On being Avraham’s children

One of the many famous topics in our parasha is the destruction of the thoroughly wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. As the entire Land of Israel would one day belong to Avraham’s inhabitants, the Almighty sought to inform him of the impending devastation:

“And the L-rd said, “Shall I conceal from Avraham what I am doing? … For I have known him [yedativ], because he commands his sons and his household after him, to keep the way of the L-rd to do righteousness and justice, in order that the L-rd bring upon Avraham that which He said of him” (Bereishit 18:17-19).

The word yedativ is difficult to translate, since this is the only place in Tanach where it appears. Rashi suggests two interpretations of the term in his Commentary on the Torah, namely, “beloved” and “knowing”: “Yedativ, an expression of love … But, in fact, the primary meaning of them all is none other than an expression of knowing [on the emotional level], for if one loves a person, he draws him near to himself and knows him and is familiar with him.”

Initially, the Ramban, in his Commentary on the Torah, cites Rashi’s complete explanation of yedativ. He proceeds to reject it, however, and offers his own explication of the term:

“In my estimation, the correct meaning of this expression is actual knowledge. Yedativ alludes to this idea, since Hashem’s knowledge refers to His Divine Providence [hashgacha] in the lower world, which is limited to the protection of general categories of beings [i.e. plants, animals etc.]. This includes mankind who is subject to various occurrences [within the Laws of Nature] that take place at their own time.”

For the Ramban, the world at large, including mankind, is protected by general Divine Providence. In contrast, there is category of people who are individually shielded by the Almighty’s hashgacha, namely, His virtuous followers:

“But, in the case of one of His righteous ones, Hashem pays direct and immediate attention to him, to know him as an individual [hashgacha pratit] so that His protection will permanently cleave to him. Moreover, this [level] of Divine Providence and recognition will never depart from him … As the verse says: ‘Behold, the eye of the L-rd is to those who hold Him in awe, to those who hope for His kindness’ (Tehillim 33:18).”

In his commentary on the Torah, Rabbeinu Bachya references the Ramban’s interpretation of yedativ and makes it accessible to all. He suggests that there are actually two types of hashgacha pratit. On the first level, Hashem knows all people’s actions and thoughts. The second level includes the first, and adds, as well, Hashem’s protection of an individual from harm.

It is crucial to note that level one includes all people, as Tehillim states, “The L-rd looked from heaven; He saw all the sons of men. From His dwelling place He oversees all the inhabitants of the earth. He Who forms their hearts together, Who understands all their deeds” (33:13-15).

The second level, according to Rabbeinu Bachya, excludes most of the world, Jew and gentile alike, and only includes the tzaddikim — the manifestly righteous: “The Holy One, Blessed be He, saves the tzaddikim from the natural occurrences of the world to which the rest of mankind is subject. Moreover, He never rejects His righteous ones and never removes His ‘eye’ from them, rather, His Divine Providence is always with the tzaddik, and will never depart from him. This, then, is the explanation of, ‘for I have known him,’ namely, that His providence is upon the tzaddik individually, and upon tzaddikim as a category — in order to save them from the trials and tribulations that affect the rest of mankind.”

Based upon Rabbeinu Bachya’s insight, we are in a much better position to understand how, and why, G-d treats tzaddikim such as Avraham with hashgacha pratit. In a very real sense, these exceptional individuals have reached the level that David Hamelech describes in Ashrei: “The L-rd is near to all who call Him, to all who call Him with sincerity. He does the will of those who fear Him, and He hears their cry and saves them. The L-rd guards all who love Him, and He destroys all the wicked.”

People have changed little from the time of Avraham, and the vast majority of us are not tzaddikim. Nonetheless, if we honestly do our best to “keep the way of the L-rd to perform righteousness and justice,” (18:19) then we will be worthy of the name b’nai Avraham, and, for this alone, deserving of Hashem’s Divine Providence.