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Rosh Hashana
FOCAL POINT
. . . For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your favored one, from Me. (Genesis 22:12)
Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw. (Genesis 22:13) D'VAR TORAH God commanded Abraham, “Take your son, your favored one, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering” (Genesis 22:2). Abraham obeyed. He packed wood for the offering and a firestone and headed off with Isaac to the appointed place. He prepared the altar and bound Isaac to it. Then Abraham stretched forth his hand and grasped the slaughtering knife to slay his son and fulfill the commandment—a requirement that was customary among the other faiths and religions of his time. Was Abraham’s God similar to the other deities in demanding human sacrifice? Did Abraham have any way out? Then abruptly, clearly, God’s voice was heard, and the retraction of the order to kill was uttered, “Do not raise your hand against the boy, or do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your favored one, from Me” (Genesis 22:12). Although the Torah does relate other stories in which Abraham addresses God, in this instance, Abraham’s response is omitted. Silence follows the command, and time is suspended. We can only imagine what a bewildered Abraham might have thought and felt in seeking to understand the moment. Abraham might have said, “Wait a minute . . . with all due respect, let me recount my conversation with You. Before this ordeal began, You told Sarah and me that Isaac would be our link to the generations to come! Such a divine pledge You bestowed upon us! “Now, from my perspective, we are at an impasse. You challenged me, tested me, commanded me to come to this place to sacrifice my being, my future, my legacy, and though understanding escapes my heart, I am willing. I shout, ‘Hineini! [Here I am!]’ Then, I hear a voice urging me not to lay a hand on my beloved son! How confusing is Your call to me! “Dwelling with You, O God, is living in a world of contradictions.” At that instant, Abraham’s sight led him to insight, and his vision cleared: “Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw” (Genesis 22:13). What did he see? There, before him, appeared a ram. Had this animal been there the whole time? Or had Abraham been unable or unwilling to see it until he could muster the strength to address his heart-wrenching challenge with a fresh approach to the situation? Suddenly Abraham acquired a new way of perceiving the world. His experience teaches us that there is another path, if only we lift up our eyes and look. What can we learn from this parashah about how to confront the contradictions that face us? This breathtaking encounter, fraught with mystery, takes us to a higher level of life, filled with continuous opportunities for ever-new insight. In spite of all the absurdities and ambiguities in life, this episode between Abraham and God teaches us that we do not have to withdraw and retreat into the rigid mind-set of past behavior and norms. Using Abraham as an example, we too can fulfill the challenges in our own lives with devotion. “Abraham lifted his eyes and saw.” As we experience the holy days once again, we are charged not only to witness this defining moment rooted in the story of the Binding of Isaac, but also to participate in this inescapable drama. May we be reminded that we are not bystanders, but rather, responsible individuals before God. May we be challenged now to discover new and creative approaches in our thinking, our feelings, and our actions, without losing vision of the eternal values. This is the timeless message before us: “Let us lift up our eyes and see.” BY THE WAY · Lord, open our eyes that we may see and welcome all truth, whether shining from the annals of ancient times or reaching us through the seers of our own time, for Thou hidest not Thy light from any generation of Thy children that yearn for Thee and seek Thy guidance. (The Union Prayerbook for Jewish Worship [New York: CCAR, 1940], vol. 1, p. 34) · Praised be the Eternal god, who helps the blind to see.(From the traditional liturgy “The Daily Blessings,” Gates of Prayer for Shabbat and Weekdays [New York: CCAR, 1994], p. 106) · The vehicles for holiness and redemption are not only ever-present, waiting for us to open our hearts, minds, and eyes to them, but they constantly beckon us to reach out and take hold of them. (Norman J. Cohen, Self, Struggle and Change: Family Conflict Stories in Genesis and Their Healing Insights for Our Lives [Woodstock, Vt.: Jewish Lights Publishing, 1995], p. 86)
YOUR GUIDE In the Bible, lifting one’s eyes and seeing goes beyond the straightforward faculty of sight and gives us the potential power to change the direction of our lives and wrestle with contradiction. In contemplation during these holy days, how can we raise our personal capacity to see the choices before us more clearly and to act upon them in a positive manner? (Return) Rabbi Lawrence Jackofsky is Regional Director of the UAHC Southwest Regional Council. |