Finding God in Tragedy |
This essay is one of the winning submissions to the Rabbi Sacks Essay Contest. Drawing on the teachings and writings of Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks zt”l, students were invited to reflect on contemporary questions through the lens of his ideas. This piece reflects the voice and perspective of its student author.
Author: Micah Jackson (Kfar Batya Science and Technology School, Israel) – First Prize
“Will You sweep away the righteous with the wicked? …Far be it from You to do such a thing – to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from You! Will not the judge of all the earth do right? (Genesis 18:23-25)”
This passage from Parashat Vayera holds a remarkable amount of significance. Abraham, a mere man, challenges the Creator of the world. I believe this is the defining moment of the Jewish people. So many others have questioned God in Abraham’s footsteps, most notably Moses, Jeremiah and Job. This dialogue between a human being and God is the paradigm that we hold ourselves to this day: the ability to change the world for the better, even through changing the actions of the One who created it.
However, is this not in conflict with Abraham’s later actions? God commands Abraham to sacrifice his son, who was promised to him. Abraham accepts without so much as a word, even waking up early the next morning to carry out the command! What is the point of dialogue with the Almighty if you don’t use it when the thing you love most is about to be taken from you?
To understand this, I believe we need to examine what was behind Abraham’s argument for the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. In one of Rabbi Sacks’ lectures on confronting the problem of injustice, he brings a fascinating idea. The Midrash Rabbah suggests how Abraham was chosen. The........