The Crisis of Confusion

Friday November 7, 2025/ 16 Cheshvan 5786/Shabbat Vayera

Hevre/Friends,

Did I make the right decision? Should I have made another choice? What if I was wrong about him? What if I was right about him?

No, I’m not talking about the NYC mayoral election. I’m talking about Avraham in the Akedah/Binding of Isaac story from this week’s Torah portion. But on some level I actually am talking about the election. 

Most of the classical commentators read details of the story such as Avraham rising early to saddle his own donkey and carrying wood for the altar as expressions of his zeal to fulfill God’s horrifying command that he sacrifice his beloved Isaac; the son whom God also said would carry on Avraham’s line. To them, Avraham is a model of faithfulness and submission to God for generations of Jews to venerate and emulate. Some modern interpreters introduce the idea that Avraham failed God’s “test” by not challenging God over the evil command and not refusing to fulfill it. To them, Avraham is a model of what not to do in service of God.

What’s missing from these rabbinic discussions is a completely different dimension of Avraham’s conscience; one that might have been helpful to many Jewish New Yorkers this past week. What’s missing is the exegetical imagining of Avraham’s struggle.

Should I obey the Creator of the Universe even though this is an unconscionable demand? Should I pretend to go through with it and hope that it will end peacefully? Should I confront God over the wickedness of such an order? Should I wake Sarah and see what she thinks? Should I say something to Isaac? If I submit, I’m a devout believer and a failed father; if I refuse, I’m a devoted parent and a cursed apostate. What should I do??

Few commentators use this vexing biblical story to portray Avraham’s suffering as he wrestled with faith and fear, loyalty and loss. Few focus on the grueling task of figuring out what to do when the line dividing right and wrong seems to have blurred all distinctions, on how to respond to the call for moral courage when the ones sounding the alarm are themselves saddled with incriminating baggage, or on how to decide what, when, and who to sacrifice. 

Over multiple dinners and coffees in the days leading up to and following the election, one thing became clear among our friends and family across age and station: apart from those of us who were certain about whom we were voting for or not voting for and why, a sizeable number were literally in agony, unable to choose a position that would leave them feeling any measure of civic pride or integrity. To them, as perhaps to Avraham, at best the choices were all morally bankrupt, and at worst, some could lead to serious danger. The emotional, social, and even spiritual toll that this election took on them was devastating.

In this divided and divisive post-election time, reading this Torah portion through the imagined lens of Avraham’s existential angst might help us muster some empathy for those for whom this has been a time of excruciating doubt. In the end, regardless of who any of us voted for, our urgent collective task is to make sure that the Jewish community, along with all other communities who call New York City home, can live here safely and that our culture and values are respected - including our support for the State of Israel. Now this test begins.

With ongoing prayers for the return of all the murdered hostages, for the bereaved and the injured, and with blessings for a Shabbat Shalom,

Dini

(Photo by Ronen Avisror)