CHAYEH SARAH 5778
ABRAHAM'S FINAL TEST
November 9, 2017
20 Cheshvan 5778
Abraham took another wife, whose name was Keturah [Genesis 25:1].
The Torah concludes the story of Abraham's life by telling us of his new wife, Keturah, who bore him six sons. A Midrash speculates that Keturah was actually Hagar, the woman whom, at the behest of Sarah, Abraham had banished from his household together with her son, Ishmael.
This commentary attributes to Abraham the extraordinary capacity to reach out to a woman who he obviously wronged. Not only did he dispatch Hagar and Ishmael from his household; he sent them into the bleak and harsh desert with only water and bread. The Torah indicates that once they consumed the last of their water, mother and son were faced with imminent death. They are saved when an angel told Hagar to raise her eyes and to behold a water source before her. They thus traversed the desert to begin a new and successful life.
It had to be difficult for Abraham to reach out to Hagar. He was well aware that he had all but sent them forth to their death, and there was every reason for an unforgiving Hagar to spurn him. It's a challenge to face up to someone whom you have wronged and hurt and figuratively fall at his or her feet and implore to be forgiven and reconciled. This determination to sublimate himself was perhaps the final test in a long and productive life.
Rabbinic commentators, citing different decisions and actions, portray Abraham as a model of moral behavior. From his open tent, he consistently reached out to passing wayfarers to offer them food and shelter. He was constantly alert to practice hachnasat orchim, the mitzvah of providing hospitality.
There was his immediate response upon learning that his nephew, Lot, had been taken captive by the invading army of the Four Kings. His success in freeing Lot was an act of pidyon sh'vuyim, the mitzvah of redeeming captives and returning them to their homes. Following that act, Abraham's clear refusal to accept a reward from the King of Sodom for repulsing the invading army modeled the importance and challenge of performing a mitzvah for its own sake.
Upon learning of God's decision to destroy the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham argued that there may be 50, 40, 30, or even 10 righteous people in the midst of those cities, and the cities should be spared for their sake. He contended that it is wrong to destroy the righteous with the wicked. His famous challenge to God was "will the Judge of all the earth not act justly?" Sadly, however, there were not even 10 righteous in those communities and the cities' fates were thereby sealed. Abraham's determination to stay God's hand is a model of summoning the courage to speak truth to power.
By identifying Keturah as Hagar, the Rabbis added a final brushstroke to the portrait of Abraham as the man singled out by God "that he may instruct his children and his posterity to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is just and right" (Genesis 18: 19).
We who proudly identify ourselves as spiritual descendants of Abraham have been given this template on how to structure our lives if we wish to be a blessing to others. Perhaps the greatest of these blessings is the courage to confess, "I wronged you and implore your forgiveness. I pray that you will embrace me as we forge a new and sustaining relationship." The Rabbis have challenged us to recognize the difficulty of this test and to rise to the occasion. May we be so blessed, and thereby be a blessing to others.
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From the holy city of Jerusalem, my best wishes for a Shabbat Shalom u'Mevorach, a Shabbat of peace and blessing.
Rabbi Arnold M Goodman
VAYERA 5778
PAST IS PAST AND DONE IS DONE
November 2, 2017
13 Cheshvan 5778
And He (God) said, "take your son your only son whom you love, Isaac, and …. And bring him as an offering upon one of the mountains I shall tell you" So Abraham awoke early in the morning, he saddled his donkey, he took … Isaac … And went to the place which God had spoken to him. [Genesis 22: 2, 3]
What should we make of Abraham's early rising? The p'shat (literal explanation) is that he exemplified the principle that one proceeds at the earliest possible moments to fulfill God's commandments. The loyal patriarch, ordered to take Isaac to the mountain and offer him as a sacrifice, was simply (eagerly?) following the divine instruction The commentators also note that he saddled his own donkey despite the fact that he normally would have had his servants perform that task. This interpretation portrays Abraham as the true "knight of faith "for whom God's wish was his command, and he undertook to do God's will with alacrity.
Noting that Sarah is totally absent from this chapter there is a commentary that Abraham arose early in order to be on his way before Sarah awakened. Abraham was well aware of Sarah's intense love for her only son, Isaac, and the patriarch was concerned, possibly convinced, that she would prevent him from following through with his intent to accede to God's command. Since Sarah's death is the first verse of the chapter (23) following the sacrifice of Isaac, her demise is attributed to her shock and dismay when she learned over Abraham's intent.
Perhaps Abraham rose early simply because he had one of those sleepless nights. I can picture him turning and tossing in his bed as he struggled with the decision whether or not to obey God's command. Did he allow himself to consider the possibility that God had gone back on His promise that his lineage would be continued through Isaac and his descendants?
During this long sleepless night did he summon up the bitter memory of the events that led to the banishment of his firstborn son, Ishmael, and his mother, Hagar. Sarah was insistent that they had to go. Abraham was reluctant to send them into the bleak desert. It was only when God said to him, "whatever Sarah tells you, do she says."(Genesis 21:17) that he sent them away with a flask of water and a loaf of bread for their trek through the desert.
Did he consider the possibility that he challenge God as he did prior to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, "Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly" (Genesis 18: 25)?
The banishment of Ishmael could never be reversed nor would putting the knife to Isaac's throat. He and Sarah would be permanently bereaved of their beloved son. Isaac's loss would create a permanent and painfully void in their lives. During this very long and sleepless night he wrestled with the decision that would have a lasting impact upon his life.
All of us have had occasions to regret decisions that set or altered the course of our lives. We painfully recall embarrassing actions that cannot be undone.
Sooner or later we learn that yesterday's deeds, like Humpty Dumpty after the fall, can never be recalled. There is no return to the status quo ante.
Today November 2, is the hundredth anniversary of the Balfour Declaration that affirmed that, "His Majesty's government looks with favor upon the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine." This document was a catalyst in the process that thirty years later led to the creation of the state of Israel.
The Palestinian Authority has been waging a campaign demanding that Great Britain apologize for the Declaration. Obviously they would prefer to have the Declaration rescinded but historical events can never be recalled. Palestinian leadership will bemoan the past but it cannot resurrect it. What is true for us as individuals is also true for communities and nations.
The past is best viewed through the prism of the serenity prayer: Give me the courage to change what can be changed, the serenity to accept what cannot, and the wisdom to know the difference.
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From the holy city of Jerusalem, my best wishes for a Shabbat Shalom u'Mevorach, a Shabbat have peace and blessing.
Rabbi Arnold M Goodman
