Va-Yeira: Can You Ever Really Take It Back?

Why does it seem that every time we turn around, there's another public figure trying to retract something he or she said? From GOP Rep. Joe Wilson to rapper Kanye West, it's easy to find countless newsstories about people who let their emotions get the best of them, and who say something spontaneous and stupid.


Of course, the initial story is always followed up with a public apology, aimed at rectifying the damage that was caused. But as we all know, it's hard to do that. It's hard to forget a vicious remark once it's out there, and sometimes it seems you would need an act of Divine Intervention to really get a do-over!

And indeed, we see an example of just that in this week's Torah portion. Our main characters, Abraham and Sarah have been promised a glorious future, with descendants as numerous as the stars in the heavens or the sands on the beach! But, it is difficult for them to believe all these assurances while they still remain childless. Not only that, but they're both pretty old, and time is running out…

Nevertheless, God again appears to Abraham and promises him that he will have a son within a year. Sarah, hiding in the back room, hears God's promise and laughs! She has a good chuckle, and then says to herself, "Now that I am withered, am I to have enjoyment – with my husband so old?" (Genesis, 18:12). God doesn't much care for Sarah's attitude, and tells Abraham about her irreverence. God says to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh, saying, 'Shall I bear a child, old as I am?'"

What's missing here? God repeated Sarah's words to Abraham, but mercifully left out her jibe against Abraham. In actuality, she said that Abraham was old, but God didn't want to pass on the insult, so God left it out! Not only does it avoid awkwardness between Abraham and Sarah, but it also keeps Abraham's spirits up so he won't be discouraged by Sarah's lack of faith in him. It's a beautiful sign of tact shown by God, and it demonstrates to us how powerful, and hurtful, words really can be.

Every once in a while (a LONG while...) we may get lucky, and God will step in and deflect the mean things we say. Most of the time, however, we have to take responsibility ourselves, and we don't have someone else, or Someone Else, to rely on. Public figures seem to learn this lesson every single day, as they try desperately to assure us the original statement was a mistake, and the apology is "really" how they feel on the subject.

The rest of us have the benefit of watching from the sidelines, and, hopefully, learning from these examples, Biblical and modern, how to be careful what we say!

Shabbat Shalom!