Et Shaarei Ratson: Sarah's Painful Death

Rabbi Yehuda ben Shmuel ibn Abbas was one of Sephardic Jewry's most gifted poets. Born in Fez, Morocco in the 12th Century, ibn Abbas is best known for his poignant poetic retelling of Akedat Yitzchak - the Binding of Isaac. The poem is titled either by its opening words - "Et Shaarei Ratson L'Hipateach" (The Time for the Gates of Will to Open) - or by its theme - "The Akedah" (The Binding). It is chanted by Sephardic Jews as the introduction to the blowing of the Shofar on both days of Rosh Hashanah. The moving lyrics and sentimental tune of Et Shaarei Ratson together create a deeply emotional atmosphere leading into the climactic moment when we hear the sounds of the Shofar.

(Et Shaarei Ratson in Ladino Translation)

Within this 14 stanza poem, the tenth and eleventh are known as the tear jerkers. When they are chanted on Rosh Hashanah, there isn't a dry eye in the synagogue. These stanzas poetically express Isaac's broken emotions in words to his father Abraham, just moments before the knife is wielded on him.

What was on Isaac's mind at this dramatic moment? Isaac was thinking about the one person who is completely absent in the Torah's telling of the Akedah - his mother Sarah. As Abraham prepares to lift the knife and offer his son as a sacrifice, the Et Shaarei Ratson poem relates the emotions Isaac must have felt in knowing that his mother was kept in the dark about the Akedah:

Tell my mother that her joy, her one remaining son, the son she bore at the age of 90, became a man and was subjected to the slaughtering knife. I would seek solace for her, but from where? I am pained for the mother who will cry and weep.

My words come from the slaughtering knife, please sharpen it father and tighten my bonds. When it binds my flesh, take with you the remains of my ashes, and tell Sarah, this is the scent of Isaac.

This week's Torah portion is named "Chayei Sarah" - Sarah's Lifetime - and it's opening verses actually tell of Sarah's death and burial. The telling of Sarah's death comes immediately after the Akedah, prompting the commentator Rashi to attribute Sarah's death to hearing the news about the Akedah. Rashi says:

"The narrative of the death of Sarah follows immediately on that of the Binding of Isaac, because through hearing the news that her son had been made ready for sacrifice and had almost been sacrificed, her soul was shocked to its core and she died." (Rashi on Genesis 23:3)

Many Jewish commentators read the Akedah as the story of Abraham passing the ultimate "test of faith" in God. Rashi's linking of Sarah's death to the Akedah, as well as ibn Abbas' poetic probe of Isaac's emotions about his mother, remind us of the heavy toll this episode took on Isaac and his mother Sarah. These deeper interpretations point to the reality that behind every heroic episode lies painful sacrifices. With the Akedah, an "almost-sacrifice" led to some very painful emotional sacrifices.

Jews read the Torah as our personal narrative. The stories of our Biblical ancestors are "our stories." Rabbi Jonathan Sacks z"l, whose first anio (yahrzeit) we observed this week, taught us that "Torah is a journey". We journey through the Torah and relive every moment - the triumphs and the tragedies - in our minds and in our hearts.

The Akedah is not just "a story from our past." It's personal, and painful, no matter how many times we read it. Despite our knowing that the sacrifice never went through, we continue to carry the pain and trauma of the Akedah to this day. The poem Et Shaarei Ratson helps us confront this pain and release our emotions. Whether in synagogue on Rosh Hashanah, or any other time we read it, Et Shaarei Ratson allows us to cry, not for the "great heroes of our faith," but for the poignant story about a son and his mother.

Shabbat Shalom

Tsedakah and Mishpat: Rav Uziel's Vision for Social Justice

On November 26, 1936, Rav Ben Zion Meir Hai Uziel delivered a lecture to a large gathering of rabbis in Jerusalem. Titled The Seat of the Rabbinate, Rav Uziel’s words were delivered as an introduction to that day’s elections for the Council of the Chief Rabbinate of the Land of Israel. Speaking to rabbis who would potentially join him as part of the Land of Israel’s national rabbinic leadership, Rav Uziel articulated a vision for what he felt were the priorities of the rabbinate in the Yishuv in Erets Yisrael (which eventually became the modern-day State of Israel):

"When it comes to public and national matters, the issue of Mishpat (The Torah’s Civil Laws) is a weighty and important responsibility on a rabbi, for it is these matters that establish the path of life towards success or disaster, peace or dispute within our community. God thus commanded us: “Execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates” (Zecharia 8:16). 

Most people looking to create a “religious community” would begin by building a house of worship. God sees things differently. In the Torah, civil laws governing relationships between people (Bein Adam L’Havero) are legislated before the laws on building the Mishkan (Tabernacle - Judaism's first house of worship). Batei Din (courts of law) are legislated before the laws of the Mishkan, and the role of Dayanim (Judges) comes before any discussion of Kohanim (Priests). 

A large bulk of the Torah’s laws deal in matters that don’t seem “religious or spiritual” to most people -- personal injury, damages due to negligence, paying employees on time, borrowing items, lending money, the authority of courts of law - to name just a few. But these actually form the core of how the Torah envisions the definition and governance of a Jewish religious society. God knows that it’s much easier to behave “religiously” within the comfortable religious confines of a synagogue. The true challenge is maintaining that religiosity in the workplace and at home. 

In keeping with this core value, when he wrote his Mishpetei Uziel halakhic responsa (his masterpiece on matters of Jewish Law), Rav Uziel devoted a special introduction to the volume on Hoshen Mishpat (the section of the Shulhan Arukh that deals with Jewish Civil Law). He wrote:

"Amongst all of the Torah's commandments and halakhot, the Torah of Mishpatim -- which legislates civil and financial laws -- uniquely distinguishes itself, as it guides and directs the way of life for all areas and aspects of society." 

Rav Uziel bases his understanding of the centrality of civil law in Judaism on God's vision for Abraham and the Jewish people, as articulated in this week's Torah portion, Parashat Vayera: 

"This extensive body of civil laws reflects the unique character of Judaism, whose glorious splendor is manifest through Tsdedakah (Charity) and Mishpat (Justice), which are the legacy of Judaism’s founding father Abraham, about whom God said: “I have singled him out so that he will command his children and his household after him, that they will keep God’s way, doing Tsedakah and Mishpat” (Genesis 18:19)."

Rav Uziel’s vision of a Mishpatim-centered society was inspired by a long and rich tradition dating all the way back to Abraham. The "unique character of Judaism," says Rav Uziel, is expressed through our practicing tsdedakah (charity) and mishpat (justice), and Rav Uziel felt that the gatekeepers of tsedakah and mishpat would be Judaism's spiritual leaders:

"As you approach the seat of the rabbinate that you will sit upon after your election, take to heart that the full domain of mishpat -- including all of its problems & issues -- has been placed in your hands, and it will be upon you -- through trustworthiness, love honor and admiration -- to bring the entire nation closer to the values of Jewish Civil Law. Mishpat, Tsedek and Din Emet L’Amito-- justice, charity and the truthful execution of the law to its fullest extent of truth -- serve as the foundations for the unity of our nation." 

What is a rabbi’s role in society? Are rabbis only concerned with the kashrut of pots and pans, or does the kashrut of business practices also matter? Is the rabbi exclusively a caretaker of prayers and rituals, or does he care about social justice issues? Does he see halakha exclusively in the realm of the kitchen, mikvah and synagogue, or does he also find halakhic expression in economic matters such as the high cost of living and fair pricing for housing, and social problems such as drug abuse and domestic violence? 

"The Jewish people were singled out, or chosen, by God," said Rav Uziel, "to help bring tsedakah and mishpat into the world, so that society will become a better place to live." 

As long as we live in a broken world, practicing charity and justice remains our collective purpose as a Jewish nation.

Shabbat Shalom