Another fine commentary about understanding God

This is in the online edition of the Jerusalem Post. The commentary summarizes some of the outstanding insight into God's nature that I've been mentioning.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1225199607579&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

snip

Oct 30, 2008 11:44
Parashat Noah: God doesn't want yes-men

By SHLOMO RISKIN
The writer is the founder and chancellor of Ohr Torah Stone Colleges and Graduate Programs, and chief rabbi of Efrat.

snip

Most significantly, when these individuals were faced with similar challenges they each reacted very differently. When the Almighty tells Abraham His plan to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, the first Hebrew argues aggressively, railing against a wholesale destruction: "Will you then destroy the righteous together with the wicked?... Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous together with the wicked!... Will the judge of the entire earth not act justly? (Gen. 18:23-25).

And Abraham goes on to bargain with God as if they were standing in the Mahaneh Yehuda market.

In stark contrast, when God informs Noah that He is about to destroy the world, we hear not a peep of protest.

It seems to me that precisely in this contrast we can understand the entire picture. Noah's greatest virtue is obedience - whatever God wishes to do, Noah is ready to accept. He takes the world as it is, and submits to whatever plan God suggests.

That is not the mission that God wishes to impose on His chosen people. God knows that He has created an imperfect world, and wants His people to perfect it, to challenge and goad even Him to cause His compassion to overcome His anger and even His strict justice. God is not seeking pure obedience; He wants to be challenged.