Israel and the Jewish people find themselves in an impossible situation. In Israel, we are facing an ongoing struggle for our very survival, while simultaneously experiencing a disturbing rise in anti-semitism globally. Tragically, these hostilities are resulting in the loss of innocent lives, including children and the elderly caught in the conflict, while Hamas is relishing the optics. We seem to be engaged in a PR battle that we cannot win. This recurring scenario has become all too familiar for us; each time Israel faces an attack, the international community urges us to exercise patience and accept the ongoing risk of our annihilation. It seems that despite the history of our persecutions and the explicit call by Hamas to exterminate the Jewish people in Israel, the world expects Israel to endure a threat that no other nation on Earth would tolerate. This is a complex and challenging predicament that demands careful contemplation and consideration.
The threats posed by Hamas present us with an insurmountable dilemma: No matter what choice we make, there will be profound suffering. Hamas’ military facilities and tunnels are intentionally hidden in civilian areas, leading to terrible civilian casualties. But if we stop fighting, we can be sure Hamas will stop at nothing to achieve its espoused goals of Jewish genocide and many more Jews will die.
Impossible dilemmas, unfortunately, are not new to us. Why does it seem that God constantly places us in these unsustainable situations?
I think we can find the answer in the story of Abraham, just as we did last week. In last week’s parsha, God promises Abraham that Isaac will become the forefather of the Jewish people. Yet, in this week’s parsha, in the famous episode of Akeidat Yitzchak/The Binding of Isaac, God asks Abraham to bring Isaac as a sacrifice.
וַיֹּאמֶר קַח־נָא אֶת־בִּנְךָ אֶת־יְחִידְךָ אֲשֶׁר־אָהַבְתָּ אֶת־יִצְחָק וְלֶךְ־לְךָ אֶל־אֶרֶץ הַמֹּרִיָּה וְהַעֲלֵהוּ שָׁם לְעֹלָה
Take your son, your favored one, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering [Genesis 22:2]
God put Abraham in an untenable predicament. What could Abraham do? How could he possibly defy God’s command? But, at the same time, how could he contemplate the unthinkable act of taking the life of his beloved son and the promised forefather of the Jewish people?
As I explain in my book, The Book of Life: A Transformative Guide to the High Holidays, some opine that Abraham was wrong for carrying out God’s command. But I believe that opinion cannot be valid, considering that our tradition proclaims this episode to be the central event of Rosh Hashanah: We blow the shofar to invoke God's favorable judgment upon us, drawing from the merit of the Akeida. Furthermore, our Sages express nothing but praise for Abraham when discussing the Akeida. We cannot simply dismiss Abraham’s choice just because we find it unpalatable. Instead, I believe this remarkable story imparts several fundamental lessons, one of which is derived from the agonizing dilemma he was forced to grapple with.
As we discussed two weeks ago, Abraham initially exemplified pure chesed/kindness, a quality which does not always have a positive effect, because giving without boundaries can rob the recipient of their independence. As a result, God subjected Abraham to ten tests, designed to help him strike a balance between his primary philosophy of chesed/kindness and din/harshness, and the boundaries it requires, which is an integral part of life’s often cruel reality.
According to most opinions, the Akeida represented the tenth and most formidable trial for Abraham, exemplifying the epitome of the trait of din/harshness. I believe that this was the most powerful test because it went beyond a mere challenge that required determination or effort; it presented Abraham with a profound predicament. In this test, the correct course of action was unclear. This teaches us that God sometimes presents us with seemingly impossible and ambiguous situations to compel us to think carefully and make difficult choices. The Torah is not meant to provide simple answers to life's complex challenges, but rather to offer guiding principles that assist us in making decisions. Much like the Akeida narrative, life frequently presents us with scenarios where we grapple with two excruciating choices. In such moments, we must embark on an introspective journey to discover the answers, using prayer to seek guidance from God, and the study of Torah to aid in making wise choices.
The Torah not only provides us the wisdom we need to navigate complex situations, one of the very methods we use to understand the Torah is based on this concept. As previously mentioned, in the verse in Lech Lecha, Abraham is promised that:
כִּי בְיִצְחָק יִקָּרֵא לְךָ זָרַע
…for it is through Isaac that offspring shall be continued for you. [Genesis 21:12]
Despite this promise that Isaac would be his progeny and a forefather of the Jewish people, Abraham is suddenly instructed in Vayeira to offer this beloved, chosen son as a burnt offering. It is only when Abraham demonstrates his unwavering obedience to God that an Angel intervenes and directs him to refrain from carrying out the sacrifice. The Sages explain that this third verse where the Angel commands Abraham to “not cause him even a slight blemish” clarifies God's original intention to only bring Isaac upon the altar but not to harm him.
This sequence of events serves as a tangible illustration of the last of the "שלש עשרה מידות שהתורה נדרשת בהם" (Thirteen Principles through which the Torah is interpreted), which is prominently recited every morning in shul. The thirteenth principle states:
וכן שני כתובין המכחישין זה את זה – עד שיבא הכתוב השלישי ויכריע ביניהן
And also two verses that contradict each other until a third verse comes and resolves the contradiction.
This concept refers to situations where two conflicting ideas coexist, and their resolution becomes impossible until a third piece of information arrives to clarify the contradiction. It is not only a tool for understanding complex and contradictory concepts in the Torah but also highlights the inherent contradictions in our own lives. We often find ourselves grappling with the tension between acts of kindness (chesed) and strict judgment (din), between selfless giving and setting healthy boundaries. This paradox cannot be fully resolved without the guidance of God, similar to the revelation of that "third verse" in the story of the Akeida.
Israel is currently confronting a situation akin to an "Akeida-type" choice, a harsh reality where no decision feels right, no decision can prevent suffering. We find ourselves trapped in an endless loop of conflicting emotions, mirroring the description by the Sages of the Akeida.
Ultimately, recent events have made it clear that Israel aspires to live in peace and coexist harmoniously with our Middle Eastern neighbors. However, we cannot afford to be naive, self-destructive, or imprudent, as some may expect us to be. It is unrealistic to assume that our adversaries desire peace. The intricacies of life cannot be simplified by wishful thinking alone. Our primary responsibility is to protect our people and ensure our survival. This places us in an incredibly difficult position, where taking decisive action against our enemies also results in devastating loss and destruction. There is no easy choice in this situation.
Drawing from the lessons of the Akeida, we understand that we must confront the formidable challenges before us and make the best decisions we can. However, we cannot face these challenges alone. We need to continually search for that “third-verse” to resolve the contradiction. We must pray for God's guidance every day to make sound judgments, with the hope that this conflict will ultimately pave the way for genuine and lasting peace.
Shabbat shalom.
Eliezer Hirsch