D'var for Vayera

In this week’s parsha, Three strangers arrive at Abraham and Sarah’s tent, and Abraham welcomes them, provides food for them, and washes their feet. When one of the strangers tells Abraham that they will return in a year, and when they do so, Sarah will have a son. Upon hearing this, Sarah laughs, with both her and Abraham being as old as they are. God asks Abraham why she laughed, as there is nothing that God can’t do.
The next famous story in this Parsha is the story of Sodom and Gamorah, two very sinful cities that God intended to destroy. When God told Abraham what God was about to do, Abraham argued with God, asking if God would destroy the cities if there were innocent people there. God said that God would not destroy the cities if there were 50 good people living there. Abraham continues asking until the number decreased to ten good people, and God still backs off.
Abraham’s nephew Lot seemed to be the only good person in Sodom, so God sent angels to tell him and his family to leave, as God was about to destroy the city. They are told not to look back, but Lot’s wife does, and she turns into a pillar of salt.
Sarah gives birth to a son when Abraham is 100 years old. The son’s name is Isaac, which means “will laugh.” Sarah wanted Abraham’s line to continue through Isaac and not Ishmael. So, she told Abraham that she wanted to send Hagar and Ishmael away. Abraham had to oblige, and sent Hagar and Ishmael out to die in the desert. An angel opened Hagar’s eyes to a well of water, and God helped her and Ishmael live on, and become a great nation of their own.
The next famous story in this parsha is that of the Akayda, the sacrificing of Isaac. God tells Abraham to go to Mount Moriah, where he will sacrifice his son, Isaac. Abraham goes with Isaac and two servants. Abraham tells the servants that he and Isaac will go up the mountain to pray, and will return. Isaac asks Abraham where the sheep is for the sacrifice that they will make. Abraham says that God will provide the sheep. He lays Isaac on the altar, and is about to kill him when God sends an angel to stop him, and a ram to be sacrificed in Isaac’s place.
There is no question that the sacrifice of Isaac and the destruction of Sodom and Gamora are instances of God testing Abraham, however they seem to contradict each other. The story of Sodom and Gamora shows Abraham arguing with God, while the story of the Akayda shows Abraham blindly obeying God. We can actually learn two very important lessons from these stories about the role of Judaism. From the story of the Akaydah, despite how horrible it sounds, we can learn to trust that eventually, everything will be alright. After all, Abraham knew that God wouldn’t really want him to kill his only son through whom a people as numerous as the stars in the sky would begin. From the story of Sodom and Gamorah we can learn to notice injustice in the world and try our hardest to do something about it.