Devarim 2023 God as Parent or God as Partner?

(ל) יְהֹוָ֤ה אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶם֙ הַהֹלֵ֣ךְ לִפְנֵיכֶ֔ם ה֖וּא יִלָּחֵ֣ם לָכֶ֑ם כְּ֠כֹ֠ל אֲשֶׁ֨ר עָשָׂ֧ה אִתְּכֶ֛ם בְּמִצְרַ֖יִם לְעֵינֵיכֶֽם׃ (לא) וּבַמִּדְבָּר֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר רָאִ֔יתָ אֲשֶׁ֤ר נְשָׂאֲךָ֙ יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר יִשָּׂא־אִ֖ישׁ אֶת־בְּנ֑וֹ בְּכׇל־הַדֶּ֙רֶךְ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר הֲלַכְתֶּ֔ם עַד־בֹּאֲכֶ֖ם עַד־הַמָּק֥וֹם הַזֶּֽה׃

Deuteronomy 1:30-31

(30) None other than your God יהוה, who goes before you, will fight for you, just as [God] did for you in Egypt before your very eyes, (31) and in the wilderness, where you saw how your God יהוה carried you, as a householder carries his son, all the way that you traveled until you came to this place.

שמות י״ט:ד׳

(ד) אַתֶּ֣ם רְאִיתֶ֔ם אֲשֶׁ֥ר עָשִׂ֖יתִי לְמִצְרָ֑יִם וָאֶשָּׂ֤א אֶתְכֶם֙ עַל־כַּנְפֵ֣י נְשָׁרִ֔ים וָאָבִ֥א אֶתְכֶ֖ם אֵלָֽי׃

Exodus 19:4

(4) ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Me.

דברים ל״ב:י״א

(יא) כְּנֶ֙שֶׁר֙ יָעִ֣יר קִנּ֔וֹ עַל־גּוֹזָלָ֖יו יְרַחֵ֑ף יִפְרֹ֤שׂ כְּנָפָיו֙ יִקָּחֵ֔הוּ יִשָּׂאֵ֖הוּ עַל־אֶבְרָתֽוֹ׃

Deuteronomy 32:11

(11) Like an eagle who rouses its nestlings,
Gliding down to its young,
So did [God] spread wings and take them,
Bear them along on pinions;

רש"י על דברים א׳:ל״א

(ב) כאשר ישא איש את בנו. כְּמוֹ שֶׁפֵּרַשְׁתִּי אֵצֶל "וַיִּסַּע מַלְאַךְ הָאֱלֹהִים הַהֹלֵךְ לִפְנֵי מַחֲנֵה יִשְׂרָאֵל וְגוֹ'" (שמות י"ד) מָשָׁל לִמְהַלֵּךְ בַּדֶּרֶךְ וּבְנוֹ לְפָנָיו, בָּאוּ לִסְטִים לִשְׁבּוֹתוֹ, וְכוּ':

Rashi on Deuteronomy 1:31

כאשר ישא איש את בנו AS A MAN DOTH BEAR HIS SON — The meaning is just as I have explained in connection with the verse (Exodus 14:19—20), "And the angel of the Lord that went before the camp of the Israelites moved, etc.". A parable! It may be compared to one who is proceeding on a journey, his son walking in front of him. If bandits come to kidnap him (the son), he takes him away from in front of him and places him behind himself, etc.

בראשית א׳:כ״ז

(כז) וַיִּבְרָ֨א אֱלֹהִ֤ים ׀ אֶת־הָֽאָדָם֙ בְּצַלְמ֔וֹ בְּצֶ֥לֶם אֱלֹהִ֖ים בָּרָ֣א אֹת֑וֹ זָכָ֥ר וּנְקֵבָ֖ה בָּרָ֥א אֹתָֽם׃

Genesis 1:27

(27) And God created humankind in the divine image,
creating it in the image of God—
creating them male and female.

God is the creative force of the universe, and human beings are made in the Divine image; therefore, human beings are created as creators. Each and every one of us is endowed with creative capacity, simply by being human. Accessing and activating our creativity is how we partner with God in the ongoing work of creation.
- Jewish Studio Project Foundational Belief #2

“The Torah’s metaphor is beautiful, but it does not describe a relationship in which the vulnerable have agency in their own liberation. Suppose we relieve Deuteronomy of its paternalism and reframe our text in terms of culturally prescribed power. In that case, we find both the Torah text and Rashi’s commentary leading us to the assertion that those with more societal power have a responsibility to put themselves between the vulnerable and potential violence.
- Barry Block in The Social Justice Torah Commentary