| In this week's Torah portion, we read about G‑d appearing to Abraham with a profound directive: he must circumcise himself and all the males of his household, establishing an "eternal covenant" marked by the circumcision of every newborn male on the eighth day. This physical sign would signify the enduring bond between G‑d and Abraham's descendants. G‑d then delivers an astonishing promise: within a year, Abraham and Sarah will have a son, Isaac. At this point, Abraham is nearly a century old, and Sarah, approaching ninety, has long been barren. Despite having been married for seventy-five childless years and facing the biological impossibility of conceiving, Abraham already has a son, Ishmael, born thirteen years earlier when Sarah, in desperation, offered her maidservant, Hagar, as a surrogate. In response to G‑d's promise, Abraham expresses his reservations, exclaiming, "If only Ishmael would live before You!" This statement reflects Abraham's willingness to see Ishmael as his heir, to carry forward his legacy and spiritual mission. Abraham seems genuinely satisfied with Ishmael's potential to sustain his covenantal relationship with G‑d. Yet G‑d emphatically rejects this notion. He reassures Abraham that Ishmael will indeed become a great nation. Nevertheless, G‑d declares, "My covenant I shall establish with Isaac." Only Isaac—the miraculous son born to Sarah—can fulfill the role of Abraham's spiritual successor. Isaac, and not Ishmael, is chosen to father a people destined to be G‑d's "kingdom of priests and a holy nation." This divine insistence goes beyond mere lineage; it underscores a profound theological truth about the nature of our connection to G‑d. Ishmael and Isaac embody two fundamentally different relationships with the Divine. Ishmael was conceived through ordinary, natural means, whereas Isaac's birth was a miraculous event, defying natural laws. Furthermore, Ishmael's circumcision at age thirteen symbolizes a relationship grounded in daat (awareness), reflecting a bond forged through reason and comprehension. In contrast, Isaac was circumcised on the eighth day of his life, representing a commitment beyond conscious understanding—a covenant entered into before he had any awareness of its implications. Thus, Ishmael represents a rational and natural bond with G‑d, one that depends on human intellect and conscious choice. Isaac, however, embodies a transcendent, supra-rational connection—a covenant that surpasses the confines of logic and human understanding. Abraham, with his characteristic perceptiveness, valued Ishmael's qualities and was even prepared to see him as his spiritual heir. Yet G‑d insists that the covenant must pass through Isaac, emphasizing that the Jewish people's relationship with the Divine is not rooted in reason alone but in a faith that transcends the rational, reflecting an unwavering, supernatural devotion. |
No comments:
Post a Comment