The Fiftieth Gate: When G-d Visits Abraham

Question: G-d appears to Abraham after his circumcision, ostensibly for a “pastoral sick call.”

His procedure happened in last week's portion, and it wasn’t just him that got a Brit Milah, it also included Ishmael and his whole household. If G-d is taking on the clergy role, why not visit with everyone? Also, these visits, ideally, should have been scheduled for last week's portion; textually, the narrative would have benefitted greatly if the Divine reaction to the human action were juxtaposed in the same narrative.

The fact that it was moved over into its own narrative, suggests that there is something deeper at play here.

The Rebbe explores this in a beautiful Maymer that is based on the story of Elisha and the destitute woman he assists. The underlying question touches upon the theological cornerstone of human agency. G-d seems to be “playing” with the settings of Judaism before it hits the market. In this Beta version, the key theme seems to be an addressing of the question of human capability in the face of the Divine. Abraham, the father of monotheism, is the main character. His burning question, in the aftermath of acknowledging or “discovering” the existence of a G-d of the heavens, itself no small step, concerns the effectiveness of the prayerful acts of Humankind in establishing the notion of a deity in the here and now of human consciousness, or the viability of being coronated, meaningfully, as a "G-d of the Earth" as well.

This is not just a religious question with regard to the dynamics of the relationship between the human and the Divine. It's a question of how one sees oneself in the world. How much Divine power can be detected from within the concealment of so many layers and folds of human awareness? Fresh from the cosmological narrative of Genesis, and read, through the prism of Kabbalah, we are well aware of the notion of Divine “hiddenness” or “the refraction of light” that was required in order for the human autonomous self to actually feel that separateness significantly enough. Was that Tzimtzum overdone? Was G-d that annoying kid who hides so well in a game of hide and seek, that everyone gives up looking for them?

The appearance of the divine presence to Avraham, out of context, seems to be a biblical response to the human question of “why bother” - why should I try to discover purposefulness, why bother trying to make the world a better place, if we can’t leverage G-dly power to rise above our human limits? Why task me with a job without providing me with the tools to execute that responsibility? G-d responds with a "statement" by showing up at “Abraham's place.” He didn’t set up the meeting in a "holy place," nor did G-d demand that he climb a mountain or attend an Ashram or retreat center. In fact, there was no retreat from his humanity at all. G-d was visiting a human being who was ill, a symbol perhaps of the human, gripped tightly in infirmity, in the thick of the vulnerability and narrowness of the human world.

The “Descent” of G-d is essentially an “ascent” for humanity, and Abraham didn’t even have to go to minyan or anything like that!

The Kabbalah teaches that there are forty-nine gates representing the full scope of human capability, with the 49th level being the height of human power.

Abraham recognizes this but he is not satisfied. He is “sick” in the existential frustration of being limited, even if the 49 steps provide a clear pathway to achieve excellence. The Gematria of the Hebrew word for “sick” is 49! The teaching here is quite powerful. G-d “appears” to Abraham to Heal the “sickness” that is both an acknowledgment of human power, but ultimately a reminder of its limits. Abraham says, “It's not enough for me to know you in the heavens; I need to know you in my bones, in my weakness, in my doubts. I need to know that your hiddenness is not so absolute to the point of being nonexistent for all intents and purposes.”

Abraham says to G-d: thanks for the power of your presence that enables me to exercise my power in your service, but I am looking for my Superpower, for that place in me, and by extension each of us, that can reach for the 50th gate, surpassing “be all that you can be!”

This week gives us all the power to overcome the crippling Kryptonite of self-doubt, and move beyond whatever it is that ties us down and holds us back, perpetually trying to break into the 50th gate where our self-esteem and superpower are locked away.

G-d visits us this week, in the “heat of the day,” directly in the cauldron of our anxieties, our doubts, our cynicism, and our recurring sense of “Why do I keep trying so hard and seem always to end up in the same place?” G-d visits us in that “illness” with healing and love. He shows up where we are undressed and weak and says, “I got you.” More importantly, he says, “You got this!”