and the West would arrive at Abraham’s tent early (in the morning) to ask his advice (Bava Batra 16b). Furthermore, the Torah explicitly records that Abraham was born in Ur Kasdim (Ur of the Chaldees, a large Sumerian city-state located in present-day Iraq). Although today we think of the “East” as India, China, Japan, and Southeast Asia, the Tanach refers to all the lands east of the Euphrates River as “East.” Thus, Ur of the Chaldees was, by definition, in the “East.” According to the Midrash, Abraham began teaching about the One God even before he left to go to the Holy Land (Genesis 11:26-32). Therefore, it is certainly possible that his teachings, first promulgated in Ur Kasdim, were transmitted even further east by “the kings of the East ” or by other travelers and merchants, and had an influence, perhaps even a major one, on the way spirituality developed there.
In all cases, when looking at the world at large, there is certainly reason enough for our claim that Abraham was indeed the most influential person to ever have lived.
