Lech Lecha 5776

Midrash Temurah

An man came to Rebbi Akiva. "Who created the world?", he queried. R. Akiva answered, "The Holy One, blessed be He." The man replied, "Show me proof." R. Akiva said, "Come back to me tomorrow and I shall prove it to you."

When the man returned the following day, R. Akiva began by asking, "What is that you are wearing?" "A piece of clothing," the man replied."And who made it?" R. Akiva continued. "The weaver", he replied. "Show me proof", R. Akiva demanded. "But how can I show you proof if it isn't already obvious to you that it is the work of the weaver?!"

With this R. Akiva said, "Have you not heard what your own lips have spoken? Isn't it obvious to you that the Holy One has created this world? Doesn't the clothing testify to the weaver; the house and the door to a builder and a carpenter? Just so does the world testity to the One who made it."

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks Radical Then, Radical Now, Harper Collins, 2000

Abraham's bewilderment is clear. This sensitive human being gazes at a brilliantly structured universe, a splendid piece of art. He is overwhelmed by the grandeur of a sunset and by the miracle of childbirth; he marvels at the roaring ocean waves and at the silent, steady beat of the human heart. The world is indeed a palace.

But the palace is in flames. The world is full of bloodshed, injustice and strife. Thugs, abusers, rapists, kidnappers and killers are continuously demolishing the palace, turning our world into an ugly tragic battlefield of untold pain and horror.

What happened to the owner of the palace? Abraham cries. Why does G‑d allow man to destroy His world? Why does He permit such a beautiful palace to go up in flames? Could G‑d have made a world only to abandon it? Would anyone build a palace and then desert it?

Note that the owner of the palace does not make an attempt to get out of the burning building or to extinguish the flames. He is merely stating that He is the owner of the palace that is going up in smoke. It is as if, instead of racing out, the owner were calling for help. G‑d made the palace, man set it on fire, and only man can put out the flames. Abraham asks G‑d, "Where are you?" G‑d replies, "I am here, where are you?" Man asks G‑d, "Why did You abandon the world?" G‑d asks man, "Why did you abandon Me?"

Sfat Emet 1:58 Translation by Rabbi Art Green

A person is essential set aright when he forgets the vanities of the world. - "Forget your people" - and remembers that he is sent into this world to do God's bidding... Abraham was the first to cast all vanities asside and thsu to draw light into the world. Of his Scripture speaks when it asks, "Who caused the sun to shine from the East?" (Is. 41:2).

This is the meaning of the burning castle. This whole world was created only so that its vanities be forgotten and negated; this is the world's true fulfillment, since it is the corridor that leads into the great hall. It is the will of the castl'es owner that it be burned and consumed.

In my humble opinion

The problem is, according to the midrash, we didn't start the fire. In the words of Billy Joel, "it was always burning since the world was turning." G!d is the creator and owner of a world that was built to burn. G!d built it from dry tinder. G!d lit the match. The world has been burning at least since this midrash was written 1600 years ago, but in truth it's been burning forever. Perhaps. Perhaps. Like the Moses’ burning bush, the burning world is a wake up call. Perhaps we, like Abraham can encounter G!d amidst destruction. How long does it take to stare at a burning bush and realize that it has not been consumed? 3 minutes? 7 minutes? If most people were walking down a street and saw a burning bush or a burning garbage can would either keep walking or run to put it out. But both Moses and Abraham stopped to gaze and listen to the destruction. And both of them found G!d.

Midrash Hagadol

A traveler saw a tremendous large castle, and wanted to enter it. He examined it from all sides, but could find no entry. He called out a few times, but there was no responce. Then he lifted up his eyes and saw red woolen clothes spred out on the roof. After that he saw whie flaxed cloth. The traveler thought, "Surely man lives in that castle - for otherwise how would the cloths appear and disappear? When the master of the castle saw that he was in distress over this, he asked, "why are you in distress? I ham the master of the castle." Similarly, when Abraham saw the appareance and siappearance ofphenomena in nature, he thought, "unless there were someone in charge, this would not happen. It is not right to bow down to these, but to the One in charge." And he wandered in his mind, trying to find the truth of the matter. When God saw him in distrees,, He said to him, "You love righteousness," to justify the world. "

The Light and Fire of the Baal Shem Tov - Yitzchak Buxbaum

A king, by magic, surrounded his palace with many walls. Then he hid himself within the palace. The formidable walls were arranged in concentric circles, one inside the other, and they grew increasingly larger-- higher and thicker-- as one approached the center. They had fortified battlements and were manned by fierce soldiers who guarded from above; wild animals-- lions and bears-- ran loose below. All this was so that people would have proper awe and fear of the king and not all who desired to approach would be allowed to do as they pleased.

The king then had proclamations sent throughout the kingdom saying that whoever came to see him in his palace would be richly rewarded and given a rank second to none in the king's service. Who would not desire this? But when many came and saw the outer wall's awesome size and the terrifying soldiers and animals, most were afraid and turned back. There were some, however, who succeeded in scaling that wall and fighting past the soldiers and animals, but then the second wall loomed before their eyes, even more imposing than the first, and its guards even more terrible. Seeing that, many others turned back.

Moreover, the king had appointed servants to stand behind the walls to give money and precious stones to whoever got beyond each wall. Those who had crossed one or a few walls soon found themselves very rich and satisfied with what they had gained from their efforts; so they too turned back. For one reason or another, either from fear at the increasing obstacles or satisfaction with the accumulated rewards, none reached the king

Except for the king's son. He had only one desire: to see the face of his beloved father. When he came and saw the walls, soldiers, and wild animals, he was astonished. He could not understand how his dear father could hide himself behind all these terrifying barriers and obstacles. 'How can I ever reach him?' he thought. Then he began to weep and cried out, 'Father, Father, have compassion on me; don't keep me away from you!' His longing was so intense that he had no interest in any rewards. Indeed, he was willing to risk his life to attain his goal. By the courage of his broken heart, which burned to see his father, he ran forward with reckless abandon and self-sacrifice. He scaled one wall and then another, fought past soldiers and wild animals. After crossing the walls, he was offered money and jewels, but he threw them down in disgust. His only desire was to see his father. Again and again he called out to him.

His father the king, hearing his son's pathetic cries and seeing his total self-sacrifice, suddenly, instantaneously, removed the walls and other obstacles. In a moment they vanished as if they had never existed. Then his son saw that there were no walls, soldiers, or animals. His father the king was right before him, sitting on his majestic throne, while multitudes of servants stood near to serve him and heavenly choirs sang his praises. Gardens and orchards surrounded the palace on all sides. And the whole earth shone from the king's glory. Everything was tranquil, and there was nothing bad or terrible at all. Then the son realized that the walls and obstacles were a magical illusion and that his father the king had never really been hidden or concealed, but was with him all the time. It was all just a test to see who truly loved the king.

Zohar

A parable.

To what can this [Torah study] be compared? To a lovely princess,beautiful in every way and hidden deep within her palace. She has one lover, unknown to anyone; he is hidden too. Out of his love for her, this lover passes by her gate constantly, lifting his eyes to every side. She knows that her lover is hovering about her gate constantly.What does she do?
She opens a little window in her hidden palace and reveals her face to her lover,
then swiftly withdraws, concealing herself. No one near the lover sees or reflects,
only the lover, and his heart and his soul and everything within him flow out to her.
And he knows that out of love for him she revealed herself for that one moment to awaken love in him.

So it is with a word of Torah: She reveals herself to no one but her lover.Torah knows that he who is wise of heart hovers about her gate every day. What does she do? She reveals her face to him from the palace and beckons him with a hint, Then swiftly withdraws to her hiding place. No one who is there knows or reflects;

he alone does, and his heart and his soul and everything within him flows out to her.
That is why Torah reveals and conceals herself. With love she approaches her lover
to arouse love with him.