12 Nov VAYEIRA: IF LIFE IS EASY…
Akedat Yitzhak, when
Avraham was commanded
to sacrifice his son and he
immediately complied –
until at the last minute G-d
told him to withdraw his
knife, as this was just a test
– marks the single greatest individual
achievement in Jewish history. It is seen
as the highest level of self-sacrifice for
Hashem, the merits of which sustain us to
this very day.
We need to ask, what makes akedat
Yitzhak a greater display of self-sacrifice
than the countless times in Jewish history
when Jews surrendered their lives for their
faith? There were many instances when
Jews chose death over foreign
worship. What is so unique about akedat
Yitzhak?
Another question we might ask is, why
did Avraham not say anything after
receiving the command? The Torah tells
that G-d spoke to Avraham and told him to
travel to Jerusalem and sacrifice his son,
and Avraham complied, without saying a
word. Why?
The answer to both questions can be found
in one word in this story which, I believe,
is the key to this entire incident, and which
really captures what every Jew should be
aspiring to throughout his life.
Before G-d commanded Avraham to
sacrifice his son, He called out to him, and
Avraham replied, Hineini – “I am
here.” This word means so much more
than simply “I am here.” It means: “I am
ready to do anything You ask me to do. I
am prepared to accept any mission You
assign to me, no matter how difficult it
is. I am ready to accept any situation You
put me in, without any questions or
complaints.”
Because of this word, Avraham did not
need to say anything else afterward. And
it is because of this word that Avraham
was able to fulfill this command without
any hesitation, without flinching, without
complaining – and that this incident
represents the pinnacle of devotion to
Hashem.
There are several reasons why complaining
is not good. One is because it creates a
negative mindset, which makes our lives
unhappy. Complaining really does breed
unhappiness. Secondly, other people
HATE when we complain. Nobody likes
to be around people who are always
negative.
But thirdly, every complaint expresses a
deficiency in one’s faith. Complaining
means that we feel the situation should be
different, that things are not the way they
are supposed to be. But if we live with the
mindset of hineini, then everything is
EXACTLY the way it’s supposed to be. If
we live with this mindset, we accept
everything and anything as Hashem’s
will, and we gladly accept the challenge,
whatever it may be.
When we complain about a problem or
struggle in our lives, what we are in
essence saying is that our lives are really
supposed to be perfect, without problems
and without struggles. But this simply
isn’t true. Life is supposed to be
challenging. We are supposed to work
hard and struggle to achieve.
As a community Rabbi, I know lots of
people. Lots and lots and lots of
people. And they all have one thing in
common: THEY ALL HAVE
PROBLEMS! There is not a single person
I know who does not have something to
complain about. Whether it’s finances,
marriage, a child, a parent, an in-law, a
neighbor, an associate, a health issue, a
religious struggle – every single person
has problems. And we are to live with the
attitude of hineini – understanding that
Hashem gives us challenges, and being
ready and willing to confront them to the
best of our ability.
We are supposed to have challenges. So
instead of complaining about them, let’s
instead follow Avraham Avinu’s example
and proudly proclaim hineini, accepting
any challenge Hashem gives us as our
mission to fulfill.