A thought on פרשת וירא
"...v'HaShem amar ha'mechasa Ani m'Avraham asher Ani oseh...""...HaShem said, "Would I conceal from Avraham what I am about to do?"... (18:17)
HaShem made known to Avraham the impending doom of the S'dom region. It was a place where viciousness was rampant, and its civilization was destined to vanish. It was a done deal and all the pleading of Avraham and his well calculated prayers made no difference in the end.
The Ralbag ponders the meaning of this passage. If the fate of S'dom was sealed, was there any point in alerting Avraham to this, that he should pray on the behalf of its wicked populace? His prayers were not effective, and step by step HaShem advised Avraham about this, if you follow the verses.
The objective of the advisement, the Ralbag explains, served a purpose, but not the one which we would expect. Take perspective: Avraham, more than other prophets, channeled his strength toward righting wrongs and straightening people out. He had integrity and he modeled integrity. This is how, and this is why, he was blessed with the promise of stable descendants who would endure, and with the adulation of other nations who too felt "blessed by his blessedness."
Avraham needed to know about the decree of destruction, and to plead and pray, not for their sake, but for his own sake. Goodness is its own reward, and the benefit of his prayers was that of deepening and strengthening his own devotion to HaShem, and his own dedication to the cause of justness and integrity. The response to his praying may have been negative and unproductive, but it was the process of praying which was important to and for him. Moreover, there were additional recipients of his efforts. By embedding prayer into his character and soul, he furthered the spiritual genetics of his descendants. They too (that is, we too) would be imprinted with the reflexive impact of prayer and devotion, even when "the cause is lost" and the objective results are nil. We become stronger and better Jews when we do what is right, in both religious and interpersonal dimensions.
The Ralbag takes this idea further. At the parsha's end, the Akeida saga is recounted. So much effort, so much preparation, so much planning for the akeida of Yitzchak and... nothing happened. There was no akeida. It was called off. At the last minute, Avraham opted to offer a sacrificial ram, which illustrated that this had been the true Divine plan all along. No akeida of YItzchak, rather, a somewhat common offering of a korban. What was all of the preamble and preparation for if it ended in nought?The Ralbag said that all of the planning did have an objective: the Divine plan was to have Avraham model for his son the precision and the effort and the care which one must put into the proper service of HaShem. It was to demonstrate that we do not limit ourselves to a focus on the result but we also channel our psychospiritual focus into the process, and we consider what we are to derive from engaging in these processes.
As the old travel advertisements used to say in describing ocean cruises to exotic places, "Half the fun is getting there." In avodas HaShem, half of the benefit is the process of working towards that benefit.
Good Shabbos. D Fox
HaShem made known to Avraham the impending doom of the S'dom region. It was a place where viciousness was rampant, and its civilization was destined to vanish. It was a done deal and all the pleading of Avraham and his well calculated prayers made no difference in the end.
The Ralbag ponders the meaning of this passage. If the fate of S'dom was sealed, was there any point in alerting Avraham to this, that he should pray on the behalf of its wicked populace? His prayers were not effective, and step by step HaShem advised Avraham about this, if you follow the verses.
The objective of the advisement, the Ralbag explains, served a purpose, but not the one which we would expect. Take perspective: Avraham, more than other prophets, channeled his strength toward righting wrongs and straightening people out. He had integrity and he modeled integrity. This is how, and this is why, he was blessed with the promise of stable descendants who would endure, and with the adulation of other nations who too felt "blessed by his blessedness."
Avraham needed to know about the decree of destruction, and to plead and pray, not for their sake, but for his own sake. Goodness is its own reward, and the benefit of his prayers was that of deepening and strengthening his own devotion to HaShem, and his own dedication to the cause of justness and integrity. The response to his praying may have been negative and unproductive, but it was the process of praying which was important to and for him. Moreover, there were additional recipients of his efforts. By embedding prayer into his character and soul, he furthered the spiritual genetics of his descendants. They too (that is, we too) would be imprinted with the reflexive impact of prayer and devotion, even when "the cause is lost" and the objective results are nil. We become stronger and better Jews when we do what is right, in both religious and interpersonal dimensions.
The Ralbag takes this idea further. At the parsha's end, the Akeida saga is recounted. So much effort, so much preparation, so much planning for the akeida of Yitzchak and... nothing happened. There was no akeida. It was called off. At the last minute, Avraham opted to offer a sacrificial ram, which illustrated that this had been the true Divine plan all along. No akeida of YItzchak, rather, a somewhat common offering of a korban. What was all of the preamble and preparation for if it ended in nought?The Ralbag said that all of the planning did have an objective: the Divine plan was to have Avraham model for his son the precision and the effort and the care which one must put into the proper service of HaShem. It was to demonstrate that we do not limit ourselves to a focus on the result but we also channel our psychospiritual focus into the process, and we consider what we are to derive from engaging in these processes.
As the old travel advertisements used to say in describing ocean cruises to exotic places, "Half the fun is getting there." In avodas HaShem, half of the benefit is the process of working towards that benefit.
Good Shabbos. D Fox
posted by Rabbi Dr. Fox at 8:39 PM
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