The Distance to God
Genesis Rabbah 60:14
讜讬爪讗 讬爪讞拽 诇砖讜讞 讘砖讚讛 诇驻谞讜转 注专讘, 讗讬谉 砖讬讞讛 讗诇讗 转驻诇讛, 砖谞讗诪专 (转讛诇讬诐 拽讘): 转驻诇讛 诇注谞讬 讻讬 讬注讟讜祝 讜诇驻谞讬 讛’ 讬砖驻讜讱 砖讬讞讜. 讜讻谉 讛讜讗 讗讜诪专 (砖诐 谞讛): 注专讘 讜讘讜拽专 讜爪讛专讬诐 讗砖讬讞讛 讜讙讜’:
And Isaac went out&苍产蝉辫;鈥榣补-蝉耻补肠丑鈥�&苍产蝉辫;in the field toward evening . . . (Gen. 24:63): By 鈥榮ichah,鈥� prayer is meant, as it says, A prayer of the lowly man when he is faint and pours out his plea before Hashem (Psalm 102:1); and thus too it says, Evening, morning, and noon, I plead and moan . . . (Psalm 55:18).
The infinitive verb la-suach appears only once in the entire Hebrew Bible, and even today scholars debate how exactly to translate it. While some contend that it means 鈥渢o walk,鈥� others (such as the anonymous Sage behind this midrash) suggest that it means 鈥渢o meditate,鈥� basing their opinions on inferences from similar terms found in devotional contexts such as those quoted above. Combining those two definitions offers insight into this Rabbinic view of Isaac鈥檚 plight and ours.
Isaac went out walking/meditating literally at dusk and figuratively towards darkness. After meeting Rebekah there, the Torah notes that 鈥渉e found comfort after his mother鈥檚 death鈥� (Gen. 24:67). Whether or not Isaac entered the open space of 鈥�the field鈥� seeking consolation, he meets his beloved in that place and returns with her to begin their new life together. As a result of the physical and spiritual act of leaving a place of mourning, Isaac has an encounter that changes the course of his life. That explanation, though, lacks the drama that the verses from Psalms add to this Rabbinic interpretation.
In searching the entire Tanakh for terms similar to la-suach, the Sage who composed this midrash chose the two instances in which sichah refers to a plea for help and for deliverance from crisis. This midrash, however, does not quote key parts of those parallel texts, perhaps in order to invite the reader to look more closely at what they describe.
Each psalm depicts the wrenching cries of a desperate soul whom God protects from mortal danger. Verses 2鈥�3 of Psalm 102 illustrate the lament of one who is feeling God鈥檚 great distance: 鈥淗ear my prayer, O Lord, and let my cry reach you. Do not hide your face from me in the day when I am in trouble; incline your ear to me; answer me speedily in the day when I call.鈥� The subsequent passage demonstrates the efficacy of such a plea: 鈥淎s for me, I will call upon God; and Hashem will save me . . . He has saved my soul in peace from the battle that was against me鈥� (Ps. 55:17, 19).
With this expanded reading of Isaac鈥檚 walking/meditation, the episode of meeting Rebekah in the field at dusk becomes one paradigm for the rabbinic understanding of prayer. I present this interpretation as a rabbi living in the twenty-first century, knowing full well that God did not answer the prayers of parents whose children I watched die. I present this interpretation not because I believe God responds with a 鈥測es鈥� to every request uttered but because I have felt God鈥檚 embrace when I have summoned the strength to cry in moments of agonizing pain. And from paralysis and deepest fear, I emerged. Thank God!
