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Familial Sacrifices

Rosh Hashanah provides us a time to keep thinking, considering, pondering the world around us, our families, our communities. It is a start, not an end. One of the starts we have comes as we turn to the beginning of reading the Torah (Old Testament) in just a few weeks. The stories, morals, and guidance offered in this text are intense, complex, and insightful parables to help us evaluate and consider our lives and our relationships with others.

I heard the following observation recently and have been contemplating it further.

Abraham was forced into two difficult situations with the women who were the mothers of his children.

First, Abraham was forced to send his first son, Ishmael, away into the wilderness. Sending away his son severed his relationship completely with Ishmael and Hagar.

Second, Abraham was instructed to sacrifice his second son, Isaac. He almost completed the act and killed his son, as he felt he was instructed by G-d. There is much ambiguity in the text about what Abraham and Isaac were both thinking, what they may have said to each other before the act, during, and after. In the end, however, this experience severely damaged Abraham's relationship with his son.

Both sons went on to father great nations, as promised by G-d to Abraham. But was that promise enough to endure the damaged and compromised relationships with his sons? What can we make of the fact that Abraham's two sons were not raised together and the current reality between Jews and Muslims? How can we reconcile this with the historical text and what happened between these sons and their father?

I've written before on issues related to family a number of times. Family can be such a valuable and supportive part of our lives. It can also be challenging and damaging. Either way it turns out, it plays a significant role in shaping who we are.

I hope for all that this year to come (the Jewish Year or just the next 12 months) is one that allows for thoughtful introspection and consideration of, well, anything and everything!
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