When the state of the world seems at its most chaotic, concerning, or even hopeless, how, and where, and when, can we find the clarity needed to move forward?
Yesterday’s Torah reading was Vayera, the Torah portion containing the story of the binding of Isaac. I believe it is the worst episode in all of Torah when Abraham nearly sacrifices his son Isaac because God told him to. At the last possible moment, a messenger of God appears to Abraham to stop him from murdering his own son.
We breathe a sigh of relief in the moment, but once we know that Isaac lives, our judgment and questions and concerns start to flood in. How could this happen? What went wrong? What could we possibly learn from this? How do we move forward with Abraham as our patriarch and God as our God?
This year, I was struck by the verse that immediately follows the episode:
וַיִּקְרָ֧א אַבְרָהָ֛ם שֵֽׁם־הַמָּק֥וֹם הַה֖וּא יְהֹוָ֣ה ׀ יִרְאֶ֑ה אֲשֶׁר֙ יֵאָמֵ֣ר הַיּ֔וֹם בְּהַ֥ר יְהֹוָ֖ה יֵרָאֶֽה
And Abraham named that site Adonai-yireh, as it is said to this day, “On the mount of Adonai - there is vision.”
This verse could have looked very different… Abraham could have repented, he could have offered gratitude, he could have expressed love for Isaac, he could have wallowed in guilt and despair… but instead he emphasizes the clarity he received when God appeared, when God gave him vision.
It reminds me of a lot of the commentary I’ve been reading and listening to about the election - to those who are suddenly blessed with the vision of why the election ended the way it did. What was considered a “toss-up” the day before is now becoming crystal clear the week after.
As they say, hindsight is 20-20. And this phrase “On the mount of Adonai - there is vision” has helped provide clarity for me on the topic of clarity.
Clarity only comes on the mountain… not necessarily the literal physical mountain… not the where… but rather the experiential mountain… the hills that we climb, so to speak… the challenges we choose to take on, not the ones we choose to ignore.
It doesn’t happen overnight, it can’t, mountains can take years to climb… but if what we are seeking is vision, then our best option may just be up.
