ROSH HASHANA 5769 DAY 2
Hineni - I Am Here For You, O’ G-d
Good Yom Tov. I would like to begin this morning by sharing with you two Hebrew names and two Hebrew words. The Hebrew names are those of two famous biblical figures. The first is Adom Harishon, which means Adam, the first man. The second is Avrohom Avinu, which means Abraham our father.
Excellent! Now let’s learn two Hebrew words. The first is: “Ayeka” - which means: Where are you? Let’s say it together - Ayeka. The 2nd word is “Hineni” - which means: Here I am. Let’s say this word together as well - Hineni. We have now learned two Hebrew names and two Hebrew words. And with these words, let’s try to examine why we are here today.
5769 years ago, a man sat in the Garden of Eden, feeling naked and ashamed of the way he had acted. He then had the chutzpah to try to hide himself and his actions from G-d. At that moment, he heard the thundering voice of G-d which asked: “Ayekah! Where are you?”
G-d certainly knew where Adam was. G-d knows everything. Why then would G-d ask Adam Ayeka - where are you? It is because this means more than just where are you situated physically. It was actually a call which reached the depths of Adam’s soul. “Ayeka” - where are you spiritually? Ayeka - Where are you in regard to the mission I set out for you? “Ayeka” Where are you in regard to what I expect of you? “Ayeka” Where are you in regard to your potential which I entrusted to you? “Ayeka” - WHERE ARE YOU?
What an incredible Rosh Hashana message. G-d is calling out to each and every one of us and asking - Ayeka - Harry; Ayeka Shirley; Ayeka Bruce; Ayeka Rose. Ayeka - where are you this Rosh Hashana in relation to where you were last year? And, once you realize where you are, how can you make sure to be at an even better place by next Rosh Hashana?
For this reason, it would have seemed to have been the perfect choice for Rosh Hashana to have read the Torah portion which recounts this important exchange between G-d and Adam which took place on the very first Rosh Hashana in history. Adam was the collective father of all mankind. We would take this lesson to heart and then personalize it, to have it guide us to achieve our greatest potential.
But NO, instead of reading of this Divine Calling to Adam, we read of a different Divine Calling made to Abraham instead. G-d calls out to Abraham and Abraham responds: “Hineni” - “Here I am, - ready to listen and to obey, whatever You might ask”.
If we are to be 100% honest - which of these two episodes can we more closely identify with? Which one more closely resembles the way we usually relate to G-d? Is it the perfect G-dly servant who say Hineni - Here I am, O’ G-d, ready and willing to do ANYTHING you ask? Or, do we relate better to Adam, who was not quite perfect, who messed up, and then tried to hide from G-d until he was called on it and asked “Ayeka”?
After all, we are Jews - so we each are ingrained with a bit of what we might fondly call “Yiddishe Chutzpa”!
Did you hear what happened when Bill Gates advertised for a new chairman of Microsoft Europe?
5,000 candidates applied for the position and there were all directed in a large auditorium. One of them was Maurice Cohen, a sweet Jewish man from the suburbs of London, England.
Bill Gates thanks the candidates for coming but asks all those who are not familiar with the JAVA computer program language to leave. 2000 people rise and leave the room.
Maurice Cohen says to himself, “I thought Java was a type of coffee, but what have I got to lose if I stay? I’ll give it a try”.
Bill Gates then asks all those who have no experience of managing teams of more than 100 people to please leave. Another 2000 people go.
Maurice Cohen says to himself, “I have never managed anybody but myself but what have I got to lose if I stay? What can happen? I’ll give it a try.”
Then Bill Gates asks all candidates who do not have outstanding academic qualifications to rise and leave. 500 people remove themselves.
Maurice Cohen says to himself, “I left school at 15 but what have I got to lose if I stay? So he stays in the room.
Lastly, Bill Gates tells the candidates that for this job he needs someone who not only speaks English, French and Italian - but the person who becomes the chairman of Microsoft Europe must also be fluent in Serbo-Croatian. Therefore those who are not fully fluent in all of these languages may leave. 498 people rise and leave the room.
Maurice Cohen says to himself, “I don’t speak any of those languages and never even heard of Serbo-Croatian but why leave now - what could I possibly lose by staying?”
He finds himself alone with just one other candidate. Everyone else has gone. Bill Gates joins them and says: “Apparently you are the only two candidates who speak Serbo-Croatian. I’d like to hear you converse with one another in Serbo-Croatian.
Calmly Maurice turns to the other candidate, smiles, extends his hand, and says: ”Shalom Aleichem.” The other candidate smiles warmly and responds back: ”Alechem Sholom.”
Think about it, nobody’s got chutzpah like we got chutzpah. And indeed, that is part of the reason Jews are so successful at whatever they put their mind to from business success to academic achievements to medical advances and even receiving Nobel Prizes.
What then might be most meaningful Torah reading to inspire the greatest number of Jews to be moved to do Teshuva? Might it not be the Divine call to Adam, whose story is one we can so clearly relate to? Instead, we get the story of the Divine call to the perfect Abraham who responds with total obedience and says: “Hineni” - I will do whatever you ask”.
And what does G-d then ask? He says “Please do a small favor for me” - Take your son, your only one, the one you love…, and offer him unto Me…. as a human sacrifice“.
The Torah uses the words “Kach Na” which means “Please take”. Rashi explains that this phrase was used as a plea to Abraham, as if to say: “Please do this, pass this test for me, because if you don’t people will say everything else you have done for me in the past has been meaningless”!
How in the world could Rashi say this? How could anyone say that if Abraham was not able to offer his son as a sacrifice to G-d that EVERYTHING else he had done was meaningless? Was allowing himself to be thrown in a fire for accepting G-d meaningless? Was leaving his homeland and all that he knew meaningless? Was circumcising himself at the age of 99 meaningless? Why would failing this single test put into question everything else that Abraham had ever done for G-d?
Why is this final test so important more than all of the other tests of Abraham combined? This is the man who gave his whole life - 137 years to G-d. Why, if he isn’t ready to kill his son for G-d, does it mean that everything else is insignificant?!
Is it fair that if we fail one single test to negate a whole lifetime of heroism and achievement?
He then vows to never be embarrassed like that again. He joins a local gym and commences a full year of weight training - along with push ups, sit ups, chin up and sprinting.
The next year, he comes back to shul and when the gabbai calls him up, he sprints up the stairs to the bima, picks up the Torah like it was made of feathers, and flips it in the air. While the Torah is spinning, Moshe does a somersault and gets on his feet just in time to catch the falling Torah.
He then turns to the Gabbai and says, “What do you think of that?” The Gabbai replies, “Very nice, but we gave you Shishi!”
It’s not about what we like or dislike. It’s ALL about what He asks us to do… We can lift the Torah when we are asked to say say its blessing, and we can’t decide on our own how WE best think we should show love to G-d. When we truly love and care about someone - we don’t give them what WE like, we find out what they desire and give them that instead. So the only right way to serve G-d is to do that which HE asks of us, without adapting it to our personal whims or desires.
However, human nature is such that virtually every time we do a mitzvah, there is always at least a little bit of an ulterior motive. One person might seek to impress his mother-in-law. Another might seek to impress his neighbor. One person may do a mitzvah because it makes him feel proud in front of his children and another may want to receive a special recognition from his shul or temple. The bottom line is, most often when we do a mitzvah - even for valid and good reasons, there is most often at least a bit of “us” mixed into G-d’s mitzvah.
However, the request that G-d made of Abraham was the exact opposite of everything that Abraham believed and taught since he was a child of 3 years old. He preached AGAINST human sacrifice and taught kindness as the root of all relationships.
Furthermore, G-d had promised him that through Isaac, He would establish the Jewish nation. With Isaac dead, the entire concept of a nation of Israel and Jewish continuity would be lost.
A thousand protests must have been exploding in Abraham’s head. His heart must have been torn at the mental image of his son being offered up as a sacrifice. But all he says is “Hineni - Here I am, O’G-d, ready to obey whatever you desire!”
How absolutely incredible… how incredibly inspiring… how powerful a lesson…
The Kli Yakar explains the special moment that Abraham and Isaac shared at this point. “Vayomer Avi,” Isaac begins to realize what is happening and thought that maybe Abraham had lost his senses. He calls out to Abraham and says: “Avi” - “Are you still my father? Are you still the same man of loving kindness who raised me and guided me since the day I was born”?
”Vyomer hineni bni”, Abraham answers, “Yes, my beloved son. I still love you as much as before. There is no change”.
”In that case” questions Isaac, “what’s going on”?
“Vayomer”, So Abraham answers him and says: “Elokim yire’eh” - It is the will of G-d that I do this. I still love you as I already have but G-d has commanded that “leolah bni” that you be the sacrifice my dear Isaac. Vayelchu shneyhem yachdav! Yitzchok doesn’t miss a beat… together father and son walk hand in hand utterly dedicated to one thing - fulfilling the will of G-d! Not because they understand or because they even enjoy it - but because G-d decreed it.
Now we can appreciate why this selection is chosen to be read on Rosh Hashana, for this is surely the greatest Rosh Hshana message of all. Adam is not our hero. His life story is not suited for Rosh Hashana at all. However, where Adam failed, Abraham succeeded. That is why Adam is called Adom Harishon - the first man, but Abraham is affectionately knows as Avraham Avinu - Abraham our father. Abraham and Isaac - they are our patriarchs. Their lives were the example and model to which we now aspire.
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We are about to blow the Shofar and remember Abraham saying hineni - here I am ready to do whatever you ask.
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We are about to blow the shofar and remember our ancestors at Mount Sinai saying Naaseh Vnishma - we will do whatever you ask, even before we hear what is it you desire.
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We are about to blow the shofar and say: G-d we are here, and we promise to do our utmost to serve you, with love.
We are about to blow the shofar and recommit ourselves as servants of the One Supreme Divine Master. The Talmud teaches: Kol hakone eved ivri kona odon l’atzmo”. When one acquires a Jewish slave, they also become obligated to feed and provide and take care of all the needs of that servant as well. If we commit today, to be His true servants - serving Him on His terms and not on ours, then G-d promises to reward us, sustain us, uphold us and bless us with health, happiness, prosperity, contentment, long life, and with peace. Now is our chance, through the blowing of the Shofar, to lock ourselves and our families in for a good and sweet year.
Shana Tova to one and all.
Tags: Adam vs Abraham, Hineni
