Winter 1984 - 1985 - Quarterly Review

QUARTERLY REVIEW, WINTER 1984
Lent, I struggled with this reality. It is therefore my hope and prayer
that the results of this struggle will provide a glimpse into the
traditions of Jewish preaching and teaching formulated in such a way
that all may share their treasure.
Note: The following lections, taken from the new Common
Lectionary, are for the second, third, and fifth Sundays in Lent. Two
of the lections have been divided into two parts for interpretation.
Preachers may want to combine these for one Sunday's sermon or
use them for other preaching occasions in Lent.
GENESIS 17:1-10
"And when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Eternal appeared
to Abram and said to him: T am God Almighty [ Heb., '£/ Shaddai ].
Walk in my presence and be whole. And I will make my covenant
between me and you, and will multiply you greatly' " (Gen. 17:1-2).
With these words we begin the covenant history of the Jewish
people. God speaks to Abraham as 'El Shaddai in this event, and as
the rabbinic interpreters tell us, this name indicates God's ability to
limit. God is the one who said, "enough" (Heb., dai). Had God not
spoken this word, creation would have extended infinitely (Gen.
Rabbah, 46:2). Thus, paradoxically, God's "limited creation" becomes
the sign of God's omnipotence. Why does God address Abram under
this name at this moment?
Jewish mystics understood God's act of limitation in an especially
profound way. They taught that in order to grant space to a finite and
corporeal world, God bounded himself in. This act made way for the
universe. More than that, it made room for covenantal relationship.
By limiting himself, God provided the possibility of an "other," and
the existence of another creates the potential for sharing. In covenant,
that sharing occurs. The parties to the covenant give and receive
according to the terms they have set with one another. The binding
quality of these terms limits the parties to the covenant, but the unity
it forges enhances them.
Amazingly, we find that God was indeed under limits as Abram's
covenant partner. When considering action against Sodom and
Gomorrah, God said, "Shall I hide from Abraham that which I am
doing seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty
nation?" (Gen. 18:17-18). God was no longer a free agent in history.
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