Resolved
to test Abraham, God said to him: « Abraham! » He replied: « Here
I am. » He continued: « Take your son, your only son whom you love,
Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah and offer him there for a burnt
offering upon one of the mountains, which I will indicate. » And Abraham
rose early in the morning and saddled his ass and took two of his
young men and his son Isaac with him; he chopped some wood for the
burnt offering, rose and set out for the place that the Eternal had
indicated. On the third day, Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place
from afar. He said to his young men: « Stay here with the ass while
I and the lad go over there to prostrate ourselves and then return
to you. » Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and laid it
upon his son Isaac and took the fire and the knife in his hands and
they went together. Isaac spoke to his father, Abraham, and said:
«Father! » And he replied: « Here I am, my son. » And he said:
« We have the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt
offering? » And Abraham replied: « My son, God will provide for Himself
the lamb for the burnt offering. » And they went off together. They
arrived at the place that God had indicated. Abraham built an altar
there, laid out the wood, bound his son, Isaac, and laid him on the
altar over the wood. He stretched out his hand and took the knife
to prepare to sacrifice his son when an angel of the Eternal called
out to him from heaven saying: «Abraham! Abraham! » He replied: «
Here I am! » And He said: « Do not lay your hands on the lad, nor
do anything to him! For now I know that you fear God since you have
not withheld your son, you only son from me! » Abraham lifted up his
eyes and saw a ram caught in the thicket by his horns. And Abraham
took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering in place of his
son. […] The angel of the Eternal called out to Abraham from heaven
a second time saying: « I swear to myself, says the Eternal, that
because you have not withheld your son, your only son, I will greatly
bless you and I will multiply your seed exceedingly like the stars
in heaven and the sand upon the seashore and your descendents will
take possession of the gates of their enemies. All the nations of
the earth will be blessed through your seed because you heard my voice.
»
Genesis 22: 1 – 18
The pavement of the
mosaic depicts Abraham pointing a knife at Isaac who is squatting near
an altar that has a fire burning upon it; a ram is tied to a tree and
the hand of God stands out among the sunrays. The theme of the sacrifice
of Isaac has not ceased to inspire thinkers, artists and writers. The
Danish author, Soeren Kierkegaard (1813 – 1855), dedicates some fascinating
pages to him in the name of the most important theologians of the 19th
century. Kierkegaard asked himself in Fear and Trembling: «But if the
solitary figure that ascended the slope of Moriah, whose summit surpasses
the Aulide Plain over the height of heaven, is not walking like a sleep-walker
calmly upon the abyss, while at the foot of the mountain, they lift their
eyes, trembling with anxiety, with veneration and with horror, without
daring to call out to him: if the man was confused, he was mistaken! »
Israeli poetry is also sensitive to the rich symbolism of this theme.
Haim Guri declares that if Isaac was not sacrificed, his descendents will
be: « They are born, he wrote, with a knife in their hearts. »
The singularity of Israel
The
second panel of the mosaic represents a Zodiac wheel around a sun – the
god Helios? - riding a wagon drawn by four horses. The names of the different
signs appear in Hebrew, while those of the four seasons appear in the
corners under the bust of a winged woman covered with jewels. The motifs
of this painting, which are at variance with the religious interdiction
to depict human faces and to participate in astral rituals that are considered
to be an expression of idolatry, intrigue researchers. Echoes of the controversy
provoked by astrological determinism among the sages of the Talmud are
perceptible in this passage:
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The singularity of Israel |
Rabbi
Hanina said: « Wisdom and health depend on the heavenly bodies and
there is, moreover, one that corresponds to Israel. » But Rabbi Yohanan
said: « Israel does not depend on heavenly bodies nor on the signs
of the Zodiac for it is written: “Do not learn the ways of the nations
and do not be dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the nations are
dismayed at them.” (Jeremiah 10:2) The nations are dismayed; Israel
is not. » Rav agreed with Rabbi Yohanan since Rabbi Yehuda said in
his name: « How do we know that the Israelites are not subject to
the heavenly bodies? Because it is written: “ God brought Abraham
outside and said: Look towards heaven and count the stars: can you
evaluate their number? He continued: ‘So will your descendents be.’”
(Genesis 5:5) Abraham then replied: “In the astrological books, I
saw that I will not have any descendents.” God retorted: “Leave your
astrology! The Israelites are not subject to the heavenly bodies…”»
TB
Sabbath 156a
The liberty
of Israel
The destiny
that its faith in God carves out for Israel will suppress what the stars
have in store for it as illustrated by this Talmudic legend:
Rav
Hanuna recounted: « A convert well versed in astrology had to leave
on a voyage. [Having consulted the stars and having seen that the
time was not favorable], he first asked himself: “How can I leave
now?” But he reconsidered it: “Am I not bound to dismiss these practices
now that I adhere to the holy community [of Israel]? All the same,
we will leave now and to God’s grace.” Passing a region rife with
wild animals [he saves his life] only by leaving them his ass. »
How
can one explain that he had taken a risk?
- Because of his astrological beliefs. – How can we explain that he
had survived? - Thanks to his confidence in the Creator. Levi also
declared: «Everyone that foretells his end through divination will
end up knowing that end. »
TJ
Sabbath 6
The virtue of iconoclasm
The opposition to images
and astral rituals is inscribed in the prohibition to make oneself a representation
of God. According to the following passage by Martin Buber, a 20th century
Jewish philosopher, monotheism itself will be the primary iconoclast that
does not cease to challenge representations of God:
Idols
must incessantly be crushed – iconoclasts also cherish a vocation.
They rebel against the elevation of an image, in which one no longer
believes, over men in order to demand worship. In their aspiration
towards God, men do not cease to offer images that are increasingly
greater, more authentic, more exact, and more glorious than the precedents
and that, in the end, turn out to be less satisfying.
The
commandment, « Do not make yourself any image » also means « You cannot
make yourself an image ». This not only refers to common painted or
sculpted images, but also to our fantasy, to the power of our imagination.
Nevertheless, man does not cease to make images – and to destroy them
when he realizes that he has not succeeded.
The
images collapse, but the voice is never silenced […]. It speaks to
men in every generation, presenting them with their obligations and
the burden of their responsibilities. […] It is of the utmost importance
to remain open. To be open signifies to not drown out the voice regardless
of the name that we give it. His name, moreover, is of no importance.
What matters is that you hear it.
M.
Buber, Prejudices of Youth,
Israel and the World
The
third panel on the pavement depicts a holy ark illuminated by an eternal
light with two birds perched upon its gables. A lion and a menorah
- a candelabra with seven branches, are mounted on it. Some lulavim
- palm branches, some etrogim - citrons, a shofar - a ram’s horn,
some censers and some other traditional symbols of the Jewish faith
frame the ark.