Parashat HaShavua - Lech Lecha
How might my life be different if I had blind faith in God, if I could check my analytical thinking at the door of my religion? God would say “lech lecha / לֶךְ־לְךָ֛” (Gen. 12:1), and I would go in whatever direction God said, even without knowing why or precisely where; God would say “lech lecha to the land of Moriah / וְלֶ֨ךְ־לְךָ֔ אֶל־אֶ֖רֶץ הַמֹּֽרִיָּ֑ה,” (Gen. 22:2) to sacrifice my son and I would go, again without knowing why or precisely where. How much clearer life would be if I had faith like Avraham, unflinching, unquestioning!
Except, it wasn’t. As Yeshayahu Leibowitz points out, when we read that God reassures Avraham, “Do not be afraid, I am your shield - אַל־תִּירָ֣א אַבְרָ֗ם אָֽנֹכִי֙ מָגֵ֣ן לָ֔ךְ” (Gen. 15:1), we can safely infer that Avraham is in fact afraid; otherwise, why would God need to say this? And immediately after, Avraham wonders aloud, “I am childless / וְאָֽנֹכִ֖י הוֹלֵ֣ךְ עֲרִירִ֑י,” (Gen. 15:2), which God reassures him about as well.
The Torah then tells us: “He trusted in the Lord, and he considered him righteousness / וְהֶֽאֱמִ֖ן בַּֽיהֹוָ֑ה וַיַּחְשְׁבֶ֥הָ לּ֖וֹ צְדָקָֽה.” (Gen. 15:6) But still the matter is not settled! God has reassured Avraham about descendants, but now he wonders, “How will I know that I will inherit it / בַּמָּ֥ה אֵדַ֖ע כִּ֥י אִֽירָשֶֽׁנָּה,” the land? (Gen. 15:8)
In other words, it is a questioning faith, not a blind one, that is the foundation of our religion. Faith is not to be taken for granted; even after the actions and declarations of faith by Avraham in this week’s parasha, and God’s validation of Avraham, the request to sacrifice Yitzchak is still to come, and afterward God says, “now I know that you are a God fearing man / כִּ֣י עַתָּ֣ה יָדַ֗עְתִּי כִּֽי־יְרֵ֤א אֱלֹהִים֙ אַ֔תָּה” (Gen. 22:12). But didn’t God know that before? In other words, we see through the actions of, and interactions between, God and Avraham that having faith at one time is no guarantee of having it at another.
Along the way, of course, Avraham also famously challenges God’s decision to destroy Sedom and Amorah: “Will the Judge of the entire earth not perform justice? / הֲשֹׁפֵט֙ כָּל־הָאָ֔רֶץ לֹ֥א יַֽעֲשֶׂ֖ה מִשְׁפָּֽט” (Gen. 18:25). Here his expectation is of a just God. In addition, one can interpret the earlier statement that “he considered him righteousness / וְהֶֽאֱמִ֖ן בַּֽיהֹוָ֑ה וַיַּחְשְׁבֶ֥הָ לּ֖וֹ צְדָקָֽה” (Gen. 15:6) as Avraham finding meaning in a righteous God, not the other way around. Thus Avraham expects God not to “put the righteous to death with the wicked / לְהָמִ֤ית צַדִּיק֙ עִם־רָשָׁ֔ע” in Sedom and Amorah. (Gen. 18:25) In other words, the belief of Avraham is based on thoughtful deliberation of what God stands for. Avraham does not check his questioning self at the door of his religion; it is that very self who bursts through the door.
Finally, it is not accidental that when God appears to Avraham near the conclusion of this week’s reading, God says to him, “‘I am El Shaddai; walk before Me and be complete’ / אֲנִי־אֵ֣ל שַׁדַּ֔י הִתְהַלֵּ֥ךְ לְפָנַ֖י וֶֽהְיֵ֥ה תָמִֽים” (Gen. 17:1) What is the meaning of this name Shaddai? Rashi quotes the Midrash as explaining it means sh’dai, who is enough. Tellingly, though, this name for God appears most frequently in some of the most challenging contexts of our tradition, such as Iyov, the Book of Job. As a teacher of mine Rabbi Steven Geller once explained, in this name we can see the nurturing notion of the bosom, shadayim / שדיים, and the threatening specter of a demon, a shayde / שד. It is no accident that this is the name used to refer to God when accompanying Avraham to complete him.
Faith in God? Yes please. But would mine be better blind? No thank you. I find more meaning believing in a God whose profound complexity reflects the world around us.
Shabbat shalom,
Rabbi Jack Nahmod
Middle School Judaic Studies Head
Rabbinic Advisor