The Burning Palace

How did the Jewish faith come into existence?

The Midrash describes the birth of Judaism with the following cryptic parable:

"And G‑d said to Abraham: 'Go from your land, your birthplace, and your father's house...'" (Genesis12:2) — To what may this be compared? To a man who was traveling from place to place when he saw a palace in flames. He wondered: "Is it possible that the palace has no owner?" The owner of the palace looked out and said, "I am the owner of the palace." So Abraham our father said, "Is it possible that the world lacks a ruler?" G‑d looked out and said to him, "I am the ruler, the Sovereign of the universe."

Abraham's bewilderment is clear. This sensitive human being gazes at a brilliantly structured universe, a splendid piece of art. He is overwhelmed by the grandeur of a sunset and by the miracle of childbirth; he marvels at the roaring ocean waves and at the silent, steady beat of the human heart. The world is indeed a palace.

But the palace is in flames. The world is full of bloodshed, injustice and strife. Thugs, abusers, rapists, kidnappers and killers are continuously demolishing the palace, turning our world into an ugly tragic battlefield of untold pain and horror.

What happened to the owner of the palace? Abraham cries. Why does G‑d allow man to destroy His world? Why does He permit such a beautiful palace to go up in flames? Could G‑d have made a world only to abandon it? Would anyone build a palace and then desert it?

The Midrash records G‑d's reply: "The owner of the palace looked out and said: 'I am the owner of the palace.' G‑d looked out and said to Abraham: 'I am the ruler, the Sovereign of the universe.'"

What is the meaning of G‑d's response?

Note that the owner of the palace does not make an attempt to get out of the burning building or to extinguish the flames. He is merely stating that He is the owner of the palace that is going up in smoke. It is as if, instead of racing out, the owner were calling for help. G‑d made the palace, man set it on fire, and only man can put out the flames. Abraham asks G‑d, "Where are you?" G‑d replies, "I am here, where are you?" Man asks G‑d, "Why did You abandon the world?" G‑d asks man, "Why did you abandon Me?"

Thus began the revolution of Judaism --- humanity's courageous venture to extinguish the flames of immorality and bloodshed and restore the world to the harmonious and sacred palace it was intended to be. Abraham's encounter with G‑d in the presence of a burning palace gave birth to the mission statement of Judaism - to be obsessed with good and horrified by evil. (Midrash Rabbah Bereishit 39:1; as interpreted by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks in Radical Then, Radical Now, Harper Collins, 2000).

By Yosef Y. Jacobson

One of America’s premier Jewish scholars in Torah and Jewish mysticism, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak (YY) Jacobson is one of the most sought after speakers in the Jewish world today, lecturing to Jewish and non-Jewish audiences on six continents, and serving as teacher and mentor to thousands across the globe. Rabbi Jacobson founded and serves as dean of www.TheYeshiva.net, teaching, via the web, one of the largest Torah classes in the world today, with thousands of students globally. Over the last 20 years, Rabbi Jacobson traveled to hundreds of communities, schools, and universities across the globe, educating and inspiring people of all backgrounds with the relevance and depth of Torah and Judaism. You can email him at: [email protected].

Join the Discussion

Sort By:

NewestOldest

11 Comments

chana israel October 27, 2014

To be obsessed with good, horrified by evil, and spend our lives creating a practical response for that evil Reply

Anonymous Baltimore, MD via chabadofparkheights.com October 25, 2012

Parshas Lech-lecha (faith) If Abraham is the first one to recognize that the world was being destroyed, then why didn't any of the other righteous people of the generations recognize this signifigance? Also, why do we pray that G-d should protect us by the "shield of Abraham" and not any of the other Patriarchs(Isaac or Jacob)? Reply

Gary Konecky Fair Lawn, NJ May 24, 2012

source Correction to source cited earlier. My apologies for the typo.

The source is:
Midrash Rabbah - Genesis XXXIX:1 Reply

ruth housman marshfield hills, ma May 22, 2012

are we abandoned? There are manifold times it does appear this way. And I know this is why many do not believe there is a G_d, or believe G_d created the world and left everything free to do whatever they chose. But this has its problems, as we do perceive not only developmental stages in the lives of all creatures, as if there is a "program", but we also experience in our own lives, myriad astounding connects, through language, through coincidence, otherwise known as synchronicity, and the total appearance at times of a Prime Mover in all of our lives, and there is an unspoken "idea" that if we search we find, and that is why we have continued research in finding cures for what ails us all and in fact, we do, find such cures. It's as if, we were "meant to", and there are myriad examples of how dreams actualized as in the finding of the formula for benzene, and the articulation of the song, Imagine by John Lennon.

No, we were NOT abandoned, but we were thrown into a story with a learning curve: tikkun. Reply

Jeremy McCandlish Pittsburgh, PA May 19, 2012

"The owner of the palace looked out" The phrase in the subject makes very little sense to me. Does the palace mean the entirety of creation, or the Torah?

If so, how is Abraham outside of it? In what sense does God need to look out to see him? Reply

Gary Konecky Fair Lawn, NJ November 8, 2011

source Smadar:

The source for this is Genesis Rabbah 39:10 Reply

Fred earth November 5, 2011

where is this midrash source?
does not make sense...
burning palace is chaos and not a symbol of an orderly creation? Reply

Yehudi Waharam Seattle May 29, 2011

As I See It Why would G-d allow terrible things to happen in the world without intervening to prevent them? The story answers your question, "Could G-d have made a world only to abandon it?" The palace represents G-d's Kingdom. The flames represent the tainted vision of man. The reason G-d appears unconcerned is because the flames are not real: they appear only in the terrifying dreams of one who has broken G-d's commandment not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If the man abandons the sinful habit of judging good and evil for himself, and leaves judgement to G-d (to whom it belongs), the flames will be transformed, and the man will see only the pure, Holy light of G-d. G-d assures the man that there is a sovereign ruler, and that ruler is I AM. The palace is not on fire, but because the man has attempted to usurp G-d's authority, his mind is a raging inferno. Reply

ruth housman marshfield hills, ma October 12, 2010

a story within, a story Ultimately, the owner and Creator of the Palace, Divinity itself, is responsible for all that is, because all is One and there are metaphoric connects that do bind all our lives together. Ultimately God IS the prime mover in all of our lives, and the deepest paradox of all is that we each have to act as if we had free will, and we have to climb Jacob's ladder exhibiting compassion and love, because opportunity is everywhere. Ultimately this is our "free will".

The paradox is that G_d knows exactly what we will do, indicating a Master Storyteller and a Master Plan.

So this story has its codicils, as all stories, and we are here to create and recreate that original fire, seen by Moses, in examining, through discussion. Pardes, is the ongoing discussion of text, all text, and the uncovering of layer upon layer of truth, and it is the amazement of this, that splendor, that sends us to our knees. As praise is to prays. Reply

G Konecky Fair Lawn, NJ December 6, 2008

Mumbai terror attacks I have never understood why G-d created such a wonderful place and why that place is filled with rape, loot, plunder, murder and mayhem. This helps me understand the world I am in and may we all work to put out the flames of evil. Reply

Smadar November 7, 2008

The Burning Palace This is a beautifully written piece. I was moved by the metaphor of the burning palace and that G-d made no attempt to get out of the building or extinguish the flames.

I find myself wondering if G-d made no such attempt because there is truly no danger. Perhaps from our limited view point, the palace is being destroyed and all those who dwell within it are in danger. But perhaps from G-d's unlimited viewpoint, the Palace is not only NOT being destroyed, but it IS in perfect harmony and it IS a sacred place - as it is. Perhaps the flames that we see as dangerous are simply a manifestation of G-d's light.

Just my thoughts. Reply

You may also be interested in...

Join the Discussion