{"id":37564,"date":"2018-08-12T15:31:43","date_gmt":"2018-08-12T12:31:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=37564"},"modified":"2022-03-06T15:27:52","modified_gmt":"2022-03-06T13:27:52","slug":"the-akeidah-is-not-our-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/the-akeidah-is-not-our-story\/","title":{"rendered":"The Akedah is Not Our Story"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[281],"tags":[478,446,387,477],"acf":{"old_id":"37564","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":34011,"related_cahpter":"22","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"Our origin myth is struggle, not surrender","content":"

Given the drama of the story of the Binding of Isaac (the Akedah), the attention it has commanded throughout the generations, and even the centrality that the narrative holds in the High Holiday and other liturgy, you might be fooled into thinking that there is something constitutional or formative about this story for Judaism.<\/span><\/p>\n

There is not.<\/span><\/p>\n

We know that this is so, because we have two “control groups” to compare ourselves to \u2013 other religions who count this story as part of their heritage and have indeed made it foundational for themselves. I’m referring of course to Christianity and Islam.<\/span><\/p>\n

For Christians the Sacrifice of the Son is THE story, and this version of it, Abraham and Isaac, is simply a precursor, a harbinger of the real deal yet to come. In fact, of the many claims the Church has made historically regarding Judaism, it is that we Jews never accepted the ultimate New Testament fulfillment of this partial, incomplete Old Testament sacrifice.<\/span><\/p>\n

The centrality of this story in Islam is no less striking. The very name <\/span>Islam<\/span><\/i> means “submission” (to the will of God), and it is actually the willingness of Ishmael to be sacrificed that is held up as exemplary here, and it is Ishmael who becomes the progenitor.<\/span><\/p>\n

While there is of course a concept and a tradition of martyrdom in Judaism, it is no wonder that martyrdom and self-sacrifice hold a place in both Christianity and Islam that is far more central.<\/span><\/p>\n

But this is Father Abraham \u2013 how can the story of his complete obedience not be paradigmatic? The minor reason is Abraham’s defiant bargaining with God about the destruction of Sodom as an important counterpoint to his puzzling silent obedience here.<\/span><\/p>\n

But the major reason is simply that we do not define ourselves primarily as Bnei Abraham. We are Bnei Yisrael, the children, the spiritual descendants, of Jacob who became Israel: “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with beings divine and human, and have prevailed\u201d (Gen 32: 29<\/a>).<\/span><\/p>\n

Our defining trope, our central characteristic is not submission or surrender, but struggle, wrestling with God and with people to fulfill our destiny.<\/span><\/p>\n

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