If Heschel Met God

Abraham J. Heschel’s Stanford University lectures in May of 1963 were edited and published. The question was: “Who Is Man?” Within the lectures, he introduced the concepts of the “question” and the “problem.”

Heschel noted “[a] question is due to knowing too little, to a desire to know more; a problem is often due to knowing too much, to a conflict between opposing claims of knowledge. A question is a product of curiosity, a problem reflects an embarrassment of knowledge.” Who Is Man? at P. 2.

The Question?

If Heschel met God, would he have asked the Lord, “What’s the problem with Man?”

If God replied, it is contended that he would query: “Have you read the Torah?” The Pentateuch- in its totality- not only reveals the problem, but also the solution.

Scripture

In Genesis, the God of the Torah became quite capable of answering the question “Who Is Man?” It occurred when he encountered his world’s first children- Cain and Abel.

With Cain and Abel, God accumulated an embarrassment of knowledge about the Human Condition.

God witnessed the impact of favoring one child over another. The slighted child can be overwhelmed with deep and painful emotions. Ironically, it was God himself who was the slighter. [“And the Lord paid attention to Abel and his offering and did not pay attention to Cain and his offering.” Genesis 4:4-5.]

Beyond the slighting issue, the brothers had another reality- differing vocations. One engaged in a pastoral livelihood while the other toiled around in agriculture.

The Initial Question?

God’s appreciated the problem arising from his slight. As a result, he sought to redeem the situation. God, at that particular moment, believed that sound rational advice could solve the problem.

Thus, the Torah reports: God asked “‘Why are you upset, and why has your face fallen?’ Is it not that if you do well you’ll be raised, and if you don’t do well then sin crouches at the threshold? And its desire will be for you. And you’ll dominate it.'” Genesis 4:6-7

As the Torah tells, this advice proved to be a massive failure. “Cain rose against Abel his brother and killed him.” Genesis 4:8

The Embarrassment of Knowledge

God learned a multitude of things that day. Human emotion triumphs logic and that Brotherhood is a problem. He learned that Brotherhood can be marred by parental favoritism, varying goals, and diligence (or the lack of.)

Thus, the Torah, in part, presents as a documentary of God’s attempt to solve the Brotherhood problem.

As such, the Torah richly deals with the realities of brotherhood.

The Crisis‘ Essence

The ultimate story of brotherly crisis comes with Jacob and Esau. In antiquity, birth order mattered. And by nature itself, familial child birth essentially presented as a race. With twins, while likely born on the same day, necessarily involved one coming out of the womb before the other.

“If you ain’t first, you’re last”

Talledega Nights

The Torah depiction of this problem is highlighted with Jacob and Esau and Rebekah’s turbulent pregnancy. The Lord comes to her in the throes of carrying the troublesome two. He advises her that “two nations are in your womb and two peoples will be dispersed from your insides, and one people will be mightier than the other people and the older the younger will serve.” Genesis 25:23.

The Torah reports that the race to get out of Rebekah’s womb was contentious. The Torah tells that the second brother-Jacob- was holding onto the Esau’s heel. Genesis 25:26. Given the realities of childbirth, one could say that this was a “photo finish.”

Divine Intervention Needed

With Abraham, the divinely designated nation builder, another brotherly crisis emerges. Isaac versus Ishmael. With the enmity that was going to arise, God takes precautionary measure to prevent another incident. He is determined to not have another Cain and Abel debacle.

Thus, Abraham’s boys receive divine protection while their father is tested. Abraham is essentially asked asked to sacrifice both of his sons; Ishmael by banishment into the wilderness and Isaac by physical sacrifice. Divine intervention is used to heal the relationship wounds.

The Torah tells: “And God heard the boy’s [Ishmael] voice. And an angel of God called to Hagar from the heavens and said to her. ‘What trouble do you have, Hagar? Don’t be afraid. Because God heard the boy’s voice where he is. Get up. Carry the boy and hold him up in your hand, because I shall make him into a big nation.” Genesis 21:17-18. After this, a water well was found so that the boy could drink. It was reported that God was with the boy. Genesis 21:20.

Jacob and Esau

With Jacob and Esau, their falling out relating to the stolen birthright. God once again intervened to circumvent the enmity arising from brotherhood. With Jacob returning to the Promised Land, he is set to encounter Esau.

Before the meeting, Jacob has a famous encounter with a mysterious “man.” In that reported wrestling match, the man dislocated the inside of Jacob’s thigh. Genesis 32:25-26. It is asserted that this was divine intervention intended to make Jacob a cripple as he approached Esau. Jacob was no longer his brother’s equal. He no longer was capable of standing tall his brother.

With Joseph and his brothers, divine intervention was required. God protected Joseph after he was taken to Egypt to be a slave. When he worked for Potiphar, it was noted that “and the Lord was with Joseph.” Genesis 39:2-3. Even when Joseph was imprisoned, the Lord was with him. [“And he was there in the prison, and the Lord was with Joseph, and extended kindness to him and gave him favor in the eyes of the warden.” Genesis 39:20-21.

It is with Moses, Aaron and Miriam that problem of brotherhood is addressed. In this instance, for a period of time, these three divorced themselves from sibling-related matters. They were divinely tasked on a larger goal- the emancipation of a nation. Thus, Brotherhood, in that moment, became a partnership for the great good.

Thus, the Exodus serves as a triumph of brotherhood. Without internal divine intervention, the story evidences how siblings have the capacity to cooperate for the betterment of society.

Ironically, their story- Post Exodus- includes a bump in the road. In Numbers, the Lord rebukes both Miriam and Aaron for their speaking against Moses for taking a Cushite wife. Numbers 12:1 In that moment, Miriam becomes leprous like snow. In the incident, Moses cries to the Lord to heal her. Numbers 12:9-13. In that moment, sibling compassion was evidenced.

Conclusion

God, with the world’s first children, appreciated the problem of man. Man’s emotions have the capacity to destroy man’s ability to appreciate rationality and logic. Families are the first unit of peoplehood upon which emotions arise and the departure from rational thought begins. Thus, Brotherhood required a mechanism to temper man’s emotionality. The solution being partnership.

The Torah evidenced how siblings, brothers and sisters, were capable for working together for the betterment of their nation. The Exodus was a testament to children “working together.” This, in contrast, to the humanity’s beginnings in which brothers engaged in differing enterprises. Thus, the partnership solution led to the great achievement, the emancipation of a nation.

Be well!!

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