Parashat Wayyera՚ (Genesis 18:1 - 22:24) פָּרָשַׁת וַיֵּרָא
SYNOPSIS:
Parashat Wayyera՚ contains five complete sidrot [order, part] and part of a sidra՚ (the sixth sidra՚) being divided between this parasha and the next one. The first sidra’ deals with the announcement of the impending birth of Isaac, and the pronouncement of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah; the second, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and the rescue of Lot; the third, Abraham amongst the Philistines; the fourth, the birth of Isaac and the casting out of Hagar and Ishmael, and more dealings with the Philistines; and the fifth, the ՙAḳeda [binding] of Isaac; the sixth, Nahor's descendants.
First Sidra՚ (Gen. 18:1-33):
The announcement of the impending birth of Isaac, the pronouncement of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.
The parasha opens with Abraham [אַבְרָהָם - father of many] seated outside his tent, which is now pitched by the terebinths of Mamre. While he is seated there, he sees three strangers approaching his tent. Abraham rushes out to greet them and invites them to his tent to eat and be refreshed. The strangers, who are really messengers of YHWH, announce to Abraham that Sarah will give birth to Isaac. Sarah laughs when she hears this news, but out of embarrassment she denies laughing: "But YHWH said to Abraham; why does Sarah laugh saying 'Shall I really give birth now that I am old?' Is anything beyond YHWH; at the appointed-time I will return to you when time revives and Sarah will have a son" (Gen. 18:13-14).
YHWH decides to tell Abraham that He intends to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah because of their grievous sins. Abraham pleads to YHWH that He should save the righteous, "Will you sweep away, the righteous with the wicked?" (Gen. 18:23). YHWH tells Abraham that He would not do such a thing even if there were fifty righteous in the cities. Abraham continues pleading with YHWH, what if there is only forty five righteous, will the cities still be destroyed? The answer is no! The pleading goes on, what if there's only forty or thirty, or maybe only twenty? YHWH concludes, if there were even ten righteous people in the whole of Sodom and Gomorrah He would not destroy the cities for the sake of the ten.
Second Sidra՚ (Gen. 19:1-38):
The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and Lot's rescue.
In the second sidra՚ two of the three angels continue onto the city of Sodom where they find Lot seated at the city gates. Upon seeing them, Lot greets the angels and invites them to spend the night at his home. That evening the men of Sodom surround Lot's house and demand that he turn over the strangers to them, so that they can rape them. Lot steps outside of his house and pleads with the men of Sodom not to do such a wicked thing. The men of Sodom do not heed Lot, but in fact threaten to do even worse things to him!
The angels rescue Lot from the mob, by pulling him back into the house and striking the mob with blindness. The angels reveal to Lot that they have come to destroy the city along with Gomorrah and that he is to gather his family together and flee from there. Lot tells the men who are betrothed to his daughters that the city will be destroyed, but they take no heed. The next morning the angels hasten Lot, his wife, and his two daughters to flee from the city as it is about to be destroyed. The angels tell them not to remain in the plain, but to flee to the mountains and not to look back. Lot replies that the mountains are too far for them to flee to, so could they instead flee to Zoar which is closer; the angels agree.
At sun rise Lot enters Zoar, and YHWH begins the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. However, Lot's wife looks back at the destruction of the cities and is turned into a pillar of salt. Lot fears to dwell in Zoar, so he leaves with his two daughters and heads for the mountains where he finds refuge in a cave. Lot's daughters believe that the whole world has been destroyed, with Lot being the only male left alive. They therefore decide to get Lot very drunk to the extent that he doesn't know what he is doing, in order to lay with him, conceive by him, and subsequently perpetrate the human race. Lot's daughters conceive, giving birth to boys. The eldest sister's son becomes the founder of the Moabites, while the younger sister's son becomes the founder of the Ammonites.
Third Sidra՚ (Gen. 20:1-18):
Abraham amongst the Philistines.
Abraham now journeys south settling in Gerar, a Philistine city near the coast. Just like when Abraham went down to Egypt, he informs the locals that Sarah was his sister and not his wife. It would seem that Abraham did learn from his previous mistake.
Avimelekh king of Philistines takes Sarah. God appears to Avimelekh in a dream, "Here you are dead on account of the woman whom you have taken, she is married to a husband. But Avimelekh, had not come near to her; and he said, my Lord, also a righteous nation shall you kill. Did he not say to me she is my sister, and she also she said he is my brother; in (the) innocence of my heart and with my hands clean I did this. And The ՚Ĕlōhîm said to him in the dream I also knew that in (the) innocence of your heart you did this, and I withheld - also I - you from sinning against me; therefore I did not permit you to touch her." (Gen. 20:3-6) Avimelekh returns Sarah to Abraham, but wants to know why Abraham said that Sarah was his sister and not his wife. Abraham's reason for saying that Sarah was his sister rather than his wife was the same as in Egypt; fear for his life. However, Abraham was in fact telling the truth when he said that Sarah was his sister, "And also she is truly my sister my father's daughter, however not my mother's daughter, and she became to for a wife" (Gen. 20:12). Avimelekh gives Abraham sheep, oxen, servants, and a thousand pieces of silver as compensation.
Fourth Sidra՚ (Gen. 21:1-34):
The birth of Isaac and the casting out of Hagar and Ishmael, and more dealings with the Philistines.
The sidra՚ opens with Sarah conceiving and giving birth to Isaac [יִצְחָק - he laughs], who is circumcised at eight days old; as YHWH commanded. Abraham is one hundred years old. "And Sarah said, 'laughter, God has made for me; all those who hear will laugh for me'. And she said 'who would have uttered to Abraham, Sarah will suckle sons; for I have borne him a son in his old age'" (Gen. 21:6-7).
On the day that Isaac was weaned (children were weaned at three years old) Abraham held a feast. Sarah becomes resentful of Ishmael and feels that Isaac's position as Abraham's heir is being threatened by the Ishmael's continual presence. Sarah demands of Abraham that he cast Hagar and Ishmael out from the 'clan'. This grieves Abraham, but God reassures him, "Do not let it be bad in your eyes concerning the lad and concerning your maid-servant, all that Sarah says to you hearken to her voice; for in Isaac, shall your seed be called. And also the son of the maid-servant a nation I will make of him; for he is your seed" (Gen. 21:12-13).
In the morning Abraham gives Hagar some bread and a water-skin, sending her and Ishmael on their way. Hagar wanders into the wilderness near Beer-Sheba. Once all the water is drunk, Hagar places Ishmael under a shrub while placing her self some way of so she will not see him die. Hagar begins weeping in great distress. God hears and an angel calls out to Hagar telling her not to fear, to lift up the lad for God will make him into a great nation. God opens Hagar's eyes and she sees a well of water; they are saved!
Ishmael grows up and becomes an archer living in the wilderness of Paran, and Hagar takes a wife for him from Egypt, Hagar's birth place. Avimelekh, king of the Philistines, desires to make a treaty with Abraham, who agrees. However, Abraham rebukes Avimelekh over a well that Avimelekh's servants had violently taken from Abraham's servants, but Avimelekh denies knowledge of the fact. Abraham and Avimelekh make a covenant at Beer-Sheba, and Abraham sends Avimelekh seven ewes to act as witnesses that Avimelekh's servants did seize Abraham's well. Abraham plants a tamarisk in Beer-Sheba and calls upon the name YHWH.
Fifth Sidra՚ (Gen. 22:1-19):
The ՙAḳeda [binding] of Isaac
"And it was after these things, that God, tested Abraham" (Gen. 22:1). YHWH tells Abraham to take Isaac, his beloved only son, to the Land of Moriah and once there He will show him a certain mountain on which he is to offer Isaac as an ascent-offering. In the morning Abraham saddles his donkey, takes two of his lads, along with Isaac, and wood for the altar and sets out for the Land of Moriah; a three days journey. Eventually Abraham sights the mountain in the distance.
Leaving the lads and the donkey some distance away, he places the wood on Isaac's back and the two of them continue the rest of the way on foot. Isaac asks Abraham where is the lamb for the ascent offering, Abraham replies, "God, will see to the lamb for the ascent-offering himself my son" (Gen. 22:8) Once they reach the place Abraham builds an altar, lays the wood upon it, binds Isaac and lays him on the altar. Abraham takes the knife, and is about to slaughter Isaac when the angel of YHWH calls to him, "Do not send out your hand against the lad, and do not do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, you have not withheld your son your only-one from me" (Gen. 22:12). Abraham sees a ram caught in the thicket by its horns, and offers it as an ascent-offering in place of his son.
YHWH blesses Abraham saying that He will make his descendants more numerous than the stars of the heaven and the sand of the shore, they shall possess the gates of their enemies and all the nations of the earth will be blessed through them. Abraham returns with Isaac, the two lads, and the donkey to Beer-Sheba.
Sixth Sidra՚ (Gen. 22:20-24 continues into the next parasha):
Nahor's descendants.
The parasha closes with Abraham being informed that Nahor his brother has eight sons from his wife Milkah and four from his concubine. Bethuel, one of Nahor's sons through Milkah, has a daughter called Rebekah; thus setting the scene for the next parasha.
THE AUTHOR'S THOUGHTS:
"For I have known him in order that he shall command his children and his house after him, and they shall keep the way of YHWH, to do justice and judgment." (Gen. 18:19) Throughout this parasha, just as in the previous one, YHWH puts Abraham through series of tests; the pleading for Sodom and Gomorrah and the ՙAḳeda of Isaac, are just two examples.
Through these tests Abraham was proven by God. He was a man of action - YHWH called and Abraham obeyed, YHWH challenged and Abraham braved the challenge - hence, "For I have known him in order that". In parashat Lekh Lekha, YHWH had promised Abraham to be his shield, in other words to protect him against all harm, as well as promising him that his descendants will inherit the Land. Thus, in obeying YHWH Abraham receives something in return.
When it comes to the ՙAḳeda of Isaac, however, Abraham will not receive anything in return. In fact, if he carries out YHWH's command and sacrifices Isaac, it would mean that YHWH had negated His promise that Abraham's descendants will inherit the Land. This is the ultimate test for Abraham: (i) to obey because he will something receive in return or (ii) to obey simply because it is the word of YHWH even if it does mean the negation of all his hopes!
Consequently it is not just Abraham's moral fiber that was being assessed through his ordeals; they also served as means to know whether Abraham had what it takes to be the foundation stone for YHWH's plan for mankind. YHWH knew that Abraham would not just internalize His ways, but that he would also instill them upon his descendants, "he shall command his children and his house after him". If the foundation is sturdy and firmly fixed then the rest of the structure will stand the weathering of time; therefore the surety that, "and they shall keep the way of YHWH".
But what is the way of YHWH that the descendants of Abraham will so tenaciously hang onto? The answer can be found in the last section of the verse, "to do justice and judgment". Thus, to be a true son of Abraham one must be a pursuer of justice and serve YHWH as an end in itself and not as means for satisfying our needs, desires, and hopes:
Is not this the fast that I choose open the bands of wickedness, loosen the bonds of the yoke; and the oppressed send free, and every yoke you shall tear off. Is it not a dividing for the hungry your bread, and the homeless poor you shall bring home; when you see the naked then cover him, and from your own flesh do not hide yourself. Then your light shall brake forth like the dawn, and your health shall spring forth speedily; and your righteousness goes before you, the glory of YHWH shall gather you. Then you shall call and YHWH shall answer, you shall cry out and He shall say ‘Here I am’; if you turn aside from your midst the yoke, the sending forth of the finger and speaking wickedness. And you bring out to the hungry your soul/life force, and the afflicted soul/life force you satisfy; and then your light shall shine in the darkness, and your gloom as the noon. And YHWH shall lead you always and satisfy your soul/life force in drought, and your bones He shall invigorate; and you shall be like a saturated garden, and like an issue of water, whose waters fail not. And (men) from among you shall build ancient wastes, you shall raise up foundations of many generations; and you shall be called Repairer of the breach, Restorer of paths to dwell in. (Isa. 58:6-12)
Parashat Wayyera՚ contains five complete sidrot [order, part] and part of a sidra՚ (the sixth sidra՚) being divided between this parasha and the next one. The first sidra’ deals with the announcement of the impending birth of Isaac, and the pronouncement of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah; the second, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and the rescue of Lot; the third, Abraham amongst the Philistines; the fourth, the birth of Isaac and the casting out of Hagar and Ishmael, and more dealings with the Philistines; and the fifth, the ՙAḳeda [binding] of Isaac; the sixth, Nahor's descendants.
First Sidra՚ (Gen. 18:1-33):
The announcement of the impending birth of Isaac, the pronouncement of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.
The parasha opens with Abraham [אַבְרָהָם - father of many] seated outside his tent, which is now pitched by the terebinths of Mamre. While he is seated there, he sees three strangers approaching his tent. Abraham rushes out to greet them and invites them to his tent to eat and be refreshed. The strangers, who are really messengers of YHWH, announce to Abraham that Sarah will give birth to Isaac. Sarah laughs when she hears this news, but out of embarrassment she denies laughing: "But YHWH said to Abraham; why does Sarah laugh saying 'Shall I really give birth now that I am old?' Is anything beyond YHWH; at the appointed-time I will return to you when time revives and Sarah will have a son" (Gen. 18:13-14).
YHWH decides to tell Abraham that He intends to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah because of their grievous sins. Abraham pleads to YHWH that He should save the righteous, "Will you sweep away, the righteous with the wicked?" (Gen. 18:23). YHWH tells Abraham that He would not do such a thing even if there were fifty righteous in the cities. Abraham continues pleading with YHWH, what if there is only forty five righteous, will the cities still be destroyed? The answer is no! The pleading goes on, what if there's only forty or thirty, or maybe only twenty? YHWH concludes, if there were even ten righteous people in the whole of Sodom and Gomorrah He would not destroy the cities for the sake of the ten.
Second Sidra՚ (Gen. 19:1-38):
The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and Lot's rescue.
In the second sidra՚ two of the three angels continue onto the city of Sodom where they find Lot seated at the city gates. Upon seeing them, Lot greets the angels and invites them to spend the night at his home. That evening the men of Sodom surround Lot's house and demand that he turn over the strangers to them, so that they can rape them. Lot steps outside of his house and pleads with the men of Sodom not to do such a wicked thing. The men of Sodom do not heed Lot, but in fact threaten to do even worse things to him!
The angels rescue Lot from the mob, by pulling him back into the house and striking the mob with blindness. The angels reveal to Lot that they have come to destroy the city along with Gomorrah and that he is to gather his family together and flee from there. Lot tells the men who are betrothed to his daughters that the city will be destroyed, but they take no heed. The next morning the angels hasten Lot, his wife, and his two daughters to flee from the city as it is about to be destroyed. The angels tell them not to remain in the plain, but to flee to the mountains and not to look back. Lot replies that the mountains are too far for them to flee to, so could they instead flee to Zoar which is closer; the angels agree.
At sun rise Lot enters Zoar, and YHWH begins the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. However, Lot's wife looks back at the destruction of the cities and is turned into a pillar of salt. Lot fears to dwell in Zoar, so he leaves with his two daughters and heads for the mountains where he finds refuge in a cave. Lot's daughters believe that the whole world has been destroyed, with Lot being the only male left alive. They therefore decide to get Lot very drunk to the extent that he doesn't know what he is doing, in order to lay with him, conceive by him, and subsequently perpetrate the human race. Lot's daughters conceive, giving birth to boys. The eldest sister's son becomes the founder of the Moabites, while the younger sister's son becomes the founder of the Ammonites.
Third Sidra՚ (Gen. 20:1-18):
Abraham amongst the Philistines.
Abraham now journeys south settling in Gerar, a Philistine city near the coast. Just like when Abraham went down to Egypt, he informs the locals that Sarah was his sister and not his wife. It would seem that Abraham did learn from his previous mistake.
Avimelekh king of Philistines takes Sarah. God appears to Avimelekh in a dream, "Here you are dead on account of the woman whom you have taken, she is married to a husband. But Avimelekh, had not come near to her; and he said, my Lord, also a righteous nation shall you kill. Did he not say to me she is my sister, and she also she said he is my brother; in (the) innocence of my heart and with my hands clean I did this. And The ՚Ĕlōhîm said to him in the dream I also knew that in (the) innocence of your heart you did this, and I withheld - also I - you from sinning against me; therefore I did not permit you to touch her." (Gen. 20:3-6) Avimelekh returns Sarah to Abraham, but wants to know why Abraham said that Sarah was his sister and not his wife. Abraham's reason for saying that Sarah was his sister rather than his wife was the same as in Egypt; fear for his life. However, Abraham was in fact telling the truth when he said that Sarah was his sister, "And also she is truly my sister my father's daughter, however not my mother's daughter, and she became to for a wife" (Gen. 20:12). Avimelekh gives Abraham sheep, oxen, servants, and a thousand pieces of silver as compensation.
Fourth Sidra՚ (Gen. 21:1-34):
The birth of Isaac and the casting out of Hagar and Ishmael, and more dealings with the Philistines.
The sidra՚ opens with Sarah conceiving and giving birth to Isaac [יִצְחָק - he laughs], who is circumcised at eight days old; as YHWH commanded. Abraham is one hundred years old. "And Sarah said, 'laughter, God has made for me; all those who hear will laugh for me'. And she said 'who would have uttered to Abraham, Sarah will suckle sons; for I have borne him a son in his old age'" (Gen. 21:6-7).
On the day that Isaac was weaned (children were weaned at three years old) Abraham held a feast. Sarah becomes resentful of Ishmael and feels that Isaac's position as Abraham's heir is being threatened by the Ishmael's continual presence. Sarah demands of Abraham that he cast Hagar and Ishmael out from the 'clan'. This grieves Abraham, but God reassures him, "Do not let it be bad in your eyes concerning the lad and concerning your maid-servant, all that Sarah says to you hearken to her voice; for in Isaac, shall your seed be called. And also the son of the maid-servant a nation I will make of him; for he is your seed" (Gen. 21:12-13).
In the morning Abraham gives Hagar some bread and a water-skin, sending her and Ishmael on their way. Hagar wanders into the wilderness near Beer-Sheba. Once all the water is drunk, Hagar places Ishmael under a shrub while placing her self some way of so she will not see him die. Hagar begins weeping in great distress. God hears and an angel calls out to Hagar telling her not to fear, to lift up the lad for God will make him into a great nation. God opens Hagar's eyes and she sees a well of water; they are saved!
Ishmael grows up and becomes an archer living in the wilderness of Paran, and Hagar takes a wife for him from Egypt, Hagar's birth place. Avimelekh, king of the Philistines, desires to make a treaty with Abraham, who agrees. However, Abraham rebukes Avimelekh over a well that Avimelekh's servants had violently taken from Abraham's servants, but Avimelekh denies knowledge of the fact. Abraham and Avimelekh make a covenant at Beer-Sheba, and Abraham sends Avimelekh seven ewes to act as witnesses that Avimelekh's servants did seize Abraham's well. Abraham plants a tamarisk in Beer-Sheba and calls upon the name YHWH.
Fifth Sidra՚ (Gen. 22:1-19):
The ՙAḳeda [binding] of Isaac
"And it was after these things, that God, tested Abraham" (Gen. 22:1). YHWH tells Abraham to take Isaac, his beloved only son, to the Land of Moriah and once there He will show him a certain mountain on which he is to offer Isaac as an ascent-offering. In the morning Abraham saddles his donkey, takes two of his lads, along with Isaac, and wood for the altar and sets out for the Land of Moriah; a three days journey. Eventually Abraham sights the mountain in the distance.
Leaving the lads and the donkey some distance away, he places the wood on Isaac's back and the two of them continue the rest of the way on foot. Isaac asks Abraham where is the lamb for the ascent offering, Abraham replies, "God, will see to the lamb for the ascent-offering himself my son" (Gen. 22:8) Once they reach the place Abraham builds an altar, lays the wood upon it, binds Isaac and lays him on the altar. Abraham takes the knife, and is about to slaughter Isaac when the angel of YHWH calls to him, "Do not send out your hand against the lad, and do not do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, you have not withheld your son your only-one from me" (Gen. 22:12). Abraham sees a ram caught in the thicket by its horns, and offers it as an ascent-offering in place of his son.
YHWH blesses Abraham saying that He will make his descendants more numerous than the stars of the heaven and the sand of the shore, they shall possess the gates of their enemies and all the nations of the earth will be blessed through them. Abraham returns with Isaac, the two lads, and the donkey to Beer-Sheba.
Sixth Sidra՚ (Gen. 22:20-24 continues into the next parasha):
Nahor's descendants.
The parasha closes with Abraham being informed that Nahor his brother has eight sons from his wife Milkah and four from his concubine. Bethuel, one of Nahor's sons through Milkah, has a daughter called Rebekah; thus setting the scene for the next parasha.
THE AUTHOR'S THOUGHTS:
"For I have known him in order that he shall command his children and his house after him, and they shall keep the way of YHWH, to do justice and judgment." (Gen. 18:19) Throughout this parasha, just as in the previous one, YHWH puts Abraham through series of tests; the pleading for Sodom and Gomorrah and the ՙAḳeda of Isaac, are just two examples.
Through these tests Abraham was proven by God. He was a man of action - YHWH called and Abraham obeyed, YHWH challenged and Abraham braved the challenge - hence, "For I have known him in order that". In parashat Lekh Lekha, YHWH had promised Abraham to be his shield, in other words to protect him against all harm, as well as promising him that his descendants will inherit the Land. Thus, in obeying YHWH Abraham receives something in return.
When it comes to the ՙAḳeda of Isaac, however, Abraham will not receive anything in return. In fact, if he carries out YHWH's command and sacrifices Isaac, it would mean that YHWH had negated His promise that Abraham's descendants will inherit the Land. This is the ultimate test for Abraham: (i) to obey because he will something receive in return or (ii) to obey simply because it is the word of YHWH even if it does mean the negation of all his hopes!
Consequently it is not just Abraham's moral fiber that was being assessed through his ordeals; they also served as means to know whether Abraham had what it takes to be the foundation stone for YHWH's plan for mankind. YHWH knew that Abraham would not just internalize His ways, but that he would also instill them upon his descendants, "he shall command his children and his house after him". If the foundation is sturdy and firmly fixed then the rest of the structure will stand the weathering of time; therefore the surety that, "and they shall keep the way of YHWH".
But what is the way of YHWH that the descendants of Abraham will so tenaciously hang onto? The answer can be found in the last section of the verse, "to do justice and judgment". Thus, to be a true son of Abraham one must be a pursuer of justice and serve YHWH as an end in itself and not as means for satisfying our needs, desires, and hopes:
Is not this the fast that I choose open the bands of wickedness, loosen the bonds of the yoke; and the oppressed send free, and every yoke you shall tear off. Is it not a dividing for the hungry your bread, and the homeless poor you shall bring home; when you see the naked then cover him, and from your own flesh do not hide yourself. Then your light shall brake forth like the dawn, and your health shall spring forth speedily; and your righteousness goes before you, the glory of YHWH shall gather you. Then you shall call and YHWH shall answer, you shall cry out and He shall say ‘Here I am’; if you turn aside from your midst the yoke, the sending forth of the finger and speaking wickedness. And you bring out to the hungry your soul/life force, and the afflicted soul/life force you satisfy; and then your light shall shine in the darkness, and your gloom as the noon. And YHWH shall lead you always and satisfy your soul/life force in drought, and your bones He shall invigorate; and you shall be like a saturated garden, and like an issue of water, whose waters fail not. And (men) from among you shall build ancient wastes, you shall raise up foundations of many generations; and you shall be called Repairer of the breach, Restorer of paths to dwell in. (Isa. 58:6-12)