Children can be very inquisitive. They often ask questions that adults don’t even think of. Not because they are so smart, or because their questions are silly, but because they simply see the world differently; they see the world through the purity of a child. Their curiosity is genuine, and if we just listen to their questions with sincerity instead of being annoyed by them, we can actually learn a great deal. As the famous idiom goes: From my students I learn even more than from my teachers (Ethics of the Fathers). This idea doesn’t only apply to older students, but to young children as well.
Here is a story for you. A five-year-old turns to his father and says, “Why did G-d appear to Abraham after his Brit Mila (circumcision) but He does not appear to me?” After a moment of contemplation, the father responds, “A Jew of ninety-nine years of age who circumcises himself is worthy of an appearance by G-d.”
In this week’s Torah portion, Vayeira, we learn that G-d visits Abraham on the third day after he was circumcised. The Torah portion then tells us more about Abraham’s life and his accomplishments. However, if we look deeper into the portion, we see that there is more than just this story.
This is what the father is addressing when he answers his son.
At ninety-nine years of age, Abraham was a very accomplished man. He had many followers. He was even wealthy. And when G-d commanded him to circumcise himself, he didn’t flinch. He knew that until this point in his life, he was incomplete. All his accomplishments were more self-centered than G-d-centered. Of course, everything that Abraham did was for G-d, but he was “stuck” in this world. In order for Abraham to elevate himself from this world and reach greater spiritual heights, he knew that he had to do something dramatic, but the idea of what to do couldn’t come from him, it had to come from G-d. Once G-d told him what that was, he acted swiftly.
G-d showed Abraham His appreciation by coming for a visit. This was not a casual visit; this was an acknowledgement that Abraham was on the road toward reaching great spiritual heights. His first success was a face-to-face meeting with G-d. However, it didn’t stop there--Abraham was able to change the world for the better. He had the ability to see the world in a different light, as the name of the Torah portion, Vayeira—“and He appeared”—indicates.
From this point on he traveled far and wide to teach about G-d. His goal was to make sure that people understood that G-d is present in this world in a real, tangible way.
Abraham become a complete person, and in the process, he worked hard to repair and complete the world, Tikun Olam.
The child in the story might have asked an innocent question, but the answer that his father gave him was far from simple. He let his son know that even at ninety-nine years of age, our responsibility to improve ourselves and to change the world around us is not over. For some, it has just begun. For those who do not tire, they are worthy of G-d appearing to them.
As the progeny of Abraham, we all have it within ourselves to change the world for the better. Let us not allow age to slow us down. Let’s get up and make a difference.