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Speaker 1: Welcome to Timeless Wisdom with Dennis Prager. Here thousands of

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Speaker 1: hours of Dennis's lectures courses in classic radio programs. Had

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Speaker 1: to purchase Dennisprager's Rational Bibles. Go to Denisprager dot com.

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Speaker 2: I teach the Torah, which is the first five books

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Speaker 2: of the Hebrew Bible, or the five Books of Moses.

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Speaker 2: I teach them as objectively as I can do. I

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Speaker 2: try not to look at them through the eyes of

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Speaker 2: a religious person a or the eyes of a Jewish

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Speaker 2: person b, but the eyes of that plus an objective

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Speaker 2: reader of the text. I approach the text as what

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Speaker 2: does it really want to say? Even if I'm not

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Speaker 2: happy with what I conclude. In other words, intellectual honesty

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Speaker 2: comes before my other commitments. But my other commitments are

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Speaker 2: part of it. Okay. I want you to understand how

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Speaker 2: I approach this. Part of that other commitment is it

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Speaker 2: is to me your religious work. And in Judaism, the

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Speaker 2: most religious act you can engage in is the study

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Speaker 2: of Torah. It is much greater than prayer. So for

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Speaker 2: that reason, when I teach and study Torah, I wear

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Speaker 2: a yamaka, so you will understand why I put it

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Speaker 2: on it renders the act more than an academic study.

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Speaker 2: It is to me much more than academic and so

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Speaker 2: you'll understand. That's why. Okay, having said that, I don't

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Speaker 2: know that keeps making noise, I am now up to

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Speaker 2: and you're very luckier here tonight, because it's about as

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Speaker 2: dramatic as you can get in the in the Bible.

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Speaker 2: I am up to Genesis twenty two. Just to recap

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Speaker 2: the story up until now. God created the heavens in

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Speaker 2: the earth. I was very disappointed after he created Man,

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Speaker 2: decided to destroy him. Start all over again with Noah,

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Speaker 2: started with mister and miss Noah was very disappointed with

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Speaker 2: them too. And we are now up to the first Jew, Abraham,

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Speaker 2: the first not the first ethical monotheist, though that was Noah.

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Speaker 2: But Abraham is chosen, and we have seen his life

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Speaker 2: now and as important the life of Sarah. One of

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Speaker 2: the themes that I have tried to show, not because

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Speaker 2: of feminist sensitivity, but simply because it's a fact of

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Speaker 2: the Biblical record, is how critical Sarah is to the

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Speaker 2: entire process. In fact, Sarah really is the insurer of

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Speaker 2: the continuity of Abraham, more than Abraham himself, who was

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Speaker 2: very happy to do things through y Ishmael, the other

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Speaker 2: son that he had through Hagar the concubine. If that's

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Speaker 2: all relatively new to you, just review or pick up

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Speaker 2: one of the tapes of my previous sessions. We now

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Speaker 2: go to what is the ultimate story of Abraham's life,

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Speaker 2: and that is what is known, unfortunately as the Sacrifice

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Speaker 2: of Isaac. Of course, it's only known as the sacrifice

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Speaker 2: of Isaac to those who know the Bible solely through English.

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Speaker 2: It's in Hebrew. It's a kedak yitzchok, which means the

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Speaker 2: binding of Isaac. Isaac's never sacrificed, and that's the whole

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Speaker 2: point of the story. So when people speak about the

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Speaker 2: sacrifice of Isaac, they have undone the story terribly. He's

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Speaker 2: not sacrificed. It's a reverse of exactly what it wants

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Speaker 2: to say. What I am doing. Incidentally, in the course

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Speaker 2: is verse by verse, so that you get an insight

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Speaker 2: into really you will learn it. You will actually you

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Speaker 2: attend this, you will learn the Torah. And it's not

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Speaker 2: an off impossible thing to do. And I really love this,

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Speaker 2: as difficult as it is time wise for me, it

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Speaker 2: is something I love immensely because, among other reasons. It

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Speaker 2: forces me to learn it verse by verse rather and

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Speaker 2: learn it through adult eyes rather than through the kids'

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Speaker 2: stories or just the kid's eyes, the way we all,

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Speaker 2: or at least those of us who ever went to

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Speaker 2: religious school, were taught it. I want to deal first

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Speaker 2: with one quick issue in chapter twenty two, and that

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Speaker 2: is the notion of faith. The notion of faith is

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Speaker 2: something that overwhelmingly is a subject of much greater comfort

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Speaker 2: to Christians than to Jews. Jews don't talk about faith

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Speaker 2: nearly as much as Christians do, and there is a

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Speaker 2: reason for that. Incidentally, most one of the things that

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Speaker 2: I like about life is is difficult as it is,

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Speaker 2: it makes sense reason why Christians talk about faith more

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Speaker 2: than Jews do, and the reason is overwhelmingly this faith

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Speaker 2: is everything to the to normative Christianity. If if Jesus

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Speaker 2: is not the Messiah, is Jesus is not one of

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Speaker 2: the trinity, then one no longer has in an effect.

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Speaker 2: I'm sorry, is there talking that? I? Yeah? Does do

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Speaker 2: you know what that is? Is a feedback coming back?

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Speaker 2: Anybody know what it is? Oh? Okay, sorry, it just

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Speaker 2: you keep hearing it down here, guys. Sorry, Okay, that's right.

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Speaker 2: I always start with sorry, guys, Bennett, we get to

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Speaker 2: that afterwards. Okay, derec, they're stopping. For Christians, generally speaking,

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Speaker 2: everything resides in faith, Jesus' resurrection, the Trinity, etc. For Judaism,

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Speaker 2: there is a great deal more aside from faith you have.

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Speaker 2: For the religious Jew, forget the ethnic Jew, the religious Jew,

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Speaker 2: you have the commandments, which are so overwhelming that they

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Speaker 2: are really the core of his or her religiosity. Now

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Speaker 2: that's really a separate subject unto itself. But what I

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Speaker 2: want to say is really directed here towards Jews. Faith

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Speaker 2: is not only not a stranger to Judaism, it is

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Speaker 2: the essence a lot of Jews. In some reaction I

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Speaker 2: feel toward the majority religion among whom so many have

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Speaker 2: lived for nearly two thousand years, sometimes think that if

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Speaker 2: Christians emphasize X, well, then Jews have to emphasize not

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Speaker 2: X or Y. And it's a very foolish thing to

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Speaker 2: do when when Christians point to Abraham's act of faith

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Speaker 2: that you will encounter now they are talking about a

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Speaker 2: quittessentially Jewish story. Faith is critical without faith. In the

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Speaker 2: final analysis, what is life? What do we have if

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Speaker 2: ultimately God is not the source of it all. What

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Speaker 2: do we have? We have a journey through this life.

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Speaker 2: Some of us are luckier than others, and then we

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Speaker 2: all enter oblivion and that's it. So the concept of

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Speaker 2: faith is very critical to Judaism. It is critical to

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Speaker 2: the Torah. It is central to this story. And here

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Speaker 2: you see the epitome of faith. Take your child, kill

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Speaker 2: him for me. Now, of course it raises immense other

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Speaker 2: questions the faith. Can there be such a faith that

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Speaker 2: you would kill your child for it? Let me let

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Speaker 2: me address that for a moment before we get to

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Speaker 2: the text. Sentence by sentence, I suspect looking around as

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Speaker 2: a very very widespread age divergence here. But there are

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Speaker 2: certainly some of you who recall World War II. Some

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Speaker 2: of you may have fought in World War Two. If

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Speaker 2: you're a child, or if you were a child who

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Speaker 2: went to fight in World War II for the United States,

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Speaker 2: for the Allies, your parents, unless they objected, your parents

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Speaker 2: were willing to sacrifice you for something. They were willing

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Speaker 2: to sacrifice you for an ideal, for freedom, for democracy,

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Speaker 2: for the liberation of conquered nations, whatever it might have been.

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Speaker 2: Don't look at this chapter as bizarre. The idea of

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Speaker 2: sacrificing one's child is one that returns in every age.

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Speaker 2: Any parent willing to let a child go to fight

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Speaker 2: in a war is willing to sacrifice his or her child.

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Speaker 2: So we're not all that removed from the question that

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Speaker 2: God is saying to giving to Abraham here, which is,

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Speaker 2: are you prepared to sacrifice your child for me? They

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Speaker 2: are prepared to sacrifice their children for bao or bail,

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Speaker 2: as people say in English, for false gods? Are you

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Speaker 2: prepared to give your child for the real God, the

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Speaker 2: creator of even and earth. When you put it that

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Speaker 2: way and you understand that the end is that God

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Speaker 2: doesn't want it, it makes a great deal of sense,

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Speaker 2: and it's much less jarring morally. I think when you

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Speaker 2: understand it that way, there are things we have to

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Speaker 2: be prepared to sacrifice our life or our children's life,

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Speaker 2: or at least enable them. That last part, enable them

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Speaker 2: as opposed to sacrifice them. Is another issue before we

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Speaker 2: go on that I before we get to the text

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Speaker 2: that I want to deal with, do we sacrific ffics

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Speaker 2: our children in the same way that Abraham has asked

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Speaker 2: to sacrifice Isaac? Obviously not directly work, not asked to

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Speaker 2: kill our children. But whenever an adult generation declares war

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Speaker 2: and certainly drafts children to an army, it's not all

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Speaker 2: that different. It is different, certainly, but it isn't that different.

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Speaker 2: We are we adults in the collective, are taking our

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Speaker 2: children and asking them to potentially die, and some definitely

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Speaker 2: die for us. It's it is something that adults do

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Speaker 2: ask of children. However, there is one big difference between

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Speaker 2: now and Abraham's time, which I have alluded to previously,

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Speaker 2: but it's it's such an important theme it needs to

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Speaker 2: be stressed again. We don't own our children today nearly

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Speaker 2: as much as parents own their children in the past,

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Speaker 2: and for which, by the way, all I could say

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Speaker 2: is thank god. I can consider that, and absolutely it's

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Speaker 2: one of the few developments in life that is entirely positive.

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Speaker 2: Most things come with the price. This one. There is

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Speaker 2: a price, but it's so minimal that it's like getting

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Speaker 2: a gorgeous home for a dollar. There is a price

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Speaker 2: a dollar, but it's minimal. That's how I would have

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Speaker 2: to speak about us and children today. The idea of

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Speaker 2: take your child and give him over to the gods,

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Speaker 2: or give him to me god in this case made

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Speaker 2: perfect sense. A parent owned a child. Today, it doesn't

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Speaker 2: make any sense from that perspective. We don't own our children.

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Speaker 2: I might add, though, that we when I say we

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Speaker 2: don't own our children, I'm speaking of a very small

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Speaker 2: group of humanity. The great majority of people still believe

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Speaker 2: that they own their children. Westerners particularly secularized, and that's

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Speaker 2: a positive aspect of secularization in my opinion. Secularized Westerners

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Speaker 2: are very different from the vast majority of mankind, where

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Speaker 2: the child is the property of a parent. We don't

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Speaker 2: have that anymore, and it is a good thing we don't.

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Speaker 2: Your child is an independent creature. And by the way,

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Speaker 2: as I taught in the beginning of Genesis, the Torah

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Speaker 2: wants it that way. And if you remember this, I

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Speaker 2: feel gratified. If not, then I'm just happy. I'm mentioning

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Speaker 2: it again. At the end of the creation of the world,

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Speaker 2: God says, or the Torah says, therefore a man shall

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Speaker 2: leave his mother and father, and his father and mother

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Speaker 2: and cling unto his wife, and they shall be as

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Speaker 2: one flesh. And I taught what, in fact, the Rabbinic

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Speaker 2: tradition had taught. You can't cling unto your wife. Until

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Speaker 2: you've left your mother and father. You can't be a

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Speaker 2: grown up until you've left home. And what is Abraham

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Speaker 2: told by God in the very beginning, when God first

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Speaker 2: appears to him, go out from your father's home. You

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Speaker 2: cannot be a un ultimately mature. We're adult and found

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Speaker 2: what I need founded in this world. If you don't,

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Speaker 2: if you don't leave your parents, that's what growing up

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Speaker 2: is about. That doesn't mean you don't call, all right,

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Speaker 2: I know, I always I have to make that clear.

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Speaker 2: I sometimes fear that some you know, children my age

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Speaker 2: younger will hear that and go, wow, that's great. I

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Speaker 2: have a greenlight to ignore them. It doesn't mean not calling,

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Speaker 2: or not visiting and not loving, none of that. It

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Speaker 2: just means going on your own. You will have to

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Speaker 2: grow up, you have to leave. And there is part

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Speaker 2: of that in today as well, but in today's chapter,

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Speaker 2: as you'll see. But ultimately we don't own our children,

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Speaker 2: so that part is jarring. Take your child. And by

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Speaker 2: the way, a at this point we have we don't

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Speaker 2: know how old Isaac is in this in this story.

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Speaker 2: I'm trying to figure it out, but I'm not sure

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Speaker 2: it's figurable. He's clearly though I would. He's not a

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Speaker 2: little kid. He's a lad, but he's not a little child.

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Speaker 2: He knows what's happening. That's all we can say. There

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Speaker 2: are even traditions that he's actually thirty years old or so.

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Speaker 2: I mean, so, I don't know exactly what it is,

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Speaker 2: but whatever it is, children in those days expected to

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Speaker 2: be done with what a parent wanted. Okay. Nevertheless, the

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Speaker 2: question is what effect did this all have on Isaac?

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Speaker 2: I called a psychiatrist about that today I did. I

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Speaker 2: called a friend of mine who's a psychiatrist, and I

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Speaker 2: asked him what who was also studied this tremendously, And

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Speaker 2: I said, what effect do you think this had on Isaac?

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Speaker 2: And I will tell you later, because I just think

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Speaker 2: if your husband took your kid and went to sacrifice him, A,

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Speaker 2: what effect it would have on the kid? And B,

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Speaker 2: which we will come to next, what effect would it

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Speaker 2: have on you?

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Speaker 1: This episode of Timeless Wisdom will continue right after this.

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Speaker 1: Now back to more of Dennis Brager's Timeless Wisdom.

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Speaker 2: Part of Genesis, a big part may be called dysfunctional families.

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Speaker 2: It is every family in Genesis is not dysfunctional in

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Speaker 2: the way we use it everybody. You know, it's like

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Speaker 2: you're not in if you don't claim you come from

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Speaker 2: a dysfunctional family. You know, there are no functional anymore

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Speaker 2: the way people walk around talking. But these are, honest

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Speaker 2: to goodness dysfunctional. Okay. I think if the father wants

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Speaker 2: to sacrifice the child, it's fair to say that there

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Speaker 2: are problems in that family. Okay, it's just I don't

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Speaker 2: want to overstate the case. But you know you have

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Speaker 2: to read That's what I meant. You have to read

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Speaker 2: this as real people, not just people of faith and

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Speaker 2: not just skeptics. But it is telling you about family life.

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Speaker 2: Family life is tough. Marriage, at least in those days,

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Speaker 2: was not a particularly romantic affair, has described here, and

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Speaker 2: parent child relations were wrought with difficulties, and siblings was

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Speaker 2: just the worst. I mean, the first two siblings in history,

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Speaker 2: one murdered the other. Okay, remember canaan Abel. It starts

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Speaker 2: off and never gets better for a very long time.

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Speaker 2: By the way. In that regard, as I have said before,

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Speaker 2: it should be of some consolation to you. Next time

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Speaker 2: you have family problems, just pick up Genesis and you'll

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Speaker 2: compare to them. We got it great, Okay, and I

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Speaker 2: mean that sincerely. I have often thought about that that

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Speaker 2: you have to start sitting back and go, wait a minute,

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Speaker 2: look at that, even the Bible. That is why I

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Speaker 2: could relate to it so well. If they depicted one perfect, loving, great,

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Speaker 2: healthy family after another, how could any of us relate.

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Speaker 2: It's precisely because they have problems and still retain faith,

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Speaker 2: then I can relate. Then I understand what faith is about.

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Speaker 2: If everything is unkie dory, big deal. So they had faith.

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Speaker 2: If they had my problems, they'd lose faith. But that's

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Speaker 2: not what happened. By the way, I saw a hand

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Speaker 2: up and let me explain something. What I try to

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Speaker 2: do otherwise, given the numbers I could never get through

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Speaker 2: the material is ask please that you do save it

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Speaker 2: unless it's a specific thing like if you know Isaac's age,

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Speaker 2: tell me you know Isaac's age. There you go? Is

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Speaker 2: that great? I love it. I'm sorry, yeah, I'm not

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Speaker 2: sure it's right after it. That's the problem anyway, So

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Speaker 2: what age based on that? Thirty eight? Okay, that's why

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Speaker 2: that is what some of the traditions hold on the

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Speaker 2: assumption that Sarah dies right after Okay, that we don't

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Speaker 2: know for sure. That's because there time periods in the

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Speaker 2: Bible are not clear in that way. They're a collapse

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Speaker 2: is a twenty thirty years at some time. But if

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Speaker 2: it is true, then he would be in his thirties,

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Speaker 2: and that's I thank you for how we got to it. Otherwise,

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Speaker 2: please do just jot it down and then I will

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Speaker 2: leave time before in other words, at the beginning of

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Speaker 2: my sessions and at the end of the sessions. But

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Speaker 2: I feel that I cheat you if I take questions

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Speaker 2: when I could be giving more material. Okay, what I

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Speaker 2: do is I read it and take it verse by verse,

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Speaker 2: except when we have genealogies or just details that demand

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Speaker 2: know a commentary. I'm not going to give commentary for

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Speaker 2: its own sake. One final word, No translation that you

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Speaker 2: are using is literal, and that's a problem because I

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Speaker 2: believe that only if we know what it literally says

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Speaker 2: can we really have an insight into what it says,

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Speaker 2: at least on the surface, which is very important. So

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Speaker 2: sometimes I will translate awkwardly, only that you know what

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Speaker 2: the original Hebrew actually says word by word, Chapter twenty two,

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Speaker 2: verse one, And it came and it was after these

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Speaker 2: things I'm doing the literal translation for you. Immediately there's

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Speaker 2: a question what things. Okay, that's the way I read

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Speaker 2: it with you. I want to know what each verse says,

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Speaker 2: what things it says, and after these things, what things. Well,

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Speaker 2: right before this, you will recall that Sarah had sent

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Speaker 2: out Hagar and Ishmael. Recall that, and he nearly died.

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Speaker 2: He was saved by God, by an angel of God,

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Speaker 2: and she was saved as well. And so it's after

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Speaker 2: these things that the following happened. Now, that alone is

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Speaker 2: a very interesting thing. Some thoughts on this. There is

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Speaker 2: one Chassidic thought that now Sarah will know what it's

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Speaker 2: like to lose a child, as Hagar almost had to learn.

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Speaker 2: There is in Genesis a very deep, constant thread that

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Speaker 2: how you act comes back to you. You cheat, you

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Speaker 2: get cheated. It's very basic to all of Genesis. Whether

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Speaker 2: that really happens in life is another question. I think

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Speaker 2: it often does. I can't make an ironclad rule it

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Speaker 2: generally does. But that is what is certainly at the

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Speaker 2: basis of much of what happens in Genesis. Is will

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Speaker 2: see much more vividly with the ensuing families of the

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Speaker 2: patriarchs and matriarchs. But it is interesting Sarah. Sarah nearly

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Speaker 2: caused the death of the child of Hagar, and now

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Speaker 2: Abraham will may cause the death of the child of Sarah.

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Speaker 2: That could be I don't say it's definite. We just

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Speaker 2: don't know. It could be one of the subtle links

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Speaker 2: between the two stories, because you have the linkage of

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Speaker 2: these words and came to pass after these events. In

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Speaker 2: other words, these events are linked in some way to

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Speaker 2: God's demand that Abraham kill sacrifice Isaac. So you, Sarah

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Speaker 2: got rid of this woman's child, and now he will

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Speaker 2: get rid of your child. Who knows that that might

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Speaker 2: be part of it? That in that language. There is

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Speaker 2: one other thought on that particular one, and that is this,

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Speaker 2: after Sarah had caused the loss of y Ishmael to Abraham,

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Speaker 2: was their resentment of Sarah on the part of Abraham. Remember,

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Speaker 2: Abraham was very attached to Ishmael. We do not have

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Speaker 2: a very strong sense that there was an overwhelming preference

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Speaker 2: for Isaac. There might have been, because this was the

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Speaker 2: promised one through Sarah, but we don't. It's Sarah who

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Speaker 2: is the mover and shaker to get rid of yeshma Al.

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Speaker 2: As the air the spiritual air, the moral air, as

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Speaker 2: well as the financial air of Abraham. It's Sarah who's moving.

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Speaker 2: Who knows if there is not some resentment on the

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Speaker 2: part of Abraham, that too might be part of what

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Speaker 2: is going on here in the linkage of the two stories,

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Speaker 2: not a commentary for the first four words, No, not

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Speaker 2: done this. Listen to this part. Now you probably have God.

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Speaker 2: God tested Abraham right, or put Abraham to the test.

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Speaker 2: The word God here is extremely important. Here we have

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Speaker 2: there are two words for God, generally speaking in the Bible,

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Speaker 2: and especially in the Hebrew Bible, and especially in Genesis.

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Speaker 2: One is a do Nai, which is written out as Jehovah,

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Speaker 2: and the other one is Elohim. What is the difference

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Speaker 2: between the first and the second? There is no absolute answer,

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Speaker 2: but I think a very logical the most logical one

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Speaker 2: is this, a do Nai or Jehovah is referring to

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Speaker 2: God who is personal, the God you can relate to

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Speaker 2: talk to, pray, to complain, to argue with. As we'll

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Speaker 2: see in a moment, Elohim is is the God of nature,

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Speaker 2: the God who you don't relate to, the God who

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Speaker 2: created the world. Think about it, aren't there two aspects

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Speaker 2: of God, the God of nature, the God who built

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Speaker 2: the world where in fact cells can metastasize and little

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Speaker 2: kids get leukemia. There is that God, the God who

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Speaker 2: created to nature with volcanoes and tornadoes and earthquakes and diseases,

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Speaker 2: and not follies mosquitoes that bring malaria. There is that

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Speaker 2: as well as the God who created the incredible ability

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Speaker 2: of nature to produce everyone in this room. No, I

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Speaker 2: only gave you the ugly stuff. But there is also,

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Speaker 2: of course the beautiful stuff. But the God of nature

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Speaker 2: is not the god you pray to, because nature goes

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Speaker 2: in its own way. You cannot pray, oh, change nature,

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Speaker 2: at least not in Judaism. You cannot pray for changes

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Speaker 2: of nature because you cannot pray for miracles. That's what

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Speaker 2: a miracle in essence would be, change nature. They may occur,

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Speaker 2: but you can't pray for them. It's just that, at

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Speaker 2: least in the theology. In normative rabbinic theology, nature is nature.

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Speaker 2: The God of Nature is the God who created the world.

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Speaker 2: The other God, the other name of God. It's all

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Speaker 2: one God. That is the God you can talk to,

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Speaker 2: you can relate to as the personal God. So I

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Speaker 2: haven't the God of nature and the personal God juxtaposed.

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Speaker 2: It's the same God, just two aspects. That's why I

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Speaker 2: think there are two names. Which God do you think

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Speaker 2: told Abraham? Not which God? Which name of God do

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Speaker 2: you think, or which aspect told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac.

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Speaker 2: You would think one argument would be the personal God,

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Speaker 2: because you know nature doesn't demand that Nature, you would

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Speaker 2: think the creator of the universe, that is not its business.

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Speaker 2: But you will learn from Abraham's response which one did

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Speaker 2: the speaking, because it is here not only the God

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Speaker 2: of nature who told him, who put him to the test,

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Speaker 2: but it is written in the most abstract and definitive way.

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Speaker 2: The Hebrew can do it, theha Elohim and the God.

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Speaker 2: It is relatively rare that God is called the God.

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Speaker 2: It's usually God in Hebrew. Here it is the God,

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Speaker 2: and that is who told Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac.

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Speaker 2: And he said, and he said, Abraham, this is the God,

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Speaker 2: the God of creation and Nature said to him, Abraham,

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Speaker 2: and he said, he name me here, I am, I'm

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Speaker 2: ready for whatever you want to be done. Abraham's response

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Speaker 2: to God, which you will see in a moment, which

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Speaker 2: is which was no response. He just did exactly what

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Speaker 2: God wanted. What is Abraham's response? When God says to Abraham,

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Speaker 2: I'm going to destroy the people of Sadomanmora, He argues

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Speaker 2: with him, remember a protracted argument. Here's the proof of

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Speaker 2: what I said earlier, of why it's important to know

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Speaker 2: which God's name here. Abraham is utterly silent when told

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Speaker 2: to sacrifice his child when it came to the strangers

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Speaker 2: of a miserable, evil city, like saidame, He argues, which God?

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Speaker 2: Do you think? Which name of God is used in Sidome? Hmm, right,

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Speaker 2: the personal God? The personal name. That's the God you

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Speaker 2: can argue with. God appeared to him as the personal

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Speaker 2: God when God came to him as the creator of

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Speaker 2: the universe. Folks, when the creator of the universe tells

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Speaker 2: you something, you do it. You have to understand that

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Speaker 2: there's no arguing. It's like arguing with a tornado. Tornado,

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Speaker 2: why are you coming to my house? I'm a nice person.

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Speaker 2: It's absurd, right you are? You don't argue with tornadoes.

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Speaker 2: When the God, God, the Creator, tells you, here I

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Speaker 2: am That's all you can answer. It's very important to

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Speaker 2: understand the hint that the text is giving by using

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Speaker 2: the term veha ELOHEMI sad Abraham and the God the Creator,

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Speaker 2: God tested Abraham. Now, why is it important that it

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Speaker 2: says tested Abraham. First, let's get something totally clear. God

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Speaker 2: needs a test of you or anybody else, like God

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Speaker 2: needs a shoeshine. Okay, to make an idiotic analogy. God

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Speaker 2: doesn't need to test. God knows whether or not Abraham

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Speaker 2: believes in him. The purpose of the test is for us,

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Speaker 2: the readers. It's not for Abraham, and it's not for God.

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Speaker 2: It's for us the reader. Look, reader, look, future human beings.

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Speaker 2: I test Abraham and look how he passed. It's for

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Speaker 2: you to understand what faith is. Not for Abraham who

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Speaker 2: had it, and certainly not for me. God. You get that.

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Speaker 2: I am testing him for your sake to know what

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Speaker 2: absolute faith is like. Second reason why it says God

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Speaker 2: tested Abraham is so that everybody knows the second they

426
00:29:30,520 --> 00:29:36,000
Speaker 2: open the chapter that God doesn't want child sacrifice. You

427
00:29:36,080 --> 00:29:39,000
Speaker 2: know at the outset we are going now through a test.

428
00:29:39,760 --> 00:29:42,640
Speaker 2: It's like on the radio, when this is now a test.

429
00:29:42,680 --> 00:29:45,080
Speaker 2: They tell you in advance. If they didn't, you think

430
00:29:45,080 --> 00:29:47,400
Speaker 2: it was real. It's not good to tell you later.

431
00:29:48,800 --> 00:29:51,120
Speaker 2: That is exactly what is happening here. I'm making an

432
00:29:51,160 --> 00:29:54,520
Speaker 2: announcement to you at this moment. This is a test. Reader.

433
00:29:54,800 --> 00:29:57,160
Speaker 2: Don't think for a second that the God of the

434
00:29:57,200 --> 00:30:00,560
Speaker 2: Torah wants children sacrificed. It's the last thing I would

435
00:30:00,600 --> 00:30:09,280
Speaker 2: ever request or want. Okay, Abraham says here, I am

436
00:30:09,280 --> 00:30:16,040
Speaker 2: twenty two to two, and God said take please, do

437
00:30:16,560 --> 00:30:21,240
Speaker 2: any of you have please okay Nah is a request,

438
00:30:21,800 --> 00:30:24,960
Speaker 2: It softens it. It's not an order. It's please take

439
00:30:25,160 --> 00:30:32,920
Speaker 2: kah nah, take please your son, your your It says here,

440
00:30:33,000 --> 00:30:38,040
Speaker 2: favored one. I think it's an incorrect translation. It's really

441
00:30:38,280 --> 00:30:43,880
Speaker 2: your unique one, or your your only one, almost the

442
00:30:43,920 --> 00:30:49,360
Speaker 2: one you loved Isaac. Now, why doesn't it just say

443
00:30:49,440 --> 00:30:51,720
Speaker 2: remember how I told you how you have to study text?

444
00:30:52,440 --> 00:30:55,960
Speaker 2: Always ask why doesn't it say in another way? Why

445
00:30:56,040 --> 00:31:01,280
Speaker 2: doesn't it say take Isaac? Why there are two possibilities,

446
00:31:01,320 --> 00:31:05,800
Speaker 2: One to rub it in to make it more more

447
00:31:06,000 --> 00:31:11,920
Speaker 2: difficult to test. Take your son, your only son, the

448
00:31:12,040 --> 00:31:16,920
Speaker 2: son you love Isaac? All right, I mean it had

449
00:31:16,920 --> 00:31:19,840
Speaker 2: to be Isaac anyway, you Schmael was gone, all right,

450
00:31:19,920 --> 00:31:23,040
Speaker 2: So it really could have been any one of those.

451
00:31:23,720 --> 00:31:26,959
Speaker 2: There is another reason, though, that there is a Jewish

452
00:31:26,960 --> 00:31:29,920
Speaker 2: tradition that holds why all of these were announced, and

453
00:31:29,960 --> 00:31:33,280
Speaker 2: it's very interesting. First God says, take your son, to

454
00:31:33,320 --> 00:31:38,320
Speaker 2: which Abraham responds, I have two sons, which one? Okay,

455
00:31:38,880 --> 00:31:43,840
Speaker 2: your unique one, to which Abraham responds, I have an

456
00:31:43,880 --> 00:31:47,360
Speaker 2: only one and Sarah has an only one? Which one

457
00:31:48,720 --> 00:31:51,600
Speaker 2: you get? Is this interesting? So then God says the

458
00:31:51,600 --> 00:31:54,560
Speaker 2: one you love, to which Abraham says, I love them both,

459
00:31:54,880 --> 00:32:00,120
Speaker 2: which one? And then God says Isaac. And that's how

460
00:32:00,160 --> 00:32:03,800
Speaker 2: it develops all of these things, because yeshma Al could

461
00:32:03,840 --> 00:32:08,120
Speaker 2: have fit any of the other descriptions at any rate.

462
00:32:08,480 --> 00:32:13,800
Speaker 2: It's also it's also for us to understand, and that's

463
00:32:13,840 --> 00:32:17,640
Speaker 2: I think the major point here for us to understand

464
00:32:17,760 --> 00:32:22,720
Speaker 2: the magnitude of the sacrifice demanded of Abraham. It's to

465
00:32:22,840 --> 00:32:26,280
Speaker 2: rub in to you the reader, not just Abraham, what

466
00:32:26,440 --> 00:32:33,000
Speaker 2: is being asked here of him? Okay, So it says,

467
00:32:34,200 --> 00:32:41,680
Speaker 2: and take and then go to the land of Mariah,

468
00:32:42,040 --> 00:32:45,200
Speaker 2: which we don't exactly know what that is. The tradition

469
00:32:45,280 --> 00:32:48,520
Speaker 2: holds it's around Jerusalem. But what is important is the

470
00:32:48,600 --> 00:32:53,640
Speaker 2: wording in Hebrew leklitha, which really means go you go,

471
00:32:54,400 --> 00:32:58,200
Speaker 2: or go for yourself. The first words God spoke to

472
00:32:58,240 --> 00:33:03,160
Speaker 2: Abraham originally were Lefletha, go from your father's land, from

473
00:33:03,240 --> 00:33:06,360
Speaker 2: your father's home, and so on, and said to the

474
00:33:06,480 --> 00:33:10,560
Speaker 2: land that I will show you. This is the end

475
00:33:10,680 --> 00:33:14,320
Speaker 2: of the Abraham story. Has the same wording as the

476
00:33:14,320 --> 00:33:18,560
Speaker 2: beginning of the Abraham story. And it's a very beautiful,

477
00:33:18,680 --> 00:33:23,840
Speaker 2: beauty linguistic thing that's done here. I begin by telling you,

478
00:33:24,360 --> 00:33:29,080
Speaker 2: lech lecha, go out from your father's house to the

479
00:33:29,160 --> 00:33:31,760
Speaker 2: land I will show you. And now I'm telling you

480
00:33:31,800 --> 00:33:34,600
Speaker 2: go out to the land that I will show you

481
00:33:34,680 --> 00:33:38,280
Speaker 2: all over again. But here is the interesting thing. Look

482
00:33:38,280 --> 00:33:44,560
Speaker 2: at the juxtaposition. Abraham is told originally go out and

483
00:33:44,760 --> 00:33:49,640
Speaker 2: leave your father, and now he's told go out and

484
00:33:49,720 --> 00:33:56,360
Speaker 2: leave your son. You see that. And I believe that

485
00:33:56,520 --> 00:34:02,200
Speaker 2: what is being said here is that just as I

486
00:34:02,280 --> 00:34:05,480
Speaker 2: told you to leave your parents, I am now telling

487
00:34:05,520 --> 00:34:10,559
Speaker 2: you to leave your child. Even Abraham, whose whole life

488
00:34:10,680 --> 00:34:14,960
Speaker 2: is bound up in his children, cannot live for his children.

489
00:34:16,319 --> 00:34:19,760
Speaker 2: I think there is a statement here for as well.

490
00:34:20,520 --> 00:34:26,440
Speaker 2: In the final analysis, the one rock that the human

491
00:34:26,560 --> 00:34:32,320
Speaker 2: individual can rely on is God. It's tough. It's difficult

492
00:34:32,480 --> 00:34:36,560
Speaker 2: to say that given all the love relationships that we

493
00:34:37,000 --> 00:34:41,640
Speaker 2: most of us have family and otherwise. But nevertheless, I

494
00:34:41,680 --> 00:34:45,920
Speaker 2: think there is a statement here. I get your I

495
00:34:46,000 --> 00:34:50,920
Speaker 2: get your first allegiance. I am the one that, in

496
00:34:50,960 --> 00:34:55,160
Speaker 2: the final analysis, you can rely most on. And so

497
00:34:55,600 --> 00:34:58,520
Speaker 2: as I told you to leave your father, I'm telling

498
00:34:58,560 --> 00:35:02,480
Speaker 2: you to leave your son. What I have with you

499
00:35:02,840 --> 00:35:07,200
Speaker 2: is unique. That's what's being said. You can certainly take

500
00:35:07,239 --> 00:35:09,719
Speaker 2: issue with it, and as I say, it is difficult

501
00:35:09,840 --> 00:35:13,000
Speaker 2: to assimilate. But on the other hand, for those of you,

502
00:35:13,640 --> 00:35:16,480
Speaker 2: or those of you those who are not here, who

503
00:35:16,560 --> 00:35:18,960
Speaker 2: are alone in this world, it should be a comfort

504
00:35:19,360 --> 00:35:23,120
Speaker 2: thing that children are no children, parents are no parents,

505
00:35:23,120 --> 00:35:27,880
Speaker 2: spouse or no spouse, friends are no friends. There is God.

506
00:35:30,239 --> 00:35:32,480
Speaker 2: Now that is hardly a plea to any of you

507
00:35:32,520 --> 00:35:37,560
Speaker 2: to abandon family or friends and just travel through life

508
00:35:37,600 --> 00:35:41,960
Speaker 2: with God. God knows that would be terrible. But it

509
00:35:42,080 --> 00:35:45,439
Speaker 2: is a statement for those who are lonely, that they're

510
00:35:45,440 --> 00:35:48,839
Speaker 2: not alone. I think that there is that statement here,

511
00:35:49,160 --> 00:35:52,400
Speaker 2: and I don't try to read stuff into it. I

512
00:35:52,440 --> 00:35:54,880
Speaker 2: think it can be extracted from a fair reading of

513
00:35:54,880 --> 00:36:00,160
Speaker 2: the text. Anyway. He tells him to take this beloved child, Isaac,

514
00:36:00,960 --> 00:36:08,800
Speaker 2: to go out to this land and there to offer

515
00:36:08,920 --> 00:36:17,120
Speaker 2: him as a burnt offering, okay, on one of the mountains,

516
00:36:17,360 --> 00:36:20,239
Speaker 2: that I will tell you. Remember that, I will tell you.

517
00:36:20,360 --> 00:36:23,000
Speaker 2: Just like in the beginning when he's Abraham is told

518
00:36:23,040 --> 00:36:29,719
Speaker 2: that he should leave his parents, what is what is

519
00:36:29,719 --> 00:36:35,960
Speaker 2: Abraham's response, Abraham got up early in the morning. Not

520
00:36:36,480 --> 00:36:39,160
Speaker 2: a word. By the way, what do we learn from

521
00:36:39,160 --> 00:36:41,680
Speaker 2: the fact that he that the next sentences, Abraham got

522
00:36:41,760 --> 00:36:44,600
Speaker 2: up early in the morning, that this message came to

523
00:36:44,719 --> 00:36:48,719
Speaker 2: him in a dream, that it came to him at night.

524
00:36:50,400 --> 00:36:55,400
Speaker 2: In fact, the only, the only, according to the I

525
00:36:55,440 --> 00:36:58,839
Speaker 2: believe to the toe itself, and certainly to do the

526
00:36:58,880 --> 00:37:03,640
Speaker 2: tradition later, but I believe, I know that, Yes, the

527
00:37:03,680 --> 00:37:06,719
Speaker 2: toe itself says that only Moses was spoken to by

528
00:37:06,760 --> 00:37:10,560
Speaker 2: God face to face. Of course, it doesn't literally mean

529
00:37:10,600 --> 00:37:12,920
Speaker 2: face to face, because God doesn't have a face, but

530
00:37:14,000 --> 00:37:16,040
Speaker 2: those are the terms that are used. In other words,

531
00:37:16,160 --> 00:37:23,719
Speaker 2: the wide awake revelation is reserved for Moses. Visions and

532
00:37:24,480 --> 00:37:28,960
Speaker 2: dreams are left for all the others, including Abraham. Now

533
00:37:29,000 --> 00:37:34,480
Speaker 2: Abraham gets the message at night. Now here is a

534
00:37:34,560 --> 00:37:38,160
Speaker 2: question for you. If you've got a message tonight, take

535
00:37:38,200 --> 00:37:43,200
Speaker 2: your child and sacrifice him, and it seemed that it

536
00:37:43,280 --> 00:37:49,640
Speaker 2: was God, what would you do? I think that. What

537
00:37:49,680 --> 00:37:53,839
Speaker 2: you would all conclude is it can't be God. I

538
00:37:53,920 --> 00:37:56,800
Speaker 2: thought it was God speaking to me, but it can't

539
00:37:56,800 --> 00:38:00,719
Speaker 2: be now. The reason though, that you would conclude this

540
00:38:01,520 --> 00:38:05,320
Speaker 2: is because we now know that part of God's nature

541
00:38:06,040 --> 00:38:09,560
Speaker 2: is that he would never demand evil. He would never

542
00:38:09,640 --> 00:38:13,280
Speaker 2: demand that you do something that is against his own teaching,

543
00:38:14,080 --> 00:38:16,839
Speaker 2: so you would know it's not God. So then why

544
00:38:16,880 --> 00:38:20,479
Speaker 2: didn't Abraham say, wait a minute, be God. You seem

545
00:38:20,560 --> 00:38:23,680
Speaker 2: to be God in my dream, but you can't be God.

546
00:38:24,000 --> 00:38:27,120
Speaker 2: The God I know wouldn't demand that. And the answer

547
00:38:27,239 --> 00:38:29,279
Speaker 2: is that the God that in Abraham knew at that

548
00:38:29,320 --> 00:38:32,799
Speaker 2: time in human history would demand that. That's the point

549
00:38:32,840 --> 00:38:35,640
Speaker 2: I was making earlier. There was nothing odd about it

550
00:38:35,680 --> 00:38:38,400
Speaker 2: at all. What it wasn't odd that God demanded a

551
00:38:38,480 --> 00:38:43,239
Speaker 2: child sacrifice. It was odd that God demanded Isaac be sacrificed,

552
00:38:43,360 --> 00:38:47,320
Speaker 2: given all the promises he made. It wasn't easy either,

553
00:38:47,360 --> 00:38:50,640
Speaker 2: because he loved him and so on. I'm not saying that, oh, well, well,

554
00:38:50,680 --> 00:38:52,480
Speaker 2: I knew it was going to come. All the gods

555
00:38:52,520 --> 00:38:55,880
Speaker 2: want kids. Now. I don't want to make that. I

556
00:38:55,880 --> 00:38:58,080
Speaker 2: don't want to imply that at all. It doesn't make

557
00:38:58,120 --> 00:39:02,560
Speaker 2: it easy, but it doesn't make it morally jarring to

558
00:39:02,640 --> 00:39:05,359
Speaker 2: you would be so morally jarring because your concept of God,

559
00:39:05,440 --> 00:39:07,440
Speaker 2: the God of the Ten Commandments, the God who said

560
00:39:07,719 --> 00:39:11,359
Speaker 2: to Abraham, don't give me your child, would render this impossible.

561
00:39:11,600 --> 00:39:14,840
Speaker 2: It was clearly a bad dream, all right, unless a

562
00:39:14,880 --> 00:39:17,600
Speaker 2: kid is doing really bad in school. And then who knows,

563
00:39:17,640 --> 00:39:20,480
Speaker 2: you know, maybe it was just wish fulfillment or something.

564
00:39:21,239 --> 00:39:24,600
Speaker 2: But whatever it was, you would assume this is not God.

565
00:39:24,880 --> 00:39:28,239
Speaker 1: This episode of timeless wisdom will continue right after this.

566
00:39:33,719 --> 00:39:37,480
Speaker 1: Now back to more of Dennis Prager's timeless wisdom.

567
00:39:38,080 --> 00:39:41,120
Speaker 2: He assumed it was God, and it was the creator God,

568
00:39:41,160 --> 00:39:44,840
Speaker 2: and so said nothing. Verse three. He gets up early

569
00:39:44,840 --> 00:39:50,600
Speaker 2: in the morning, and he saddles the donkey, and he

570
00:39:50,719 --> 00:39:58,680
Speaker 2: takes two lads with him, and Isaac his son. It

571
00:39:58,719 --> 00:40:01,440
Speaker 2: could have, of course said and Isaac, but it adds

572
00:40:01,480 --> 00:40:04,359
Speaker 2: to the drama to keep mentioning an Isaac his son.

573
00:40:06,120 --> 00:40:15,360
Speaker 2: And he split the wood of the offering, and he

574
00:40:15,440 --> 00:40:19,920
Speaker 2: got up, and he walked to the place where God

575
00:40:19,960 --> 00:40:27,040
Speaker 2: had told him. Then it's interesting what happens in verse four.

576
00:40:27,440 --> 00:40:31,880
Speaker 2: All you know is on the third day, Abraham lifts

577
00:40:31,920 --> 00:40:36,120
Speaker 2: his eyes and he sees the place from afar. Number

578
00:40:36,160 --> 00:40:41,200
Speaker 2: one what happened during the two days of going together?

579
00:40:43,600 --> 00:40:48,040
Speaker 2: Friend of mine who was a distinguished rabbi and author,

580
00:40:48,200 --> 00:40:52,000
Speaker 2: David Walpy, we study this together, and he had an

581
00:40:52,040 --> 00:40:56,680
Speaker 2: interesting thought said it said, let's look at this. Literally,

582
00:40:56,760 --> 00:41:01,840
Speaker 2: it says on the third day, Abraham lifted his eyes

583
00:41:02,200 --> 00:41:05,520
Speaker 2: and saw the place. So to the he answered the

584
00:41:05,600 --> 00:41:08,919
Speaker 2: question what did Abraham do for two days? Was look

585
00:41:09,040 --> 00:41:14,920
Speaker 2: down on the ground in depression. It's very do you

586
00:41:14,960 --> 00:41:18,080
Speaker 2: all have he lifted his eyes? Because that's literally what

587
00:41:18,520 --> 00:41:21,520
Speaker 2: the Hebrews does say. And you know, when you're depressed,

588
00:41:21,520 --> 00:41:23,680
Speaker 2: you just walk along, you look, you look down, ride,

589
00:41:23,719 --> 00:41:27,080
Speaker 2: you kick a pebble and so on. That's probably what

590
00:41:27,160 --> 00:41:29,279
Speaker 2: he did. Anyway, what are you gonna say to your

591
00:41:29,280 --> 00:41:31,400
Speaker 2: son when you're going to sacrifice him? Hey, what a

592
00:41:31,800 --> 00:41:34,640
Speaker 2: great weather? I tell you, what do you think of

593
00:41:34,680 --> 00:41:37,520
Speaker 2: that donkey we're taking? Isn't he great? The new model

594
00:41:37,560 --> 00:41:41,439
Speaker 2: I just got him. I mean, you know, it's there's

595
00:41:41,480 --> 00:41:45,040
Speaker 2: nothing to be said in effect, and so he just

596
00:41:45,160 --> 00:41:50,160
Speaker 2: walks and this terrible little journey he has with his child.

597
00:41:50,880 --> 00:41:53,960
Speaker 2: For any of us, I get the chills when I

598
00:41:54,000 --> 00:41:58,279
Speaker 2: read it again, because we are all children. So it

599
00:41:58,320 --> 00:42:02,240
Speaker 2: gives you the chills. If you're a child, and most

600
00:42:02,239 --> 00:42:04,319
Speaker 2: of us are parents, and it gives you a chill.

601
00:42:04,360 --> 00:42:07,480
Speaker 2: If you're a parent. There's no one who can read

602
00:42:07,520 --> 00:42:12,319
Speaker 2: this and not get chilled. It's a chilling story. A

603
00:42:12,400 --> 00:42:16,400
Speaker 2: father who loves his child out of obedience to a god,

604
00:42:16,880 --> 00:42:21,040
Speaker 2: to God, walking with child and knowing he's going to

605
00:42:21,120 --> 00:42:27,440
Speaker 2: kill him. It's overwhelming. Next problem in verse four is

606
00:42:27,480 --> 00:42:31,120
Speaker 2: it says he saw the place from afar. I don't

607
00:42:31,120 --> 00:42:33,960
Speaker 2: know the answer to this, so I'll openly tell you.

608
00:42:34,000 --> 00:42:36,160
Speaker 2: If you know an answer, you will help me. And

609
00:42:36,200 --> 00:42:39,879
Speaker 2: I could not find in any of the commentaries. How

610
00:42:39,920 --> 00:42:42,400
Speaker 2: did he know the place since God didn't point it

611
00:42:42,440 --> 00:42:46,560
Speaker 2: out to him. Remember, God said go to the and

612
00:42:46,600 --> 00:42:48,719
Speaker 2: I will show you which mountain to do it on,

613
00:42:50,200 --> 00:42:54,919
Speaker 2: But it doesn't say which. That's why the tradition is

614
00:42:55,320 --> 00:42:59,520
Speaker 2: that there was a cloud that descended on this particular spot.

615
00:43:00,040 --> 00:43:09,799
Speaker 2: Who knows Verse five, This is very interesting puzzle. This

616
00:43:09,920 --> 00:43:13,480
Speaker 2: is one of the great puzzles of the Torah. Abraham

617
00:43:13,600 --> 00:43:17,959
Speaker 2: and Abraham said to the lads, you sit down here

618
00:43:18,120 --> 00:43:23,080
Speaker 2: with the donkey, and I and the boy will go

619
00:43:23,239 --> 00:43:29,240
Speaker 2: over there, okay, and we will worship, and we'll return

620
00:43:29,320 --> 00:43:37,359
Speaker 2: to you. What do you make of that. Now he's

621
00:43:37,400 --> 00:43:39,600
Speaker 2: talking to the two lads who came with him, says,

622
00:43:39,640 --> 00:43:43,080
Speaker 2: we're gonna return. What does that mean we're gonna return?

623
00:43:46,280 --> 00:43:48,520
Speaker 2: That means I and Isaac gonna come back to you.

624
00:43:48,560 --> 00:43:51,040
Speaker 2: We're just going over to that mountain. We're gonna worship,

625
00:43:51,040 --> 00:43:59,239
Speaker 2: and then we're going to return to you. Question, did

626
00:43:59,280 --> 00:44:04,040
Speaker 2: he really think God would demand that he slaughter his son?

627
00:44:06,560 --> 00:44:11,799
Speaker 2: If if you think not, you've got good basis with

628
00:44:11,920 --> 00:44:15,839
Speaker 2: this sentence, he tells the lads who came with him,

629
00:44:16,040 --> 00:44:23,920
Speaker 2: we're gonna come back. Or what else is he gonna say, Hey,

630
00:44:24,000 --> 00:44:26,000
Speaker 2: you wait here and I'll be back alone. He'll be

631
00:44:26,080 --> 00:44:35,680
Speaker 2: in flames? Right, There is yet a third possibility that

632
00:44:36,280 --> 00:44:40,560
Speaker 2: he was denying. If one is deep down he didn't

633
00:44:40,560 --> 00:44:44,120
Speaker 2: think he would do it. Two he was denying it

634
00:44:44,200 --> 00:44:48,040
Speaker 2: the whole time for the sake of Isaac. Three he

635
00:44:48,160 --> 00:44:52,000
Speaker 2: was denying it for his sake. Maybe there was a

636
00:44:52,040 --> 00:44:55,880
Speaker 2: smidgen of hope that will be back. Who knows, And

637
00:44:55,920 --> 00:44:58,279
Speaker 2: by the way, there is no answer. I'm giving you

638
00:44:58,440 --> 00:45:03,560
Speaker 2: three possibilities, and there is no definitive answer to why

639
00:45:03,640 --> 00:45:08,280
Speaker 2: he said we'll be back, knowing what he is asked

640
00:45:08,280 --> 00:45:11,880
Speaker 2: to do and where he's going who knows. My own

641
00:45:11,880 --> 00:45:16,880
Speaker 2: instinct is that it's a combination in a sense of

642
00:45:16,920 --> 00:45:20,440
Speaker 2: all three. One clearly despair is to pain till the

643
00:45:20,520 --> 00:45:25,040
Speaker 2: last second. Two to spare himself the pain to the

644
00:45:25,120 --> 00:45:29,399
Speaker 2: last second, almost a denial thing. And three maybe there

645
00:45:29,440 --> 00:45:32,800
Speaker 2: really was a sense of hope that God won't go

646
00:45:32,920 --> 00:45:38,480
Speaker 2: through with this. So that's those are the possibilities. And

647
00:45:39,600 --> 00:45:43,040
Speaker 2: although the third part would seem then to knock out

648
00:45:43,080 --> 00:45:46,399
Speaker 2: a little bit of the heroism to some, it might

649
00:45:46,560 --> 00:45:50,200
Speaker 2: not to me. After all, he's still human, he is

650
00:45:50,280 --> 00:45:53,799
Speaker 2: a man of faith. He's not an angel of faith. Right,

651
00:45:54,480 --> 00:45:59,200
Speaker 2: He's still a father, He's still a human. But it

652
00:45:59,280 --> 00:46:02,120
Speaker 2: is a very powerful sentence when he tells the lads,

653
00:46:02,160 --> 00:46:06,799
Speaker 2: we're going to come back, all right verse six. And

654
00:46:06,960 --> 00:46:10,520
Speaker 2: Abraham took the wood of the offering, and he put

655
00:46:10,600 --> 00:46:17,040
Speaker 2: them and he put it on Isaac, his son, and

656
00:46:17,360 --> 00:46:24,360
Speaker 2: he took in his hand and the fire and the knife.

657
00:46:24,680 --> 00:46:28,880
Speaker 2: Now the word for knife here is unique in the Torah.

658
00:46:28,960 --> 00:46:33,480
Speaker 2: To the best of my knowledge, it literally means the

659
00:46:33,480 --> 00:46:40,040
Speaker 2: the eater. It comes. It's machellette and ochil is hold

660
00:46:40,080 --> 00:46:43,719
Speaker 2: is to eat. It's like that. It's a consuming knife,

661
00:46:43,960 --> 00:46:49,200
Speaker 2: almost like a slaughtering knife. A butcher knife, and I

662
00:46:49,600 --> 00:46:51,719
Speaker 2: have basis. I have a basis for that. You'll see

663
00:46:51,760 --> 00:46:53,960
Speaker 2: the verb used for what he was about to do

664
00:46:54,040 --> 00:46:57,320
Speaker 2: to his son, and you'll see why I say that. Anyway,

665
00:46:57,360 --> 00:47:03,280
Speaker 2: he takes the the the fire, and the and the knife.

666
00:47:03,880 --> 00:47:07,640
Speaker 2: And these words are so famous to anyone who ever

667
00:47:07,680 --> 00:47:12,120
Speaker 2: studied it in Hebrew. And the two of them walked together.

668
00:47:13,840 --> 00:47:16,640
Speaker 2: It is so touching those words. When you think of

669
00:47:16,680 --> 00:47:19,560
Speaker 2: the father. A father and son walking together is always

670
00:47:19,600 --> 00:47:23,320
Speaker 2: a touching sight, isn't it, no matter what the circumstances,

671
00:47:23,400 --> 00:47:26,319
Speaker 2: When when you say, and the father and son, and

672
00:47:26,360 --> 00:47:29,080
Speaker 2: they walk together, and I think of my son, Well,

673
00:47:29,120 --> 00:47:32,640
Speaker 2: the other one doesn't walk yet, beautiful bonding thing of

674
00:47:32,640 --> 00:47:36,080
Speaker 2: a father's son walking together. But look at where they're walking.

675
00:47:37,239 --> 00:47:45,160
Speaker 2: And there is an interesting statement of the Maharal of Prague,

676
00:47:44,920 --> 00:47:51,680
Speaker 2: a great Jewish thinker, which where he takes that phrase.

677
00:47:51,719 --> 00:47:54,600
Speaker 2: But I'll show you, because it's used again right away,

678
00:47:55,600 --> 00:48:00,600
Speaker 2: what he thinks. But listen to this part. What imagery

679
00:48:01,080 --> 00:48:04,719
Speaker 2: does it raise to you when it says, and he

680
00:48:04,800 --> 00:48:10,320
Speaker 2: put the wood of the offering on Isaac, who carried

681
00:48:10,360 --> 00:48:18,200
Speaker 2: wood to his own destruction. Jesus see it's interesting. You

682
00:48:18,320 --> 00:48:20,520
Speaker 2: always will think think of that as a Christian imagery,

683
00:48:20,960 --> 00:48:25,160
Speaker 2: but it is a very powerful Jewish imagery. And for

684
00:48:25,280 --> 00:48:28,200
Speaker 2: all we know there is there is a parallel desire

685
00:48:28,960 --> 00:48:33,919
Speaker 2: in that in within Christological thinking. Here here is again

686
00:48:33,960 --> 00:48:37,759
Speaker 2: the sacrifice, in this case for the Christian god son,

687
00:48:38,400 --> 00:48:43,360
Speaker 2: for the Jew Abraham's son, both as sacrifice, both carrying

688
00:48:43,400 --> 00:48:52,640
Speaker 2: the sacrificial material to their own death. Number verse seven

689
00:48:52,840 --> 00:48:57,960
Speaker 2: and yets And Isaac said to Abraham his father, and

690
00:48:58,040 --> 00:49:04,360
Speaker 2: he said, my father, And Abraham said, he Nani. Abraham

691
00:49:04,440 --> 00:49:06,920
Speaker 2: gives the same answer to Isaac that he gave to God.

692
00:49:07,160 --> 00:49:13,640
Speaker 2: Here I am, but he says, heney beneath and here

693
00:49:13,719 --> 00:49:17,360
Speaker 2: here I am my son. It's the first loving or

694
00:49:17,400 --> 00:49:21,080
Speaker 2: the first affectionate comment that we see coming out here.

695
00:49:21,400 --> 00:49:28,440
Speaker 2: Here I am my son. And the sun says, here

696
00:49:29,200 --> 00:49:34,120
Speaker 2: are the fire and the wood. So where is the

697
00:49:34,160 --> 00:49:39,960
Speaker 2: sheep for the offering? Get the chills? Imagine a kid

698
00:49:40,080 --> 00:49:44,680
Speaker 2: saying that to you. How Abraham must have felt. And

699
00:49:44,800 --> 00:49:53,200
Speaker 2: Abraham said, God will see, He will see for himself. Again,

700
00:49:53,280 --> 00:49:58,400
Speaker 2: I'm doing it literally, the sheep for the slaughter my son.

701
00:49:59,160 --> 00:50:01,880
Speaker 2: He addswed, do you have my son there? Yeah? You

702
00:50:01,960 --> 00:50:05,080
Speaker 2: see that. It's just it's like these last moments, he

703
00:50:05,160 --> 00:50:08,520
Speaker 2: wants to be as warm and connected as possible to

704
00:50:08,600 --> 00:50:12,840
Speaker 2: my son. And what is the next words? And the

705
00:50:12,920 --> 00:50:18,640
Speaker 2: two of them walked on together exactly exactly like you

706
00:50:18,800 --> 00:50:23,440
Speaker 2: have two sentences ago, the same exact words in Hebrew,

707
00:50:24,400 --> 00:50:27,120
Speaker 2: the Maharalaf Prague said, in the first case, the two

708
00:50:27,200 --> 00:50:30,560
Speaker 2: walk together as one, which is really what it is,

709
00:50:30,600 --> 00:50:34,760
Speaker 2: not together. They walked as one. It was to Abraham's credit.

710
00:50:35,800 --> 00:50:41,280
Speaker 2: The reason, what is the natural tendency when you are well,

711
00:50:41,440 --> 00:50:43,800
Speaker 2: It doesn't happen very often, But if you were about

712
00:50:43,800 --> 00:50:47,719
Speaker 2: to hurt a loved one or anyone, wouldn't you want

713
00:50:47,760 --> 00:50:51,680
Speaker 2: to distance yourself. It's very hard to be that close

714
00:50:51,760 --> 00:50:55,040
Speaker 2: to someone you were about to hurt. And so the

715
00:50:55,080 --> 00:50:58,880
Speaker 2: first time it says they walk together, the Maharalaf Prague says,

716
00:50:59,480 --> 00:51:04,399
Speaker 2: it's to the credit of Abraham. The second time it's

717
00:51:04,400 --> 00:51:07,560
Speaker 2: to the credit of Isaac. Isaac now knows what's going

718
00:51:07,640 --> 00:51:10,759
Speaker 2: to happen to him, and he still walks as one

719
00:51:10,840 --> 00:51:14,440
Speaker 2: with his father. I think there's a lot of profundity

720
00:51:14,480 --> 00:51:17,560
Speaker 2: to that. How in one case the credit goes to Abraham,

721
00:51:17,600 --> 00:51:22,399
Speaker 2: and then the other it goes to Isaac. Verse nine. And

722
00:51:22,520 --> 00:51:25,600
Speaker 2: they came to the place which God had told him.

723
00:51:26,719 --> 00:51:32,520
Speaker 2: And Abraham built there the altar, and he spread out

724
00:51:33,000 --> 00:51:39,080
Speaker 2: the wood, and he bound Isaac, his son. Always adds

725
00:51:39,080 --> 00:51:42,959
Speaker 2: his son to make it more powerful. And he put

726
00:51:43,040 --> 00:51:56,600
Speaker 2: him on the altar on top of the wood. Noticed

727
00:51:56,600 --> 00:52:02,760
Speaker 2: the number of verbs here. Abraham built an altar, laid

728
00:52:02,760 --> 00:52:06,280
Speaker 2: out the wood, bound his son, laid him on the altar,

729
00:52:07,080 --> 00:52:11,840
Speaker 2: and then picked up the knife. You have what five verbs?

730
00:52:13,600 --> 00:52:16,120
Speaker 2: I had a debate in studying this. What do you

731
00:52:16,200 --> 00:52:21,800
Speaker 2: think it implies? I'll read it two ways to you.

732
00:52:21,800 --> 00:52:25,000
Speaker 2: You are about to slaughter your son. Will you do

733
00:52:25,080 --> 00:52:28,040
Speaker 2: what you have to do as quickly as possible or

734
00:52:28,080 --> 00:52:31,800
Speaker 2: as slowly as possible. So and there are two ways.

735
00:52:31,840 --> 00:52:34,080
Speaker 2: And it all depends. I realized on how you read

736
00:52:34,120 --> 00:52:37,719
Speaker 2: it here. As if you believe that he wanted to

737
00:52:37,760 --> 00:52:40,520
Speaker 2: get it over with as quickly as possible. Abraham built

738
00:52:40,520 --> 00:52:42,160
Speaker 2: an author, laid out the wood, bound his sun later

739
00:52:42,239 --> 00:52:46,279
Speaker 2: on the altar, and pick up the knife. Or you

740
00:52:46,360 --> 00:52:50,040
Speaker 2: can read it as as deliberate as possible, to make

741
00:52:50,080 --> 00:52:54,160
Speaker 2: as many tasks for himself to delay it. Abraham built

742
00:52:54,200 --> 00:52:58,040
Speaker 2: an altar there, he laid out the wood, he bound

743
00:52:58,080 --> 00:53:01,760
Speaker 2: his son, he laid him on the altar, he picked

744
00:53:01,880 --> 00:53:05,520
Speaker 2: up the knife. Which do you think it was that?

745
00:53:05,719 --> 00:53:08,239
Speaker 2: All of these verbs imply that he tried to do

746
00:53:08,280 --> 00:53:11,560
Speaker 2: it as fast as possible, or as deliberately as possible,

747
00:53:11,800 --> 00:53:15,759
Speaker 2: as fast as possible, raise your hand, almost nobody, as

748
00:53:15,760 --> 00:53:20,520
Speaker 2: slowly as possible. Right, that's very interesting. The tradition held

749
00:53:20,520 --> 00:53:24,080
Speaker 2: it was as fast as possible, And I said that

750
00:53:24,160 --> 00:53:26,040
Speaker 2: I didn't agree with that at all. I said, no,

751
00:53:26,120 --> 00:53:28,520
Speaker 2: it seems most logical that he did is you know,

752
00:53:28,560 --> 00:53:31,640
Speaker 2: it's almost like, oh, and he saw a butterfly and

753
00:53:31,719 --> 00:53:35,040
Speaker 2: he decided to check it out. It really does seem

754
00:53:35,160 --> 00:53:38,640
Speaker 2: that because the words are not wasted in the tora.

755
00:53:38,760 --> 00:53:40,719
Speaker 2: I mean, you know, if they didn't say anything that

756
00:53:40,800 --> 00:53:42,880
Speaker 2: happened to them in the two days they're walking together,

757
00:53:43,280 --> 00:53:48,160
Speaker 2: you clearly have here very very understated use of language. Right.

758
00:53:48,560 --> 00:53:52,400
Speaker 2: It's like the opposite of American advertising hyperbole. You have

759
00:53:52,560 --> 00:53:56,040
Speaker 2: here totally economical use of language. So if it's going

760
00:53:56,120 --> 00:53:59,120
Speaker 2: to tell you all the things that he did, you

761
00:53:59,280 --> 00:54:02,640
Speaker 2: have to believe the following he was delaying as much

762
00:54:02,680 --> 00:54:05,279
Speaker 2: as possible, and there was still that hope in him

763
00:54:05,600 --> 00:54:08,600
Speaker 2: it wouldn't take place, which is the way I read

764
00:54:08,680 --> 00:54:12,760
Speaker 2: his statement to the two servant boys will come back,

765
00:54:13,480 --> 00:54:18,360
Speaker 2: that there was this ongoing hope that it really wouldn't

766
00:54:18,360 --> 00:54:29,239
Speaker 2: take place. Verse ten, and he he sent forth, Abraham

767
00:54:29,320 --> 00:54:36,040
Speaker 2: sent forth his hand, and he took the knife. And

768
00:54:36,120 --> 00:54:39,360
Speaker 2: now it's very interesting. Again, I'm so unhappy about the

769
00:54:39,560 --> 00:54:45,480
Speaker 2: English translations. Do any of you have to slaughter his son?

770
00:54:45,760 --> 00:54:49,600
Speaker 2: All slay? It's so unfortunate, because slaughter would give you

771
00:54:49,640 --> 00:54:52,520
Speaker 2: a much better idea of what the Torah is. In fact,

772
00:54:52,560 --> 00:54:57,080
Speaker 2: talking about the that is used here is the same

773
00:54:57,200 --> 00:55:00,120
Speaker 2: exact word that is used with regard to the slaughter

774
00:55:00,200 --> 00:55:05,720
Speaker 2: of animals for meat, okay, And it's very rarely used.

775
00:55:05,719 --> 00:55:07,759
Speaker 2: In the fact, I would like to check a concordance

776
00:55:07,800 --> 00:55:10,360
Speaker 2: to see if it's ever used with regard to people

777
00:55:10,400 --> 00:55:13,440
Speaker 2: in any other time in the Hebrew Bible. The word

778
00:55:13,560 --> 00:55:17,719
Speaker 2: here is lish kot. Some of you don't even know

779
00:55:18,080 --> 00:55:20,680
Speaker 2: much Hebrew may have heard of the word trita, which

780
00:55:20,760 --> 00:55:24,120
Speaker 2: is animal slaughter, and that's the word that is used here.

781
00:55:25,400 --> 00:55:28,080
Speaker 2: I am convinced that it was used as a way

782
00:55:28,120 --> 00:55:33,319
Speaker 2: of the tourist saying how disgusting child sacrifice is. He

783
00:55:33,400 --> 00:55:38,120
Speaker 2: went to slaughter his son, reader, that's what we think

784
00:55:38,280 --> 00:55:42,360
Speaker 2: of child sacrifice. It wasn't to slay him. It wasn't

785
00:55:42,400 --> 00:55:45,160
Speaker 2: to offer him as a sacrifice. That's what the word

786
00:55:45,239 --> 00:55:47,880
Speaker 2: was used the whole time, right the entire time it

787
00:55:48,040 --> 00:55:50,440
Speaker 2: was and you will bring him as an offering. But

788
00:55:50,560 --> 00:55:54,080
Speaker 2: when it finally comes to doing it, the language is

789
00:55:54,440 --> 00:55:58,799
Speaker 2: the language of animals. And he went to slaughter his

790
00:55:59,120 --> 00:56:03,960
Speaker 2: child because there is no difference. That is not morally

791
00:56:04,000 --> 00:56:09,040
Speaker 2: possible to slay your child, to raise him for an offering.

792
00:56:09,440 --> 00:56:11,799
Speaker 2: If you think you're raising him for an offering, let

793
00:56:11,840 --> 00:56:14,600
Speaker 2: me the tora tell you what you're really doing. You're

794
00:56:14,680 --> 00:56:19,960
Speaker 2: slaughtering like an animal. See how the life which conveys

795
00:56:20,120 --> 00:56:25,600
Speaker 2: an idea. It's a reprehensible act. That's what's being said here.

796
00:56:25,960 --> 00:56:29,040
Speaker 2: With all of what was said, and it's dramatic, made

797
00:56:29,080 --> 00:56:32,600
Speaker 2: an altar, laid out, the wood, got the fire, got

798
00:56:32,640 --> 00:56:37,080
Speaker 2: the thing, and then to slaughter his son. It shows

799
00:56:37,120 --> 00:56:42,359
Speaker 2: you alter, smalter. This is slaughtering. That's the message here,

800
00:56:42,600 --> 00:56:46,319
Speaker 2: and it's a powerful one. By the way, It is

801
00:56:46,360 --> 00:56:50,400
Speaker 2: a debate of scholars whether or not this story is

802
00:56:50,440 --> 00:56:54,799
Speaker 2: a polemic against child sacrifice, and it's something I'd like

803
00:56:54,840 --> 00:56:58,600
Speaker 2: you to bear in mind just reading this story, is

804
00:56:58,600 --> 00:57:01,280
Speaker 2: that how you would read it? It's something to think about.

805
00:57:01,400 --> 00:57:08,480
Speaker 2: We can perhaps discuss a little later verse eleven, And

806
00:57:08,560 --> 00:57:12,280
Speaker 2: an angel of God called to him from the sky

807
00:57:12,480 --> 00:57:19,560
Speaker 2: or from the heaven, and said Abraham, Abraham. And he said,

808
00:57:19,840 --> 00:57:25,400
Speaker 2: once again, hey, Amy, here I am. Now there's another

809
00:57:25,440 --> 00:57:30,960
Speaker 2: interesting thing here. Number one, Why an angel? Why didn't

810
00:57:31,000 --> 00:57:34,040
Speaker 2: God who had told him originally to kill a son?

811
00:57:34,400 --> 00:57:36,320
Speaker 2: Why isn't it God who told him not to kill

812
00:57:36,320 --> 00:57:42,360
Speaker 2: a son? I think here that there are a few

813
00:57:42,400 --> 00:57:48,320
Speaker 2: possible answers. One answer is that it took God himself

814
00:57:48,400 --> 00:57:51,640
Speaker 2: to command him to kill a son. An angel he

815
00:57:51,680 --> 00:57:54,480
Speaker 2: wouldn't have listened to, but to stop killing his son

816
00:57:54,560 --> 00:57:57,720
Speaker 2: an angel would suffice. You don't even need God. Okay.

817
00:57:58,120 --> 00:58:00,400
Speaker 2: That's an answer that is of course to the credit

818
00:58:00,480 --> 00:58:04,840
Speaker 2: of Abraham, and which makes some sense. Another possibility is

819
00:58:05,680 --> 00:58:08,480
Speaker 2: how would God have appeared to him to stop him.

820
00:58:08,920 --> 00:58:12,160
Speaker 2: God only appears to him in visions, and he's awake

821
00:58:12,680 --> 00:58:15,560
Speaker 2: and he's about to commit the actor. It could only

822
00:58:15,600 --> 00:58:18,280
Speaker 2: have worked with the physical being, and God isn't physical

823
00:58:19,120 --> 00:58:23,680
Speaker 2: physical being needed to call out his name and, as

824
00:58:23,720 --> 00:58:28,080
Speaker 2: it were, almost stop him physically. Those are the possibilities

825
00:58:28,160 --> 00:58:31,640
Speaker 2: at any rate. It is also interesting that the angel

826
00:58:31,720 --> 00:58:36,800
Speaker 2: calls his name out twice. Why didn't just say Abraham?

827
00:58:36,880 --> 00:58:40,480
Speaker 2: I think the obvious answer is because of the urgency

828
00:58:40,680 --> 00:58:43,240
Speaker 2: of the matter. Abraham, Abraham, you know, I mean, you

829
00:58:43,280 --> 00:58:45,280
Speaker 2: would call somebody's name, right, if they're about to fall

830
00:58:45,280 --> 00:58:47,280
Speaker 2: in the pool. You'd call your kid's name a lot

831
00:58:47,280 --> 00:58:50,920
Speaker 2: of times. Hey, Jonathan, Jonathan, Jonathan. Right, that's what is

832
00:58:50,960 --> 00:58:54,000
Speaker 2: going on here. There is a sense of urgency. Abraham, Abraham, stop, stop,

833
00:58:54,520 --> 00:59:00,040
Speaker 2: don't do anything. And he said, don't send your hand.

834
00:59:00,560 --> 00:59:04,280
Speaker 2: I'm doing the literally, don't send your hand at the boy,

835
00:59:04,480 --> 00:59:07,920
Speaker 2: and don't do a thing to him, because now I

836
00:59:08,040 --> 00:59:14,600
Speaker 2: know that you are you are literally you are afraid

837
00:59:14,600 --> 00:59:16,320
Speaker 2: of God. You are in awe of God. How do

838
00:59:16,400 --> 00:59:20,680
Speaker 2: you folks have it? Okay? So fear God, and that

839
00:59:20,760 --> 00:59:25,080
Speaker 2: you did not withhold to me, your your one or

840
00:59:25,120 --> 00:59:30,960
Speaker 2: your unique child. You have not withheld from me. Of

841
00:59:31,000 --> 00:59:36,720
Speaker 2: course God knew this again earlier, but this this is

842
00:59:36,720 --> 00:59:39,240
Speaker 2: for us to understand how he had passed the test.

843
00:59:40,480 --> 00:59:43,960
Speaker 2: And Abraham lifted his eyes once again. He lifted his eyes,

844
00:59:44,000 --> 00:59:48,080
Speaker 2: and this gives credence to Rabbi Walpy's idea that he

845
00:59:48,240 --> 00:59:50,960
Speaker 2: was looking down the whole trip, because he was looking

846
00:59:51,000 --> 00:59:54,720
Speaker 2: down now to get the to kill his son. Anyway,

847
00:59:54,720 --> 00:59:57,680
Speaker 2: he lifted his eyes and he saw that there was

848
00:59:57,920 --> 01:00:02,040
Speaker 2: a ram behind. That is, that is one way of

849
01:00:02,080 --> 01:00:05,479
Speaker 2: translating it. There's another way which I have not seen.

850
01:00:05,640 --> 01:00:09,520
Speaker 2: There was another ram. His child was a ram, and

851
01:00:09,560 --> 01:00:12,680
Speaker 2: now there was another ram. If you read it as ahar,

852
01:00:12,960 --> 01:00:15,880
Speaker 2: it's behind. If you read it as affair, it's another one.

853
01:00:16,320 --> 01:00:18,400
Speaker 2: Do you understand what I'm saying? And since there were

854
01:00:18,440 --> 01:00:21,960
Speaker 2: no vow in the Torah text, it could conceivably have

855
01:00:22,080 --> 01:00:26,400
Speaker 2: been an implication, not that ram, but this ram, not

856
01:00:26,560 --> 01:00:32,840
Speaker 2: Ram Isaac, but this Ram. And that was caught in

857
01:00:32,920 --> 01:00:37,720
Speaker 2: the thicket by its horns. And Abraham went and he

858
01:00:37,800 --> 01:00:44,560
Speaker 2: took the ram, and he sacrificed it for us for

859
01:00:44,680 --> 01:00:50,920
Speaker 2: an offering instead of his son. It's pretty dramatic. And

860
01:00:51,040 --> 01:00:56,040
Speaker 2: Abraham called the name of that place though Nai your air,

861
01:00:56,920 --> 01:01:00,920
Speaker 2: which means God will be seen or God is seen.

862
01:01:01,920 --> 01:01:05,400
Speaker 2: And because it is said to this day that is

863
01:01:05,440 --> 01:01:08,360
Speaker 2: the that is the amount of God, where God would

864
01:01:08,360 --> 01:01:11,400
Speaker 2: be seen, or where there was a vision. And then

865
01:01:11,840 --> 01:01:15,520
Speaker 2: the Angel of God called to Abraham a second time

866
01:01:15,640 --> 01:01:20,080
Speaker 2: from the from the heaven and said, since I swear,

867
01:01:21,400 --> 01:01:25,400
Speaker 2: I swear myself. God says, because you did this thing

868
01:01:25,840 --> 01:01:32,160
Speaker 2: and did not withhold your child, your only child. I

869
01:01:32,240 --> 01:01:37,479
Speaker 2: will bless you, and I will multiply your seed as

870
01:01:37,520 --> 01:01:41,160
Speaker 2: the stars of the heaven and as the sand on

871
01:01:41,280 --> 01:01:45,440
Speaker 2: the on the shore of the sea, on the seashore,

872
01:01:46,000 --> 01:01:54,040
Speaker 2: and your seed will inherit the the gates of of

873
01:01:54,040 --> 01:01:56,600
Speaker 2: its enemies. By the way, this is the first time

874
01:01:56,680 --> 01:02:00,400
Speaker 2: that his seed is promised to be as numerous as sand.

875
01:02:00,840 --> 01:02:04,000
Speaker 2: Until now is only as numerous as stars. So this

876
01:02:04,160 --> 01:02:06,800
Speaker 2: was to really make it clear, because I guess you

877
01:02:06,880 --> 01:02:09,840
Speaker 2: see more sand than stars. I would have certainly in

878
01:02:10,200 --> 01:02:15,040
Speaker 2: Los Angeles. That is very, very true. And you and

879
01:02:15,200 --> 01:02:20,080
Speaker 2: through your your seed, all the nation of the earth

880
01:02:20,560 --> 01:02:25,800
Speaker 2: will be blessed again, that universalist thing of the Torah,

881
01:02:26,040 --> 01:02:30,520
Speaker 2: the universalist aims and desires, because you listen to my voice.

882
01:02:31,840 --> 01:02:35,000
Speaker 2: And sure enough, just as he said he would verse nineteen,

883
01:02:35,120 --> 01:02:39,480
Speaker 2: Abraham returned to his lads, who, of course knew nothing.

884
01:02:39,560 --> 01:02:42,440
Speaker 2: They just simply thought that Dad and son went to

885
01:02:42,480 --> 01:02:46,720
Speaker 2: do a little worshiping and returned, and they got up,

886
01:02:47,040 --> 01:02:56,480
Speaker 2: and they walked together to Bearsheva and Avraham, and Avraham

887
01:02:56,600 --> 01:03:03,920
Speaker 2: settled in bear Chev. Notice anything dramatic about the last

888
01:03:04,120 --> 01:03:14,520
Speaker 2: words of nineteen where Sarah is one, and where is

889
01:03:15,360 --> 01:03:21,160
Speaker 2: Isaac is the other? My dear friends, it appears pretty

890
01:03:21,200 --> 01:03:24,040
Speaker 2: clear from the text that this was the end of

891
01:03:24,080 --> 01:03:30,280
Speaker 2: Abraham's family. It's like, all right, father, I will go

892
01:03:30,360 --> 01:03:34,320
Speaker 2: with you to be killed, but past that, I think

893
01:03:34,360 --> 01:03:39,000
Speaker 2: I'd rather be on my own. Now, that does appear

894
01:03:39,040 --> 01:03:42,000
Speaker 2: to be what is implied here very clearly, and we

895
01:03:42,040 --> 01:03:44,760
Speaker 2: will see later that there is no question that Abraham

896
01:03:44,760 --> 01:03:51,120
Speaker 2: and Sarah split. Did they get divorced? We don't know. Oh,

897
01:03:51,160 --> 01:03:55,040
Speaker 2: the first divorce. Oh, I see, well, the first split.

898
01:03:55,240 --> 01:03:57,720
Speaker 2: We don't know if it was, if it was a divorce.

899
01:03:59,160 --> 01:04:01,920
Speaker 2: The rest of this chapter, I will just read to

900
01:04:01,960 --> 01:04:05,800
Speaker 2: you only to follow the pattern of every sense very quickly.

901
01:04:06,440 --> 01:04:10,240
Speaker 2: After these things, then i'll take your questions, because this

902
01:04:10,360 --> 01:04:13,800
Speaker 2: ends twenty two. This is more genealogies, and I'll just

903
01:04:13,840 --> 01:04:18,520
Speaker 2: read it straight. Sometime later, Abraham was told Milcot too

904
01:04:18,560 --> 01:04:22,600
Speaker 2: as born children to your brother nahor who's the first born?

905
01:04:22,920 --> 01:04:25,320
Speaker 2: And booze? I love, by the way, I love these names,

906
01:04:25,360 --> 01:04:27,640
Speaker 2: you know, It's just it. I always wondered, by the way,

907
01:04:27,680 --> 01:04:30,200
Speaker 2: when I read some biblical names, how come people took

908
01:04:30,280 --> 01:04:32,560
Speaker 2: some and not others? Like you never meet a kid

909
01:04:32,640 --> 01:04:35,520
Speaker 2: named Booze. Now, I mean, but that would be I

910
01:04:35,520 --> 01:04:37,800
Speaker 2: would be great, and my son Booz my son Uz.

911
01:04:38,400 --> 01:04:40,920
Speaker 2: You know, it's really it's too bad. There are some

912
01:04:40,960 --> 01:04:43,800
Speaker 2: really great ones. And kim Awel, the father of Aram,

913
01:04:44,160 --> 01:04:48,480
Speaker 2: and uh kesed Razo, pil Dash. There's a great name,

914
01:04:48,840 --> 01:04:52,160
Speaker 2: my son pil Dush. It's just I don't even know

915
01:04:52,160 --> 01:04:54,440
Speaker 2: if pil Dush is a is a male of femos

916
01:04:54,440 --> 01:04:58,440
Speaker 2: probably a male. And Yidlaf and Btuel Bituel gave but

917
01:04:58,560 --> 01:05:05,040
Speaker 2: it's important. Betuel gave birth to Rebecca. Okay, and these

918
01:05:05,160 --> 01:05:09,240
Speaker 2: eight Milka bore to Nahor, Abraham's brother and his concubine,

919
01:05:09,240 --> 01:05:16,920
Speaker 2: whose name was Umah, also bore children, and they were Tevah, Gotham, Tafash,

920
01:05:16,960 --> 01:05:22,120
Speaker 2: and Mahfa, gorgeous names. All all right, I'm not into

921
01:05:22,160 --> 01:05:24,080
Speaker 2: a genealogy, but I did want to be on record

922
01:05:24,120 --> 01:05:26,760
Speaker 2: as having read the end of twenty two questions about

923
01:05:26,800 --> 01:05:31,240
Speaker 2: Abraham's sacrifice, excuse me, near sacrifice of Isaac gifts.

924
01:05:33,560 --> 01:05:43,640
Speaker 3: Best as murders in monation that they believe that it

925
01:05:43,960 --> 01:05:55,640
Speaker 3: was it was sacrifice, and they definitely believe that they relaysmen.

926
01:05:55,080 --> 01:06:02,040
Speaker 4: Your song, your only song, and the one that's your love.

927
01:06:03,000 --> 01:06:09,360
Speaker 4: They say year, they say Isaiah the last verse atmation,

928
01:06:10,240 --> 01:06:13,080
Speaker 4: I leave you the generations to long.

929
01:06:13,560 --> 01:06:18,560
Speaker 3: So many people like the number of fans, and for

930
01:06:18,800 --> 01:06:22,320
Speaker 3: us one of those days, I mean the man Muslims

931
01:06:22,320 --> 01:06:23,280
Speaker 3: for many years.

932
01:06:24,600 --> 01:06:27,480
Speaker 4: How to prove to their death they are wrong and

933
01:06:27,600 --> 01:06:32,919
Speaker 4: they are right by the way they believe to death

934
01:06:33,440 --> 01:06:41,240
Speaker 4: the Torahs bone right. Every day. Singers today accept this.

935
01:06:43,240 --> 01:06:48,040
Speaker 4: They accept this, Isac, and they do in days every year.

936
01:06:48,160 --> 01:06:50,280
Speaker 4: You know better than I do that they go to Mecca.

937
01:06:50,440 --> 01:06:55,400
Speaker 4: They do they sacrifice. They had a physifal sacrificed millions

938
01:06:55,440 --> 01:06:55,800
Speaker 4: of them.

939
01:06:56,440 --> 01:07:00,680
Speaker 3: They muscle once and they do the tradition there they

940
01:07:00,800 --> 01:07:01,440
Speaker 3: sacrifice it.

941
01:07:02,520 --> 01:07:05,480
Speaker 2: Yeah, right, he knowlts. He said he has lived most

942
01:07:05,520 --> 01:07:07,880
Speaker 2: of his life among Muslims. And and for them, the

943
01:07:07,960 --> 01:07:11,240
Speaker 2: story is that this happened to Ishmael and not to

944
01:07:11,760 --> 01:07:15,640
Speaker 2: not to Isaac. And of course it's it's Ishmael being

945
01:07:15,720 --> 01:07:18,360
Speaker 2: the father, as it were, of Islam or the Arabs,

946
01:07:18,760 --> 01:07:24,680
Speaker 2: but basically of the Islamic people and so on. And

947
01:07:24,760 --> 01:07:28,280
Speaker 2: they certainly outnumber. They're much closer to the stars of

948
01:07:28,360 --> 01:07:31,360
Speaker 2: the heaven and the grains of sand than the Jews are.

949
01:07:33,840 --> 01:07:36,880
Speaker 2: It's a very interesting thing there are two daughter religions

950
01:07:36,920 --> 01:07:44,080
Speaker 2: of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. A big difference, however, is

951
01:07:44,240 --> 01:07:50,160
Speaker 2: that Christians from left to right, acknowledge that Christianity emanated

952
01:07:50,200 --> 01:07:55,520
Speaker 2: from Judaism, but Muslims do not acknowledge that Islam emanates

953
01:07:55,520 --> 01:08:01,120
Speaker 2: from Judaism. And it is a very important distinction between

954
01:08:01,240 --> 01:08:05,960
Speaker 2: the way in which the religions therefore view Judaism and Jews,

955
01:08:06,080 --> 01:08:09,720
Speaker 2: and of course the Jewish scripture. The Jews are regarded

956
01:08:09,920 --> 01:08:15,600
Speaker 2: by Islam as having corrupted the original message and therefore

957
01:08:15,720 --> 01:08:21,120
Speaker 2: necessitated the coming of Muhammad, so that what we are

958
01:08:21,200 --> 01:08:24,400
Speaker 2: reading here is not the Word of God in this story,

959
01:08:24,440 --> 01:08:28,040
Speaker 2: as you point out, but rather a Jewish corruption of

960
01:08:28,160 --> 01:08:32,679
Speaker 2: the original text, which in fact Muhammad came to to

961
01:08:32,840 --> 01:08:36,120
Speaker 2: set or right. And so when you said you couldn't

962
01:08:36,200 --> 01:08:38,640
Speaker 2: prove to them, of course it's it's not. It's not

963
01:08:38,720 --> 01:08:42,040
Speaker 2: an issue because it is a matter of faith, and

964
01:08:42,200 --> 01:08:45,920
Speaker 2: faith cannot be proven in any direction. It's a matter

965
01:08:45,960 --> 01:08:48,720
Speaker 2: of faith for them, it is a matter of incontroverti

966
01:08:48,880 --> 01:08:53,200
Speaker 2: controvertible history that Judaism precedes Islam. But when it comes

967
01:08:53,240 --> 01:08:59,760
Speaker 2: to faith, and in that instance, a fundamentalist faith, which

968
01:08:59,800 --> 01:09:01,519
Speaker 2: I don't I don't use across the board as a

969
01:09:01,560 --> 01:09:04,519
Speaker 2: pejorative term. There's nothing you can say to a Muslim

970
01:09:05,680 --> 01:09:07,280
Speaker 2: just you know, let us live in peace and know

971
01:09:07,400 --> 01:09:10,600
Speaker 2: that we are cousins and and move on. But that

972
01:09:11,080 --> 01:09:13,639
Speaker 2: that difference that I noted between the way Christians look

973
01:09:13,640 --> 01:09:16,800
Speaker 2: at Judaism and Muslims look at Judaism is a very

974
01:09:16,840 --> 01:09:42,639
Speaker 2: important distinction. Hm. Yes, yes, that is very yes. His yes,

975
01:09:42,720 --> 01:09:46,000
Speaker 2: his point is, Uh, he sneaks out of the house

976
01:09:47,160 --> 01:09:50,519
Speaker 2: and doesn't tell Sarah what he's planning to do. Uh,

977
01:09:50,600 --> 01:09:53,280
Speaker 2: that's absolutely right. And where you point out she was

978
01:09:53,360 --> 01:09:55,840
Speaker 2: deeply involved, well, she was deeply involved with Isaac too.

979
01:09:55,960 --> 01:09:58,800
Speaker 2: She's deeply involved with both. But she's not involved at

980
01:09:58,920 --> 01:10:01,439
Speaker 2: all in the sacrifice. And there's a very good reason

981
01:10:01,920 --> 01:10:06,400
Speaker 2: she'd have said, no way, God, schmad, you don't kill

982
01:10:06,479 --> 01:10:10,160
Speaker 2: my son. And it's just the way it would have been.

983
01:10:11,120 --> 01:10:14,599
Speaker 2: And by the way, that does raise interesting things about

984
01:10:14,760 --> 01:10:19,439
Speaker 2: the differences between men and women men. Men tend to

985
01:10:19,520 --> 01:10:22,439
Speaker 2: be the vision oriented ones, and women tend to have

986
01:10:22,600 --> 01:10:26,080
Speaker 2: their feet on earth. And this is a classic example.

987
01:10:26,280 --> 01:10:30,679
Speaker 2: Men have these visions religion. It's very funny for some reason,

988
01:10:30,800 --> 01:10:32,719
Speaker 2: and this is really something I've had to learn because

989
01:10:32,720 --> 01:10:35,280
Speaker 2: I used to believe this too, that religion was more

990
01:10:35,400 --> 01:10:38,960
Speaker 2: naturally a female thing, and that it's the men who

991
01:10:39,040 --> 01:10:41,400
Speaker 2: had to be coerced to go to church or synagogue,

992
01:10:41,720 --> 01:10:44,360
Speaker 2: but that women were much more naturally attuned to it.

993
01:10:44,880 --> 01:10:46,960
Speaker 2: I don't believe that at all any longer. It's part

994
01:10:46,960 --> 01:10:49,479
Speaker 2: of the reason in that religiously, I tend to be

995
01:10:49,560 --> 01:10:53,760
Speaker 2: a feminist, not obviously very moderate feminist for those of

996
01:10:53,800 --> 01:10:57,800
Speaker 2: you who know any of my views, but nevertheless I

997
01:10:58,120 --> 01:11:02,040
Speaker 2: very much understand that fact. I don't believe religion is

998
01:11:02,320 --> 01:11:04,479
Speaker 2: very at least the religions that we know of in

999
01:11:04,560 --> 01:11:07,840
Speaker 2: the world, is very male oriented. And I don't say

1000
01:11:07,880 --> 01:11:10,479
Speaker 2: that at all negatively. I mean, it's a great credit

1001
01:11:10,520 --> 01:11:12,960
Speaker 2: to male some of the astounding things that they have

1002
01:11:13,040 --> 01:11:16,040
Speaker 2: come up with here. I mean, I wouldn't be religious

1003
01:11:16,040 --> 01:11:17,920
Speaker 2: if I didn't think it was a very positive thing.

1004
01:11:19,080 --> 01:11:23,559
Speaker 2: But the whole vision orientation women generally speaking, all these

1005
01:11:23,600 --> 01:11:27,080
Speaker 2: are generalities with the understanding that there doesn't mean for

1006
01:11:27,160 --> 01:11:30,200
Speaker 2: a moment that every single woman falls into the female,

1007
01:11:30,520 --> 01:11:33,360
Speaker 2: or every male falls into the every man falls into

1008
01:11:33,400 --> 01:11:39,479
Speaker 2: the male, but the female woman is more grounded. Is

1009
01:11:39,600 --> 01:11:43,280
Speaker 2: what do you mean you're taking my son religions, religion,

1010
01:11:44,160 --> 01:11:47,679
Speaker 2: What are you doing? That would have been her reaction,

1011
01:11:48,760 --> 01:11:52,680
Speaker 2: and so and men. But men soar in with their

1012
01:11:52,720 --> 01:11:58,360
Speaker 2: imaginations and soar with their with their visions, and this

1013
01:11:58,600 --> 01:12:02,639
Speaker 2: is one of them. And if God had appeared to Sarah,

1014
01:12:03,040 --> 01:12:05,120
Speaker 2: isn't that wouldn't that be an interesting thing to know?

1015
01:12:05,680 --> 01:12:08,320
Speaker 2: If God had said to Sarah, take your son, the

1016
01:12:08,400 --> 01:12:10,920
Speaker 2: one you love, you only one, and it really is

1017
01:12:11,000 --> 01:12:13,479
Speaker 2: for her, the only one, I mean there, she wouldn't

1018
01:12:13,479 --> 01:12:15,560
Speaker 2: have said, well, I have two. She didn't have to.

1019
01:12:16,040 --> 01:12:18,760
Speaker 2: She had one. And God said take your only son

1020
01:12:19,080 --> 01:12:21,840
Speaker 2: and bring him to an offering. She probably would have said,

1021
01:12:22,040 --> 01:12:25,439
Speaker 2: get the hell out of here, bug my husband, because

1022
01:12:25,479 --> 01:12:27,719
Speaker 2: I don't go in for this stuff. I have a son,

1023
01:12:28,040 --> 01:12:31,439
Speaker 2: and I am gonna put my body over that altar.

1024
01:12:33,479 --> 01:12:38,280
Speaker 2: It probably it's remember God appears to those who can

1025
01:12:38,400 --> 01:12:42,280
Speaker 2: know that God appeared to them. God does not compel

1026
01:12:42,479 --> 01:12:47,439
Speaker 2: himself onto recipients of God's messages. You have to go

1027
01:12:47,720 --> 01:12:51,519
Speaker 2: halfway to get a message from God. He doesn't come.

1028
01:12:52,120 --> 01:12:58,720
Speaker 2: Atheists don't get messages. Why not? They're nice people, a

1029
01:12:58,800 --> 01:13:02,839
Speaker 2: lot of nice atheists. You have to be a receiver.

1030
01:13:03,080 --> 01:13:07,360
Speaker 2: You need antennae. Women don't have the antenna from messages

1031
01:13:07,400 --> 01:13:10,639
Speaker 2: of getting rid of their kids. They may have had

1032
01:13:10,680 --> 01:13:15,200
Speaker 2: other awkward antennae. They were certainly happy to engage in

1033
01:13:15,320 --> 01:13:18,960
Speaker 2: cultic prostitution, but that was more fun than killing kids.

1034
01:13:19,600 --> 01:13:23,800
Speaker 2: I mean, there's just no comparison. So I'm not saying

1035
01:13:23,880 --> 01:13:27,160
Speaker 2: women are nobler and men are worse, or men are

1036
01:13:27,280 --> 01:13:29,960
Speaker 2: nobler and women are worse, because men do have these

1037
01:13:30,080 --> 01:13:34,160
Speaker 2: visions and messages. I'm merely saying it's very interesting. The

1038
01:13:34,240 --> 01:13:37,799
Speaker 2: difference the message could not have been received by Sarah

1039
01:13:38,400 --> 01:13:40,600
Speaker 2: and would not have been received by Sarah is my

1040
01:13:40,720 --> 01:13:43,400
Speaker 2: gut reaction. And when it says he got up early

1041
01:13:43,479 --> 01:13:45,679
Speaker 2: in the morning, he got up early in the morning,

1042
01:13:45,800 --> 01:13:48,040
Speaker 2: not just to do God's will, but to get up

1043
01:13:48,080 --> 01:13:49,240
Speaker 2: before Sarah got up.

1044
01:13:49,479 --> 01:13:52,760
Speaker 1: This episode of Timeless Wisdom, we'll continue right after this.

1045
01:13:58,320 --> 01:14:01,879
Speaker 1: Now back to more of Dennis Prager's Timeless Wisdom.

1046
01:14:03,920 --> 01:14:18,040
Speaker 2: Lady back there, em Susan, I'm reading into it what

1047
01:14:19,320 --> 01:14:41,880
Speaker 2: my life experience. No, I know, that's okay, No, it's

1048
01:14:41,920 --> 01:14:43,880
Speaker 2: a fair statement. She says, she you know, if she

1049
01:14:43,960 --> 01:14:47,240
Speaker 2: had children, she doesn't know how she'd respond. A if

1050
01:14:47,280 --> 01:14:50,839
Speaker 2: you had children, I think you might might more strongly

1051
01:14:50,920 --> 01:14:55,000
Speaker 2: know how you'd respond. But be a woman of faith exists.

1052
01:14:55,040 --> 01:14:58,200
Speaker 2: I don't denount that women of just as great a

1053
01:14:58,280 --> 01:15:01,559
Speaker 2: faith as men. I do think, though, that God would

1054
01:15:01,600 --> 01:15:03,880
Speaker 2: simply not have asked that of a woman of a mother.

1055
01:15:04,720 --> 01:15:07,559
Speaker 2: That is just my sense of it, and that that's

1056
01:15:07,680 --> 01:15:10,960
Speaker 2: not where it would almost I would almost have to

1057
01:15:11,040 --> 01:15:14,720
Speaker 2: say to you, it would be an unfair request, an

1058
01:15:14,800 --> 01:15:18,360
Speaker 2: unfair test of a woman. It would be as if

1059
01:15:18,400 --> 01:15:21,120
Speaker 2: God would say, hey, listen, women, I make your nature thus,

1060
01:15:21,560 --> 01:15:24,600
Speaker 2: and now I want you to violate your nature for

1061
01:15:24,800 --> 01:15:31,000
Speaker 2: my sake. No, I wouldn't feel differently, but I wasn't

1062
01:15:31,040 --> 01:15:33,599
Speaker 2: living three thousand years ago, and people did this as

1063
01:15:33,600 --> 01:15:36,759
Speaker 2: a matter of course, And I would be very curious,

1064
01:15:37,000 --> 01:15:41,200
Speaker 2: very curious to know, even among pagans, if women, if

1065
01:15:41,280 --> 01:15:44,360
Speaker 2: women did it to kids as opposed to men, I'd

1066
01:15:44,439 --> 01:16:06,120
Speaker 2: be very interested to know that. Yes see, and.

1067
01:16:16,680 --> 01:16:25,920
Speaker 4: In the age, and.

1068
01:16:27,800 --> 01:16:32,840
Speaker 3: As they say that, why.

1069
01:16:35,720 --> 01:16:39,680
Speaker 2: There, Okay, let me answer the second one. First, the

1070
01:16:39,760 --> 01:16:41,760
Speaker 2: reason that I'm not reading, I'm not saying it can't

1071
01:16:41,800 --> 01:16:43,720
Speaker 2: be read things into and it came to pass after

1072
01:16:43,840 --> 01:16:47,840
Speaker 2: these things. First of all, very often it may just

1073
01:16:48,080 --> 01:16:52,599
Speaker 2: mean that it's this entirely separate story. Secondly, though, because

1074
01:16:52,680 --> 01:16:56,200
Speaker 2: what follows it is not as significant as what followed

1075
01:16:56,200 --> 01:16:59,439
Speaker 2: the other one. That's all. I was more curious to

1076
01:16:59,520 --> 01:17:02,160
Speaker 2: find out what the connection might be between the two,

1077
01:17:02,640 --> 01:17:05,000
Speaker 2: because then the binding of Isaac is so much more

1078
01:17:05,000 --> 01:17:08,160
Speaker 2: important than the children of Knuckhar Okay, That's all. It's

1079
01:17:08,240 --> 01:17:11,040
Speaker 2: very subjective response to that. Your first thing was that

1080
01:17:11,200 --> 01:17:13,439
Speaker 2: Sarah is already more in tune with God, as we saw,

1081
01:17:13,520 --> 01:17:16,240
Speaker 2: She's on a higher level. You claim. I don't know

1082
01:17:16,280 --> 01:17:17,960
Speaker 2: if she was on a higher level. What I did

1083
01:17:18,120 --> 01:17:20,680
Speaker 2: claim earlier was that it was she much more than

1084
01:17:20,720 --> 01:17:25,400
Speaker 2: Abraham who understood that his ideals will be transmitted through

1085
01:17:25,520 --> 01:17:29,040
Speaker 2: Isaac rather than Ishmael, And in that sense, she was.

1086
01:17:29,080 --> 01:17:30,639
Speaker 2: I don't know if she was more in tune with God.

1087
01:17:31,240 --> 01:17:33,000
Speaker 2: If she was more in tune with God, why would

1088
01:17:33,040 --> 01:17:34,960
Speaker 2: she have laughed so much when the angel said she'll

1089
01:17:34,960 --> 01:17:38,080
Speaker 2: give birth. So I'm not sure that she had more

1090
01:17:38,160 --> 01:17:39,800
Speaker 2: faith or more in tune with God. What I do

1091
01:17:39,920 --> 01:17:42,360
Speaker 2: think is that she was more aware that Isaac was

1092
01:17:42,400 --> 01:17:46,639
Speaker 2: the vehicle, or, if you will, just more selfish because

1093
01:17:46,680 --> 01:17:50,280
Speaker 2: Isaac was her son, Andy Ishmael was Hagar's son, and

1094
01:17:50,360 --> 01:17:54,760
Speaker 2: therefore more protective of that of that particular lineage. Lady

1095
01:17:54,800 --> 01:17:55,160
Speaker 2: over there.

1096
01:17:55,840 --> 01:18:02,519
Speaker 4: Why he must have stated of at all?

1097
01:18:02,760 --> 01:18:04,400
Speaker 2: I tells.

1098
01:18:05,840 --> 01:18:10,040
Speaker 4: Me in love to tell say earlier.

1099
01:18:12,160 --> 01:18:15,320
Speaker 2: It's a good question. Why does the Torah not tell

1100
01:18:15,400 --> 01:18:18,880
Speaker 2: us the mental state of Abraham? Of Abraham during this period,

1101
01:18:20,240 --> 01:18:23,479
Speaker 2: since mental states had been described a little earlier. I

1102
01:18:24,479 --> 01:18:26,760
Speaker 2: tell you why I think I'm off the top of

1103
01:18:26,840 --> 01:18:32,040
Speaker 2: my head is because it would have been almost blasphemous.

1104
01:18:33,960 --> 01:18:37,360
Speaker 2: But because he was thinking terrible things, he was probably angry.

1105
01:18:38,600 --> 01:18:41,519
Speaker 2: How could he not be even if he's obedient, he

1106
01:18:41,640 --> 01:18:44,040
Speaker 2: had to be angry. I don't necessarily you led me

1107
01:18:44,120 --> 01:18:46,000
Speaker 2: to this. This is what I lived my whole life

1108
01:18:46,040 --> 01:18:48,439
Speaker 2: for so I could finally get a child. Now kill

1109
01:18:48,520 --> 01:18:50,439
Speaker 2: him for you. Hey, listen, God, I'm willing to do it,

1110
01:18:50,800 --> 01:18:53,000
Speaker 2: but you can't ask me to be happy while who

1111
01:18:53,040 --> 01:18:55,040
Speaker 2: wants to? I mean, the Torah is going to give

1112
01:18:55,040 --> 01:18:57,920
Speaker 2: you a mental state of the patriarch, and it's a

1113
01:18:58,040 --> 01:19:00,080
Speaker 2: very negative mental state. I think it does give you

1114
01:19:00,160 --> 01:19:02,960
Speaker 2: his mental state. I think that that Rabbi Walby was right.

1115
01:19:02,960 --> 01:19:04,639
Speaker 2: I think he looked on the ground for two days

1116
01:19:05,640 --> 01:19:10,519
Speaker 2: kicking pebbles. Okay, that's the beauty of the tore It

1117
01:19:10,560 --> 01:19:12,560
Speaker 2: doesn't give you, I mean again, and also it's of

1118
01:19:12,600 --> 01:19:15,439
Speaker 2: course not a psychoanalytical book. You know, so I can say,

1119
01:19:15,439 --> 01:19:17,400
Speaker 2: you know, and had he been at his shrink, this

1120
01:19:17,520 --> 01:19:23,200
Speaker 2: is what he would have said. Yes, why did he

1121
01:19:23,320 --> 01:19:41,240
Speaker 2: have to bind him? So he was it's an interesting question.

1122
01:19:41,400 --> 01:19:45,400
Speaker 2: Why was he bound? Anybody have an answer, not a guess,

1123
01:19:45,560 --> 01:19:50,280
Speaker 2: just an answer that that you're you're pretty certain is right? Yes, okay,

1124
01:19:51,280 --> 01:20:00,040
Speaker 2: yeah that's what I think. Yes, yeah, well you're speaking

1125
01:20:00,840 --> 01:20:14,800
Speaker 2: you're speaking from a very traditional uh viewpoint was Okay,

1126
01:20:15,880 --> 01:20:18,799
Speaker 2: I don't buy it, but it's a touching mystical explanation.

1127
01:20:19,360 --> 01:20:23,000
Speaker 2: You are talking to the least mystical Jew in America. Okay,

1128
01:20:23,080 --> 01:20:24,719
Speaker 2: I just have to tell you that at the outset,

1129
01:20:24,840 --> 01:20:27,000
Speaker 2: I just you know, it's not it's not the way

1130
01:20:27,040 --> 01:20:28,880
Speaker 2: I would read it. It's a lovely thought, though, but

1131
01:20:28,960 --> 01:20:31,360
Speaker 2: it's an expost facto thought. There are no film at

1132
01:20:31,360 --> 01:20:33,200
Speaker 2: this time. It's film come later.

1133
01:20:38,880 --> 01:20:39,760
Speaker 4: If you don't kill me.

1134
01:20:42,280 --> 01:20:46,760
Speaker 2: By the way, means nations in Hebrew, and I yes,

1135
01:20:47,439 --> 01:20:50,400
Speaker 2: no no GOI means nation. In fact, it says here

1136
01:20:50,680 --> 01:20:52,559
Speaker 2: and through you, all the Goum of the world will

1137
01:20:52,600 --> 01:20:57,080
Speaker 2: be blessed means nation. It's unfortunate that it sometimes has

1138
01:20:57,120 --> 01:20:58,920
Speaker 2: a pejority of term. That's why I use non jew.

1139
01:20:58,920 --> 01:21:00,519
Speaker 2: But all right, let me just is this on? Is

1140
01:21:00,560 --> 01:21:05,080
Speaker 2: this on that question that I'm just asking, I remember

1141
01:21:07,640 --> 01:21:19,439
Speaker 2: wasting time? Yes, that's right, yes, well, yes, apparently they

1142
01:21:19,600 --> 01:21:22,280
Speaker 2: just walked together and he said, okay, yeah, that's exactly

1143
01:21:22,360 --> 01:21:24,720
Speaker 2: the point. Next time, I'm going to talk to you

1144
01:21:24,840 --> 01:21:29,240
Speaker 2: about what effect this hat on Isaac. Okay, and Sarah.

1145
01:21:29,720 --> 01:21:32,599
Speaker 2: But we have more knowledge of Isaac afterwards than Sarah.

1146
01:21:32,720 --> 01:21:34,880
Speaker 2: All we know about and I will show you and

1147
01:21:35,040 --> 01:21:36,800
Speaker 2: it will blow your mind. And I remember the late

1148
01:21:36,960 --> 01:21:39,840
Speaker 2: Rabbi Pintless Belly showed it to me. How it's clear

1149
01:21:39,880 --> 01:21:45,560
Speaker 2: that they separated. They never saw each other again, according

1150
01:21:45,800 --> 01:21:50,160
Speaker 2: to a reading a literal reading of the Torah. Okay,

1151
01:21:50,240 --> 01:21:53,000
Speaker 2: you know what. I'm sorry, my friends, but it's always better. Finally,

1152
01:21:53,160 --> 01:21:55,760
Speaker 2: before you do, see you in two weeks and on

1153
01:21:55,880 --> 01:21:59,439
Speaker 2: your way home in fifty five minutes, I'll be on radio.

1154
01:21:59,600 --> 01:22:11,960
Speaker 2: Thanks a million, see you. Then they obedient for good, right.

1155
01:22:12,040 --> 01:22:12,240
Speaker 2: I know.

1156
01:22:15,040 --> 01:22:18,880
Speaker 1: This has been timeless wisdom with Dennis Brager. Visit Dennis

1157
01:22:19,040 --> 01:22:22,320
Speaker 1: Prager dot com for thousands of hours of Dennis's lectures,

1158
01:22:22,439 --> 01:22:26,320
Speaker 1: courses in classic radio programs, and to purchase Dennis Prager's

1159
01:22:26,520 --> 01:22:27,600
Speaker 1: rational bibles.

1160
01:22:31,320 --> 01:22:31,800
Speaker 2: Mm hmm.