The first four parshiyot of Sefer Bereishit feature an interesting phenomenon which is unique to this section of the Torah: The divine inner monologue, offering us a peek into the decision-making process of HaKadosh Baruch Hu. But why are we allowed this glimpse behind the heavenly curtain? If we inspect these monologues closely, we notice a recurring theme around the purpose and function of mankind. Perhaps we can claim the following: Each divine interlude marks a shift, a new iteration, in G-d's plan for man.
These interludes include G-d’s decision to create Adam (נעשה אדם בצלמינו כדמותינו) and then to improve on the plan by creating man and woman (לא טוב היות אדם לבדו). They include man fundamentally altering his status by partaking of the עץ הדעת טוב ורע and tapping into the realm of morality, which was meant exclusively for the divine. This necessitates G-d’s rethinking of the function of man (הן האדם היה כאחד ממנו לדעת טוב ורע) and a grappling with the inherent conflict in housing the divine moral spark in flesh and blood (לא ידון רוחיבאדם בשגם הוא בשר).
The final one of these divine interludes appears in this week’s parsha: המכסה אני מאברהם אשר אני עושה?... כי ידעתיו למען אשר יצוה את בניו ואת ביתו אחריו ושמרו את דרך ה' לעשות צדקה ומשפט (יח:יז-יט) Can I hide from Avraham what I am about to do?...For I have singled him out, that he may instruct his children and his house to keep the way of G-d and to do what is just and right.
We would expect this final behind-the-scenes glimpse to be the ultimate reveal of man’s purpose. Man, who is neither animal nor divine, has not reached the heights of the heavenly host, but has separated himself from the beasts of the field by tapping into the divine realm and eating from the fruit of G-dly morality. It is here that we should find the clear expression of his destiny. But instead of resolving the existential question of man and his place in creation, Hashem chooses to share with Avraham the fate of Sodom. If these divine monologues are in fact markers of evolving stages in the human plan, what does this final one represent?
I have been thinking about this since Wednesday, when I had the zechut to be at the levaya of Rabbi Dr. Neil Hecht z”l – father of Jonathan Hecht (’84) and Sharon Kramer (’85), zaidie of Adam (‘13), Charlie (‘17), and Theo (‘22) Kramer – whose life was an inspiration and whose memory should be a blessing to his family. At the levaya, Rabbi David Hellman of the Young Israel of Brookline shared an idea that was dear to Rabbi Dr. Hecht and one that perhaps addresses our question. It is the idea of shlichut.
Rav Soloveitchik, in his essay “Shlichut” from the collection ימי זיכרון, writes: The human being was created as a shliach. The very act of creation, of birth, inherently contains within it the appointment of a mission… The fact that a person lives at a specific time, in a unique era, and in a defined place—and not in another period or under different circumstances—can be understood only if we accept the idea of human purpose.
From here the Rav develops the idea of man being created בצלם אלוקים – in G-d’s image – as a function of the halachic principle of שלוחו של אדם כמותו, that the messenger is an extension of the sender. We are extensions of G-d in that we are tasked with manifesting His will in this world.
This idea sheds light on our question of what was the ultimate design of man. What was Hashem’s final tweak in the evolution of man? The answer is provided in this seminal moment with Avraham Avinu. In it, man is elevated and reassigned. Man evolves. He is no longer a mere subject of the divine plan but a shliach tasked with its execution, a being who is uniquely positioned to leverage both corporeality and the spark of צלם אלוקים, to bridge the divine vision of צדקה ומשפט and the physical world. Hashem pauses before the destruction of Sodom because this time Hashem has a partner. Corrective action to hold mankind to ethical standards is no longer the sole jurisdiction of the heavens. It is now shared with a unique and special family, destined to partner with the Almighty “that he may instruct his children and his house to keep the way of G-d and to do what is just and right.” Avraham Avinu, father of ethical monotheism, is the culminating step in the grand plan for mankind: To father a people who will serve as shluchei HaKadosh Baruch Hu.
This is what we do every day at Maimonides. This is why we invest so much in the chinuch of our children. This is why we dedicate so much time to limud Torah. We are on a mission to teach our children to be drivers of tzedakah umishpat, to take up the mantle of Avraham Avinu and actualize the divine ethical law in the physical world, to partner with HaKadosh Baruch Hu and manifest His will as we carry out His shlichut. |