Over the past two days I've been studying, in short bursts, with my rabbi. Yesterday was the first "Breakfast with the Rabbi" event where we learn the Parsha of the week. Today we spent some time looking into an interesting concept of "Bargaining With G-d".
When you look at the first book of the Torah it strikes you that in the entire book there are only three commandments. Three... Because there are no "wasted words" in all of the Torah why couldn't G-d have included those three commandments in Exodus and left Genesis out of the mix?
Because in Genesis we are told more about "how to live" rather than "what to do". The entire book surrounds the lives of Abraham, Issac & Jacob and tells us the story of how each lived so that we too might mirror their lives. And, in this week's Parsha we are told it's OK to attempt to even bargain with G-d.
G-d has a problem with the people in several (5) cities and so he visits with Abraham asking for his take on the situation. Imagine, G-d asking for advice? What does that small detail tell us? Perhaps that we are in "partnership" with G-d?
Abraham is told, by G-d, that He is going to destroy all the cities and all the people and Abraham suggests that if there might be found fifty people (ten for each city) that G-d might spare them. And, you know the story...the number goes to forty-five, thirty, twenty nd finally...ten. (There is a great story in each of these numbers as well.)
What is it that we learn from this...about our daily life as Jews? Perhaps that we should question and bargain and ask things of G-d. Perhaps that we should, when we are witnessing people doing wrong we should intercede. Perhaps it's never too late to offer heartfelt prayer.
Your choice...
See you in shul...
