Chanel 13 News in Israel reported a story about two Israeli reporters who were in Amsterdam last week and were saved from being attacked by two Dutch citizens, who whisked them away to their home in the small fishing town of Urk (population 24,000), just outside Amsterdam.

Urk is not exactly a Jewish town, so the reporters were shocked to find Israeli flags all over Urk. For good measure, the home they were taken to for safety, had a Mezuzah on the front door and a Menorah prominently displayed in the living room, among other Judaica items.

Their hostess explained to the by-now totally confused Israelis that the people of Urk believe that the Jewish people are the chosen people, that supporting Jews and Israel is a sacred obligation, and that many of them travel to Israel twice a year. She herself has been to Israel forty-four times. The town even boasts a Judaica store!

This week’s Torah portion opens with the words: “And G-d appeared to Avraham in the plains of Mamrei….” Avraham was healing from his circumcision when G-d paid him a visit. Ok, cool that G-d pays him a visit, but we already know where Avraham was at the time. Why is there a need to remind us that he was in the plains of Mamrei?

Sounds like Mamrei was just the name of a place. Mamrei was actually a person and a personal friend of Avraham. When G-d asked Avraham to circumcise himself says the Midrash, he went to consult with three of his friends. Ineir said to Avraham: “You’re a hundred years old, you’re too old for this!” Eshkol said to Avraham that “your enemies are going to take advantage of your weak state and kill you if you go ahead and circumcise yourself.” Mamrie said to Avraham: “Your G-d who stood by you when you were cast into the furnace (by Nimrod), who granted you victory over kings and who spared you from starvation, asks you to circumcise yourself and you are not going to listen to Him?!” Said G-d to Mamrei, you who advised Avraham to go ahead, will merit that I will appear to him in your plains.

The obvious question is, why is Avraham consulting with anyone, having received a direct ask from G-d Himself? (For the record, commentaries offer at least ten answers to this question.)

One of the explanations offered is the significance of affirmation. It was important for Avraham that his colleagues and friends recognized the significance of the covenant of the flesh – a unique bond between G-d and Avraham and his descendants – an eternal mark of chosenness in the very flesh of the chosen people.

More than just a personal affirmation, the affirmation of Mamrei results in Divine revelation. “And G-d appeared in the plains of Mamrei”. There aren’t a lot of places that can boast that kind of credential as being a hot spot for Divine revelation: The Garden of Eden, Mt Sinai, The Temple in Jerusalem and…Mamrei..

What this speaks to, is G-d’s intention and designation of Avraham and the Jewish people, as having the charge to be the transformative actors of history – an agency written into the very flesh of the Jew – a constant reminder of the covenant that binds us and the mission that defines us. When we engage Mamrei, G-d feels at home in Mamrei.

It may be said that places like Urk are today’s Mamrei. The deep attachment to Israel and the Jewish people, is rooted in the profound sense of debt the Dutch feel over the loss of most of its 80,000 Jews who perished in the Holocaust. Though few remained, the imprint of the children of Avraham who lived there for centuries runs deep in the soul and psyche of the citizens of Urk.

Last week,the Jewish world mourned the loss of Bernie Marcus. He was a proud Jew, who carried the agency of the covenant of Avraham to levels few ever have. His Tzedakah is likely unparalleled in the annals of human history. Like Avraham, who was a blessing for all of mankind, Bernie directly and indirectly impacted millions, enriching and saving lives. Like Avraham, who saw all of his wealth as a gift from G-d, Bernie was overheard saying to his partner Arthur Blank: “This is all thanks to G-d Almighty.” His giving was the greatest testament to that conviction.

May the memory of Ben Tzion ben Elimelech Yosef be for a blessing, and may the many ‘Mamreis’ he founded continue to grow and flourish.

Good Shabbos and Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Ruvi New