So we were in the Sukkah last night (the kids and I slept there). We have pre-printed walls made of fabric and on them are the names of 7 Ushpezin (guests) - the traditional men. So Gabi is asking me what the symbols are - why does Aaron have a breastplate as a symbol, etc. And then she sees Yitzchak (Isaac) has a fire and wants to know why. So I kind of gulp and then explain about the binding of Isaac and how G-d told Abraham to kill his son and then told him not to, all the while thinking, "should I be telling my kids about this?" And Gabi thinks it's pretty weird, especially that G-d changed his mind, and then Sasha says in Hebrew: "G-d told him to kill his son and then told him not to? G-d is confused." And then they start singing about Yuval Hamebulbal.
Has anyone else told your kids about this? It made me pretty uncomfortable.
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I had an interaction with my children about this today, actually. I wasn't too impressed with the way it went. It started with my middle son saying something like "eizeh kef" [what fun] for an animal to be a korban to hashem. I was surprised and said something like, "You think that would be fun, to be killed?" And he answered, "Yes, if it was for God". And then my daughter brought in the akeidah, and said that Yitzchak was happy to be a korban, even stretched his neck out to make it easier for Avraham. I told them I would never hurt my children no matter what, and she said that I should, and she would, if God talked to either one of us. I told her I still wouldn't be able to do that, to hurt my child. But they were insistent that it would be the right thing to do, and would be "fun".
ReplyDeleteIt also reminded me of my own childhood. When I was in Third Grade, my chumash teacher asked our class what we would do if God told us to go sacrifice our child. She went around the room asking each and every student this question. When it came time for me to answer, I [the brainy, aspiring-religious kid in the class] said "I would want to do what God told me to do, but I fear I would love my child so much that I just wouldn't be able to do it." A few kids later, my best friend was asked and he answered that of course he'd do what God told him to do. I remember, at that time, feeling so jealous of him that he was able to answer that way when I couldn't -- when he wasn't even shomer shabbat! And it was only years later that I realized that just because I had given the question such deep thought before answering it, that doesn't mean that he did...
Thanks for this response. I'm glad I'm not the only one struggling. A few years back on this parsha one of the shul members at the modern Orthodox shul I go to with the kids came out and talked about the Akeda. His son, about 7 years old, asked him what he would have done if he were Avraham and the dad said he hoped he would have the faith to go ahead with it like Avraham did. I thought it was the wrong answer to give a 7 year old - I like what you said to your kids Hillel.
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