Parshat Vayera  17 Cheshvan 5762, 3 November 5762

By Shlomo Riskin

Is faith that profound inner conviction which impels and informs all of our most significant activities? Or is faith rather to be relegated to the realm of the internal spirit alone, in the sense that one ought to piously pray as if everything depended on G-d, but humanistically act as if everything depended on us alone? The Rashbam's unique and Zionistic interpretation on the akedah (binding of Isaac, would certainly suggest that whatever we do or not do must hark back to our most fundamental faith commitments - but before we study his interpretation of one of the most difficult stories of the Bible, it is important to take note of a Hassidic commentary from last week's Torah reading.

After a difficult but successful military battle in which Abraham frees his nephew Lot from terrorist captivity, the Almighty promises the Prophet ethical monotheism a great reward. Abraham - who is well into his nineties - bitterly complains of the fact that his union with Sarah has not resulted in progeny, whereupon the Master of the Universe takes him outside: "Look now heavenwards and count the stars if you are able to count them; . so shall be your descendants" (Genesis 15:5). Most of the commentaries take this to mean that the Jewish people will be innumerable, so numerous that their number will be unable to be derived in a census. If that is the case, however, this prophecy has not yet been realized.

The Nineteenth Century Hassidic Sage of Gur known as the Sefat Emet gives the Divine words another spin: just as it is impossible to count the stars, so will it be impossible to predict the fortunes of Israel; the Jewish nation in the land of Israel defies all historic and sociological logic, and all actions on behalf of Israel must be guided solely by our trust in Jewish eternity and our faith in Divine Providence.

From this backdrop, let us turn to the commandment of the akedah (binding of Isaac), which begins: "And it happened after these things that the Lord tested (nisah) Abraham.." (Genesis 22:1) . The Rashbam (Rav Shmuel ben Meir, twelfth century French commentary, known for his strict obedience to the literal meaning of the text) immediately takes note of the Biblical connection between G-d's command of Abraham to sacrifice Isaac and the previous Biblical record of Abraham's peace treaty with Avimelech; G-d is here punishing Abraham "And it happened after these things") for his commitments to the Philistine King, suggest the Rashbam. After all, Avimelech believed that the Negev portion of Israel belonged to him and his Philistine people (Genesis 20:15). He approaches Abraham - together with his military General Pichol - with the request that the patriarch not "rebel (tishkor means rebel or betray, says Rav Saadia Gaon) against me, my great - grand children or my grandchildren" and Abraham swears the oath of a peace treaty.

>From the Rashbam's perspective, "the Holy One Blessed Be He was angry at Abraham for this, because the land on which the Philistines were dwelling was part of the boundaries of the Land of Israel," the land promised by G-d to Abraham and his progeny. How could Abraham have relinquished his patrimony to Avimelech? Indeed, it was not even exclusively Abraham's; it belongs to all of his future generations, and so the Patriarch alone didn't have the right to give up what belonged to his descendants!

Hence the Rashbam goes on to explain the word (usually translated as G-d "tested" Abraham) to mean "criticized, railed against" (as in masah u-merivah, Exodus 17:7); in effect, the Almighty is commanding Abraham "to now bring Isaac as a whole burnt offering and see how your peace treaty will help you." In measure for measure fashion, Abraham will not have a living son to whom to bequeath any part of the Divine-given land of Israel!

This interpretation is reminiscent of an incident in the annals of the history of modern Israel, which I have previously brought to your attention. Before the establishment of the Jewish State, David Ben Gurion was offered a Partition Plan, which would have left the Jewish people with a rather paltry slice of land - but it would nevertheless have been the realization of a Jewish homeland! Ben Gurion could not decide - and asked his trusted colleague Yitzhak Tabenkin to make the decision. Tabenkin asked for a day in which to consider his response; he wanted to take counsel with two individuals. At the appointed time, Tabenkin urged Ben Gurion to refuse the offer. "I accept your decision - but from whom did you seek advice?" asked the Lion of Judah. "From two people," answered Tabenkin. "From my grandfather and from my grandson. From my grand-father who died ten years ago, and from my grandson who is not yet born."

The Land of Israel does not belong to any particular generation; it is the patrimony of all generations. And, at least according to the Rashbam, no matter how powerful may be the enemy and how threatening may appear his military general, we must have trust in G-d rather than in treaties of men and have ultimate faith that regarding Israel "the Eternity of Israel will not deal falsely."

Shabbat Shalom.

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