Before we jump into the parsha, I wanted to dedicate this week to my grandmother, “Bad Haas,” who passed away after suffering from dementia and aggressive lung cancer, on the morning of November 3rd. She was eight-five years old, and left behind two daughters, seven grandchildren, and twelve great-grandchildren (and counting). She was one tough cookie, who loved her grandchildren fiercely. All seven grandchildren gathered together from all across the country, with many children in tow, to bury her next to our grandfather. The week was nothing short of a whirlwind between the funeral, sitting shiva, and so much laughter thrown into all the grief and heartache. I’ve been thinking about this weeks parsha, and how it’s just so fitting with what we’re currently living. We love you Haasa.
Chapter 18: You Did Laugh
As he’s recovering from his circumcision, The Lord appears to Abraham, sending him three messengers, who relay the information that this time next year, Sarah will have a son. Sarah over hears this and laughs. 18.12-13 And Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “Now that I am withered, am I to have enjoyment — with my husband so old?” Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, “Shall I in truth bear a child, old as I am?” God changes Sarah’s words, which Rabbi’s often refer to when giving examples of keeping peace in the home. Peace in the home is called shalom bayit, and as a wife and mother of four, it’s a principal I feel very strongly about, and work as hard as I can to maintain.
As Abraham is seeing his guests off, after underpromising and overdelivering them a refreshing meal and rest, the Lord makes mention His plan to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, as their sins and wickedness has come to a head. Abraham and God converse back and forth, which is where we finally start to understand why God has chosen Abraham, which up until now was a bit of a mystery. But here, in this give and take with God, we see Abrahams mercy, justice, and compassion shining through. Abraham’s final offer with God is to save the two cities if He’s able to find simply ten good men. God agrees.
Chapter 19: What Goes Around Comes Around
Turns out there aren’t even ten good men in Sodom, even amongst the elderly and children. Two messengers arrive in Sodom, Lot sees then, pays his respects and offers them food and a place to rest for the evening. The townspeople, young and old, get word of the new visitors. They arrive at Lot’s home and demand to rape them. Lot stalls for time, offering them his virgin daughters. The messengers / angels strike the entrance to the house with a blinding light, asking who else they can save (in Lot’s family) before they destroy all of Sodom & Gomorrah. Lot, his wife, and his two virgin daughters flee to Zoar, and 19:24 the Lord rained upon Sodom and Gomorrah sulfurous fire from the Lord out of heaven. Dennis Prager makes the argument that they were destroyed for the same reason God brought on the Flood: God hates evil. Lot’s wife looks back, as they’re fleeing, and is turned into a pillar of salt. There’s a lesson here to keep looking forward and progressing. Anyway, Lot and his two daughters find their way into a cave, as they’re fearful to live in Zoar, clearly unwelcome. Lot’s daughters take it upon themselves to repopulate, as they believe there isn’t another man on earth who will consort and make a family with them. They get their father incredibly drunk, to the point where he doesn’t remember sleeping with them, and they in turn, each give birth to a son, Moab and Ammon. Each son, who ends up becoming great enemies of Israel.
Chapter 20: Sister-Wife
Chapter 20 echos Chapter 12, that being, as Abraham and Sarah travel through another new land, they come to the agreement to say that they are brother and sister (true), rather than husband and wife (also, true), as Abraham fears Sarah will be taken as the Kings prisoner (?), lover (?), and he will be killed. The Lord appears to King Abimelech of Gerar in a dream, telling him he will die because he took a married woman. Which I think is a bit unfair, as Abimelech makes mention that he is blameless and didn’t know. Abraham and Sarah lied to him. The Lord tells him to restore Sarah, and he complies, giving Abraham animals, slaves, money, and land. And to Sarah, a rare occurrence of sarcasm, 20:16 And to Sarah he said, “I herewith give your brother a thousand pieces of silver; This whole episode counts as another one of Abraham’s ten test from God. And in a way, it comes full circle because Abraham fully throws his trust into the Lord.
Chapter 21: Strength Under a Drawn Bow
I love Chapter 21. It’s so raw and rich with a newborn, a feast, lots of family tension, and survival. A rabbi once told me something I’ll never forget about stress and challenges: “It’s when the bow is drawn tight, when tensions are high, that we really shine.” In this chapter we see the truth play out: Hagar’s fear and despair stretch her, and it’s precisely in that tension (like a drawn bow) that hope appears and her faith is strengthened.
Sarah finally gives birth to Isaac. He is circumcised at eight days old, and when he is weaned, there is a big feast thrown. Shortly afterwards, Sarah wants Hagar and Ishmael gone. The Lord tells Abraham to listen to his wife, 21:12 But God said to Abraham, “Do not be distressed over the boy or your slave; whatever Sarah tell you, do as she says, for it is through Isaac that offspring shall be continued through you. Abraham packs them some bread and water and off they go, into the wilderness of Beersheba. When they run out of food and water, Hagar sits a bowshot away from her son and cries over his imminent death. Through an angel, the Lord appears to Hagar, telling her to fear not, God will make a great nation of her son. He opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. The rest of the chapter outlines how the well of which Hagar found, was actually a well that Abraham himself dug earlier. 21:22 At that time Abimelech and Phil, chief of his troops, said to Abraham, “God is with you in everything that you do. An oath was sworn over seven ewes that Abraham shall not deal falsely with Abimelech.
Chapter 22: The Binding of Isaac
This is the ultimate test of Abraham, and definitely the most well-known. This is such an important and rich chapter, I’m almost afraid I won’t do it justice. Our Rabbi’s wife, Mimi, even dedicated an entire Rosh Hashanah sermon to the Akedah. The chapter opens with God testing Abraham 22:2 Take your son, your only son, whom you love and offer him as a sacrifice. Every moment of this journey must be filled with incomprehensible tension, yet Abraham moves forward with quiet resolve. Isaac, too, plays a profound role in the test: he allows his frail, aged father to bind him, surely aware that something is not right. Even if he were only a child of eight or so, he could have resisted — and yet he submits, showing remarkable trust in both his father and in God. After many days of travel, the big moment finally arrives, just as the knife is about to come down, an angel calls out in that famous way “Abraham! Abraham! (22:11)”, stopping the sacrifice. It’s impossible to ignore the parallels between this chapter and last. Both involving each of Abrahams sons, moments of perceived death, courage under pressure, and faith stretched to the fullest.
TAKEAWAY FROM THE WEEK
- Sometimes life stretches us like a bow and it is in those moments of tension that courage, clarity, and faith reveal themselves.
- Even in exhaustion, we can still embody hospitality, faith, and discernment.
- Laughter nurtures the heart of the family, even in the midst of grief and chaos.
- Trusting those you love, even when fear and uncertainty loom, strengthens the bonds that hold a family together.
This week has tested my patience, faith, and courage. Stretching me into ways I couldn’t have imagined. And yet, through exhaustion, high tensions, and heartbreak, I see that love, trust, and clarity can still shine bright, like the Florida sunshine. In myself, my family, and in moments of grace that Hashem provides.