Chapter 18
1 God appeared to him: When, as a young boy,
Shalom Dovber of Lubavitch learned this verse for the first
time, he came in tears to his grandfather, Rabbi Menachem
Mendel of Lubavitch (the Tzemach Tzedek), and cried,
"If God appeared to Abraham, why doesn't He appear to me, as
well?" In reply to his little grandson's anguished question,
the Tzemach Tzedek told him that Abraham merited having
God appear to him because, although he had indeed refined
himself enough to attain very sublime levels of Divine
consciousness, he at the same time knew that God is infinite,
and that therefore there were still an infinite number of
levels of Divine consciousness to attain. This recognition
left Abraham feeling grossly inadequate, as though he were
still encrusted by layers of insensitivity to Divine awareness
that needed to be removed—to be "circumcised"—in order to bare
his heart before his Creator.
Much is to be learned, both from the child's impassioned
question as well as from his grandfather's answer. Firstly, we
learn that we must yearn—even cry out—for God to reveal His
presence to us. Secondly, we learn that we, too, can merit to
see God's presence if we realize that no matter how much we
may have achieved spiritually, we are still not perfect: we
still need to "circumcise" ourselves—to remove "the foreskin
of the heart"— which prevents us from attaining yet higher
levels of Divine consciousness.1
INNER DIMENSIONS
[1] To pay a visit to the sick: The Talmud informs
us2 that there are fifty "gates" of understanding,
i.e., fifty general levels of Divine consciousness that we can
aspire to attain. These levels are termed "gates" because they
are the entryways into different levels of our relationship
with God.
Whether acquired through experience, study, or
introspection, the lessons we learn from life are meant to
help us ascend the ladder of Divine consciousness, enabling us
to progressively deepen our conceptualization of God as well
as our perspective on how He relates to creation. We thus
undergo numerous processes of spiritual growth throughout our
lifetimes, each one leading us to and through fifty gates of
Divine consciousness. Some of these processes are woven
structurally into the fabric of Jewish life, such as the
annual re-experience of the journey from Egypt to Mount Sinai
that comprises the fifty days between the holidays of Passover
and Shavuot. Other processes are more personal and less
structured, and we may not even be consciously aware of the
discrete steps along the way. In all cases, however, the first
forty-nine "gates" are those we reach through our own efforts,
while the fiftieth is the crowning level bestowed upon us by
God in recognition of our having successfully attained the
first forty-nine on our own.3
Thus, until we reach the forty-ninth gate of any specific
spiritual growth process, we sense that we can still ascend
further on the ladder of Divine consciousness by virtue of our
own efforts. But upon reaching the forty-ninth gate, our
desire to continue to enhance our relationship with God causes
us to long intensely for the elusive fiftieth gate; we become
"lovesick" for it. This is alluded to by the fact that the
numerical value of the word for "sick" (חולה) is forty-nine,
since this longing is the spiritual source of physical
illness.4
This is exactly what happened to Abraham when God commanded
him to circumcise himself. As we have seen,
5
Abraham voluntarily undertook to observe all
the Torah's commandments with the exception of circumcision,
which he purposely waited to perform until explicitly
commanded to do so by God. This was because he knew that only
by circumcising himself in response to God's direct command
would he be able to fully avail himself of circumcision's
capacity to elevate him to the most sublime spiritual heights.
Similarly, God did not give Abraham the command until He saw
that he had exhausted his own capacities for self-refinement
and had indeed attained the highest level of Divine
consciousness possible on his own. Giving him the commandment
at this point brought him to the limits of his ability to
climb upwards on the ladder of Divine consciousness.
Thus, by circumcising himself, Abraham unquestionably
reached his forty-ninth gate, which in turn made him
"lovesick" with longing for the elusive fiftieth. Since his
body was fully in tune with his soul, this longing manifested
itself as physical illness. In appearing to him after the
circumcision,
6
God granted Abraham access to the fiftieth
gate, whose revelation healed him of his spiritual malady, in
turn bringing about his physical healing, as
well.
7
Abraham was sitting: Before his circumcision,
Abraham's body was not sufficiently refined to endure the
spiritual intensity of God's revelation; as a result, it was
sapped of its physical strength, causing him to
fall.8 Through circumcision, his body became refined
enough to withstand God's revelation.9 In fact, it was now capable of withstanding an
even loftier revelation than Abraham had ever before
experienced.10
Of all the commandments, circumcision is the only one able
to affect the body in this way, because it is the only one
that visibly and permanently alters the physical body.
Furthermore, specifically because it sanctifies the physical
flesh—which is otherwise the driving force behind our basest
impulses—circumcision accomplishes God's purpose in creating
the world, which is to transform it into a home for Divine
consciousness, more directly than any other commandment.
Circumcision therefore has the power to elicit the most
sublime levels of Divine revelation.11
On the third day after his circumcision: Since the
Torah's commandments are meant to affect the entire material
universe, including the physical body, they must therefore be
fulfilled in a natural, non-miraculous way. For example, since
it is normative practice to pay for things we acquire or for
services rendered to us, we should expect to have to do the
same in order to perform God's commandments. In fact, the
Zohar12 indicates that it is preferable to pay full
price to perform a commandment rather than seek to do so for
free or at a discounted price. Indeed, Rabbi Yitzchak Luria
(the Arizal) was known to never have been dissuaded by
the cost of fulfilling a commandment and was always prepared
to pay any asking price.13 As we have seen, the natural pain that
accompanies circumcision is a significant ingredient in its
fulfillment.14
This is why God waited until the third day after Abraham's
circumcision to visit him. God's very visit would have
immediately healed Abraham miraculously of his wound.
Therefore, had He visited Abraham any earlier, He would have
"disrupted" the natural healing process that circumcision
requires, thus risking compromising the integrity of Abraham's
fulfillment of the commandment. Only on the third day, when a
wound begins to heal naturally on its own, did God visit him
and cause the wound to heal completely.15
God revealed Himself to Abraham Mamre's his territory:
As mentioned above,16 Abraham wanted his circumcision to take place
within the framework of nature. He therefore first consulted
with the leaders of his time in order to gain their approval.
By gaining Mamre's personal approval, Abraham enlisted
natural, human intellect in support of his circumcision.
By giving his stamp of approval to his step, Mamre became
both worthy and capable of experiencing something of the
selfsame Divine revelation experienced by Abraham in the merit
of his circumcision. In fact, in the merit of Mamre's consent,
this revelation even permeated the physical territory of his
domain, spiritually refining it and thereby rendering it
conducive to living a Godly way of life. The Torah therefore
makes a point of mentioning that God appeared to Abraham in
the Plains of Mamre.17
2 He looked up and behold, three men were standing:
During the course of his conversation with God, Abraham was
profoundly engrossed in the Divine revelation. Even during our
own prayers, when we are the ones who initiate the Divine
encounter, we are enjoined to first clear our minds of any
distracting thoughts.18 The fact that Abraham noticed the men, despite
the intensity of his concentration, shows his extraordinary
sensitivity to others.
This sensitivity is the key to hospitality. When offering
hospitality to guests, a host must do much more than merely
proffer a free meal. He must focus fully on his guests and
their needs, display sincere concern for their welfare and
comfort, take an interest in their conversation, and in
general make them feel at home. Abraham was the paradigm of
such sensitivity to others: in the very midst of a
conversation with God, he took notice of three travelers and
excused himself from God's presence to tend to their
needs.19
INNER DIMENSIONS
[4] Recline under the tree: The Midrash
teaches us that in the merit of Abraham's offering the angels
respite under the shade of his tree, God rewarded his
descendants with the commandment to dwell in sukot
(huts that provide shade) during the Sukot
holiday.20
Ironically, Torah law stipulates that it is prohibited to
build a sukah under a tree, since the covering of the
sukah must be fashioned from vegetation that is
detached from the ground and no longer alive.21 That the shade of Abraham's tree was a precursor for our present-day sukah—despite its future invalidity—demonstrates the difference between Abraham's experience of the commandments and ours, after the Giving of the Torah:
Since the patriarchs were not explicitly commanded to
fulfill the commandments, they could only perform them with
whatever mental and spiritual powers were at their disposal at
the time. This means that since they were finite beings, both
their fulfillment of the commandments and the commandment's
subsequent effect were likewise finite. In contrast, our
performance of the commandments is in fulfillment of God's
explicit command to us, and therefore connects us to the
infinity of God.
This ability to transcend finitude by performing of a
commandment is alluded to in the law stipulating that the
covering of the sukah must be made of something
detached from the ground: Our fulfillment of the commandments
detaches us from the limitations of this world and
unites us with God's infinity. Abraham, however, did not
experience this level of connection to God through the
commandments. Therefore, the covering for his "sukah"
was the branches of a tree connected to the ground,
alluding to the limitation inherent in his observance of the
commandments.
Nevertheless, it was Abraham's praiseworthy actions that
rendered us worthy of receiving both the commandments at Mount
Sinai as well as the spiritual capacity to evoke their
infinite power.22
A
CLOSER LOOK
[8] He first brought some cream and milk, and
when the calf that Ishmael had prepared was ready, he placed
it before them: If Abraham, as we have seen, indeed
observed all the laws of the Torah even before they were given
at Mount Sinai, then how could he have served milk and meat
together at the same meal in blatant prohibition of the
Torah's dietary laws?23
Two possible answers to this question are: (a) Abraham
served the dairy food first, for it is permissible to eat meat
a short time after eating dairy food; and (b) Abraham offered
the two types of food separately, allowing his guests to
choose either type but not both. Being the host par
excellence, Abraham brought out three tongues, one for
each guest, anticipating the possibility that all three might
choose to have a meat meal.24
8 They could not really eat, but they feigned eating
nonetheless: We might infer from this that Abraham did not
actually fulfill the commandment of hospitality since the
angels did not really need his food! But if this were the
case, would God have bothered to make them appear human just
so Abraham could imagine he was fulfilling a
commandment? To complicate matters further, it would follow
that Abraham interrupted his communion with God for what seems
to have been an exercise in futility!
This question is based on an erroneous understanding of the
concept of hospitality. The success of hospitality is not
measured by the extent to which we satisfy our guests' needs—
although that may indeed be a part of our hospitality. The
central point of hospitality is that we pay attention to our
guests.
In this respect, Abraham indeed fulfilled the commandment
of hospitality. The angels may not have needed his food nor
benefited from it, but they certainly enjoyed the privilege of
being tended to by Abraham, whom they knew to be beloved by
God.25
* * *
Prior to the Giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, fulfilling
the commandments using physical objects was a spiritual
exercise that did not imbue those objects with
holiness.26 Only at the Giving of the Torah did sanctifying
the physical world become a primary and integral objective in
fulfilling the commandments. In light of this fact, as far as
Abraham was concerned, his fulfillment of the commandment of
hospitality centered mainly on its spiritual aspect, i.e., the
expression of the supreme desire to care for guests. The fact
that the angels did not need his sustenance did not detract in
any way from the objective value of his acts of
hospitality.
Nevertheless, the patriarchs' fulfillment of the
commandments before the Giving of the Torah presaged their
descendants' fulfillment of the commandments after the Giving
of the Torah. The patriarchs therefore used physical objects
to perform the commandments so their fulfillment would
approximate the manner of their fulfillment after the Giving
of the Torah. (We thus find that, although Jacob did not
fulfill the commandment of tefilin in the same way in
which we do today, he did seek physical objects with which to
fulfill the commandment.27)
This need to connect spiritual intentions with physical
reality was realized by the simple fact that Abraham actively
sought actual guests to whom to serve actual food. The fact
that the angels did not need this sustenance did not detract
from the fact that Abraham had connected his intention to
physical reality.28
16 Abraham walked with the men to escort them: The
Talmud29 states that if we fail to provide our guests
with proper escort when they take leave of us, it is as if we
had killed them, since our negligence leaves them vulnerable
to the dangers that may lurk on the road.
Moreover, if we fail to escort our guests, they may get the
impression that we did not appreciate their company. By
embarrassing them in this way, it is also as if we had killed
them, since the Talmud points out that embarrassing someone,
making them go pale, is a subtle form of "shedding
blood."30 On the other hand, when we take the trouble to
escort them on their way at the close of the meal, when our
obligation as hosts is presumably over, we demonstrate that we
were not acting out of mere obligation, but rather out of
genuine interest in their overall welfare.
Abraham, the host par excellence, was therefore meticulous
in escorting his guests.31
A
CLOSER LOOK
[16] To escort them: Jewish law obligates us to
escort our guests—ensuring that they not be exposed to
danger—as part of our comprehensive duty to respect our fellow
human beings. Where danger is not a factor, the extent of our
obligation to escort our guests is a function of the degree of
respect with which we are required to treat them: our students
least, our friends more, and our parents and teachers the
most. The minimum requirement in any case is four cubits (2
meters or 6 feet). In dangerous areas, we must ascertain that
our guests have arranged safe passage to their destination;
the local rabbinic court is empowered to compel people to
escort travelers or to use communal funds to hire escorts to
accompany travelers to safety.32
18 Abraham will surely become a great and mighty
nation: The phrase "great and mighty" is not to be
understood literally, since Abraham's descendants, the Jewish
people, never became "great" or "mighty," neither in numbers
or power. Rather, the phrase means that each individual Jew is
spiritually "great and mighty," possessing all the strength
necessary to transmit the message of Torah and goodness to the
world.33
Through him all the nations of the world will be
blessed: One of the manifestations of this promise is the
immense contribution made by the Jewish people in all fields
of human endeavor.34
19 I cherish him because he instructs his children and
his household after him: God's affection for Abraham
stemmed primarily from the fact that he educated both his
family and his followers in the ways of monotheism and Godly
morality. The fact that he taught and inspired others was more
precious to God than all of Abraham's personal spiritual
accomplishments as well as the tests he overcame.35
* * *
Abraham's love for God and commitment to Him was
unparalleled. This is why God considered it insolent for
anyone else to even use the same expression of humble
readiness (Hineni—"Here I am"36) used by Abraham. When Moses responded to God's
call using this expression,37 God chastised him for doing so, saying, "Do not
presume to stand in the place of great ones!"38
Abraham's commitment to God was so absolute that he was
even prepared to sacrifice his life for Him, should the need
to do so arise. This preparedness became an ingrained part of
Abraham's nature.
In this sense, Abraham's willingness to give up his life
may be contrasted with that of the Talmudic sage, Rabbi Akiva.
Rabbi Akiva, aware that giving up one's life for God earns one
the most sublime union with Him, actually prayed for just such
an opportunity. Therefore, when the Romans brutally tortured
him to death for his beliefs, he was ecstatic that his prayers
had been answered.39 In contrast, however, Abraham's readiness to
give up his life was unpremeditated: his attitude was that,
were he to be faced with this sacrifice during the course of
fulfilling his Divine mission, it would not intimidate him;
were he not, neither would he be disappointed. Since he did
not view giving up his life as an end in and of itself, he
therefore felt no satisfaction when called upon to give up his
life for his beliefs. In fact, he was frustrated when King
Nimrod threatened his life and imprisoned him for his
monotheistic views,40 since during his imprisonment he was not free
to teach the world about God.41
Abraham bequeathed this selfless devotion to God to his
descendants, and it subsequently became a hereditary Jewish
trait. Indeed, over the generations, many of even the simplest
of our people have willingly given up their lives rather than
deny their connection to God for even a moment.42
To keep God's way by acting with righteousness
[tzedakah] and justice: On a deeper level,
"keeping God's way" means ensuring that God continuously
recreate and sustain the world through the Divine Name
Havayah, which is synonymous with His attribute of
mercy. When God channels His creative, sustaining energy
through His attribute of mercy, the world is blessed with an
abundance of spiritual and material beneficence. We motivate
God to use His mercy in this way by awakening and activating
our own mercy towards others, dispensing charity
(tzedakah) to all in need.
But it does not suffice to awaken God's attribute of mercy
alone; we must also awaken His attribute of justice, since
without it, God's mercy would act indiscriminately, sustaining
negative forces as well. We awaken God's attribute of justice
by examining the resources with which God has blessed us,
determining what portion is really necessary for our own
sustenance and what portion is superfluous, and then donating
the surplus to charity rather than spending it on luxuries for
ourselves.43 Furthermore, when we receive additional bounty
from God, we should train ourselves to feel that we do not
deserve to use it for ourselves when others have much less.
This practice of self-imposed scrutiny will inspire us to give
even more generously.44
This was precisely the manner in which Abraham dispensed
charity, with both "righteousness and
justice."45
We must also apply this practice of self-scrutiny to
spiritual charity: it should be unthinkable for us to indulge
in the luxury of secluding ourselves from the outside world,
selfishly immersing ourselves in Torah study and prayer, while
ignoring the spiritual plight of those who are ignorant of the
basics of Jewish religion and life.46
23 He came forward…to confront God—to argue
sternly with Him, to appease Him, and to pray to Him: As
we have seen, Abraham epitomized the attribute of loving-
kindness. Centuries later, God would even refer to him as "the
one who loved Me."47 It therefore seems incongruous with his basic
nature that Abraham would argue sternly with anyone, let alone
God. What's more, arguing vehemently was the first
approach he employed; certainly it would have been more
logical and in keeping with his nature to first try prayer and
appeasement, only then resorting to argument if the other
methods failed.
The solution to the first inconsistency is as follows:
Although it is true that Abraham had a naturally kind
disposition, he harnessed it entirely for the fulfillment of
God's will. His kindness was therefore subject to the
discretion of his rational intellect; he was not above acting
sternly when the occasion called for it. This leads us to the
solution to the second inconsistency: when Abraham saw that
the annihilation of the cities was already underway—the angels
were headed toward Sodom—he realized that his first option had
to be to demand of God to annul the decree—in order to
(paradoxically) fulfill God's will of treating His creatures
with loving-kindness.
Similarly, when we are presented with the opportunity to
save another person, either physically or spiritually, we must
not hesitate. We should immediately do all in our power to
come to the person's aid, even if that means acting in direct
opposition to the dictates of our natural dispositions.
Secondly, we must not delude ourselves into thinking that
halfhearted efforts will bear fruit. Like Abraham, we, too,
must "come forward," throwing ourselves selflessly into our
efforts to save the other person. Only then are we assured
success.48
Would You in your anger blot out the righteous together
with the wicked?: Here we see another one of Abraham's
innovations: he was the first person in history to speak up in
defense of others. The Midrash relates that Abraham declared
to God, "If You want the world to exist, strict judgment
cannot also exist; if You want strict judgment to exist, the
world cannot also exist." God replied: "Because you seek to
justify My creatures' behavior, I will reward you by anointing
you as My chosen one, which I have never done for another.
Furthermore, in all the ten generations that have passed since
Noah and the generation of the Flood, you are the first person
with whom I have communed."49
The Midrash therefore asserts that it is this merit of
Abraham's that sustains the world. In the verse, "These are
the chronicles of heaven and earth, having been created on the
day that God made earth and heaven,"50 the letters of the word for "having been
created" (בהבראם) can be rearranged to spell the word for
"in [or with] Abraham" (באברהם). The verse can then be understood
to mean that God created heaven and earth in the merit of
Abraham,51 since he was the first to speak up in defense
of God's creatures.52
27 I am dust and ashes: As we have seen in the
episode of his hospitality to the angels,53 Abraham's descendants were later to receive
certain commandments from God in the merit of
his good deeds. In the merit of Abraham's outstanding
humility—in referring to himself as "dust and
ashes"—God gave the Jewish people two
commandments:54 (a) the precept of the red cow,55 in which a solution made with its ashes
is used to ritually purify a person who been defiled through
contact with a corpse; and (b) the precept of the bitter
waters, in which a suspected adulteress is administered a
solution prepared with dust from the Temple's floor in
order to determine her innocence or guilt.56
The connection between Abraham's humble declaration and
these two commandments appears at first glance to be merely
coincidental. However, upon deeper reflection, it becomes
clear that the two are indeed inherently related, and that in
fact, God's bestowal of these commandments on Abraham's
descendants as a reward for his humility is profoundly
appropriate, "measure for measure":57
Abraham described himself as "dust and ashes" because he
truly considered himself less worthy than anyone else, just as
dust and ashes are trampled underfoot by everyone. He
therefore did not hesitate to help others, even if doing so
entailed endangering his own life. As we have seen, Abraham
risked his life in going into battle against the four kings to
save his nephew Lot.58 Similarly, in this episode, Abraham risks
angering God for the sake of the inhabitants of
Sodom.59
Furthermore: Not only was Abraham ready to sacrifice his
physical wellbeing for the benefit of others, he was prepared
to forego lofty spiritual experiences for their benefit as
well. As we saw above,60 Abraham actually interrupted his conversation
with God in order to offer hospitality to guests.
In the merit of this selflessness, Abraham's descendants
received two commandments that epitomize the value of
sacrificing one's own spiritual wellbeing for the sake of
others:
- The priest who performed the purification process with the
ashes of the red cow became automatically ritually defiled by
doing so.61 In other words, the priest, whose function was
to officiate in the Temple in a state of holiness and purity,
was called upon to give up that very holiness and purity in
order to purify someone who had become ritually defiled.
- In preparing the solution to be administered to the
suspected adulteress (which would prove her innocence or
guilt), the priest would take a parchment inscribed with part
of a specific verse from the Torah, which included God's Name,
and submerge it in water, thus causing the words from the
parchment to be erased. As the Talmud points out,62 God is ready to have His Name erased in order
to restore peace between husband and wife (when, hopefully,
the waters will prove the wife's innocence). The priest is
permitted, and, yes, even required, to commit the unthinkable
act of erasing God's Name to help others.
Abraham bequeathed to us this capacity to sacrifice our own
personal wellbeing for the sake of others. We, as his heirs,
must act in this manner even if the beneficiaries of our
sacrifice have become "defiled" through contact with "death"
(the opposite of holiness, which is life63); or even for those who have behaved in such a
manner as to have been suspected of immorality.64
Chapter 19
22 The angel…was forced to admit: Angels
possess no intrinsic identity; they are simply
personifications of God's missions. Therefore, when the angels
declared, "We are going to destroy the city," they meant that
God was going to destroy the city through them, since they did
not perceive themselves as separate from God.65
Lot, however, misconstrued their words to mean that they
did have independent powers outside of God's. Therefore, they
were compelled to clearly state that their power was God-
given.
We learn from this that when speaking with others, we must
take into account how they will interpret our words and ensure
that our intention not be misconstrued.66
INNER DIMENSIONS
[24-25] Sodom and Gomorrah were burned to ashes: The
spiritual energies manifested in Sodom and Gomorrah were
similar in nature to the energies prevalent in the world of
Tohu, i.e., intense and self-focused Divine energies
that could neither be confined to vessels nor coexist with one
another. Their self-focus is reflected in the selfishness
characterized by Sodom.67 Sodom and Gomorrah therefore had to be
destroyed in their entirety, just as the world of Tohu
was totally destroyed, so that the world of Tikun—the
world of less intense but more synergistic light—could be
built upon its spiritual ruins.
God's ultimate intention is for the infinite lights of
Tohu to become contained and integrated within the
vessels of Tikun, something which will only occur
in the messianic era. The prophet Ezekiel therefore
states68 that the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah will be
restored in the messianic era, just as the lights of
Tohu will finally be absorbed into the vessels of
Tikun at that time.69
Chapter 20
11 There is simply no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me on account of my wife: In this
statement, Abraham voiced the two principles underlying his life's work: first, that making the world into a home for God means, above all, encouraging virtue and the practice of justice; and second, that a just and virtuous society is possible only if it is predicated on the belief in God as the creator and master of the world.
Belief in God must therefore be the foundation underlying the education of our children. Only when our children know that God created the world and wants it to be made into His home through righteous and just behavior can we be assured that they will behave justly and virtuously.
God planted within us two forces that motivate our behavior: a good impulse and an evil impulse. If society tries to discourage bad behavior solely by threatening us with punishment, our evil impulse will respond: "You are smart enough to hide your misbehavior and escape punishment, and even if you are caught, the enjoyment of doing what you want now outweighs the pain of the punishment you might get."
Therefore, the only way to ensure that the evil impulse not overcome the good impulse is by inculcating ourselves with the knowledge that God created us, our impulses, and our tests, and that He commanded us to resist the machinations of the evil impulse and behave according to His instructions. If we know this, we will realize that no matter how smart we are, we cannot hide our actions from God. Only if "there is fear of God in this place" will people not "kill me on account of my wife."
The tragic events of recent history attest to just how true this is. The most "civilized" country in the world, which boasted the greatest advancements in science, art, and philosophy—and even asserted that the whole world must emulate it—degenerated into a nation of monsters who sanctioned and performed unspeakably and unimaginably inhuman acts. The sole reason for this tragedy was that their wisdom was not based on the knowledge of God, to whom all people must answer, but on their own mortal intellect.70
Chapter 21
INNER DIMENSIONS
[1] God remembered Sarah…she became pregnant…. And God did for Sarah as He had spoken: The two
expressions—"God remembered" and "God did"—allude to two distinct stages:
"God remembered Sarah" means that He created the energy in the spiritual worlds that would enable her to bear a child;
"God did for Sarah" means that He manifested that spiritual energy in the physical world.71
2 The baby looked exactly like Abraham: Our inner thoughts and emotions at any given moment are mirrored on our faces;72 with the passage of time, our approach to life and our way of thinking become etched into our faces' contours. And even from birth, our faces reflect our inborn personalities. Thus, the word for "face" (panim) also means "inside" or "inner dimension."
This correlation between the soul and the face especially held true of the patriarchs, since there was no dichotomy between their inner and outer lives: they presented no false façade to the world, so their physical bodies perfectly reflected their inner essence. Thus, since Abraham's innate personality was sheer kindness (chesed) and Isaac's was pure severity (gevurah), Isaac should naturally not have resembled his father—even though it is natural for children to resemble their parents.73 The only way Isaac could look like Abraham,
then, was for God to have performed a miracle.
Yet this miracle, too, reflected an inner reality, for although kindness and severity are indeed diametrically opposed, on a deeper level they complement one another. Unlimited kindness can be counterproductive, so tempering kindness with severity is itself an act of kindness. The fact
that Isaac resembled Abraham, then, reflected the truth that his outer severity originated in his father's kindness, and indeed, enabled it to be expressed in the most efficacious way.
In order to demonstrate that Abraham was indeed Isaac's father, God chose to make Isaac resemble Abraham even though He could have theoretically just as well made Abraham resemble his yet-to-be-born son, Isaac. The lesson for us here is that when we have the choice between accomplishing something either in a loving or stern way, we should choose the path of love. The path of love is more likely to succeed, and even if it does not, we will have still fulfilled the commandment to love our fellow Jew.74
We also see here that God suspended the laws of nature in order to convince the scoffers who did not believe that Isaac was Abraham and Sarah's child. Similarly, we, also, should spare no efforts to bring the truth of God's message to all strata of humanity, even to those who appear to be on the bottom rungs of society and morality.75
6 Whoever hears will be happy for me and happy with me: The literal meaning of Sarah's words is "whoever hears will laugh at me," for it is unbelievable that a man of 100 and woman of 90 could have a child.
This is exactly how our people's detractors have scoffed at us throughout the ages. "It is ridiculous to think that your young people will continue to abide by your old-fashioned, outdated values and practices. How can you be so old (-fashioned) and hope to have a child (who will perpetuate your life-style)? Do you really think your sons will lay down their lives rather than serve idols, as Abraham did? Or your
daughters will remain pure even in an immoral environment, as Sarah did in Egypt?"
Yet, history has proven that if we dedicate ourselves to educating our youth uncompromisingly, the way Abraham and Sarah educated theirs, we, too will be able to boast offspring like Isaac, selflessly dedicated to our ideals.
Even if it appears that our youth are firmly entrenched in modern culture, seemingly estranged from Jewish values and practice, we should never underestimate the far-reaching effect that even the smallest exposure to Torah-true Judaism can have on their lives.76
12 Her prophetic insight is superior to yours: The degree of a prophet's prophetic insight into the affairs of this world is commensurate with his or her involvement in the world: the more attuned the prophet is, the greater the degree of prophecy. Abraham was somewhat detached and aloof from the world, viewing reality mainly from a spiritual perspective. He therefore could not perceive Ishmael's true evil, and subsequently failed to see the need to banish him from his household. Sarah, in contrast, was more involved in worldly
matters, so she readily was able to perceive Ishmael's evil. Her prophetic vision was therefore superior to
Abraham's.77
Another reason why Sarah's prophecy was superior to Abraham's is that we are taught that in the messianic era, the feminine aspect of creation will rule over the masculine.78 Abraham's and Sarah's spiritual refinement was so lofty that it enabled them to experience a foretaste of the messianic era.79 Therefore, Abraham was instructed by God to listen to his wife's advice.80
As we have seen, Abraham and Sarah are metaphors for the soul and the body.81 By enjoining Abraham (the soul) to heed Sarah (the body), God granted them a foretaste of the messianic era, in which the body's loftier spiritual source will be revealed and the soul will derive its physical sustenance from the body.82
33 He opened an inn…planted an orchard: Abraham's inn was the first public institution devoted to the
dissemination of the belief in monotheism and to the ethical behavior that follows from this belief. Although institutions devoted to teaching Divine wisdom and values existed prior to this (such as the academy of Shem and Ever), they did not actively seek to change society's prevailing beliefs. By boldly establishing a public institution that challenged the world's hallowed tenets, Abraham promoted the awareness of monotheism even among people who never actually visited his inn. As its renown spread, Abraham's inn gradually became a
major societal innovation that wielded profound and broad influence.
An orchard: The word for "orchard" (pardes) can also can be seen as an acronym for the Torah's four levels of interpretation: contextual analysis (peshat); allusion and allegory (remez); verbal analogy (derush); and esoteric allegory (sod).83 Abraham employed all four levels of interpretation when teaching his followers, imparting knowledge to each individual according to his or her receptive capacity.
Abraham's inn and orchard were thus two important aspects of his program to disseminate the awareness of God.
We, too, should firstly keep in mind that the very existence of synagogues and institutions of Torah study in a city exert great positive influence upon that city by the mere virtue of their presence, over and above the intrinsic value of the study and prayer that take place within their walls. Secondly, we should teach Torah to people in the manner most suited to their capacity for understanding, employing the specific level of Torah interpretation, as above, that speaks to their soul.84
He proclaimed the name of God, God of the Universe: In discussing monotheism with his guests, Abraham made all efforts to provide them with a comprehensive understanding of its philosophical principles, leading them methodically from the basic axioms on to the more advanced concepts in accordance with their individual ability to understand. He tailored his instruction to their level of intellect and knowledge via the use of parables and metaphors.
First, Abraham refuted the prevailing belief that God is too exalted to have any actual involvement in the physical world and that He has therefore relinquished His control over it to the forces of nature, which in turn are controlled by the celestial bodies. He taught his guests that, on the contrary, God is "God of the whole universe," meaning that it is precisely His infinity that enables Him to concern Himself with the affairs of the physical world just as easily as with the lofty affairs of heaven. In fact, it is God's infinity that allows Him to supervise the affairs of every last creature, even the most insignificant, down to the minutest detail.
He further explained that because God created the world ex nihilo, He must continuously create and sustain it in order for it to continue to exist. Since God created the world through speech, His word must constantly be present in creation, for if not, creation would revert to nothingness just as a person's words cease to exist as soon as they leave his mouth. And this principle applies not only to creation in general, but also to every facet of creation in particular.
Thus, everything in the world is under God's direct control and supervision, with the exception of those aspects over which He has given humanity free choice.
Furthermore, Abraham continued, it follows that God provides personally for every one of His creature's needs—including his guests'. In this way, Abraham proved to them that, in the final analysis, it was not he who had provided them with the meal they had just enjoyed, but God.
Finally, Abraham explained to his guests that not only is God the world's master and creator, but also that He and the world are one, just as the rays of the sun are one with the sun before they are emitted from it.85 Abraham explained that when we recognize that nothing exists outside of or in addition to God, it follows that even seemingly ordinary daily activities are in fact opportunities to connect with Him.
Even those of Abraham's guests who were too simple-minded to follow the logic of his reasoning were won over by the warmth and enthusiasm with which he spoke and the truth that they sensed in his words.86
If you insist that you have eaten my food, then you owe me the full price of the meal: Abraham's demand seems pointless: Of what value is a thanksgiving prayer if it is uttered for the sole purpose of absolving oneself of payment for the food?
Abraham at first tried to teach his guests about God through explanations and parables, but some of them remained unimpressed by his words. With these people, Abraham resorted to a more aggressive approach, designed to break down their spiritual wall of resistance. All people believe in God on some level, yet some are so callous and insensitive that they are in need of forceful encouragement to become aware of their dormant knowledge of God.87
The Torah instructs us to learn from Abraham's example and
exert ourselves to disseminate Judaism, even when doing so
requires the occasional use of pressure. For example, some
might argue: Why approach a Jew with the suggestion to put on
tefilin, when he may only acquiesce because he feels
pressured to do so? Is the fulfillment of a commandment in
this way of any value?
Abraham's actions expose the folly of this argument. The
fulfillment of a Divine commandment, even if performed under
pressure, is a great achievement in and of itself, and can
awaken the individual's latent desire to fulfill the
commandment. Since "one good deed leads to
another,"88 that person will very likely eventually come to
observe all the commandments, joyfully and of his own
volition.89
He induced others to proclaim the name of God: The
effect of Abraham's words upon his listeners varied, depending
upon who they were. In the words of the Talmud,90 Abraham's guests "acknowledged,
praised, and blessed the One who spoke and the
world came into being."
Acknowledged: To acknowledge is to admit that
something is true without necessarily fully understanding why.
Some of Abraham's listeners could not grasp the depth of his
words. Nevertheless, they were so inspired by his warmth and
passionate love for God that they acknowledged that he
was speaking the truth.
Praised: Others understood Abraham's teachings and,
inspired by their newfound appreciation of God's greatness,
began to praise Him themselves.
Blessed: The word for "bless" (bareich)
connotes enlargement or expansion; to bless someone is to
expand their sphere of activity or influence. Some of
Abraham's listeners, such as his servant Eliezer, not only
fully understood his words but also went on to disseminate
them to others, thus expanding Abraham's influence upon the
world.91
He planted an orchard in order to supply him with fruit
to serve his guests: Abraham was not content with merely
serving his guests bread to satisfy their hunger, salt to add
taste to it, and water to quench their thirst; he even went so
far as to offer them rare treats such as fruit, wine, and
other delicacies. He did all this without remuneration,
joyfully, for complete strangers.
According to the sages, kindness is one of the three innate
character traits (along with mercy and bashfulness) that
characterize every Jew.92 We inherit this trait of kindness from Abraham, and ours is therefore as boundless as was his. We can
therefore emulate Abraham's kindness by not only providing
others with their basic material and spiritual needs, but also
warmheartedly providing them with material and spiritual
luxuries, as well.
Since our benevolence stems from a place within our souls
that transcends logic, it also transcends the finite dictates
of logic, compelling us to strive to bring happiness and
contentment to others to a degree over and beyond minimal
necessity.
***
There is a direct correlation between Abraham's planting an
orchard and the subsequent episode of the binding of Isaac.
History has shown that oppression and adversity give rise
to uplifted morale, awakening an even stronger sense of self-
identity in the oppressed people, whereas freedom and
tolerance tend to cause these senses to atrophy. This has
certainly proven true as regards the Jewish people: over the
course of the generations, when we were permitted to practice
our religion freely and openly, we often lost our devotion to
our faith and to our ethos of self-sacrifice.93 Nevertheless, both Abraham and Isaac rose to the occasion in answering God's call to carry out the sacrifice—an act which required absolute self-sacrifice on both their parts—despite the fact that, prior to this, they had enjoyed a free and unhampered sojourn in the land of the Philistines for many years.
Abraham and Isaac possessed the fortitude to respond with
this degree of ultimate self-sacrifice because they had
accustomed themselves to cultivating selflessness by providing
food, shelter, and luxuries to complete strangers, on a daily
basis over the course of years, in a scope totally beyond the
boundaries of logic and reason.
We, who are fortunate enough to live in a tolerant society,
must similarly ensure that our children grow up imbued with
selfless devotion to Judaism. In this way, they will be able,
if called upon to do so, to transcend their self-centered
concerns for their own comfort for the greater sake of Judaism
and the Jewish people.94
Chapter 22
1 God tested Abraham: God tests us in order to bring our essential soul-powers to the fore. In fact, life in general—the very descent of the soul into this world—is
such a test. Before descending into this world, the soul relates to God within the limits of reason and does not
experience a love for Him that transcends reason. But when the soul is encased in a physical body, which is by nature
antagonistic to spirituality, it must summon its innermost strength to remain faithful to God despite its daily trials
and tribulations. With this newfound dedication to God, the soul comes to apprehend and appreciate God in a much more
profound and intimate way.95
Why is this test associated with Abraham and not with Isaac, who not only went along with being bound, but was also
the one who was willing to give up his life?
First of all, whether or not we are consciously aware of it, our children represent our most cherished and innermost dreams and hopes. It is the natural hope and ambition of all
parents that their children surpass them and inherit a world superior to their own. Therefore, giving up one's own life is
in truth less of a test than giving up that of one's child.96
Furthermore, the primary aspect of the test was not the self-sacrifice it entailed but rather the challenge it posed
to Abraham's implicit faith in God: God promised Abraham that his son Isaac would be the one to perpetuate his legacy, yet now He was commanding him to sacrifice this very son, in seeming contradiction of His very own word. Yet Abraham unquestioningly carried out God's bid. Isaac, in contrast, had not been promised anything by God, so, ironically, his own
faith was not put to the test in this episode.97
2 Please pass this test, so that no one will think that
the previous ones were not real tests: As we saw when he was cast into the furnace in Ur of the Kasdites,98 Abraham was ready to suffer martyrdom for his
beliefs. Yet martyrdom is not necessarily an act of self-sacrifice; in act, ironically, it can sometimes be an act of self-aggrandizement. For example, the martyr might expect to
be lionized in society's collective memory; after all, history is full of people who have accomplished more by their death than they did during their lifetime. Also, if the martyr
believes that he will be rewarded in the afterlife, giving up his physical life is simply relinquishing one form of life in
order to attain a superior one. Finally, someone who possesses a high degree of personal integrity can easily convince himself that life would not be worth living were he to
compromise his values.
Seen in this light, Abraham's willingness to give up his life for God at Ur of the Kasdites—his greatest test prior to
the binding of Isaac—could be construed as a calculated (albeit holy) act. He chose to give up his life rather than
deny his beliefs, for he knew that his soul would live on in the afterlife, and, furthermore, that his death would show the world that the teachings of monotheism are worth dying for,
serving thereby to disseminate them more widely than ever before.
True self-sacrifice, then, is more than simply giving up one's physical life. It is being prepared to give up
everything that lends meaning and consequence to life—being willing for it to be as if one had never existed, to be erased
from history's memory altogether.
In this light, the binding of Isaac was the ultimate in self-sacrifice. Taking Isaac's life would not have publicized Abraham's devotion to God, since nobody but Isaac was present.99 On the contrary: Isaac's death would have spelled the abrupt end of Abraham's entire religious program, since he would be taking the life of the person whom he had groomed to carry on his legacy and promote his beliefs.
The binding therefore expressed true self-sacrifice on Abraham's part, motivated by neither physical nor spiritual
gain, demonstrating that he was indeed a true servant of God. Furthermore, it proved retroactively that his overcoming the other challenges was also "real"—not motivated by ulterior motives but rather by his absolute devotion to God's will.100
The one you love, Isaac. Although Abraham loved Isaac because he was his son and because of his righteous behavior, he also loved him because of his innate personality. God has instilled within each of us a natural yearning for perfection; this is what attracts us to people whose qualities
complement and complete our own—our opposites. Abraham, who was naturally predisposed toward kindness and love, loved
Isaac, who was naturally predisposed toward severity and awe.101
(This concept of "attraction of opposites" is also evidenced in the musical preferences of the descendants of
Ishmael and Esau. Since the Ishmaelites inherited Abraham's characteristics of kindness and joy, they therefore prefer
melancholy music. In contrast, the Romans and Westerners, having inherited the traits of discipline and severity from
Isaac, show a preference for joyful music.)102
I love them both: Abraham loved his sons equally, not only because they were his children, but also because each
possessed a unique quality: Isaac possessed extraordinary piety and exhibited exemplary behavior, whereas Ishmael
possessed the power of repentance, which is capable of transforming sin into virtue.103
The Land of Moriah is the future site of the Temple: The Temple was to serve both as a place to worship
God104 (and offer sacrifices) and as the principal
place where God would reveal Himself.105 The binding of Isaac anticipated these two functions: Abraham's supreme sacrifice in offering up his son prefigured the Temple's function as a place for Divine worship and offering up sacrifices; God's sanctification of Isaac as a sacrifice prefigured His self-revelation in the Temple,106 since the sanctification of an entity requires at least some influx of God's presence into that entity.
In a similar vein, Maimonides states that the binding of
Isaac was meant to impart to the world two fundamental
principles of the Jewish faith:107 Firstly, it demonstrates the degree of love and awe that we are capable of feeling and evincing toward God—even more than a father loves his own son. Secondly, it demonstrates the degree to which a true prophet believes in the veracity of his own prophecy, for Abraham certainly would not have sacrificed his son had he entertained the slightest doubt regarding the truth of his prophetic vision.
These two purposes of the binding of Isaac reflect the two
functions of the Temple just mentioned: a place for people to
worship God with love and awe and a place in which God reveals
Himself to us.108
4 He saw the place from afar: According to the Midrash,109 when Satan realized that he could persuade
neither Abraham nor Isaac to disobey God's command, he made it appear as if there was a river and then large boulders and
thorns in their path. Thus >although Abraham's destination was visible to him, for a cloud hovered over the
mountain, it nevertheless seemed to him distant and unreachable because of all the obstacles in his way.
So, too, in our lives: Sometimes we are faced with
seemingly insurmountable challenges. Although we may see our
destination or goal "from afar," nevertheless we convince
ourselves that our particular circumstances prevent us from
achieving our objective. Abraham taught us that even
apparently insurmountable obstacles can be overcome, and
furthermore, that with perseverance we can and will reach our
goal.110
INNER DIMENSIONS
[4] He saw the place from afar: Abraham's behavior
is analogous to that of a father who has to give his sick
child some unpleasant-tasting medicine or administer to him
some painful treatment. The father's compassion makes him
reluctant to administer the unpleasant cure, but this initial
feeling is in fact misplaced pity. The father must bravely
"overcome" his own attribute of mercy and act decisively to
help his child recover.
In this vein, the Zohar111 interprets the word for "the place"
(hamakom) in this verse as referring to Jacob, the
third patriarch, of whom it is said, "He took from the stones
of the place."112 Abraham epitomized loving-kindness; Isaac
epitomized discipline and piety; and Jacob epitomized mercy. In order to bring himself to sacrifice his son, Abraham had to distance himself from Jacob's attribute of mercy and instead assume Isaac's attribute of discipline. Thus, "he saw 'the place'—i.e., the attribute of mercy— from
afar."113
Rabbi Dovber of Mezeritch interpreted the exchange between
Abraham and Isaac, further on,114 in this vein. In its plain sense, the verse reads, "Isaac said to Abraham, his father, 'My father!' and he replied, 'Here I am, my son.'" In Rabbi Dovber's
interpretation, it reads as follows:
Isaac said to Abraham, his father: "But you are
my father, the attribute of kindness! What happened to
your kindness?"
Abraham replied, "Now, I am 'my son'—in order to
fulfill God's will, I have garbed myself in your attribute,
the attribute of severity."115
[11] "Abraham! Abraham!": The first
"Abraham" refers to Abraham, the person; the second refers to
the supernal entity called "Abraham," i.e., the Godly source
of kindness and love. Abraham the person, by evincing kindness
and love, drew down the Divine energy of the "supernal
Abraham."116
14 It is as if Isaac's ashes can be seen on the altar
that Abraham built on God's mountain: The Torah usually
requires the ashes of a sacrifice to be removed from
the altar.117 The ashes constitute the element of earth
remaining after the sacrifice's other constituent elements—
air, fire, and water—have been consumed.118 Thus, the ashes are removed from the altar
because they are too coarse to be elevated by the altar's holy
fire. In contrast, Isaac's body was so refined that,
metaphorically, even his ashes were fitting to remain on the
altar
Self-sacrifice refines us in proportion to the extent of
the sacrifice involved. The greater the sacrifice, the more
dedication to God we must evoke in order to motivate the
sacrifice; in other words, we can only sacrifice something for
God if God means more to us than whatever it is that we are
sacrificing. The deeper the layer of our being that is exposed
in this process, the more refined we become.
The devotion we must evoke in order to give up our physical
lives for God refines us so profoundly and completely that it
transforms the very physical matter of our body, rendering it
fit to embody spirituality. The material nature of the body,
which is normally too coarse to reveal the Divinity that
sustains it, becomes spiritually transparent.
It is precisely this sublime level that Isaac reached when
he willingly surrendered his life to God. According to the
Midrash,119 Isaac was not only willing to die for God; he actually did die: while bound on the altar, his soul temporarily left him and ascended to heaven. It was in this respect that Isaac's self-sacrifice even surpassed that of his father: whereas Abraham showed himself ready to give up his life (at Ur of the Kasdites) and even his entire
being (at the binding of Isaac),120 Isaac actually did give up his life.
The episode of the binding of Isaac is recited daily as a
prelude to morning prayers, since our ultimate objective in
praying is to dedicate our entire being to God. If we pray
with proper intention and devotion, this objective will be
fulfilled: the lives we lead after we finish praying will be
imbued with self-sacrifice; furthermore, our involvement in
the physical world will be solely for the goal of enhancing
our relationship with God and fulfilling our Divine mission in
life. Even the most physical aspects of our lives—our
"ashes"—will remain "on the altar," part and parcel of our
Divine lives.121
18 Because you heeded My voice: The word used here
for "because" (eikev) also means "heel," alluding to
the fact that Abraham was so completely devoted to God that
even his heel heeded God's voice. Through successfully passing
God's tests and selflessly teaching the world about God,
Abraham refined his entire being to the extent that even the
lowliest part of his body, his heel, submitted to God. Indeed,
his heel was more attuned to God's word than was the mind of
the greatest of philosophers, for the mind can only
conceptualize God; Abraham felt God with his
entire being.
Nowadays, we can achieve a similar degree of self-
refinement by following in Abraham's footsteps and selflessly
disseminating Divine consciousness throughout the world. This
process begins with ourselves; intense study of the teachings
of Chasidism trains us to sense Godliness with every limb of
our bodies, down to our very bones. As King David said,122 "All my bones proclaim, 'God, who is
like You!'"123
20 After these words: The juxtaposition of
the narrative of the binding of Isaac with that of the birth
of his future wife, Rebecca, demonstrates that self-sacrifice
is an integral part of a healthy marriage. When we marry, we
are forced to focus on the immediate tasks of supporting our
families, and dealing with the material world and its
attendant mundane matters. No longer are we free to focus as
intensely on our own spiritual development. Although marrying
and raising a family are indeed a part of fulfilling our
Divine mission to make the world into God's home, we are
forced to sacrifice some of the intensity of our own pursuit
of spiritual growth. Marriage is thus a form of self-
sacrifice.124
The juxtaposition of these two events alludes to yet
another fact: We are taught that before the binding, Isaac was
unable to have children. After the binding, God granted him a
soul capable of bearing children.125
Because the capacity to bear children is inexorably
intertwined with the concept of self-sacrifice, we see that
children have an innate capacity to unequivocally accept the
notion of self-sacrifice. Some educators have recommended
against teaching young children the story of the binding of
Isaac, claiming that it would unnecessarily frighten them.
Their fear is unfounded, however, since Jewish children
instinctively understand self-sacrifice to an even greater
degree than do adults.126
24 Reumah: The name Reumah can be read as two
words, meaning "look [at] what" (reu mah).
When not used to mean "which one" or "which kind," the word
"what" often means "of what significance is…," or "how little
are…," as in the phrases, "What are we?,"127 and "What does God, your God, ask of
you?"128 It thus indicates humility or self-
abnegation.129 In this context, Reumah would mean,
"take notice of my self-nullification," referring to people who brag about their humility!
There was once a person who had many good qualities but
was unfortunately also arrogant. His friends suggested that if
he were to simply acquire the attribute of humility, he would
then be perfect! The man agreed and started acting humbly. At
one point, when a fellow was pestering him, the "humble" man
finally lost his patience: "Fool!" he cried, "you are nothing
compared to me! Do you know who I am? I not only have many
good qualities, I also now possess humility as
well!"130
The "reumah syndrome" can take on a more subtle form
as well: we can in fact be selfless, while on some subtle
level still maintaining an awareness of our selflessness. Our
ultimate goal therefore should be to become truly and entirely
unaware of our selfhood.131
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