Vayera - the Audacity of Avraham

 B"H

Short (but hopefully deep) this week - however, it's worth reading the full Midrash Tanchuma text as there's a LOT of material here which crosses over with Rashi etc. Full text is here

1)

מיד פתח הקדוש ברוך הוא את הרקיע ואת הערפל ויאמר בי נשבעתי נאם ה', א"ל אתה נשבעת ואני נשבעתי שלא ארד מן המזבח עד שאומר כל מה שאני צריך, א"ל אמור לא כך אמרת לי ספור הכוכבים אם תוכל לספור אותם כה יהיה זרעך א"ל הן, א"ל ממי, א"ל מיצחק, א"ל כשם שהיה בלבי מה להשיבך ולומר לך אתמול אמרת לי כי ביצחק יקרא לך זרע, עכשיו אתה אומר לי העלהו שם לעולה, וכבשתי את יצרי ולא השבתיך כך כשיהיו בניו של יצחק חוטאין ונכנסין לצרה תהא נזכר להן עקדתו של יצחק ותחשב לפניך כאלו אפרו צבור על גבי המזבח ותסלח להן ותפדם מצרתן, א"ל הקב"ה אתה אמרת את שלך ואומר אני את שלי עתידין בניו של יצחק לחטוא לפני ואני דן אותם בר"ה אלא אם מבקשין שאחפש להן זכות ואזכור להן עקידת יצחק יהיו תוקעין לפני בשופר של זה, א"ל ומה הוא השופר, א"ל חזור לאחוריך, מיד וישא אברהם את עיניו וירא והנה איל אחר נאחז בסבך בקרניו

2)

סימן יט

ויהי אחר הדברים האלה, זשה"כ באשר דבר מלך שלטון ומי יאמר לו מה תעשה וגו', שומר מצוה לא ידע דבר רע (קהלת ח) מהו כל מה שהקב"ה חפץ לעשות, שלטון הוא ואין מי שימחה בידו, אלא מי יאמר לו מה תעשה, שומר מצוה אלו הצדיקים שמשמרים מצותיו של הקדוש ברוך הוא והקב"ה מקיים גזירתן, וכה"א ותגזר אומר ויקם לך וגו' (איוב כב) תדע לך שכשעשו אותו מעשה בקש הקדוש ברוך הוא לכלותן, עמד משה כביכול תפש להקדוש ב"ה כאדם שתופש בחבירו שכן הוא אומר ועתה הניחה לי, ויש לך ללמד מפסוק אחר הרף ממני ואשמידם (דברים ט) הוי מי יאמר לו מה תעשה:

I have a confession to make. Until now I never really understood why, on Rosh Hashana, the Akeida plays such a central role. In particular, while the text itself forms the Torah reading for all Jews the Sephardic liturgy also includes the piyut 'Et Sha'arei Ratzon'* which - based on several midrashic accounts of the Akeida including those of the Midrash Tanchuma - is not only one of the highlights of the Rosh Hashana davening but is also repeated on Yom Kippur itself.

But why? Yes, the Akeida in itself is an important event in our spiritual history. Yes, there are several symbolic connections with Rosh Hashana: through the shofar, Yitzhak (who is said to have been born/conceived on Rosh Hashana), and the timing of the Akeida itself as falling out on Rosh Hashana. However, for me none of this directly explains exactly how - when we are standing before G-d in judgment each year - remembering the Akeida is supposed to help us. After all, how many of us can hope to be on Avraham's level?

Well, I think I may have found the answer now. Or, at least, an answer...

Near the end of a long midrashic retelling of the Akeida itself (Chapter 23 of the Midrash Tanchuma on Vayera) lies a moment of high drama and even audacity on the part of Avraham. Having been assured by G-d that he has passed the test set of him and that he will be blessed with many descendants, Avraham enters into the following extraordinary exchange with G-d (see also Source 1 above):

א"ל: אתה נשבעת ואני נשבעתי, שלא ארד מן המזבח עד שאומר כל מה שאני צריך.
א"ל: אמור. לא כך אמרת לי, ספור הכוכבים אם תוכל לספור אותם, כה יהיה זרע!
א"ל: הן.
א"ל: ממי?
א"ל: מיצחק.
א"ל: כשם שהיה בלבי מה להשיבך ולומר לך, אתמול אמרת לי כי ביצחק יקרא לך זרע, עכשיו אתה אומר לי העלהו שם לעולה, וכבשתי את יצרי ולא השבתיך, כך כשיהיו בניו של יצחק חוטאין ונכנסין לצרה תהא נזכר להן עקדתו של יצחק ותחשב לפניך כאלו אפרו צבור על גבי המזבח ותסלח להן ותפדם מצרתן.
א"ל הקדוש ברוך הוא: אתה אמרת את שלך, ואומר אני את שלי.
עתידין בניו של יצחק לחטוא לפני ואני דן אותם בר"ה, אלא אם מבקשין שאחפש להן זכות ואזכור להן עקידת יצחק יהיו תוקעין לפני בשופר של זה.

Why does Avraham use his own example to make this demand of G-d? Furthermore, how on earth does Avraham think he can even get away with talking to G-d like this? 

If we consider the earlier midrash in source 2) above (also from the Midrash Tanchuma on Vayera), perhaps we can better understand both Avraham's passing G-d's test and what he is now trying to achieve. Source 2) explains how, although the general rule is that 'dvar melech shilton' - i.e. whatever G-d wills is the law - a shomer mitzvah is nevertheless able to challenge G-d and even cause G-d to fulfill their decrees. Although the midrash itself only cites Moshe as an example of this, due both to its being linked to the opening of the Akeida account and Avraham's earlier challenging of G-d over the destruction of S'dom earlier in the parsha the reference is clearly also to Avraham. (Interestingly, in the proof-text cited even Moshe only appears to succeed in saving the Jews from G-d's destructiveness after the Golden Calf once he has reminded G-d of the promise made to Avraham, Yitzhak and Ya'akov regarding their descendants being like kochavei hashamayim).

What the midrash may be trying to point out is this - Avraham, as a shomer mitzvah, has the ability to challenge G-d as seen at S'dom. Surely, therefore, he could have pointed out to G-d the fact that G-d's command to sacrifice Yitzhak contradicted all the promises G-d had previously made Avraham of having descendants like the kochavim through Yitzhak. Who knows - had Avraham argued this, there may well have been no Akeida!

Avraham's point to G-d therefore appears to be this - "I know my descendants through Yitzhak will sin. You are perfectly entitled to point out that their sinning and thereby breaking their side of the brit with you appears to contradict any right they have to redemption and forgiveness. However, just as I didn't challenge you when you appeared to be going back on your promise to me, don't refuse to forgive Yitzhak's descendants by holding their sins against them." 

And what is G-d's response? Yes, Yitzhak's descendants will sin. Yes, G-d will judge us on Rosh Hashana. However, if we want the Akeida to be remembered on their behalf - and, by implication, Avraham's request of G-d - then we should blow the shofar. This, more than anything else I have heard, explains why both the shofar and the Akeida are central to our davening on Rosh Hashana. 

Of course it probably isn't as simple as this. After all, I don't recall ever coming across this midrash before, either in Et Sha'arei Ratzon or any other part of the Rosh Hashana davening - and one would think that a midrash of this importance would appear somewhere...And of course, the Akeida is still a tremendously complex event with many other questions raised both by the p'shat text and the midrash (not least of which is what happens to Sarah). But for now this is good enough for me, and hopefully will be of interest to anyone else who may have wondered more about the Akeida's links to Rosh Hashana.

Shabbat shalom!

* For the lyrics in Hebrew, see here. Unfortunately I couldn't find an English translation anywhere online - on the plus side, this is also a great site for Jewish music geeks :-)


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As requested, for those struggling with the Hebrew here is a translation of the sources below (taken pretty much directly from the Metsudah Midrash Tanchuma):

Source 1:

…Thereupon the Holy One, Blessed Is He opened heaven and the thick cloud, “and He said ‘I have sworn by Myself, declared Hashem [that because you did this…I will greatly bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars…] Avraham said to Him “You have sworn. And I also have sworn that I am not coming down from the altar until I say everything that I have to.” He said to him “Say…”. [Avraham said to Him] “Did You not say to me ‘Count the stars, if you are able to count them…so numerous will your descendants be.’” G-d said to him, “Yes”. Avraham said to Him “From whom?” He said to him “From Yitzhak” Avraham said to Him “ Just as I had in my heart to argue and say to You ‘Yesterday you said to me: For only through Yitzhak will offspring be consider yours, and now you are telling me: Sacrifice him for a burnt-offering; yet I suppressed my urge and did not present this argument to you. So too, should You act when the children of Yitzhak sin, and are in trouble; be mindful on their behalf of the binding of Yitzhak, and let it be considered in your Presence as though his ashes were heaped on the altar, and forgive them and redeem them from their troubles”. The Holy One, Blessed Is He, said to him “You have had your say; I will now have Mine. The descendants of Yitzhak are going to be sinful before Me, and I will judge them on Rosh Hashanah. However, if they ask Me to find some merit for them, and to remember on their behalf the binding of Yitzhak, let them blow a shofar such as this.”

Source 2:

This is the meaning of the verse “Since a king’s word is law, who would [dare] say to him ‘What are you doing?’ He who obeys the commandment will know no harm.’ What is the meaning [of this?] Anything the Holy One, Blessed Is He, wants to do becomes the rule, and there is no one to protest. However, who can say ‘What are you doing?’ ‘He who obeys the mitzvah’ the righteous ones who observe the mitzvoth of the Holy One, Blessed Is He. And the Holy One, Blessed Is He, fulfils their decree, as it states, ‘You would entreat him and he would listen to you, etc.’ You should know that when Yisrael committed that act; the Holy One, Blessed Is He, wanted to destroy them. Moshe stood up, and held onto the Holy One, Blessed Is He, as it were, as a man holds onto his friend, for it states “And now leave Me.” This can also be learned from another verse “Release Me, and I shall destroy them”. This is the meaning of “Who would say to Him ‘What are you doing?’”