I have always been fascinated with the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. God informs Abraham that Sodom will be destroyed due to the wickedness of the people there. Abraham then questions God's decision.
Will you destroy the righteousness along with the wicked? Following this caustic reproach of God, Abraham proceeds to argue with God, hoping to spare the two cities. God amends God's divine judgement, telling Abraham that if there are 50 righteous individuals, the cities will be spared. Abraham whittles down the requisite number from 50 down to 10. As a boy, I imagined Abraham as a take-no-compromise businessman, bargaining down for the best deal that he could find.
Toward the beginning of the portion, God thinks to Godself, akin to a Shakespearean soliloquy. God reflects, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I intend to do? Perhaps God wanted to see how Abraham would react to the news.
After Abraham argues with God to spare the wicked cities, the Torah tells us that Abraham stood yet before the Lord. And Abraham drew near.Rashi expands upon Abraham's drawing near to God. He gives us three insights that relate to this expression.
- It can imply that Abraham speak harshly. One approaches someone with the intent of speaking criticism or harsh words. And here we have Abraham criticizing God. It even reads as if Abraham is angry.
- It can also refer to appeasement. Abraham acknowledges that he is but dust and ashes. This is in deference to his God that will make his descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky; the God that will grant Abraham a son that will continue to carry out the established covenant.
- Lastly, One draws near in order to pray. Abraham turns to God in prayer. He prays for a different fate for Sodom. He also prays that God will heed him rather than turn away. Similarly, in the Amidah, we too thank God for hearkening to prayer.
Prayer. Thousands of years after Abraham, we too draw near to God for this purpose. We pray for supplication as we ask God for forgiveness, beseeching our creator to let us back into favor once more. We pray for the arrival of health, of happiness and of peace. Abraham is the first congregant – the first worshipper – the first person to draw near to god – the first to pray to God.
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Rashi's explanation of this verse inspires an engagement with our world and a sense of civic responsibility. As our election day of November 6 draws near, this message is as important as ever. Abraham's action and Rashi's subsequent teaching tell us that a Jewish life is in fact a political life.
Abraham asks God for a policy change. And he does this even though the destruction of Soddom & Gemmorah do not affect him personally. Following the Mitzvot that would later be written in the Torah, Abraham looks out for the rights of others. He questions whether they are treated fairly, even by God. And he speaks up about it. That's what it means to be political.
We are all but dust and ashes. Like Abraham, we have the power to alter the fate of creation by questioning the reality that we experience.
As we continue on our path of drawing near to ourselves, our communities and God, what questions will we ask? What will we demand?
