Today we
read the story of the Akedah, the binding of Isaac. Often it is referred to as a test that G-d
gave Abraham to determine his faith.
It’s odd however, that such a “test” should have to take place at this point
in Abraham’s life. After all, was it not
enough that when G-d asked him to leave his homeland and go to the place which
He would show him, that Abraham did so without questioning? Why after facing famine in his land and a
barren wife, should Abraham have to undergo yet another test? What was the
purpose of the Akedah? Abraham had
already shown that he loved G-d.
Perhaps you
noticed during today’s Torah reading, that G-d said, “ Abraham” and Abraham
responded, “Here I am.”…Hineini. Hineini
in this context means that “I am ready for whatever you will ask me to do.” Only an individual who loved G-d as much as
Abraham loved G-d, could respond that way.
It’s like saying, “G-d, here is a blank check, you fill out the
amount!” Of course G-d does respond by
saying, “Please take your son, your only one that you love- Yitzchak, and go
the land of Moriah. And offer him there
as an Olah ( a sacrifice) on one of the mountains that I will tell you.” Abraham is never told in words where to take
his son, yet he understands the message, because in a sense, prophecy had
ripened in him. He walked for three days
and knew to which mountain he was instructed to go even without words being
used. If you think carefully about the
scene on the top of the mountain when Abraham had bound his son to the altar, it
might appear that Abraham was in a trance willing to do whatever G-d wanted him
to do out of love. At that point, an
angel called out Abraham’s name twice as if to bring him back down to
earth. And the message given was, “Now I
know that you are G-d fearing.”
The whole
point of this story is to show that we must be G-d fearing as well as G-d
loving individuals. There are boundaries
between humanbeings and G-d. G-d is not
our friend. We can approach G-d out of
love, but we should never presume that any action we perform is alright just because
we profess love for G-d. Inherent in
Judaism’s concept of G-d’s plan for the world is that actions must reflect
justice and righteousness and not only love for G-d.
So why, does
this story still speak to us. Our world
is currently filled with religious fanatics who profess an extreme love for G-d
as the motivation for their violent actions.
We can see images of individuals who are willing to sacrifice their own
children and their own people as they shout, Allahu akbar, on television, on
the internet, and in the written media.
It would be untrue to say that these individuals do not see themselves
as G-d loving. Yet, in my opinion, they are not G-d
fearing. They presume that they can be
at one with G-d by terrorizing communities near and far. They do not understand that the moral order
introduced into this world by G-d, exists for all of humanity. Of course religious fanaticism is not only
apparent in Islam, it also exists in all religions, even Judaism. This summer when I was in Israel, 6 individuals
were arrested for the torture and murder of a Palestinian youth. Their action of seeking revenge might have
been motivated by “love of G-d” but they certainly lacked “fear of G-d.”
"Fearing God,"
is about living life with a trembling awareness that life has meaning -- that
the choices you make have consequences of ultimate significance. To
"fear" God as a Jew means to hone within yourself an awareness of the
divine Presence around you all the time. One who fears God in this way would
never say, "It does not matter how I behave in this circumstance because
no one will ever know." (Rabbi
Jeffrey Wolfson Goldwasser)
As we enter this High Holy Day period, we have an image of
standing before G-d in judgment. The
pages of our lives’ stories are opened and we are owning our actions of the
past year, both good and bad. Perhaps we
should be asking ourselves the very same questions that the Talmud says we will
be asked in our final days of judgment.
- Were you honest in business?
- Did you have a set time for
learning every day?
- Did you try to have children?
- Did you yearn for the
redemption?
- Did you pursue wisdom and
understanding?
- Did you have fear of God?
My
childhood friend, Ron Wolfson, of the University of Judaism, wrote the final
questions in another way. Perhaps they
will appeal to you better:
·
Were you honest?
·
Did you leave a legacy?
·
Did you live with hope
in your heart?
·
Did you understand what
really matters in life?
·
All
of these questions can be answered affirmatively if only we choose to pursue
them through positive actions. Notice
that the questions asked do not include “Did you love G-d?” Perhaps if more people in the world loved G-d
but also feared G-d, we would see a world that looks much different than the
one in which we live today. If
individuals feared G-d, then they would also fear sin. They would not indulge in behaviors that
divide humankind, but in behaviors which show respect for all life. Yirat shamayim
would make one aware that moral choices are not arbitrary choices based on
one’s own feelings at the time, but fit into the order of the Universe that G-d
created, and have an impact on the world beyond the scope of the individual.
Decisions would not be made on the basis of fear of punishment, but on the
basis of having a sense of awe and respect for G-d who designed the universe. Then when we sit down to do an accounting of
our souls like we do during each High Holyday period, we will not be afraid of
answering the question: “Did you live
your life in a way that your footprint on Earth would be for a blessing?” Let’s strive, each in our own way, to recognize
the importance of not only loving G-d, but also fearing G-d. Let our actions show ultimate care for living
responsibly in this world.
Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment