December 2, 2008
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Hinneni
I woke up thinking about הִנֵּנִי (hinneni). This was Abraham’s response to God when He called out his name. הִנֵּנִי means “Here I am.” It is a way of responding by persons related by intimacy or respect (i.e. father-son, king-subject). It is the only word Abraham utters to God in the whole of the climatic events of Genesis 22, and it shows how attentive and receptive he was toward God. It is the same response that Samuel and Isaiah use later when God calls their name. I am struck deeply by the magnitude of what this word means especially after spending hours and hours studying the Akedah (aka Genesis 22). This is the attitude of the heart that I also should have. When God calls my name, I ought to respond attentively and receptively. “Here I am, Lord. What do you want me to do, Lord?” One can only utter this phrase, it seems, if one is willing to follow through on its meaning. Do I really mean it? Will I be obedient to God, whatever the request? Those who led before me (Abraham, Samuel, Isaiah) all set forth to do exactly as God requested following their response of הִנֵּנִי. How I pray that when God calls my name, I will answer הִנֵּנִי.
