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How do you walk a tightrope?
What's the best way to deal with anxiety?
How should you respond to evil?
These are some pressing questions that we deal with on a daily basis.
Many books have been written on these topics.
Much research has been done.
With an ever-"evolving" school of thought.
Psychologists, Philosophers, and Professors think they are breaking new ground.
Arriving at new truths as of yet undiscovered.
The Truth is, the answers to these questions have been known for thousands of years.
The Torah is the source code for humanity.
Given to us by the Creator of the World.
It contains within It the Blueprint for how we operate.
And how we should relate to those around us.
This understanding has been passed down.
Father to son.
Mother to daughter.
Rebbe to Student.
From Generation to Generation.
If you want to understand life, look in the Torah.
Get a glimpse from the greatest Jewish minds over the last 2000 years.
And open your eyes to a deeper understanding.
This week Hashem is prepared to destroy Sdom.
Sdom is synonymous with all the ills of society.
The prototype for the worst city of all time.
They sunk to the lowest levels of depravity.
Sdom didn't believe in dependents.
You contributed to society.
Were self-sufficient.
Or you were a menace.
You need money?
Get a job!
Need a bed to sleep on?
Get out of town!
Sparing some salt for your neighbor was a crime.
In G-d's view this is Cruelty at its finest.
A complete breakdown of society.
Communities have a responsibility to our poor and downtrodden.
We must care for one and other.
Sdom had passed the point of no return.
It was time for it to go.
Hashem informs Avraham of His plans.
Total destruction.
How would you respond to such a plan?
If you had the chance to remove all scourges from society.
All the bad actors that are bringing the world down.
Would you take it?
Better yet, we won't expect you to do anything.
If G-d informed you of His plan to rid the world of all this evil.
What would be your reaction?
Maybe there'd be a tinge of sadness.
But might a little smile creep onto your face?
Maybe deep down you are a little relieved?
They deserve it.
And the world will be a better place.
Now imagine if you were Avraham.
The ultimate giver.
Sdom stood against everything that he believed in.
Their ideology was poisoning the hearts and minds of all the people he was trying to teach.
If ever there was a man who had a vested interest in their removal it was Avraham.
How did Avraham respond to this news?
Was he happy? They got what they deserved!
On the contrary.
He prayed for them.
He begged Hashem to have mercy on them.
To spare them.
But he went a step further.
He didn't suffice with a simple request.
Rashi tells us that he "went to war" for Sdom.
He spoke to Hashem with a certain "Brazenness."
Or as we say in Yiddish.
Chutzpah.
He went so far that the Medrash says he put his life on the line.
He was entering dangerous territory.
Hashem is the King.
You can't talk out of line to a King.
Avraham was pushing the envelope.
He was speaking harshly.
Which was commendable.
But in the heat of the moment, it's easy to lose oneself.
Avraham might end speaking more harshly than necessary.
It might slip from Jewish Chutzpah into heresy.
And Avraham would be no longer.
No Avraham.
No Jewish Nation.
No Torah.
No Point to Creation.
Avraham was willing to risk everything to save the worst city in the history of the world.
Avraham was walking a tight-rope.
Too soft and 5 boroughs get destroyed.
Too harsh and Avraham’s life is over.
Avraham needed to find that perfect balance.
The Medrash tells us how he confronted this challenge.
He gave himself a pep talk.
Anochi Afar v’Efer.
I am dust and ashes.
I’ve been here before.
I jumped in the fire rather than bow down to Nimrod.
I risked my life when I took on the 4 kings.
Had I lost either time I would have been ashes or dust.
And I wasn’t scared.
I’m prepared to die now as well.
Avraham was nervous to enter battle with Hashem.
One wrong move and he’s dead.
He didn’t assure himself that he’ll be all right.
He didn’t convince himself that he is a skilled tight-rope walker.
As we learnt last year (see below) the Torah has one solution to battling anxiety.
Acceptance.
I’m ready to die.
But let’s go one step deeper.
There’s a fundamental difference between Nimrod and Hashem.
Avraham vs. Nimrod.
Giving up his life was the appropriate course of action.
Had Avraham turned to ashes he would have been following the will of Hashem.
But this time was different.
Avraham vs. Hashem.
Avraham would only have died had he stepped out of line.
If Avraham spoke more harshly than was permitted.
This time he should not be prepared to die.
Dying would mean he had sinned.
If he truly believed that he was in danger of sinning greatly he would have had no right to walk this tightrope.
Avraham must have been confident that he could walk this tightrope.
But if Avraham was so confident, what was he nervous about?
Why the pep talk?
He should simply say, I’m ready to do this because I know I won’t step out of line.
And this, my friends, is the secret to tight-rope walking.
Noone wakes up one morning and attempts to cross Niagara Falls.
They have practiced thousands of times safely over the ground.
They are confident that they can walk a wire with ease.
If they fell one in 100, they wouldn’t dare try it.
So what’s the skill?
What could go wrong?
Suspended over a mountain, the possibility of tripping is not what will kill him.
A funambulist does not need to reassure himself that he can do this.
He knows he can.
He will not die from Falling.
The only thing that can kill him is fear.
The fear of death can paralyze him and make him fall.
And what is the antidote?
Not reassurance.
"You’ve got this" doesn’t work.
There’s only one answer.
Acceptance.
Anochi Afar v'efer.
I’m ready to die.
And then you will soar.
Have a good Shabbos,
Rabbi Rudansky
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