This week’s Torah portion is Va’eira. It includes “Akeidat Yitzchak,” the “binding of Isaac,” where Abraham comes close to sacrificing his beloved son Isaac. But before we get to this awful episode, there is an interesting moment where the text gives us a peek inside God’s inner-thoughts.
God is preparing to destroy Sodom and Gemorrah and we hear God internally debating, “Should I hide from Abraham what I am doing?” God goes for it and the decision to open up flips the power dynamic between the two. Before God tests Abraham, God is allowing Abraham to turn the test in the other direction. And Abraham rises to the occasion. He challenges God, asking if God is really going to destroy an entire city, sweeping “the innocent along with the wicked'' if there are even 50 innocent people, 45, 40, 30, 20, 10… and God gives in, agreeing not to destroy Sodom on behalf of even 10 innocent people.
I have so many questions about how this all plays out. Does God regret seeking council from Abraham? Does Abraham’s concerns impact the way God later decides to test Abraham? Are the two scenes related, and if so, what is God trying to achieve when asking Abraham to kill his own son? I also wonder, Why does Abraham feel comfortable challenging God when the potential victims are strangers but not his own child?
We’re sitting in a very interesting time in history, a time when theoretical ethical dilemmas are playing themselves out in the real world and impacting the lives of so many innocent people every day. Emotions are high and it's so easy to question, to challenge, to get defensive, to seek revenge. What I love about this portion is it reminds us that if God is willing to be challenged, why can’t we? Why can’t we also make ourselves vulnerable enough to hear, and consider other perspectives?
This Shabbat I’m traveling with some High School girlfriends as we celebrate our joint 40th birthdays in a setting that invites contemplative thought, to say the least. I’m grateful for this break from reality, a true Shabbat, that will hopefully enable me to dive back into the challenges of the world with greater clarity in the week ahead. Wishing the same for all of you.
