The Torah column is supported by a generous donation from Eve Gordon-Ramek in memory of Kenneth Gordon.
Vayera
Genesis 18:1-22:24
“What are you writing?”
“A column for the Northern Chelm Jewish Bulletin on the Torah portion Vayera.”
“Didn’t you write a Rosh Hashanah column that included Vayera, specifically the binding of Isaac?”
“Yes. Just lucky.”
“It’s a huge portion. You could talk about how Abraham, following his self-circumcision (not advisable) and the visit by three ‘men’ who tell Sarah she will have (at last, and she laughs at Abraham) a child, or the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah, or the men of Sodom attacking Lot’s house, sulfur and fire raining upon Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot’s daughters in the cave (also not advisable), Abraham and Sarah’s journey to the land of Abimelech, the king of Gerar, where Abraham cowardly passes off Sarah as his sister (again, not advisable), the birth of Isaac, the betrayal of Abraham and Sarah to Hagar and Ishmael (and again…) and finally the binding of Isaac.”
“I’m going with Genesis 18:17-33. I need a story about standing up against great power, holding one’s space and even stepping forward.” Here’s the text:
And the Lord had thought, “Shall I conceal from Abraham what I am about to do? For Abraham will surely be a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed themselves through him. For I have embraced him so he will charge his sons and household to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, that the Lord may bring about upon Abraham all that He spoke concerning what him.” And the Lord said,
“The outrage of Sodom and Gomorrah, how great?
Their offense is very grave!
I will go down to see whether they have acted altogether according to the outcry that has reached Me; if not, I will take note.” The agents went on from there to Sodom, while Abraham remained standing before the Lord.
Abraham came forward and said, “Will You sweep away the innocent along with the guilty? What if there should be 50 innocents within the city; will You then wipe out the place and not forgive it for the sake of the innocent 50 who are in it? Far be it from You to do such a thing, to bring death upon the innocent as well as the guilty, so that innocent and guilty fare alike. Far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the Earth deal justly?”
And the Lord answered, “If I find within the city of Sodom 50 innocent ones, I will forgive the whole place for their sake.”
Abraham spoke up, saying, “Here I venture to speak to my Lord, I who am but dust and ashes: What if the 50 innocents should lack five? Will You destroy the whole city for want of the five?”
“I will not destroy if I find 45 here.”
But he spoke up again, and said, “What if 40 should be found there?” “I will not do it, for the sake of the 40.”
And he said, “Let not my Lord be angry if I go on: What if 30 should be found there?” “I will not do it if I find 30 there.”
And he said, “I venture again to speak to my Lord: What if 20 should be found there?” “I will not destroy, for the sake of the 20.”
And he said, “Let not my Lord be angry if I speak but this last time: What if 10 should be found there?” “I will not destroy, for the sake of the 10.”
Having finished speaking to Abraham, the Lord departed; and Abraham returned to his place / v’Avraham shav limkomo.
“And Abraham went back to his place (Genesis 18:33). What place does Abraham have to return to?”
“Exactly, Rabbi Arthur Green observes that, ‘By arguing with God Abraham had indeed stepped beyond his own place! In verse 22 we saw him ‘still standing before Y-H-W-H.’ In the boldness of his approach, he had entered into the place of God, ha-Makom. God seems to permit that to those who stand up to Him in order to save human lives. It was when Moses was arguing at Sinai to save the lives of Israel that God said to him hineh makom iti, ‘Here is a place, with Me.’ Ordinarily, the makom of God is beyond us. Even the angels call out, ‘Ayeh mekom kevodo?’ ‘Where is the place of His glory?’ But there are moments when the One who loves all of God’s creatures makes room for those who seek to defend them.’”
“A name for God is ‘ha-Makom’?”
“Indeed. There are at least 70 names for God from biblical literature and 90 more from the rabbinic literature. They are descriptive, directional, metaphors and place holders, but ha-Makom is very special. You hear it at the cemetery and in a house of mourning, ‘Ha-makom yenachem etechem betoch sha’ar avelai Tziyon viYrushalayim / May the Omnipresent comfort you among the rest of the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.’”
“That does not answer my question, what place does Abraham return to?”
“His place in our world. His place was filled with doubt (where is my promised child?), jealousy (Sarah and Hagar), abandonment (Abraham and Ishmael), lust (Sodom), and fear (passing Sarah as sister to King Abimelech). Yet here, in front of the Lord, he steps out of his place into the Place / ha-Makom of God, and defies the Lord. Then he steps back into his place. But not unchanged. I read this in ‘Pirqei de-Rabbi Eli’ezer’ (Italian, 9th century): ‘Why is HaShem called Makom, Place? Because wherever the tzdakim stand, HaShem is present with them.’”
“Perhaps challenging God brought him closer to God and changed him to the kind of person who, after the death of Sarah, in next week’s Torah portion, enters into a dialogue with Ephron the Hittite for the cave of Machpelah, and holds his own.”
“Exactly.”
“Then write that.”