Jerusalem Anthology - Hashem Yireh

And Abraham called the name of that place Adonai-jireh; as it is said to this day: ‘In the mount where the LORD is seen.’

And Abraham called the name of that place Adonai-jireh; as it is said to this day: ‘In the mount where the LORD is seen.’

ויקרא אברהם שם המקום ההוא: ה' יראה, “Avraham named that site: “The Lord will see.” The place is known in our days as the mountain of Moriah. It is called thus as it became a mountain due to the extreme degree of awe of the Lord Avraham had demonstrated there. It had actually first been a valley. Suddenly it was transformed into a tall mountain. Since it had previously been called “shalem” as we know from when its king congratulated Avraham on his victory over Kedorleomer and the kings with him (Genesis 14,18) Avraham now added another word to its name, i.e. יראה, “awe of the Lord,” so that after David conquered it from the Jebusites it is called “Y’ru-shalem.” [The name actually occurs already in chapter 10 of the Book of Joshua, but it did not become part of the Kingdom of the Israelites till some 400 years later. Ed.] השם יראה, “the name of the attribute of Mercy of the Lord will become manifest.” According to our author, the name is meant to demonstrate not only to G’d but to mankind, that at this place Avraham had demonstrated the ultimate degree of being in awe of the Lord by being willing to sacrifice his son to him. אשר יאמר היום בהר ה' יראה, “of which it be said today, i.e. (nowadays)”on the mountain of the Lord He can be perceived as having manifested this attribute of His. ” Avraham was concerned that people knowing he had been commanded to sacrifice his son, and had returned with his son, might think that he had been unable to bring himself to do this. The name of that mountain was to be a sign that the abandoning of the original command had nothing to do with his being unwilling or unable to carry it out. We are told in the Midrash that when G’d, i.e. His angel, said to Avraham: “do not dare touch the skin of the lad,” Avraham was not willing to desist until G’d swore to him that He would consider the ashes of the ram that he would slaughter a if they had been the ashes of his son. [This editor finds this difficult, as Avraham had not seen the ram until after he had desisted, as the Torah clearly tells us. Since the author did not reveal which Midrash he has seen this in, I cannot check it. Ed.] Our author adds that as soon as Avraham had taken Yitzchok off the altar, he asked G’d for His signet ring as proof that He had told him this. G’d answered that legally He was not obliged to put his seal on what He had said, as Avraham had not requested it before taking Yitzchok down from the altar. However, having high regard for him, He would hand over that seal to Yaakov instead, and that this is what we derive from the line in Michah 7,20: תתן אמת ליעקב, חסד לאברהם, “Who grants truth to Yaakov and loving kindness to Avraham.” [G’d’s “seal” is proverbially known as אמת, “truth.” Ed.]

“And Avraham named that place, The Lord will see…” (Bereshit 22:14) R’ Yochanan said: he said before Him ‘Master of the World! At the moment when You said to me ‘take your son, your only one’ I had a response for You - yesterday You said to me “for in Yitzchak will be called your seed” (Bereshit 21:12) and now You say to take my son?! But, heaven forfend I did not do so. Rather, I overcame my mercy in order to do Your will. May it be Your will, oh Lord our Gd, that in the moment when the children of Yitzchak sin and do wrong You recall for their sake this binding and be filled with mercy toward them. Avraham called it yireh, as it says ““And Avraham named that place, The Lord will see (yireh) …” Shem called it Shalem, as it says “And Malchitzedek the king of Shalem…” (Bereshit 14:18) The Holy One said, if I call it yireh as Avraham called it, Shem the righteous man will be angered. If I call it shalem, Avraham the righteous man will be angered. Rather, I will call it Yerushalayim, as they both called it – yireh-shalem Yerushalayim. R’ Berachia said in the name of R’ Chelbo before it was Shalem, the Holy One made there a sukkah and prayed in it as it says “His Tabernacle was in Salem, and His dwelling place in Zion.” (Tehillim 76:3) What would He say? ‘May it be willed that I see the building of My house.’ Another explanation: this teaches that the Holy One showed him the Temple destroyed and built, destroyed and built, as it says “And Avraham named that place, The Lord will see…” that means built as it says “Three times in the year, every one of your males shall appear (yireh) before the Lord…” (Devarim 16:16) “…as it is said to this day: On the mountain...” (Bereshit 22:14) that means destroyed, as it says “For Mount Zion, which has become desolate…” (Eicha 5:18) “…the Lord will be seen.” (Bereshit 22:14) built and perfected for the time to come, as it says “For the Lord has built up Zion; He has appeared in His glory.” (Tehillim 102:17)

Similarly (a name was returned to its original), “His tabernacle was in Shalem, and His dwelling place in Zion.” And why did the verse see fit to give her back her original name? Because it says “For this city has aroused My anger and My wrath since the day they built it until this day, to remove it from before My face,” (Jeremiah 32:31) perhaps even now she is (seen) in wrath and anger? But another verse states “…the mountain that God desired for His dwelling…” (Tehillim 68:17) behold she is cherished and desired! This teaches that her destruction brought her atonement. And from where do we learn that the Divine Presence will not return in her until she becomes a mountain (again)? It says “His Tabernacle was in Shalem…” we find that when it is whole she is called a mountain (by David before any building). But the Divine Presence will not return in her until she is made a mountain (again). It says “And Avraham called that name of that place the Lord will see, as it is said to this day: On the mountain, the Lord will be seen.” (Bereshit 22:14) And it says “Remember, O Lord, for the sons of Edom, the day of Jerusalem…” when (will the Divine Presence return)? When her foundations have been uprooted from her. “…those who say, "Raze it, raze it, down to its foundation!" (Psalms 137:7)

“If the Lord has incited you against me, He will accept an offering…” (Shmuel I 26:19) R’ Eleazar said: The Holy One said to David: You call me a ‘stirrer-up’?! Behold, I will make you stumble over a thing which even school-children know, namely, that which is written, "When you take the sum of the children of Israel according to their numbers, let each one give to the Lord an atonement for his soul when they are counted; then there will be no plague among them when they are counted.” (Shemot 30:12) Immediately, the accuser stood up against Israel; and it is further written, “He stirred David against them, saying, ‘Go count Israel and Yehudah.’” (Shmuel II 24:1) And when he did number them, he took no ransom from them and it is written, “So the Lord sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning until the appointed time…” (Shmuel II 24:15) What is meant by ‘the time appointed’? Shmuel the elder, the son-in-law of R’ Hanina, answered in the name of R’ Hanina: From the time of slaughtering the continual offering until the time of sprinkling the blood. R’ Yochanan said: Right up precisely to midday. “And He said to the angel that destroyed among the people, It is enough (rav) …” (Shmuel II 24:16) R’ Eleazar said: The Holy One said to the angel: Take a great man (rav) among them, whose death will atone for many sins. At that time died Avishai ben Zeruiah, who was equal in worth to the greater part of the Sanhedrin. “And as he destroyed, the Lord saw and regretted the evil…” (Divre HaYamim I 21:15) What did He see? — Rav said: He saw our father Yaakov, as it is written, “And Jacob said when he saw them…” (Bereshit 32:3) Shmuel said: He saw the ashes of Yitzchak, as it says, “"God will see for Himself the lamb…” (Bereshit 22:8) R’ Yitzchak Nafcha said: He saw the money of the atonement, as it says, “You shall take the silver of the atonements from the children of Israel and use it for the work of the Tent of Meeting; it shall be a remembrance for the children of Israel before the Lord…” (Shemot 30:16) R Yochanan said: He saw the Temple, as it is written, “On the mountain, the Lord will be seen.” (Bereshit 22:14) R’ Yaakov bar Idi and R’ Shmuel bar Nachmani argued on the matter. One said that He saw the atonement money, the other that He saw the Temple. The more likely view is that He saw the Temple, since it is written, “…as it is said to this day: On the mountain, the Lord will be seen.”

“Because Avraham hearkened to My voice…” (Bereshit 26:5) R’ Yochanan and R’ Chanina both said - Avraham came to consciousness of his Creator at age forty-eight. Resh Lakish said - Avraham came to consciousness of his Creator at age three. From where did they learn this? ‘Because (ekev, also meaning heel) Abraham hearkened to the voice of his Creator, “and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My instructions." (Bereshit 26:5) R’ Yonatan said in the name of R’ Yochanan – even the laws of mixing courtyards were known to Avraham, ‘My instructions (torati)’, Avraham kept two torahs, even the simple commandments of the oral law. R’ Simon said – even the new name which the Holy One would call Jerusalem in the future was known to Avraham, as it is written “And Avraham named that place, The Lord will see…” (Bereshit 22:14), and it is written “…and the name of the city from that day will be ‘The Lord is There.’” (Yechezkiel 48:35), and it is written “At that time, they will call Jerusalem ‘The Throne of the Lord’…” (Yermiyahu 3:17) R’ Berachia said in the name of R’ Yehudah: there is no day on which the Holy One does not innovate law in the heavenly court. What is his proof? “Hear attentively the noise of His voice and the sound (hegeh) that emanates from His mouth.” (Iyov 37:2) Hegeh only refers to Torah, as it says “…you shall meditate (hegita) therein day and night..” (Yehoshua 1:8)

“For this city has aroused My anger and My wrath since the day they built it until this day, to remove it from before My face.” (Yirmiyahu 32:31) Perhaps until this day He is in anger? The scripture says “His Tabernacle was in Shalem, and His dwelling place in Zion,” (Tehillim 76:3) He returned her original name. So too it says “…the mountain that God desired for His dwelling…” (Tehillim 68:17) meaning that it is still cherished and desired. This teaches that her destruction brought atonement for her sins. From where do we learn that the Presence will not return to her until she becomes a mountain, as it says “And Avraham named that place, The Lord will see, as it is said to this day: On the mountain, the Lord will be seen.” (Bereshit 22:14) And it says “Remember, O Lord, for the sons of Edom, the day of Jerusalem…” (Tehillim 137:7) When? Once her foundations have been uprooted, as it says "Raze it, raze it, down to its foundation!" (ibid.)