Rabbi Daniel Siegel – Head of Jewish Life

Putting God second

Not long ago, a renowned Israeli Rabbi and theologian wrote a book entitled Putting God Second.

In his book, Rabbi Hartmann argued that in their zealousness to live and preach the will of God, an increasing number of religionists were violating and undermining the ethical tenets and moral sensibilities of the very religion they professed to be advancing.

Perhaps in “putting God second” the humanitarian core of our religious teachings might once again guide us in living a divinely inspired/inspiring life.

In considering this week’s parashah, VaYera, our Rabbis long ago contemplated putting God second. Our biblical text begins by stating that God “appeared” to Abraham and then immediately notes that “looking up” Abraham sees three wayfarers to which he runs off to welcome.

Abraham’s first words are “Adonai…please do not leave your servant” let me fetch some water and food. The contextual meaning of this verse is that Abraham is asking the travellers: “My masters (Adonai)” please wait here until I can refresh you with my hospitality before proceeding on your way.

The Rabbis, however, read “Adonai” as Lord, referring to God, in which sense it is most often used in the Bible. In presenting this reading of the text they are saying that the first Jew, Avraham, is putting God second by asking God to wait until he first hosts the travellers and then he will return to God whose appearance had preceded that of the guests.

Though not an accurate reading of this verse, in its particulars, the Rabbis are conveying the tenor of this passage. Abraham does leave his first visitor God to greet and offer hospitality to his new guests, apparently putting God second. It is on the basis of this episode that the Talmudic Rabbis say: “Greater is hospitality towards guests than receiving the Divine presence”.

Yet, upon a closer look at this passage, it appears that Abraham is not putting God second.

The text reads “And the Lord appeared to him …and looking up he saw three people…”. God’s revelation to Abraham was in the form of these three individuals. In noticing these travellers and hosting them he was serving and seeing God. The Jewish mystical tradition (Tikkunei HaZohar) tells us that “One who receives guests is as one who receives the Divine Presence (Shekhinah)”.

Judaism teaches that in putting humanity second, God, in whose image we all are, can never be first. For, if God is to be truly first, humanity cannot be second.