Vayera 5769 - Mark S. Diamond

Raise Your Voice

November 15, 2008 / 17 Heshvan 5769

Rabbi Mark S. Diamond
Executive Vice President
The Board of Rabbis of Southern California

Torah Portion: Vayera ("The Eternal One appeared..."), Genesis 18:1-22:24
Haftarah Portion: II Kings 4:1-37
Anniversaries are a special way to mark the passage of time. We celebrate wedding anniversaries; we commemorate Yahrzeits (the anniversaries of the deaths of loved ones); we reunite with old friends on the anniversaries of our graduation from high school and college.

Recently I marked an important anniversary in my own life: the twenty-fifth anniversary of purchasing my first home computer. I wonder how I survived, or could ever survive again, without a personal computer. From Internet sites, email and word processors to spreadsheets and databases, my trustworthy computers (notice the plural) seems capable of any task I devise for them. What marvelous, timesaving inventions they are!

But what of the broader social implications of the computer age? How should we respond to the momentous changes wrought by the proliferation of computers in our society? Let me offer my own approach to life in the information age.

We should not delude ourselves into thinking that technological innovations will solve all our problems. With the advent of computerized diets and computerized running shoes, it may appear that high technology has liberated us from enslaving habits. Eat and drink to your heart's content--the computer will somehow get you back into shape. Pollute the world with impunity--high tech will straighten out the mess sooner or later. Saturate the earth with missiles--sophisticated warning systems will detect the danger in time.

Sadly, we cling to the naive belief that technological progress frees us of the need to make critical decisions concerning our own lives and the world around us. This is a dangerous oversimplification of the role of technology in society today. As social forecaster John Naisbitt writes: "In our minds...technology is always on the verge of liberating us from personal discipline and responsibility. Only it never does and it never will."

The weekly Torah portion reinforces this message. Abraham sets out at God's behest to offer his beloved son Isaac as a sacrifice. The faithful patriarch is prepared to carry out the horrible deed, but, at the climactic moment of the narrative, God intervenes to save the boy's life.

Have you ever wondered why Abraham did not protest the Divine command to sacrifice his son as a burnt offering? What has happened to the courageous and outspoken patriarch who dared to intervene on behalf of the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah?

And what of Sarah? Can you imagine a mother patiently listening to her husband as he explains: "God wants me to sacrifice your only son, so I'll be gone for a few days. Please have dinner ready when I return."

Then there is Isaac himself. He willingly lies down upon the altar and calmly waits for the knife to pierce his flesh. Why does he not cry out: "Father, what are you doing? You are about to slaughter your son. If this is your idea of religion, I don't want any part of it!" Surely we would have expected Abraham the loving father, or Sarah the tender mother, or Isaac the innocent son, to protest this unspeakable crime.

Perhaps that is what God wanted all along. The Eternal One wanted someone to speak up and cry out in disbelief at the obscene notion of a father slaying his son. And yet, no one raised a voice in protest. No one spoke up for justice and morality. Finally, in desperation, God stays the Divine hand and reverses the Divine decree. In the end, God sets the world aright when humanity fails to do so.

Our Jewish tradition takes a dim view of individuals who abdicate their personal and communal responsibilities. Adam shutafo shel HaKadosh Barukh Hu, states the Talmud. We are God's partners in the ongoing process of creating and redeeming the world.

If we venture out of our homes this evening, only to discover that a magnificent sunset is obscured by airborne pollutants that blanket the sky, we shall have only ourselves to blame. If we awaken tomorrow morning, only to discover that nuclear weapons have destroyed much of our planet, we shall have only ourselves to blame. When human intervention upsets the earth's ecosystem, it is up to us to restore the delicate balance of nature. When the world's priorities are chaotic and confused, it is up to us to return to time-honored morals and values. When injustice and inhumanity rule the day, it is up to us to repair our fractured society.

Now, more than ever, we must explore anew our mandate to serve as God's partners in caring for creation. In the words of a compelling rabbinic text:

When God created the first human beings, God led them around the Garden of Eden and said: "Look at my works! See how beautiful they are--how excellent! For your sake I created them all. See to it that you do not spoil and destroy My world; for if you do, there will be no one else to repair it."

(Midrash Kohelet Rabbah)