A Palace in Flames
Genesis Rabbah 39:1
讜讬讗诪专 讛壮 讗诇 讗讘专诐 诇讱 诇讱 诪讗专爪讱 讜讙讜壮鈥� 讗诪专 专讘 讬爪讞拽: 诪砖诇 诇讗讞讚 砖讛讬讛 注讜讘专 诪诪拽讜诐 诇诪拽讜诐 讜专讗讛 讘讬专讛 讗讞转 讚讜诇拽转. 讗诪专 转讗诪专 砖讛讘讬专讛 讝讜 讘诇讗 诪谞讛讬讙? 讛爪讬抓 注诇讬讜 讘注诇 讛讘讬专讛 讗诪专 诇讜 讗谞讬 讛讜讗 讘注诇 讛讘讬专讛. 讻讱 诇驻讬 砖讛讬讛 讗讘讬谞讜 讗讘专讛诐 讗讜诪专 转讗诪专 砖讛注讜诇诐 讛讝讛 讘诇讗 诪谞讛讬讙, 讛爪讬抓 注诇讬讜 讛拽讘状讛 讜讗诪专 诇讜 讗谞讬 讛讜讗 讘注诇 讛注讜诇诐
鈥淗ashem said to Abram: Go forth from your native land . . . 鈥� (Gen. 12:1) . . . Rabbi Isaac said: This may be compared to a man who was traveling from place to place when he saw a birah doleket. 鈥業s it possible that this palace lacks a caretaker?鈥� he wondered. The owner of the palace looked out and said, ‘I am the owner of the palace.鈥� Similarly, because our ancestor Abraham said, ‘Is it possible that the world lacks a caretaker?鈥� the Blessed Holy One looked out and said to him, ‘I am the Sovereign of the Universe.鈥�
What inspires one to leave home, to embrace mystery, to seek insight into the nature of our world?
The story of Abram鈥檚 physical journey to enter Canaan and his spiritual journey to become 鈥渙ur ancestor Abraham鈥� raises many questions about his life and ours. Like many of the early rabbis, Rabbi Isaac imagines a backstory to explain how and why Abram would respond to a sudden call from God to leave his home for an unknown land. The meaning of this parable, however, hinges on an ambiguous term, birah doleket, that describes what caught Abram鈥檚 attention and transformed his vision. Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel discusses the implications of two contrasting translations鈥斺�渁 palace full of light鈥� versus 鈥渁 palace in flames鈥濃�攊n his masterpiece, God in Search of Man, that deserve equal consideration for informing our own worldview.
In imagining the world as 鈥渁 palace full of light,鈥� Heschel develops Abram into a personality who discovers through wonder that there must be a Creator who would both design and care for such a stunningly magnificent domain. He posits that Abram鈥檚 journey began not just with his sense of awe for nature but with the action he takes in response to God鈥檚 answer that such a Source of Life exists.
But towards the end of God in Search of Man, Heschel acknowledges an entirely different approach to religion. He asserts that, just as many 鈥渟ense the ultimate questions in moments of horror,鈥� perhaps Abram looked around himself and saw 鈥渁 palace in flames,鈥� a world engulfed in an inferno of chaos and evil. God鈥檚 answer to Abram鈥檚 query represents the still, small voice of resilience that somehow provides for courage and hope in the face of tragedy and destruction. In this light, Abram finds reason to believe in God, the world and himself in spite of seemingly overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
Heschel鈥檚 dual treatment of this parable captures the full range of awesome and awful emotions that the ancient rabbis express in their love and fear of God. As a modern-day Abraham, Heschel asserted that post-Holocaust Judaism must engage both 鈥渞adical amazement鈥� and righteous indignation as responses to the beautiful and the terrible experiences we find in life. May we walk with God in both paths with conviction and grace.
