Strange, Stranger, & Estranged

Our parsha this week begins with the story of three strangers – angels, perhaps a theophany, men, messengers – who are unknown to Abraham and Sarah. After laying out the spread for these presumably hungry guests, the old couple receives (astonishing, welcome, weird) news: they will finally have the child G!d promised them. Sarah laughs at this strange news from the strangers.

Next comes the strange story of Sodom’s destruction. We learn about G!d’s willingness to listen in this story and witness the conversation Abraham has with G!d about the people of this typological evil city. Really, this whole story stays strange – from the strange greeting the strangers receive, to the strange satisfying of Lot’s wife, to the strange story of incest between Lot and his daughters attributed to the beginning of the Moabites and the Ammonites. These tribes are the center of more strange stories in the Torah, often seen as a consequence of the daughters’ actions.

Abraham’s strange decision to present Sarah as his sister shows up as a repeated story in the next chapter (first seen with the Pharaoh in Genesis 12), this time with King Abimelech. After G!d tells Abimelech not to touch Sarah, he still gives Abraham many possessions – a strange reaction to an almost deadly half-truth. However, as G!d’s declared prophet, we see the strange prayer of Abraham restore health and fertility to Abimelech’s family and kingdom.

Finally, Sarah gives birth at a strange age to Isaac, the promised child. After the birth of Isaac, Sarah reacts strangely to Hagar and Ishmael, a strange and strict reaction to a situation she concocted herself when she was barren earlier. Hagar received the first anunciation to a woman in the Bible (something that was just pointed out to me this week!) – a strange experience for anyone – in Genesis 16. Ishmael’s future as a “wild ass of a man” (Genesis 16) seems strange enough, but now (Genesis 21), we find out that he is going to be the progenitor of a nation. [We’re really starting to get the basis for so many strange stories in the Bible now…] Hagar and Ishmael are estranged from their family – both in Egypt, and by the work arrangement and fathership of Abraham. Once an integral (at least perceived) part of their family, Sarah and Abraham now make the mother and son who lived with them so long into strangers.

After a strange interaction about wells between Abraham and Abimelech, we read the final story in this parsha: the Akedah – the binding of Isaac – the almost-deadly sacrifice of the promised son. How much stranger does it get? (I guess the midrash goes there, but, you know, rhetorical questions…)

The well outside the Be’er Sheva archeological site

These stories have become familiar to me over time, and perhaps also to many of you. I find new questions to ask every year, but sometimes I don’t just sit and think, “Wow, these are strange.” As I taught my Hebrew school students this year, I realized how much the idea of strangers – whether unknown or estranged – comes into this parsha, and I also took a moment to sit with the strange tales of our ancestors.

Vayera is one of the most famous set of stories in the Torah, and support so many future writings in Jewish, Christian, and Muslim tradition.

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The kraziness of my komps kaos got me a little stressed this week – but I feel like I’m starting to build my “team.”After a few conversations this week, some accountability and idea-building, I’m changing my outlook on the overwhelming and looming task ahead of me.

The rabbis also had an overwhelming and looming task…the ongoing survival of the Jewish people and traditions during a time of great persecution. We often ask if they made up everything or if the people followed their halakhot – but either way, they were a lynchpin in the continuation of Judaism, and arguably Christianity and Islam as well (since all three still interact and combine beliefs at least to some degree). So maybe I’ll be a rabbi after this grueling year?