The rabbis teach us that the events in the lives of our forefathers are indicators for what will take place in our own, and this is probably truest of the patriarch Abraham. His covenant with God has preserved us, his children, through millennia of trials and tribulations. Named "the father of many nations," his exemplary life is a model for all of humanity.

• his early life combating idolatry
• his constant migration throughout the Middle East
• his far-reaching acts of kindness
• his struggle with childlessness
• his impact on history; the covenant