In my days in school, the boys who supported the best football team precisely because they would win were always labelled ‘glory supporters.’ And though the name of the winning team might have changed since then, the infamous title of glory supporter has not. Towards the end of our sedra, Rashi (11;28) records the Midrash about Avraham being ordered to jump into the fire by king Nimrod in Ur Casdim as a punishment for beleiving in HaShem. After Avraham comes out unscathed, Haran jumps in in testimony to his beleif in HaShem, and is killed. Why did he deserve to die? The explanation heard from Rabbi Orlofsky is that Haran did not make his mind up to follow HaShem wholeheartedly. What he did was think to himself before Avraham jumps in ‘if Avraham survives, I’m with HaShem, and if not I’m with the idols.’ That’s not the type of emunah to merit HaShem performing miracles to save Haran from the fire. The message is to have total emunah in HaShem through good and bad times.
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