God is an impossible Being to comprehend.
The first man to discover this is the first Jew—Avraham. Avraham is the prototype of every Jew. And his greatest trial is what is experienced by all Jews: the impossibility of identifying God in terms of consistency and goodness.
And God tested Abraham and said to him, “Avraham,’” and he said, “Here I am.” And He said, “Take now your son, your only son Yitzchak, whom you love… and offer him there as a burnt offering.’”
This command destroys everything Avraham had been earlier promised by God. Everything is invested in this child—and now it is all to be lost.
The birth of Yitzchak was to be the fulfillment of God’s promise and the continuation of the covenant that would lead to the formation of a nation: through Yaakov, Yitzchak’s descendants would become the ancestors of the twelve tribes of Israel, and a light to the nations.
And with one command—“offer him up as a burnt offering”—everything is undone. No Yitzchak, no Jewish people, no blessing to the nations.
Not only is Avraham prepared to go through with this command, but there is also no stopping him even when he is called upon to halt the act. An angel of God must bring him to order before it is too late and even needs to repeat the command before Avraham finally lowers the knife: “Avraham, Avraham! Do not lay your hand on the child!” (Genesis 22:11–12)
It is harder for Avraham to accept the command not to kill his child than the command to kill him.
Why? Because when God commanded him to sacrifice his son, Avraham realized that there is no human logic to God. He is a contradiction in terms. One can expect anything from this God.
God is the most tragic figure in all of history. To deny His existence is not possible. To confirm His existence is beyond human capacity.
This becomes the great religious struggle throughout our history—from Adam, through Avraham, and on to our own days, even beyond the Holocaust. This is the purpose of Halacha; it teaches us to live with this struggle.
Judaism is not a paradise, but an ongoing struggle—and the art—to live with God despite His apparent inconsistencies.
That is the story of the Jews. After all, as Spinoza once said: “All things excellent are as difficult as they are rare.”[1]
Notes:
[1] Spinoza, Ethics V:42 Scholium.
