Va-Yeira: What are You Trying to Tell Me??

Communication is the key to basically any and every relationship. The better the communication - the more honest, direct, kind, and vulnerable - the stronger

the relationship. So then why is it so unbelievably hard for us to speak our minds and just express what it is we want??? Sometimes we don't truly know what it is we want, or we're not being completely honest with ourselves, but even when we DO know, it can still be excruciatingly difficult to come out with it. Why?? Boy, do I wish I had the simple answer to that one! Wouldn't that be great?? But I guess it is just a little bit comforting to see God having trouble in the very same way. At least it's not just us! And in our Torah portion this week, I find it especially hard to decipher what it is God is trying to convey.

It's actually a problem throughout the Torah reading. I want to highlight one, often-ignored example, but in truth it happens over and over again: The parashah begins

with God sending three "messengers" (poorly disguised angels...) to visit Abraham, though not revealing from the outset who they really are, or why they are there. And the latter half of the reading focuses on the infamous Binding of Isaac story. Again, I would argue that God's intent is veiled, because various aspects of the text seem to pivot back and forth between indicating that Abraham shouldn't have argued with God, should have, was expected to, was invited to, was being challenged not to, and was being bated into! But between the two stories mentioned above, there is a third one that also hides its meaning and message. What is God trying to tell us??

Perhaps you're familiar with the gist of this scene, where Abraham petitions God to save the people of Sodom and Gomorrah from destruction. What I wanted to focus on, though, is the very first part of that ordeal, where God inexplicably asks God's Self a rhetorical question, and we, the readers, get to hear it. Right off the bat, it's worth

pointing out that this is NOT a common occurrence! I therefore find it even MORE fascinating, that even when we get to hear God's inner monologue, we STILL don't really know God's intention!! The text tells us: "Now Adonai said, 'Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, since Abraham is to become a great and populous nation and all the nations of the earth are to bless themselves by him? For I have singled him out, that he may instruct his children and his progeny to keep the way of Adonai by doing what is just and right, in order that Adonai may bring about for Abraham what has been promised him.'” (Gen. 18:17-19) I have many questions: First of all, why does God refer to "Adonai" in the third person? That's odd. Second, God appears to be positing that because Abraham has been chosen (for something), he should get to know ALL of God's plans. That's curious, no? Third, I don't get where God is going with this.

The reasoning for why God reveals this specific plan to Abraham, is because he is so righteous. But I'm already confused, since God is disclosing a plan of destruction and annihilation! And then when Abraham begins to petition God NOT to punish them, God doesn't appear surprised or taken aback at all.

Ok, so maybe God WANTED Abraham to push back. That's certainly possible... but it makes it all the more troubling when God later demands that Abraham sacrifice Isaac, and no protest is raised or (seemingly) expected. Now, I don't want to be enigmatic about MY feelings (that would be ironic, in a post about good communication...), so I'll tell you that I feel there's a lot of entrapment going on here. Sometimes Abraham - and by extension, all of us humans - are supposed to question, and sometimes we are not. How are we supposed to know when total faith is expected, versus moral outrage warranted? Again, I don't have an easy answer. That would be great. I don't. I DO believe, however, that all of these texts are inviting us into dialogue. We cannot throw our hands up in exasperation; that would be the opposite of working on communication. We need to lean in. Sure, God's wishes and desires are confusing... but so are the feelings of basically every human EVER! I don't know what God wants, but I know God wants to talk. And so do I. So let's chat.


CC images in this blog post, courtesy of:
1. Szilas on Wikimedia Commons
2. Felix the Cat on Flickr
3. VIRIN on Airforce Medical Service Website
4. DeeDee51 on Pixabay