A Citizen's Responsibility

 Vayera

Gen. 18:1-22:24         

 

Précis: God “appeared” (vayera) to Abraham in the form of three travelers to whom Abraham shows hospitality. They promise the birth of Isaac, overheard by Sarah (who laughs). God reveals His plans for the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and Abraham argues for its salvation. The scene shifts to Sodom where Lot and his family are rescued, although Lot’s wife glances back and turns into the pillar of salt. 

Back with Abraham, Sarah conceives and gives birth to Isaac. She becomes unhappy with the continued presence of Ishmael and prevails upon Abraham to expel Ishmael and Hagar from the household. Thereafter, the story continues with the attempted sacrifice of Isaac by Abraham, called “the Akedah” (the Binding of Isaac).

 

Gen. 18:23-33 “Abraham came forward and said, ‘Will you sweep away the innocent along with the guilty? What if there be fifty innocents within the city…? Far be it from You to do such a thing, to bring death to the innocent as well as the guilty…’  And Adonai said, ‘I will forgive the whole place for their sake.’ And Abraham said, ‘What if the 50 innocents will lack five? Will you destroy the whole city for want of the five?’”

 

What was so horrid about the society in Sodom that the entire population – including any innocent individuals – merited destruction? According to A Torah Commentary for our Times (ed. Harvey J. Fields) traditional commentators offered a variety of explanations. The citizens of Sodom refused to share their wealth with others; they deliberately made the lives of those in need more miserable; they refused to care for the ill, the poor, or the needy. 

One modern answer might be that in the fight against evil, “collateral damage” of innocents is inevitable and is the cost of doing what is right. There is another meaningful viewpoint: we are each responsible for the societies in which we live and a failure to fight against evils makes us culpable. Here, the lack of protests by the citizens against Sodom's immorality implies that no such opposition existed. All were culpable.

Israelis went to the polls this week with unclear results, and Americans are going to the polls now and in the next few weeks. Both countries have leaders whose actions and motives are far from beyond reproach. I suggest that this week’s reading provides an impetus (if one is needed) to vote and express our demand for adherence to what is good and what is just. 

The Challenge of Great Wealth

Lech Lecha

Gen. 12:1 -17:27

 

Précis: This parasha, “get you up” or “go yourself” (lech lecha) begins with “the call” of Abram to leave his home and depart for a new land. At God’s command, Abram and Sarai journey to Canaan. When famine strikes, they travel to Egypt, where Sarai is taken into Pharaoh’s harem after Abram calls her his “sister,” but she escapes without harm. To avoid family squabbles, Abram separates himself from his nephew Lot (who moves to Sodom). Because Sarai is barren, she offers Abram her servant (Hagar), and Hagar gives birth to a son, Ishmael. Abram is then promised a son through Sarai, to be his true heir. Abram’s name is changed to Abraham, and Sarai’s to Sarah, in recognition of the new Covenant with God, which is then symbolized by Abraham’s circumcision.

 

Gen. 13:1-2 “From Egypt, Abram went up into the Negeb, with his wife and all that he possessed together with Lot. Now Abram was very rich in cattle, silver and gold.”

            The Hebrew word we translate as “rich” is “kaved” which literally has the meaning of “heavy” or “burdened.” Etz Hayyim reminds us that the Rabbis opined that great wealth can be a heavy burden, because the wealthy individual is challenged to use wealth wisely and responsibly.

            At a time when wealth is increasingly (and almost incredibly) concentrated in fewer and fewer individuals, we see the rise of an “oligarchy” unmatched since the end of the 19^th century’s so-called “Golden Age.” According to a Federal Reserve report in 2026, the top 1% of U.S. households hold between 32% and 35% of total national wealth. More significantly, the top 0.1% of US households hold 13.9% of America's wealth. Are they using it “wisely and responsibly?"

            Some of these super-rich have engaged in praiseworthy philanthropic actions, helping to bring healthcare to millions, endowing research universities with unprecedented gifts, and supporting cultural institutions. Others, however, have spent vast sums on gigantic homesteads, conspicuous displays of self-aggrandizement, and perhaps worst of all, have attempted to extend their financial power into the political arena through acquisition of media outlets and limitless donations to candidates.

            Abram demonstrated that great wealth can lead to the kind of moral integrity making the individual a “dugmah” (praiseworthy example). Ask yourself whether Bezos or Musk can make such a claim. Ask how oligarchs who support authoritarians like Putin can make a plausible claim that their actions are “wise” or “responsible.”