The parashah Lech Lecha (Genesis 12:1–17:27) poses a fundamental question: to which religion did Abraham convert? The biblical answer invites us to distinguish between changing religious affiliation and experiencing an authentic spiritual transformation.
Genesis does not depict Abraham joining a modern religious denomination. It describes a man who hears God's call, leaves his surroundings, and begins a life of trust, obedience, and covenant with the Creator.
The central teaching is that converting to the God of the Bible requires transforming one's behavior. Changing religions, by itself, does not equate to abandoning sin, correcting bad character traits, and living with integrity.
Jewish tradition develops this return through the concept of teshuvah, related to repentance, abandoning evil, and correcting actions.
What does Lej Lejá mean and why did God call Abraham?
The Hebrew expression לֶךְ־לְךָ (Lej Lejá) means, in its context, "go away" or "salt.
In Genesis 12, God commands Abram to leave his land, his relatives, and his father's house to go to a land that He will show him.
At 75, Abram leaves Haran and embarks on a journey whose outcome he does not yet know. His decision begins a story linked to the blessing of his descendants and other families.
This call also represents a spiritual teaching: to abandon that which prevents one from living in accordance with the divine will.
Deceit, resentment, pride, and dependence on the approval of others are examples of behaviors the reader can examine. This does not mean that all of these flaws characterized the biblical Abraham.
Our Lej Lejá begins when we stop justifying that which separates us from God.
SEE THE VIDEO OF THIS CLASS IN SPANISH
Was Abraham an idolater before he met the God of Israel?
Joshua 24:2–3 states that the ancestors of Israel, including Terah, the father of Abraham and Nahor, served other gods on the other side of the river.
Later, God takes Abraham and leads him through the land of Canaan.
This testimony suggests that Abraham came from an idolatrous family background. However, the Bible does not describe all of his personal religious practices in detail.
The Jewish tradition concerning the idolatry of Abraham
Maimonides develops an interpretation according to which Abraham initially participated in the practices of his environment while beginning to question them.
This explanation belongs to the later Jewish tradition and should be distinguished from the direct account of Genesis.
His spiritual teaching is important: a person's past does not necessarily determine their future.
Teshuvah involves recognizing mistakes, abandoning wrong practices, and ceasing to defend a behavior simply because it belongs to a family or cultural tradition.
Ur of the Chaldeans: the world Abraham left behind
Genesis 11 links Abraham's family to Ur of the Chaldeans and describes their migration to Haran.
The common identification of Ur with Tell el-Muqayyar, in present-day Iraq, allows us to study the context of an ancient city characterized by temples and religious practices.
Archaeological excavations document a significant devotion to the moon god Nanna.
However, these discoveries do not prove that Abraham was a priest of that deity, nor do they allow us to identify his dwelling with certainty.
SEE THE VIDEO OF THIS CLASS IN ENGLISH
What does abandoning idols represent?
From a spiritual perspective, leaving an idolatrous environment invites one to examine one's own loyalties.
A custom can be ancient, prestigious, and widely accepted without that automatically making it true.
Today we can reflect on the dominance that money, social recognition, or power exert over our decisions.
This comparison constitutes a moral application, not a direct historical equivalence with Mesopotamian cults.
Turning back to God requires sincerity in examining what governs our lives.
Abraham and the idols of his father Terah
The well-known story of Abraham destroying his father's idols comes from Bereshit Rabbah 38:13, not from the book of Genesis.
The midrash presents Abraham questioning the contradiction of attributing divine power to objects incapable of acting on their own.
Its importance lies in reflecting on inherited beliefs and the need to examine them.
However, abandoning material idols does not necessarily mean having eliminated inner idols.
A person can reject religious images and still be dominated by pride, envy, cruelty, or the desire to control others.
Maimonides teaches that bad character traits also require teshuvah.
A sincere conversion to God should transform that which guides our decisions.
How did Abraham abandon idolatry?
Genesis presents the divine calling, but does not exhaustively describe Abraham's previous intellectual and spiritual process.
Later Jewish sources develop different interpretations.
Bereshit Rabbah 39:1 uses the parable of a burning palace to represent the search for the owner of the world.
Maimonides describes a rational investigation that leads Abraham to the recognition of the one God.
These explanations enrich the study of his figure, although they do not constitute a proven historical chronology.
From recognizing the truth to transforming behavior
Teshuvah does not consist solely of acquiring religious knowledge.
According to Maimonides, repentance includes abandoning sin, regretting what has been done, deciding not to repeat it, and acknowledging the fault before God.
Therefore, knowing the truth affects our way of life.
Spiritual conversion begins to manifest itself when convictions are translated into concrete actions.
Which God did Abraham convert to?
Abraham responds to the God whom Genesis identifies by the name YHWH and designations such as El Elyon, Most High God, and El Shaddai, traditionally translated as Almighty God.
In Genesis 14:22, Abraham invokes YHWH, El Elyon, creator or possessor of heaven and earth.
In Genesis 17:1, God presents himself as El Shaddai and demands that he walk before him with integrity.
Within the biblical narrative, Abraham establishes his relationship with the God of the patriarchs, later recognized as the God of Israel.
The lesson is that invoking the divine name must be accompanied by consistent conduct.
Turning to the God of Abraham involves recognizing His authority and correcting that which contradicts His teachings.
To which religion did Abraham actually convert?
This is the central question of Lej Lejá.
Genesis does not depict Abraham converting to rabbinic Judaism, Christianity, or any modern religious denomination.
It describes a relationship with God that develops through calling, trust, obedience, and covenant.
This does not mean that Abraham lacked a religious life.
The patriarch builds altars, invokes God, and accepts obligations related to the covenant.
Nor would it be correct to completely separate him from Judaism, whose tradition recognizes him as one of its fundamental patriarchs.
The distinction lies in understanding that Abraham did not enter through a subsequent institutional procedure.
Does changing religion mean converting to God?
A religious affiliation can represent an important decision and a significant incorporation into a community.
However, belonging to an institution does not automatically guarantee a transformation of character.
Teshuvah requires abandoning bad actions, acknowledging faults, and living responsibly before God.
Changing religious affiliation does not replace sincere repentance.
Who helped Abraham to know God?
The biblical account attributes to God the initiative to call Abraham, manifest himself, and establish the covenant.
He does not identify a religious leader who would grant him authorization to relate to the Creator.
Maimonides describes Abraham's initial search without a teacher to show him the way.
Other traditions present Abraham and Sarah sharing their teachings with other people, as in Rashi's interpretation of Genesis 12:5.
This does not mean that Abraham lived in isolation or rejected all human help.
Melchizedek blesses him and different people participate in his story.
The lesson is that a teacher can guide and a community can accompany, but neither replaces personal responsibility before God.
Did God accompany Abraham during his transformation?
Genesis presents God upholding his promises to Abraham.
However, the patriarch's journey also includes hunger, dangers in Egypt, family conflicts, and uncertainty about his descendants.
A relationship with God does not automatically eliminate difficulties.
From a faith perspective, these experiences can be understood as part of a journey in which trust must persevere.
Teshuvah also requires patience, responsibility, and a willingness to correct mistakes.
A single difficulty does not, in itself, prove that God has abandoned a person.
Converting to God does not mean receiving a guarantee of immediate prosperity, but learning to live faithfully even in difficult circumstances.
Was Abraham the first convert in the Bible?
Abraham can be considered a model of conversion to God, but calling him the first convert requires clarifying the meaning of that expression.
He was not the first biblical character related to God.
Genesis 6:9 presents Noah as a righteous man who walked with God.
Nor is there sufficient historical evidence to prove that Abraham was the first human being to abandon idolatry.
Furthermore, directly applying later rabbinic conversion procedures, such as those developed in Yevamot 47b, to one's experience introduces categories from another era.
Its importance does not depend on chronological priority.
Abraham represents a model of responding to the divine call, trust, and commitment.
Teshuvah, for its part, also requires abandoning religious arrogance and the desire to use community membership to despise other people.
Melchizedek and his encounter with Abraham
Genesis 14 presents Melchizedek as king of Salem and priest of El Elyon.
Melchizedek brings bread and wine, blesses Abraham, and acknowledges God as the one who delivered up his adversaries.
This meeting takes place after the initial call from the patriarch.
Therefore, the text does not present Melchizedek as responsible for Abraham's conversion.
Was Melchizedek Shem, the son of Noah?
Rashi cites a rabbinic tradition that identifies Melchizedek with Shem, son of Noah, related to Nedarim 32b.
This identification does not appear explicitly in Genesis.
Hebrews 7, for its part, develops a Christian interpretation that links Melchizedek to the priesthood of Jesus.
Both readings belong to interpretive traditions that should be distinguished from the original story.
Spiritual teaching is that a person can bless, teach, and accompany without replacing God or appropriating the conscience of others.
We must also practice honesty when studying the Scriptures, differentiating what the text directly states from what belongs to a later interpretation.
Abraham's faith was credited to him as righteousness.
Genesis 15:6 presents Abraham trusting in God in the face of the promise of offspring.
This trust does not consist solely of recognizing the existence of a divinity.
Abraham believes in the one who has spoken to him and places his trust in his promise.
Jewish commentators offer different interpretations of the justice mentioned in the verse.
Rashi understands that God recognizes Abraham's trust, while Ramban proposes a reading centered on the recognition of divine justice or benevolence.
In the development of the story, Abraham's confidence is accompanied by actions.
He leaves his land, invokes God, and subsequently accepts the pact.
Sincere faith should not be used as an excuse to deliberately maintain unjust conduct.
Abraham's faith before circumcision
The statement in Genesis 15:6 occurs before the circumcision presented in Genesis 17.
Paul highlights this sequence in Romans 4:9–12 to develop his interpretation of Abraham's faith and its relationship to circumcised and uncircumcised believers.
However, Genesis 17 establishes circumcision as a sign and obligation of the Abrahamic covenant.
The relationship of trust precedes that signal, but this does not eliminate the importance of subsequent commitments.
Spiritual teaching consists of understanding that an external sign does not automatically produce inner sincerity.
At the same time, sincerity does not justify disregarding the obligations established by the narrative.
Teshuvah requires consistency between what a person believes, declares, and practices.
Teshuvah: the true return to God
The Hebrew word teshuvah expresses the idea of return.
Deuteronomy 30 calls Israel to return to God and listen to his voice within the context of the restoration of the people and their covenant.
Jewish tradition develops this teaching through repentance and moral transformation.
Maimonides explains that teshuvah is not limited to abandoning external transgressions.
It also includes correcting anger, hatred, envy, and other harmful traits.
How to practice teshuvah?
Maimonides' teachings allow us to identify fundamental actions:
- To sincerely acknowledge the mistake made.
- Abandon the wrong behavior.
- To experience regret for what happened.
- Decide not to repeat the mistake.
- Acknowledge her before God.
- Repair the damage caused to other people and seek reconciliation when appropriate.
This transformation requires continuity.
A person can change their religious affiliation at a given moment, but correcting one's character requires discipline, humility, and perseverance.
Converting to God means taking responsibility for transforming our lives.
Sara and Agar: the importance of recognizing the harm
The parashah Lej Lejá also presents difficult episodes in Abraham's family history.
In Egypt, the patriarch's decision to present Sarai as his sister exposes her to the pharaoh.
Genesis 16 describes Hagar's affliction, her flight, and the divine response to her situation.
These stories allow us to examine the consequences of human decisions without presenting biblical characters as figures outside of any moral evaluation.
Authentic spirituality must consider the suffering of others.
Turning back to God requires acknowledging the harm done, correcting selfishness, and abandoning the abuse of power.
Religious authority should not become an instrument to prevent the recognition of an injustice.
The God of Abraham in the teachings of Yeshua
Mark 12 presents Jesus referring to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and reaffirming the divine oneness expressed in the Shema.
Paul interprets the promise made to Abraham from Christ's perspective in Galatians 3.
James 2 emphasizes that faith must be manifested through works.
These interpretations belong to the Christian sphere and should not be automatically attributed to rabbinic Judaism.
However, they allow for reflection on the relationship between faith and behavior.
Adopting a Christian, Jewish, or any other community identity does not, in itself, guarantee that a person has abandoned their bad actions.
Teshuvah requires sincerity before God and responsibility towards one's neighbor.
Recognizing this requirement allows for respectful dialogue without ignoring the doctrinal differences between traditions.
What does archaeology reveal about Abraham?
Archaeology allows us to study the ancient world in relation to patriarchal narratives.
However, it does not provide a conclusive historical identification of Abraham nor does it directly demonstrate an experience of divine revelation.
The parallels between Genesis and documents from Nuzi or Mari require critical evaluation.
A responsible study must distinguish between biblical sources, Jewish interpretations, Christian readings, and historical research.
| Font type | Texts or references | Main contribution |
|---|---|---|
| Biblical | Genesis 12–17; Joshua 24; Deuteronomy 30 | Calling, covenant and return to God |
| Interpretive Jew | Bereshit Rabbah; Rashi; Ramban | Interpretations of the Abraham story |
| Standard Jewish | Maimonides, laws of repentance | Repentance and character correction |
| Christian | Romans 4; Galatians 3; Hebrews 7; James 2 | Interpretations of Abraham in the New Testament |
| Historical and archaeological | Research on Ur and the ancient Near East | Historical context and limits of the reconstruction |
Spiritual sincerity also demands intellectual honesty.
We must not present interpretive traditions as archaeologically proven facts, nor use claims that the sources do not support.
Conclusion: Abraham did not change his denomination; he responded to God.
To what religion did Abraham convert?
According to Genesis, Abraham did not join a modern religious denomination. He responded to the call of the God who would later be recognized as the God of Israel.
His relationship with the Creator was manifested through trust, obedience, worship, and commitment to a covenant.
God took the initiative and kept his promise. The account does not attribute his initial conversion to a human religious authority, although it does mention people who accompanied and blessed him.
Abraham's faith was recognized before circumcision, but this did not eliminate the subsequent obligations of the covenant.
Lej Lejá's spiritual teachings remain relevant:
Turn back to the God of the Bible. Acknowledge your faults. Abandon what is harmful. Correct your bad traits. Repair what you can repair. Do teshuvah.
Changing your religion does not automatically perform any of those tasks.
A community can teach, accompany and strengthen, but the responsibility to respond to God remains with each person.
Abraham's path is inspiring because it begins with a sincere response and develops through concrete commitments.
Our return must also be manifested in the truth we speak, the harm we cease to cause, and the integrity with which we learn to live.
