Parshat Vayera
This week's portion has lot of really interesting and complicated stories. Here is a very brief summary of our portion.
God sends three angels disguised as men to Abraham. Abraham sees them approaching his tent, invites them in and excitedly runs to prepare a delicious meal for them demonstrating his stellar hospitality skills. One of the angels announces that in a year, Sarah, Abraham's wife, will have a son. Sarah hears this news and laughs. You probably would too. She was 89 years old and Abraham was 99 years old!
The other angels also have an announcement. This one is no laughing matter. They tell Abraham they are being sent to destroy the city of Sodom. Abraham is greatly dismayed by this news, so he tries to save the city in an epic negotiation with God. (Learn more about this part of the portion here.)
A little while after this visit, Sarah becomes pregnant. She has a son named Isaac. Abraham and Sarah love Isaac dearly. Sarah is concerned for Isaac when she sees him playing with his half brother, Ishmael, so she sends Ishmael and his mother, Hagar away. An angel visits Hagar to reassure her that Ishmael will father a great nation. (Learn more about this part of the portion here)
The most famous story in our text comes at the very end of our portion. The binding of Isaac is one of the most challenging episodes we have in the Torah. Watch the video of it below, then discuss the questions.
God sends three angels disguised as men to Abraham. Abraham sees them approaching his tent, invites them in and excitedly runs to prepare a delicious meal for them demonstrating his stellar hospitality skills. One of the angels announces that in a year, Sarah, Abraham's wife, will have a son. Sarah hears this news and laughs. You probably would too. She was 89 years old and Abraham was 99 years old!
The other angels also have an announcement. This one is no laughing matter. They tell Abraham they are being sent to destroy the city of Sodom. Abraham is greatly dismayed by this news, so he tries to save the city in an epic negotiation with God. (Learn more about this part of the portion here.)
A little while after this visit, Sarah becomes pregnant. She has a son named Isaac. Abraham and Sarah love Isaac dearly. Sarah is concerned for Isaac when she sees him playing with his half brother, Ishmael, so she sends Ishmael and his mother, Hagar away. An angel visits Hagar to reassure her that Ishmael will father a great nation. (Learn more about this part of the portion here)
The most famous story in our text comes at the very end of our portion. The binding of Isaac is one of the most challenging episodes we have in the Torah. Watch the video of it below, then discuss the questions.
We read this story every year on Rosh HaShanah and it is still difficult to understand. There are a lot of unanswered questions including:
Here are some possible answers to some of these questions:
What other questions do you have after hearing the story? Do you agree with the answers above or do you have your own ideas?
- Why would God ask Abraham to sacrifice Isaac when God knew how much Abraham loved Isaac?
- Where was Sarah? Did she know about Abraham's plan?
- Why is it important to read this story on Rosh Hashanah?
Here are some possible answers to some of these questions:
- God never intended for Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. The first line of the story tells us this is merely a test for Abraham. It's like the Torah telling the readers up front, "This next part is going to be scary, but don't worry, everything will be fine in the end."
- Maybe Sarah knew the whole time. Perhaps she discovered Abraham's plan and followed her husband and son to the mountain. She made sure to bring a ram along with her as a substitute sacrifice.
- The ram's horn is what we use to make a shofar. It reminds us of Abraham's dedication to God and God's promise to make Abraham the father of a great nation.
What other questions do you have after hearing the story? Do you agree with the answers above or do you have your own ideas?
