Which Brotherly Bond Will you Follow

Parasha Chayei Sarah is the conclusion of the lives of both Abraham and Sarah, almost like book ends, Sarah dies at the beginning and Abraham dies at the end.  In between we have Abraham seeking the preservation of the promises made to him by God in Genesis 12:1 about a land and seed.  Abraham did this by purchasing the cave of Macpeilah as a burial ground for his family to secure rights to the land for the future and found a wife (Rebecca) for his son Isaac to continue the progeny of the people.  This third parasha about Abraham completes the trilogy of events about his life that is an ongoing definition of what the community of God, Israel, are to act like as the recipients of Torah who are to be the voices and the hands of the Divine in the world.    

This past week here in America we had our midterm elections to determine who would have the majority control of the House and the Senate.  What we know so far is that the Republicans have taken the House and the Democrats at best will hold the tiebreaker if not the majority vote of the Senate; two very close races.  Okay, well we know the country is politically polarized right now, but the question is can they work together and what will be the outcome if they cannot?  I am not here to offer my opinion on those questions more so than I want to look to see what this week’s parasha can teach us regarding those questions.

In Genesis 25:9 and in the Haftarah, from 1 King 1:5-14, we have the story of two sets of brothers; Abraham’s sons Ishmael and Isaac who we met last week in Vayeira and in 1 Kings this week we meet Adonijah and Solomon, two of King David’s sons who were at odds over who would sit on the throne after their father dies.  Here are the similarities; Abraham and David are dying (David dies in 1 Kings 2:10) and the dissimilarities; how their sons handle the situation.  Beginning with David his two sons are enemies of sorts according to the text. King David, while on his death bed, had to intervene by making sure that Solomon would be king as he promised and not Adonijah who unjustly usurped the throne.  In the end Adonijah is assassinated (after David dies) for seeking to marry his father’s concubine, Abishag the Shunammitte, as a way to ascend the throne perhaps to unseat Solomon who is now the rightful King.  There is also no evidence that as their father was dying they came together to ensure their dad that they would take care of the family and the kingdom’s success. Conversely we have the story of Ishmael and Isaac who came together to bury their father after he died.  If we recall the last time Ishmael saw his brother (Isaac) was when Sarah told Abraham to kick Hagar and Ishmael out of the family camp, depending on your dating, some 60 years earlier!  If we embrace the tradition of the Talmud (Bava Batra 16) that says Ishmael did t’shuvah (repented) by accepting that Isaac was the rightful seed even though he was the youngest (just like with Adonijah and Solomon) then it is not a stretch to also suggest that they both stood by their father’s bed together, each holding one of their dad’s hands, as Abraham breathed his last breath. After Abraham died, both Ishmael and Isaac prospered, and while Arab and Jewish history is replete with conflict both communities stand strong.  Yet, Adonijah and Solomon began a series of inter and intra family conflicts that would lead to the demise of the Davidic Kingdom within 400 hundred years.  

It was only a few years ago that the Abraham Accords saw four Arab counties join Jordan and Egypt to make peace with their brother (Israel) from another mother (Abraham is their joint father), not really getting the fanfare it deserved because of the political issues in our country (I’ll leave it at that).  That is a result of what happens when brothers work together for a common goal.  Likewise, maybe our country is divided equality between red and blue seats, but they can choose to work together, which is why we pray for our government, or they can be like Adonijah and Solomon; we all know how that ended. What about us, at work or with friends and even family, what does it take to work together with others who we just do not see eye to eye with or even care for?  So in the case of Ishmael and Isaac the honoring of their father was a bigger deal than their personal disagreements. The heart of Torah encourages community and acceptance, despite any diversity, loving your neighbor as yourself and forgiving those who have committed wrong as much as we have the power to do so; the Torah constantly asks us to reevaluate what is important for the desired result before reacting.  Which brotherly bond will you follow in this case is a statement as opposed to a question. Good food for thought.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Adam