(9) The Eternal God called out to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?” (10) He replied, “I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.”
(7) Then Isaac said to his father Abraham, “Father!” And he answered, “Here I am, my son.”
(א) וַיְהִ֗י אַחַר֙ הַדְּבָרִ֣ים הָאֵ֔לֶּה וְהָ֣אֱלֹהִ֔ים נִסָּ֖ה אֶת־אַבְרָהָ֑ם וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֵלָ֔יו אַבְרָהָ֖ם וַיֹּ֥אמֶר הִנֵּֽנִי׃
(1) Some time afterward, God put Abraham to the test. God said to him, “Abraham,” and he answered, “Here I am.”
- What do you think made Abraham afraid of God's call? Why was his immediate reaction to hide?
- Why did Abraham later answer God's call very differently?
(17) Then she put in the hands of her son Jacob the dish and the bread that she had prepared. (18) He went to his father and said, “Father.” And he said, “Here I am, which of my sons are you?” (19) Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau, your first-born; I have done as you told me. Pray sit up and eat of my game, that you may give me your innermost blessing.”
(11) And in the dream an angel of God said to me, ‘Jacob!’ ‘Here I am.’ I answered. (12) And he said, ‘Note well that all the he-goats which are mating with the flock are streaked, speckled, and mottled; for I have noted all that Laban has been doing to you. (13) I am the God of Beth-el, where you anointed a pillar and where you made a vow to Me. Now, arise and leave this land and return to your native land.’”
(13) Israel said to Joseph, “Your brothers are pasturing at Shechem. Come, I will send you to them.” He answered, “Here I am.”
(17) Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “In my dream, here I am standing on the bank of the Nile.
(1) So Israel set out with all that was his, and he came to Beer-sheba, where he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. (2) God called to Israel in a vision by night: “Jacob! Jacob!” He answered, “Here I am.” (3) And God said, “I am God, the God of your father. Fear not to go down to Egypt, for I will make you there into a great nation. (4) I Myself will go down with you to Egypt, and I Myself will also bring you back; and Joseph’s hand shall close your eyes.”
- What does it mean to respond to a call with the response "Hineini", or "Here I am"?
- Do the instructions that come after the calls have something in common?
God calls on Moses:
(4) When the Eternal saw that he had turned aside to look, God called to him out of the bush: “Moses! Moses!” He answered, “Here I am.”
Excuse #1:
Excuse #2:
God gets frustrated:
- What excuses did Moses give in order to shirk the responsibility of leading the People of Israel out of Egypt?
- Was Moses' initial "Hineini" an honest commitment to undertake God's command? How did God and Moses come to an agreement about who would lead the People of Israel?
- Think of a time that you excused yourself from a challenge because you lacked the self confidence (bitachon atzmi) to fail forward. Did you end up pushing yourself to try? What came from it? Do you wish you had pushed yourself a little harder?