Lift up your eyes and understand

Torah study

RABBI LAWRENCE JACKOFSKY
Rosh Hashana

"For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your favored one, from Me." (Genesis 22:12)

"Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw." (Genesis 22:13)

God commanded Abraham, "Take your son, your favored one, Isaac ... and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering" (Genesis 22:2). Abraham obeyed. He headed off to the appointed place. He prepared the altar and bound Isaac to it. Then Abraham grasped the slaughtering knife to slay his son and fulfill the commandment.

Abruptly, God's voice was heard, and the retraction of the order to kill was uttered, "Do not raise your hand against the boy, or do anything to him." (Genesis 22:12)

Although the Torah does relate other stories in which Abraham addresses God, in this instance, Abraham's response is omitted.

Abraham might have said, "You told Sarah and me that Isaac would be our link to the generations to come. Now, we are at an impasse. You commanded me to come to this place to sacrifice my legacy, and though understanding escapes my heart, I am willing. Then, I hear a voice urging me not to lay a hand on my beloved son."

At that instant, Abraham's sight led him to insight, and his vision cleared: "Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw." (Genesis 22:13)

What did he see? There, before him, appeared a ram. Had Abraham been unable to see it until he could muster the strength to address his heart-wrenching challenge with a fresh approach to the situation?

His experience teaches us that there is another path, if only we lift up our eyes and look. In spite of all the absurdities and ambiguities in life, this episode teaches us that we do not have to withdraw into the rigid mind-set of past behavior and norms.

As we experience the High Holidays once again, we are charged not only to witness this defining moment rooted in the story of the binding of Isaac, but also to participate in this drama. May we be reminded that we are not bystanders, but rather, responsible individuals before God. May we be challenged to discover creative approaches in our thinking and our actions, without losing vision of eternal values.

"Praised be the Eternal god, who helps the blind to see." ("The Daily Blessings," Gates of Prayer for Shabbat and Weekdays, CCAR, 1994, p. 106)

In the Bible, lifting one's eyes and seeing go beyond the straightforward faculty of sight and gives us the potential power to change the direction of our lives and wrestle with contradiction. During these holy days, how can we raise our capacity to see the choices before us more clearly and to act upon them positively?