A Short Tribute

"Abraham was but one man, yet he was granted possession of the Land. We are many; surely, the land has been given as a possession to us". The Holy One, blessed be He, called Abraham, naming him the father of a multitude of nations. This means that the entire world is named after him, and he is named the father of all people. Maimonides could, according to this, determine that a convert of whatever origin can say "As You promised an oath to our fathers", for he (Abraham) was named "father of multitudes" – for all the world's nations. Despite Abraham having been "but one man", since he inherited the Land and "we are many" and are referred to as "multitudes", Abraham is apparently our father and, if so, "the land has been given as a possession to us", that is, as part of our inheritance. The Holy One, blessed be He, replies, "You eat the blood, you raise your eyes to your fetishes, and you shed blood – yet you expect to possess the land"?! Meaning to say that you are not named after him unless you behave as he did – to fulfill the Torah and its commandments. You will possess the land – as mentioned above and as Maimonides wrote, since he was named father of a multitude of nations – the lands belong to everyone under the Shechina's canopy.