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30

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 1989

ost of us live at such
a busy pace we
would rather a
storyteller get to the point im-
mediately without wasting
our precious time on in-
siginificant details. We are
constantly seeking and
achieving brevity of the writ-
ten and spoken word. This is
the age of video, computers,
mass media and Readers
Digest. We are able to receive
enormous amounts of infor-
mation at our fingertips in a
matter of seconds. This is all
very accommodating to our
lifestyles because as the infor-
mation becomes available in
smaller and smaller
packages, our amount of free
time is likewise shrinking
fast.
For these reasons, the story
that we read on the second
day of Rosh Hashanah re-
mains one of the most popular
in history. It is both short and
powerful, and can be sum-
marized in sweeping
headlines:
GOD SPEAKS TO MAN;
MAN AGREES TO
SACRIFICE HIS OWN SON:
ANGEL STOPS MAN AT
LAST SECOND.
The message is immediate-
ly understood. Abraham is
proven to be a one of eternal
faith. God does not really
want human sacrifice — only
such undying devotion.
Abraham passes this most
difficult test With flying
colors.
It is therefore somewhat
astonishing to find that the
rabbinic tradition does not
leave such a classic story
unadulterated. Rather, the
rabbis of the talmudic period
adorn this biblical passage
with numerous comments
and insertions. They go
against the grain of our
modern perspective by adding
details to . an easily
understood and meaningful
brief episode in Jewish
history.
One example of rabbinic
treatment of the "binding of
Isaac" narrative is a
midrashic text that begins
similarly to the biblical ver-
sion. God commands
Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, a
command with which
Abraham readily complies.
But on the way to Mount

Elliot Pachter is associate
rabbi of Adat Shalom
Synagogue.

Moriah, a new character is in-
troduced — the antagonistic
Satan, who frequently ap-
pears in rabbinic literature.
In this story, Satan appears
to Abraham in the form of an
old man. He asks Abraham
where he and Isaac are going,
to which Abraham replies
"We are going to pray." Satan
further questions Abraham,
"If you are going to pray, why
are you carrying firewood and
a slaughtering knife?" Satan
then reveals that he knows
Abraham's actual intention
and presses him not to carry

Rosh Hashanah
5750

out the slaying of his beloved
son. But Abraham remains
true to God's wishes and is
not deterred.
Next Satan appears to Isaac
in the form of a young man.
When asked by Satan where
he is going, Isaac replies "to
study lbrah." Satan then asks
"(Are you going to study)
alive or dead?" and proceeds
to reveal the tragic fate in
store for the youth.
Satan pays a visit to Sarah,
who tells him that Abraham
is at work, and Isaac is away
studying 'Farah. Satan in-
forms Sarah of the real reason
for their absence. Her im-
mediate reaction is mental
breakdown, but she recovers
in time to proclaim her faith
in God's wishes.
Unable to dissuade the
father, mother, or child with
words, Satan attempts to
abort this mission of faith
with physical restraints. He
turns himself into a river that
falls in the path of Abraham
and Isaac. The two nearly
drown while attempting to
cross the river of Satan until
Abraham appeals to God's
mercy and they are saved.
The Midrash concludes just
as the biblical narrative does
— Abraham is stopped just
short of slaughtering Isaac on
the altar and is praised for his
overwhelming faith in God.
You might, and should, be
asking yourself, "What is the
purpose of this midrash?"
What need is there to add so
many details to the original
story? And why is this Satan
character flying around like a
Shakespearean Robin Good-
fellow? The two versions of
the story begin and end the
same way. Why do we need
them both? What's wrong
with the biblical account that
compels the rabbis to compose

their longer and more com-
plex version?
You probably prefer the
original version of the story
as found in the Torah for the
reasons I stated earlier — it is
short and to the point. But
there's still another reason
why it is atractive to the
modern reader of the Bible.
In the Torah's version of the
story, Abraham acts com-
pletely on his own. The only
other named character is
Isaac, but his role is minor.
Isaac essentially serves as a
means for Abraham to prove
himself to God. The conversa-
tion between father and son is
limited. A close reading of the
end of the story reveals that
Isaac is no longer with
Abraham. His sole purpose —
that of providing a body for
Abraham to sacrifice —
already has been served.
In the Torah, we are never
told of Sarah's involvement —
she appears to play no role
whatsoever. The essence of
this powerful story is the rela-
tionship between Abraham
and God.
lb the modern reader, to the
American Jew of 1989, the
biblical Abraham is the ideal
religious role model. After all,
isn't religion a personal ex-
perience? God calls out to
each of us. One either dutiful-
ly responds in the spirit of
Abraham or gracefully
declines the invitation.
Whom does one hurt by say-
ing "no"? Not family or
friends. They are free to pur-
sue religion on their own.
Like Abraham, it seems that
one's individual commitment,
or lack thereof, is neither
dependent on others, nor does
it affect them.

Now we begin to see what's
bothering the rabbis — what
troubles them about the
biblical version of this story
and compels them to add so
amny details. It is presented
in such a way as to appear
that Abraham's actions have
no or little effect on those
with whom he is close.
Sarah's absence implies that
she is unaffected by the whole
episode. Isaac's reduced role
greatly de-emphasizes the im-
pact he feels. But how can
this be? A man takes his child
to the altar. Is it only his
business — a personal en-
counter with God? The
Midrash asks the obvious
questions. How would Sarah
react if she were told? What
is Isaac thinking as he so
passively goes along? Does he
know? It is naive to think