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November 6, 2006/ 15 Chesvan 5767
Parshat Vayera
by Rabbi Jacob J. Schacter
 
In Thornton Wilder's play, Our Town,  Emily, one of the main characters, dies as a young woman and is granted the opportunity to return home and relive one day of her life. She chooses her twelfth birthday and suddenly finds herself home again. She sees her father return from work tired after a long day and her mother involved with cooking. The hours pass and the members of her family do not pay attention to one another and are even seemingly oblivious to one another’s presence. Only Emily is aware of the preciousness of the fleeting moments and the scene she beholds is almost more than she can bear. Although no one can hear her, she cries out, “Oh Mama, just look at me one minute as though you really saw me. Mama, fourteen years have gone by. I’m dead... But, just for a moment now we’re all together... Let’s look at one another.” But no one hears her and time just continues to pass. “I can’t go on. Oh! Oh! It goes so fast. We don’t have time to look at one another... Do not human beings realize life while they live it every minute?”
 
Emily’s lament goes to the heart of one of our greatest challenges, to realize and appreciate the wonderful blessings of life before it will be too late to do so. When we are younger, we have children and are caught up in the tensions and frustrations of earning a livelihood and the responsibility of raising a family. By the time we are relaxed enough to enjoy them, our kids are gone – and, often, it is then too late.
 
We take our health for granted. We are well, we feel good and then one day, God forbid, illness strikes and we begin to appreciate the wonder and the extraordinary blessing of good health. But we often do so, once again, when it is too late. We take our loved ones for granted. When we are young, we think that they – and we – will live forever and that we will enjoy one another’s presence until the end of days. We simply know for a fact that we will have ample time and endless opportunities to express our love and affection for them. But then, some day illness strikes and we learn the hard way, but by then often, it is too late.
 
In one of his books, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel describes how he studied the akedah story, the story of the binding of Issac found in this week's Torah portion, Vayera , with his cheder rebbe (school teacher) in Poland while yet a very young child.
 
"Isaac was on the way to Mt. Moriah with his father. There he lay on the altar, bound, waiting to be sacrificed. My heart began to beat very fast. I actually sobbed with pity for Isaac. Behold, Abraham now lifted the knife and how my heart froze within me with fright. Suddenly the voice of the angel was heard, 'Abraham, lay not thine hand upon the lad for now I know that thou fearest God.' And here I broke into tears and wept aloud. 'Why are you crying?' asked my rebbe. 'You know that Isaac was not killed.' I said to him, still weeping, 'But rebbe, suppose the angel had come a second too late!' The rebbe comforted me and calmed me by telling me that an angel cannot ever come too late.”
 
Concluded Heschel, “Yes, an angel cannot come late but we, we made of flesh and blood, we can come late.”

Rabbi Jacob J. Schacter, a member of the  UJC Rabbinic Cabinet,  is University Professor of Jewish History and Jewish Thought and Senior Scholar, Center for the Jewish Future, Yeshiva University.

UJC Rabbinic Cabinet Chair: Rabbi Ronald Schwarzberg
Vice Chairs: Rabbi Jonathan Schnitzer, Rabbi Steven Foster
President: Rabbi Bennett F. Miller, D.Min.
Honorary Chair: Rabbi Matthew Simon
Vice President, Jewish Renaissance and Renewal: Dr. Eric Levine
Mekor Chaim Editor & Coordinator: Saul Epstein
Senior Consultant, Rabbinic Cabinet: Rabbi Gerald Weider