Spirituality
Torah Portion/Synagogues
Subjective Ethics And The Silent Treatment
Shabbat Lech Lecha:
Genesis 12: 1- 17:27;
Isaiah 40:27-4 1: 16
W
hat's worse: adultery or
murder? In today's society,
most Americans would
probably consider murder a more seri-
ous crime than adultery.
In committing adultery, both par-
ties make a conscious personal choice.
Murder, on the other hand, involves
the choice of one party, and the death
of the other. Not very fair.
But what would we think about a
society that forbids adultery but con-
dones murder? Our forefather Avram
faces precisely this challenge.
After arriving in the land of
Canaan per God's command, Avram
is forced by famine and drought to
search for sustenance elsewhere. He
travels south toward Egypt, in hope of
finding some sort of sustenance. As he
nears the border crossing, he makes a
startling request of his wife, Sarai:
"Please say that you're my sister, so
Reuven Spoiler is rabbi of Young
Israel of Oak Park.
that they will be good to me on your
addressed directly by the king of
behalf, and that they will spare my life
Egypt, the Torah never tells us what
because of you" (12:13).
Avram says, or if he even responds at
Why does Avram ask her to lie?
all. Why does he remain totally mute
The Midrash explains that Avram
(at least in the text) throughout?
realizes that when the Egyptians see
Through his silence to the
Sarai's beauty, someone's going to
Egyptians, Avram communicates to us
want to have her for a wife. But
that if a society has become so corrupt
Egyptian society of the time did not
that it can condone murder to avoid
tolerate adultery. The only solution
adultery, then there's nothing to say to
would be to bump off the
it at all. A truly just society
woman's husband. Once the
requires not just a sense of
husband's out of the picture,
sexual morality and propri-
it's nothing less than an act
ety; but respect for human
of kindness to take in a poor,
life as well. Because the
grieving widow.
Egyptians have such a
So she lies, telling people
skewed sense of morality,
that they're brother and sis-
Avram literally has nothing
ter, not husband and wife.
to say to them, so he gives
Sure enough, the Pharaoh
them the silent treatment.
himself takes Sarai as a wife
What does Judaism have
RABBI
and only returns her after the
to say about this issue?
REUVEN
appearance of some well-
Which is worse? The Torah
SPOLTER
placed boils on strategic and
equally forbids both.
Special to the
rather painful parts of his
Judaism
considers both vio-
Jewish News
body.
lating the covenant of mar-
I find Avram's response
riage or the taking a human
the most interesting aspect of the
life to be equally heinous acts.
entire episode. From the moment he
I know what you're thinking:
enters Egypt until the moment he
Come on, Rabbi! Murder and sexual
leaves (six verses), Avram says
ethics the same?
absolutely nothing. Even when
In a word, yes. Just look at the Ten
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Commandments. We all know
Commandment Six: Thou shalt not
murder. But what's the very next com-
mandment? Do not commit adultery.
Whether we like it or not, and
American society agrees or not, the
Torah insists that a just society not
only creates and upholds laws of jus-
tice — but that society also creates
and maintains a proper ethic of
morality and sexuality. If we really
believe "In God We Trust," (and last I
checked, it's on the back of every
piece of currency printed in America)
and we hope that God doesn't give us
the "silent treatment," we must trust
not only God's blessings and protec-
tion, but also His requirements for
our society as well.
And any effort to enhance our soci-
ety's moral and sexual ethic is an
effort that traditional Judaism sup-
ports and endorses. EJ
Conversations
ti
Discuss Avram's reaction of
silence to the skewed sense of
morality he is faced with. Is this
a realistic reaction today?
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