Genesis Cycle 6 Vayera

Vayera

Sodom and Self-Indulgence

Vayera  is filled with extreme situations.  Here we get destruction, incest, family jealousy,  heart break, sabotage, miraculous birth,  and manipulation. It could be an HBO series.

There’s one huge fact about this parasha though. The only people who are cleanly self indulgent are the people from Sodom.

Abimelech is self-indulgent but in the name of God. 

The daughters of Lot are self-indulgent because of mistakes of their father. 
 

Sarah is self concerned.

Abraham, despite all he experiences, does not focus on self. He focuses on those around him.

And this is the message: The hierarchy of human beings is not to be determined by money, job, spiritual yearnings,  public expression of heart, obsessions of heart, excuses made for heart or how many tears flow because of heart. The hierarchy of human beings in terms of closeness to God is determined by our behavior public and private, concealed and not-concealed, whether we are in the midst of extreme situations or not. It’s determined by our grace and balance and ability to keep the rhythm of soul despite the emotional and physical turmoil we all experience.  If, like the Sodomites, we are flipping out and spitting our angst for all to hear, soon even the most simple responsibilities will be placed aside and forgotten. Soon, the mitzvoth will be readily forgotten. We will be humiliating each other (as is the situation with Hagar) and as the Talmudic rabbis describe, killing each other metaphorically, draining blood even from our very own faces.

 I don’t mean to be tough here.  Of course we need to feel. But if Abraham can move beyond the pain of circumcision in adulthood…now that’s extreme…and serve the three men who visit him…well maybe we can get out of our “me” obsessions  as well. Obviously, we can’t do it like Abraham but we need to see him as the example.

Let’s say that instead of crying and whining on Facebook or finding excuses written by questionable authors for one’s own self-validation…let’s say we went out and started teaching the homeless how to find work…or let’s say we organized a project on Facebok that would feed the hungry…then this is a much more balanced way to behave whatever our extreme personal trauma. 

Self-inspection, self-understanding, self- analysis, self-healing, self- discovery, self-identity, self-growth, self-search, self- anything…these are all highly valued. And of course they should be. Needless to say, there isn’t one line in Torah where Abraham feels a need to meditate on his self-worth.  He mourns Sarah in one line. Besides that,  he doesn’t get emotionally involved. He doesn’t shower his servants and cattle with his emotional ramblings. He doesn’t define himself as an emotional being, but as a spiritual one. There is a difference.  Whether excited or shocked, Abraham moves through his emotions to move on. He acts with kindness and dedication to God. Cold, he isn’t. In fact, I love Torah even more these days because Abraham is one person who acts and feels in the greater world of the Divine.  How very refreshing.

Before we all drive ourselves crazy and witness the destruction of our world…may we find the balance and the self-honor to restrain the outpouring of our self-obsessions…and may we move forward into a world that can be healed. It only takes grace, balance, acceptance and a vision Beyond- Self to pure Love.