A young boy once went to the circus and was astonished when he saw that there was a giant elephant tethered to the ground by a thin rope. Curious, he asked the elephant trainer, “How are you holding down such a huge elephant with such a tiny rope?”
The trainer smiled and explained: “When this elephant was a baby weighing just 250 pounds, we tied it up with this same rope. Every day he tried to break free, but he couldn’t manage to free himself. After a few months he finally gave up, convinced that it was impossible to escape. Now he weighs two thousand pounds and could easily break free. But in his mind, he still thinks he’s unable to and therefore he doesn’t even try to escape.”
Anochi afar v’efer
Avraham famously says, “Anochi afar v’efer” (Bereishis 18:27), which means, “I am but dust and ashes.” This is generally understood as a statement of extreme humility. However, there is a deeper idea embedded in these words as well. To understand the deeper connotation of this important idea, we must analyze a perplexing encounter that Avraham has with Hashem. Hashem promises Avraham that he will become the father of an immeasurably populous nation, to which Avraham seems to voice some serious doubts. He challenges Hashem, claiming that not only is he currently childless but that the stars (mazalos) say that he will never have even one child. How then, he asks Hashem, can You promise me that I will be the father of a great nation?
Hashem responds by taking Avraham “hachutza” – outside (Bereishis 15:5). Rashi explains this to mean that Hashem took Avraham “above the stars”.
This episode is peculiar. Avraham argues with Hashem using what he sees in the stars as evidence. What does it mean that Avraham saw in the stars that he was not destined to have a child? And how can Avraham argue with Hashem about what will happen? If Hashem tells Avraham that he will have a child, how can Avraham even think of suggesting otherwise? And finally, what does it mean that Hashem took Avraham “above the stars”?
The Mazalos
Chazal explain (Shabbos 156a) that the world’s natural course is referred to as mazal (literally translated as a divine “flow”). Just as a scientist can study an apple seed and see how an apple will eventually grow from it, astrologists can study the stars and determine which events Hashem has designed to come into fruition. Therefore, Avraham had a valid question: on the one hand, Hashem had just promised him a child. On the other hand, Hashem created the mazalos, which are telling Avraham that he will not have a child. In response to Avraham’s question, Hashem takes him above the stars.
As the Gemara (Shabbos 156a) explains, Hashem was teaching Avraham the deep principle that “ein mazel li’Yisrael,” the Jews are not bound by nature (the mazalos). The stars can say one thing, but the stars are controlled by Hashem.
When you are connected to the source of reality, Hashem, you can transcend the stars and overcome any mazal. Thus, as long as Avraham lived within nature, he could not have any children, but once he transcended that limit, anything was possible.
A question remains: If the events in this world emanate from the mazalos, how can we reconcile the fact that they contradicted Hashem by foretelling that Avraham would not have children? Chazal do not claim that the mazal changed, only that Avraham transcended it. How did this work?
The answer is profound. At this point, Avraham’s name was Avram. The mazalos told the truth: Avram would not have a child. But once Avram realized that he wasn’t bound by nature, he transcended his current state and transformed. Two verses later, Avram’s name was changed to Avraham. Rashi explains (Toldos 25:19) that as soon as Avram became Avraham, he was able to have Yitzchak.
In Jewish thought, a name reflects essence (shem, name, has the same root as neshama, soul). Therefore, the change of a name reflects a much deeper change at the root level of the self. In other words, Avraham’s change in name resulted in a complete metamorphosis; through it he transcended his mazal and was able to live on a plane above nature.
Recreation of Self
Now let’s try to understand the deeper meaning behind Avraham’s famous statement, “Anochi afar v’efer.” Ashes represent an elemental breakdown, the most basic particles of an object. Dirt is the starting point of growth, the place where seeds are planted and given life. In a deeper sense, Avraham was saying that every day he would “ash” himself, breaking his very self down into his elemental and root form, and then plant himself anew. In other words, Avraham would recreate himself every day. Avraham never continued living the same way he had before simply because it was comfortable or he was used to it. Every day he would look within, break down his thoughts, beliefs, and paradigms, and recreate himself for the better, taking his life to the next level of spiritual growth.
The most amazing part of this famous statement is its placement. Avraham says this phrase right after his name is changed to Avraham! Only once Avraham realized that his potential is limitless, and that he could transcend his mazal, did he also realize that he could endlessly develop himself further, “ashing” and planting himself anew each day.
The Ultimate Revelation
To return to our opening story: What happens when the elephant discovers that the rope isn’t strong enough to hold him down? A fire once broke out in the circus, and in the ensuing chaos the circus tent fell down. After the dust settled, the trainers began searching for the elephant but they could not find it anywhere. Finally, they found him wandering in the nearby forest. They realized that during the fire the elephant must have been overcome with fear and adrenaline, and had, in his panic, broken free from his ropes. Tied down once more, the elephant quickly escaped. They tried again but once more the elephant broke loose. It was clear that he would no longer be held back by his “chains.”
The trainers had no choice but to get a new elephant for the circus and train it to believe he could not break free.
Does this story ring true in your ears? How often do we create mental cages of our own? How often do we allow other people’s opinions of us to become our reality? We allow people to tell us what we can or cannot do. Sometimes it’s a friend or loved one, worst of all, it’s usually our own inner voice that is the cause of our self-doubt. We convince ourselves that we’re not smart enough, good looking enough, or funny enough. We’re too old or too young, too short or too tall. But here’s the key: we are the only ones who hold the key to our mental cages, because we ourselves created the lock. Opening the lock requires only that we make a new decision; that we change our identity; that we believe it’s possible. We need to close our eyes and picture an ideal future, then open our eyes and make that our reality.
This is the actualization of ein mazel li’Yisrael; there are no limits. When you are in touch with your best self, and connected to Hashem, the source of all self, anything is possible. So let us be inspired to follow in Avraham’s footsteps and journey beyond the stars. There’s a famous saying: Let’s shoot for the moon, for even if we miss, we’ll land amongst the stars. I say, let’s land above the stars.