Unquestioning Obedience

Rabbi Reuven Mann

The Destruction of Sedom and Amorah

This week’s Parsha, VaYeira, describes the destruction of the wicked cities of Sedom and Amorah (Sodom and Gomorrah). Their corruption was very great and generally manifested itself in the merciless treatment of outsiders. According to the Ramban (Nachmanides), the citizens of these cities recognized the great value of the lush and fertile land they inhabited and wanted it all exclusively for themselves.

Indeed, it was the richness of this land that motivated Lot to choose it after Avraham had made him the offer to select whatever location he desired to settle in.

So, Lot raised his eyes and saw the entire plain of the Jordan, that it was abundantly watered; before Hashem destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah—like the garden of Hashem—like the land of Egypt, going towards Zoar (Bereishit 13:10).

At first glance, the words “before Hashem destroyed Sodom and Amorah” appear superfluous, for it is obvious that the beautiful scenery Lot saw existed prior to the calamity that burned away that entire territory. However, I believe that the Torah is being critical of Lot because he was so overcome by the physical attractiveness of the area that he failed to consider the moral standards of its people. In fact, the territory he regarded as exceedingly beautiful was so filled with corruption that it teetered on the brink of destruction.

Avraham’s Plea for Justice

Before proceeding to deal with the evil cities of the Jordan plain, Hashem decided to “consult” with His faithful servant Avraham and revealed His intentions to him. Immediately, Avraham assumed the role of defense attorney and challenged G-d, saying:

Will You also obliterate the righteous with the wicked…It would be sacrilege for You to do such a thing, to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous be like the wicked; it would be sacrilege to You[!], shall the Judge of the entire earth not do justice? (Bereishit 18:23, 25)

It seems that Avraham was arguing that a way should be found to limit the destruction to only the sinners and spare the righteous from their fate. Thus, if G-d decided to destroy the entire city because of the wicked, then all people, including the good ones, would suffer. For as Rashi explains (Shemot 12:22): “‘And none of you shall go out” etc. – This tells us that once permission is given to the destroying angel to destroy he makes no distinction between righteous and wicked”.  So, he argued that Hashem should save the city because of the Tzadikim (righteous) who reside in it and only take vengeance against the sinners.

Hashem accepted Avraham’s basic premise that a sinful city should not necessarily be destroyed if it produced a sufficient number of Tzadikim. The debate then devolved into a matter of numbers. How many righteous people would it take to save the metropolis? The Vikuach (Dispute) went back and forth until Hashem agreed to save Sedom if ten righteous people could be found there. But unfortunately, even that number proved to be too much, and the corrupt cities were destroyed.

The Akeida: Avraham’s Unquestioning Obedience

However, Avraham emerges here as the champion of innocent people, who, for various reasons, can be punished alongside the wicked. He has the wisdom, courage, and humility to launch a vigorous and noble battle on their behalf.

Yet, at the end of this Parsha, a different behavior is manifested by Avraham. Here he receives a command from Hashem to “please take your son, your only one, whom you love—Yitzchak—and go to the land of Moriah; and raise him up there as a burnt offering, on one of the mountains which I will designate to you.” (Bereishit 22:2).

Avraham responds with absolute obedience to this incomprehensible directive, which goes contrary to Hashem’s promise in the previous chapter (Bereishi 21:12), “because it is through Yitzchak that your offspring will be renowned”, i.e., that Yitzchak would be the heir through whom the teachings of Avraham would be perpetuated. It made absolutely no sense whatsoever that this miracle child should be slaughtered on an altar. Yet Avraham said nothing and did what he was told without hesitation.

Is this the same person who had argued with G-d about the fate of Sedom and Amorah?

Understanding the Differences: Justice vs. Divine Will

To resolve this, we must recognize that the two cases were completely different. Hashem explained to Avraham the basis for His intended action against the wicked cities. Their sinfulness had reached the level where they were no longer worthy of existence. Thus, justice demanded that the appropriate punishment be dispensed.

Hashem revealed His considerations to Avraham because the category of justice is relevant to human existence. It is vital that human affairs, on the personal and collective levels, be governed in accordance with strict categories of justice. Therefore, Hashem invited Avraham into the discussion about the fate of Sedom. As a result of his interchange with G-d on this matter, his knowledge and understanding of this vital matter would be enhanced.

However, the case of Akeidat Yitzchak (the Sacrificial Binding of Yitzchak) was utterly different. Yitzchak had committed no wrong for which this was deemed a “just” punishment. Rather, it was an expression of the inscrutable Will of Hashem. There are certain things that we can know about G-d because He chooses to reveal them to us. However, we cannot know the true nature of Hashem nor fully understand His Will.

In Hilchot Yesodei HaTorah (Laws of the Fundamentals of Torah), chapter 2:1-2, the Rambam states:

It is a positive Mitzvah to love and to fear this honored and wondrous G-d, as it says, ‘And you shall love the L-rd your G-d’ (Devarim 6:5) and it says, ‘The L-rd your G-d shall you fear’ (Devarim 6:13). And what is the path to the love and fear of Him? When a person thinks deeply into His great, wondrous actions and creations, and discerns in them His Wisdom, which is unmeasurable and unbounded, he immediately loves, praises, and glorifies [Him] and has a great desire to know the Great Name, as David said, ‘My soul thirsts for Elokim, the Living G-d’ (Psalm 42:3). And when he considers these same matters, he immediately recoils, fears and trembles, and realizes that he is a tiny, lowly and dark creature, with a very flimsy, diminutive intellect, standing before the One Who is perfect in knowledge…”

The fear of G-d entails an awareness of one’s total inability to grasp the ultimate character of Hashem’s Wisdom and Will. However, he does know that Hashem “His work is perfect, for all His ways are justice, a G-d of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and true is He. (Devarim 32:4) And therefore, one who truly loves Him will always be obedient to His commands.

A Lesson for Us: Trust, Obedience, and Humility

Sometimes Hashem relates to us in the framework of categories that lie within our intellectual grasp. His purpose in doing so is to raise our understanding to a higher level. When that situation arose, as in the case of G-d’s judgment of Sedom and Amorah, Avraham took full advantage of the opportunity offered to him by Hashem. However, in the case of the Akeida, Hashem was testing the extent of Avraham’s fear of G-d, to demonstrate how far he would go in performing a divinely ordained action that, to human understanding, seemed entirely incomprehensible and even immoral.

These episodes in Avraham’s life have great relevance for us. That is perhaps why they are both contained in the same Parsha, for they complement one another. Our Avodat Hashem (Worship of G-d) must be based on our willingness to strive to gain understanding of those areas of Torah and the Creation that are amenable to human reason. For, as the Rambam says, one’s love of G-d is in accordance with the extent of his knowledge of G-d. However, simultaneously, we must be aware that there are areas in Torah that are beyond our comprehension, and we must have the humility to say that they are “too wondrous” for us.

Today, there are among us many religious “theologians” who seek to revise areas of Torah that seem out of touch with current sensibilities, especially in matters such as sexual choice and gender identity. Those who have true love and fear of Hashem must remember how truly flimsy our understanding is in comparison to the One Who is “Perfect in Knowledge,” and must always be prepared, in the immortal words of Rabbi Yosef Dov Soloveitchik, to “surrender to the A-Mighty.”

Shabbat Shalom.