What a Difference a ‘Hey’ Makes

There are any number of outstanding events in Avraham’s life but one, in particular, marks him as an advocate for doing what is good and for seeking out justice in the world, setting the Jewish tradition apart as one in which even God can be challenged, if need be, to do what is right.

God had determined that the behavior of the people of Sodom and Gomorrah was sinful and beyond repair and as a consequence needed to be destroyed. After informing Avraham of this decision, a debate ensued where Avraham confronted God over the justice of this decree:

And Avraham stepped forward and said: “Will you really wipe out the innocent with the guilty? … Far be it from You to do such a thing, to put to death the innocent with the guilty, making innocent and guilty the same. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge (Hashofeit – hey, shin, vav pey tet) of all the earth do justice?” (Genesis 18:23-25)

This last sentence, a rhetorical question, is Avraham’s greatest challenge. How is it possible for the world’s creator and ultimate judge to do something unjust, to miscarry justice? This reading, the plain or pshat meaning of this verse, is based on reading the “hey” in “hashofeit” as an interrogative or question indicator.

We must remember, though, that a Torah scroll is written without vowels and punctuation, and while there was an oral tradition of how things should be read and understood, the sages also had other reading strategies (hermeneutics), and their midrashic reading allowed them more freedom of interpretation. And so, what would happen if we read the “hey” in the word “hashfeit” as a definite article instead of as a interogative, making the sentence a statement rather than a rhetorical question:

The Judge of all the earth shall not practice justice!

The following midrash does just that with astonishing results:

Rabbi Levi said: [Avraham said:] ‘“The Judge of all the earth shall not practice justice?” If You wish to have a world, there can be no strict justice, and if You wish to have strict justice, there can be no world. You (God) seek to hold the rope from both ends; You wish to have the world and You wish to have strict justice. If You do not concede somewhat, the world will be unable to endure.’ (Bereishit Rabba 49:9, Theodore-Albeck ed. pp. 511-12)

This reading asserts that God should not carry out what justice demands, for if He does, the world will no longer exist. It asserts that God must find some other means to evaluate the fate of the world. While the above pshat reading ultimately leads to the destruction of the offending cities, this second reading finds that judgment intolerable and takes God to task for it, leading to the following retort in the continuation of the midrash:

The Holy One blessed be He said: ‘Abraham, “You love righteousness [tzedek] and abhor wickedness” (Psalms 45:8) – you love to vindicate [letzadek] My creations. “And abhor wickedness” – you refuse to condemn them. “Because of this, God your God, has anointed you over your counterparts with the oil of joy” (Psalms 45:8). What is “over your counterparts”? From Noah until you there were ten generations, and from among all of them, I did not speak with any of them except for you: “God said to Abram: Lech lecha – Go you forth”’ (Genesis 12:1). (Ibid.)

God’s response, in this midrash is telling. Rabbi Levi has God admitting that, indeed, His justice is absolute justice. God, however. proposes a remedy so that the world might continue to exist. Since Avraham made God aware of the problem, he has the proper sensitivity to bring justice combined with mercy down to earth, by serving as God’s prophet and advocate, teaching people how to act properly and acting as a role model for all to follow. As Avraham’s spiritual offspring, his mission is our mission as well.