THE EXAMPLE(S) OF ABRAHAM

Parashat Vayera

18 Cheshvan 5777 / 18-19 November 2016

Torah: Genesis 18:1 – 22:24

Haftarah: 2 Kings 4:1-37

IMPORTANT NOTE: Because LAUSD is closed all of next week, we will have No Religious School or Adult Hebrew this Sunday or next. Both will resume December 4.

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THE EXAMPLE(S) OF ABRAHAM

"And the Lord appeared to (Abraham) at the terebinths (trees used to make turpentine) of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance of the tent in the heat of the day. He lifted his eyes and saw there were three men standing above him; he ran from the entrance of the tent to greet them, and bowed toward the ground. And he said, 'My Lord, if I find favor in Your eyes, please do not pass away from Your servant.’” Genesis 18:1-3.

At first reading, one would think that God appeared to Abraham in the form of the three men. Therefore, he bowed and addressed them as "My Lord".  

However, a rabbinic tradition teaches that these are two separate events. God was visiting Abraham following Abraham's circumcision, and then the three men appeared. Abraham (in his pain!) literally ran from God to greet the men. He then asked God to wait while he attended to the needs of the men!

This might seem extraordinarily disrespectful to God. Not so, according to the Rabbis. "Rabbi Judah said in the name of Rav: 'Hospitality to guests is greater than greeting the Divine Presence.'" How can this be?

For one thing, if God is the Omnipresent, one can never leave God's Presence. Second, if God is the Eternal, then "waiting" is not in God's vocabulary - it's simply not a problem. Perhaps most important, God does not have physical or emotional needs, but human beings do; and they must be attended to. In taking leave of God in order to extend hospitality to three strangers who appeared out of the desert, Abraham was actually honoring God - by truly caring for those who are created "in the image of God".

But there’s more that we can learn from Abraham in this parashah – some by following his example, some by not following his example.

"Will You also destroy the righteous with the wicked? ... Far be it from You to do so, to slay the righteous with the wicked, that the righteous should be equated with the wicked! Far be it from You! Shall the Chief Justice of all the earth not do justice?" (Gen. 18:23-25)

Abraham's desperate bargaining with God to save Sodom and Gomorrah, and thereby the righteous few who might be dwelling there, is a truly powerful moment - a man standing up to God and telling Him to do the right thing. As noted last week, this is a shining example of speaking truth to power. And yet, it seems that nothing comes of it. God promises not to destroy the cities if ten righteous people can be found there, but ultimately the cities are destroyed – because there are not ten righteous persons. It is not because Abraham failed – and it is not because Abraham was wrong.

And yet … If Abraham is willing to argue to save people with whom he has absolutely nothing in common, why then, at the conclusion of our parashah, does he march his son Isaac up the mountain to be offered as a sacrifice to God, with nary a peep of protest? Some attribute to Abraham his desire to fulfill all of God's commandments. But perhaps the reason is quite different. (Note: he was earlier “troubled” by, but acquiesced to, the banishment of his son Ishmael)

Perhaps Abraham felt beaten down. Maybe he thought that his inability to convince God to relent from destroying the two cities meant that he should no longer argue with God, not ever, not even to save the life of his own son – who was completely innocent! He gave up!

This would truly be a failure on Abraham’s part. If so, then this behavior of Abraham is clearly NOT one we should follow. Consider this: how could it ever be wrong to seek justice for ourselves and for our fellow human beings? So what if we fail once? If we do not demand justice, why should God, or any person in authority, act justly? Are we not commanded to zealously pursue justice? (Deuteronomy 16:20)

The proof is in the result. After the banishment of Ishmael and the near-sacrifice of Isaac, father and sons go their separate ways, and never see each other again – until the burial of Abraham. After Abraham’s failure to again demand justice, he and God go their separate ways, and never speak to each other again. We must not allow that to happen in our lives. The failure to seek justice for others may leave us all bereft of justice.

Shabbat Shalom.

Rabbi Richard A. Flom

Congregation Beth Meier

Studio City, CA

http://bethmeier.org

Blogging at: http://rav-rich.blogspot.com/

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Twitter: @DrahcirMolf

"שתיקה כהודאה דמיא"

"Silence in the face of wrongdoing is consent.”

BT Yevamot 87b

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Candle lighting: 4:29 pm

Friday – Shabbat Evening Service – 8:00 pm

Saturday – Shabbat Morning Service – 10:00 am. Kiddush lunch follows services. 

Sunday - NO Religious School – NO Adult Hebrew class. Both resume December 4.

Tuesday – Lunch and Learn – 12:00 noon.

Thursday – Happy Thanksgiving!

Friday 11/25 – NO Shabbat Evening Service.

Saturday 11/26 – Shabbat Morning Service – 10:00 am. Kiddush lunch follows services.

This d'var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah for Avi Shmuel Yosef Hakohen ben Bella, HaRav Yisrael Shimon ben Liebah Breina, Yaakov Rani Ben Margalit, Sarah bat Devorah, Zehavah B’rakhah bat Leah, Susan Arbetman, Ken Bitticks, Elsbet Brosky, Jerry Daniels, Maya Fersht (Maya bat Esther), Dr. Samuel Fersht (Shmuel Natan ben Gittel), Leonard Foint (Eliezer Moshe ben Esther), Jerry Forman, Myra Goodman, Simon Hartman, Fouad Kay (Yehoshua ben Salima), Philip Kovac, Tonya Kronzek, Toni Linder, Deborah Schugar Strauss (Devorah bat Chaya Feiga), Helen Schugar (Chaya Feiga bat Kreina), Hedy Woolf, and Naomi Zimmermann (Naomi bat Yorma).

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