The Protest of Avraham

Avraham was a trailblazer.

He was the first monotheist to share his teachings with the world. He stood up for family and fought for Lot - even if they didn’t fully get along. And Avraham stood up to God when he felt God was unfairly destroying Sodom.

“Chalilah Lecha - Far be it from You to do such a thing! To bring death upon the innocent as well as the guilty, so that innocent and guilty fare alike. Far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?” (Bereishit 15:25)

Think about it. Avraham is better known for obeying God. God said, “Go,” and Avraham went. God said, “Listen to Sarah to send away your son, Yishmael,” and Avraham cast them away. God will tell Avraham, “Offer your son as a sacrifice…” You get the idea.

In the case of Sodom, however, Avraham pushes back. God tells Avraham the people of Sodom are wicked, and the place must be destroyed. Avraham essentially accused God of un-Godly conduct. Why? Did Avraham think he could change God’s mind?

The question is compounded by the fact that the wickedness of Sodom was anathema to the goodness and kindness of Avraham. Why should it bother Avraham so much to see evil eradicated?

Finally, when Avraham fails in his mission to save Sodom, the Torah says (Bereishit 15:33), “Avraham shav li’meloko - Avraham returned to his place.” Where else did he go? What do we learn from how Avraham handled defeat?

In the Sodom scenario, Avraham models several critical characteristics that are in short supply these days. 

1)  When something seems wrong, speak up. 

Elie Wiesel tells the following story about protest. ("Words from a Witness", p. 48) 

One day a Tzadik came to Sodom. He knew what Sodom was, so he came to save it from sin, from destruction. 

He preached to the people. "Please do not be murderers, do not be thieves. Do not be silent and do not be indifferent." 

He went on preaching day after day, maybe even picketing. But no one listened. He was not discouraged. He went on preaching for years. 

Finally someone asked him, "Rabbi, why do you do that? Don't you see it is no use?" 

He said, "I know it is of no use, but I must. And I will tell you why: in the beginning I thought I had to protest and to shout in order to change them. I have given up this hope. Now I know I must picket and scream and shout so that they should not change me." 

We can never just accept a scenario that seems wrong, unfair, or unjust. 

2.  Don’t give up on people. 

Avraham refused to believe there was a place that had no redeeming people. Even as an exemplar of loving kindness, he wasn’t ready to give up on wicked people without a fight. 

Sometimes, we may be quick to write off those who are different or people with whom we have less in common. Who needs ‘em? Maybe we’re not looking hard enough at what we do have in common with them. Our default setting should be to try and find a way in which we align rather than jumping to write such people off. 

3.  It’s OK to lose. 

Avraham lost. God convinced him Sodom was irredeemable. How did Avraham respond? Shav li’mekomo. He went back to where he was before. Avraham was undeterred. He went back to being Avraham, the same God-loving, obedient, kind monotheist he had become.

He fought the Lord, and the Lord won. Now back to the business of being the best Avraham he could be. He went “li’mekomo,” back to where he had been before.

I thought about Avraham’s reaction in relation to the recent elections in Israel and the US. Elections are a battle of people and ideas. Not an actual war, but it can be intense. How do the losing candidates and their supporters react?

Congresswoman Elaine Luria, who narrowly lost her re-election bid, had a terrific perspective. 

When her loyal supporters booed her concession announcement, Luria admonished them. “Please don’t boo,” she said. “Because the success of this district depends on my opponent’s success. This was a hard-fought race; she won this election. We came out short of where we wanted to land. But the truth is that we do need to wish her the best of luck and my team is here… we’re going to be fully behind a smooth transition.”

Shav li’mekomo. Don’t let a setback or defeat alter who we are or what we believe. 

It’s not easy to protest. It’s not easy to see the redeeming qualities in those who are different. It’s not easy to lose. It’s not easy to be like Avraham. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try.