Expert: Rabbi Barry Dov Lerner - 10/14/2004

Question
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Followup To
Question -
By telling Abraham to sacrifice his son, was God telling him to do something against God's own morality. Wouldn't it be considered evil by todays concept of God's morality and isn't God's morality unchangeable?
Answer -
Dear Daniel,

Thanks for writing, but I need to know a bit more about you and in what context you are asking - age, purpose (is this for a Bar Mitzvah intro?), etc.  Please write me your background and I'll get right back.

It is strictly a theological question. No Bar Mitzvah, no purpose except to understand the scriptures and God,and how to live a better life.

Rabbi Dov

Answer
Dear Daniel,

Thanks for the info.

From my own point of view, my doctoral studies in bible and commentaries, I am prepared to say that the Bible=Torah is a tradition trying to make sense out of human sacrifice.

Abraham is asked to do what every other nation did at that time, and he initially agreed albeit reluctantly. What is fascinating to me is Isaac's willingness to go along with it, being either not so swift or very pious.

Bottom line is however the Torah's message: we don't permit human sacrifice; it is inconsistent with God's morality and we wouldn't have known that until Abraham was ready but wa warned not to harm the child.

God is an interesti figure in the Bible. He changes his mind; He becomes angry, destroys the world, regrets his actions, etc. I suspect that the simplest what to understand the Bible - certainly in these early sections - is to perceive how the Biblical student is wrestling with his own sense of God's nature. When it emerges, when Abraham's image of God emerges, it is truly a discovery that will shape and change theology for the rest of human civilization- no?

Best wishes

Rabbi Dov