All this goes to show us that Avraham was not your average person. He had a very special and unique relationship with G-d. He was a great person, and he was also the forefather of a great nation that would be known for justice and righteousness. Because of this, Avraham had to prove to G-d and to himself that he was up to the job of fathering such a nation, and apparently he was. Now it is our job that is ever more important in these times to continue to be known as a nation of tzedek and mishpat, a nation of justice and righteousness.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Avraham and G-d
We learned in class that G-d felt that He needed to consult with Avraham before destroying Sdom. Let's stop and think about this for a moment; G-d needed to ask a human about something G-d was about to do. There are very few instances like this ever. G-d is the creator of the entire world. He created life and everything else imaginable, and yet He wanted to talk to one of his creations about doing something. Avraham was made out of the dust of the earth, as are all of G-d's children. Why did G-d care what Avraham had to say on the matter?
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I totally agree with Emma and I would like to add that Avraham's motives were a little less grand. He probably thought that it was just the proper human thing to try to save the lives of others. Naturally, he was trying to act justly and righteously, but he was probably just thinking, "Wow. G-d is going to annihilate all of these people. What if there are innocent people among them? What about Lot and his family? Will G-d kill them for living among wicked people?" Naturally, this action inspired future generations of Avraham's descendants, but at the time, it must have seemed like any old moral issue, just like the ones we have today (but not as severe as Avraham's situation).
ReplyDeleteWhat Sarah said is true in a sense, but then again the idea that this is just a normal perspective to take is based on a moral and ethical perspective on life. Remember, in those times, this way of thinking was not normal. Therefore, I would like to tweak one of Sarah's statements. Avraham probably did not think that this was the normal thing to do, he might have thought it was the right thing to do, which makes this thought so much more revolutionary and shows how great he really was and why we, as his descendants, merit to be known for tzedek and mishpat. We tend to be known to do the right thing even when everyone else isn't, and sticking to what we know is right even when the going gets tough.
DeleteI agree with you. Avraham being a closer person and more important person in the eyes of G-d is also shown when we see that the angels that came to Avraham were called men but when they came to Lot they were called Angels.
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