פרשת וירא תשט"ו - העקדה

And Isaac spoke unto Abraham his father, and said: ‘My father.’ And he said: ‘Here am I, my son.’ And he said: ‘Behold the fire and the wood; but where is the lamb for a burnt-offering?’ And Abraham said: ‘God will aprovide Himself the lamb for a burnt-offering, my son.’ So they went both of them together.

את בנך THY SON — Abraham said to God, “I have two sons”. “He answered him, “Thine only son”. Abraham said, “This one is the only son of his mother and the other is the only son of his mother”. God then said, “the one whom thou lovest”. Abraham replied, “I love both of them”. Whereupon God said “even Isaac”. Why did He not disclose this to him at the very first? So as not to confuse him suddenly lest his mind become distracted and bewildered and in his confused state he would involuntarily consent, when there would have been no merit in his sacrifice, and so that he might more highly value God’s command and that God might reward him for the increasing sacrifice demanded by obedience to each and every expression used here (Genesis Rabbah 55:7).

... HaMoriah – Rashi says that this is Jerusalem, as it is in Divre HaYamim II 3:1 ‘to build the House of Gd in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah. And our Sages explained (Ta’anit 16a) that from there instruction (hora’ah) went out to Israel. Onkelos translated it according to the incense which has in it mor and other spices. If these are true, then the meaning of the verse is the land which will be Moriah, or that was always called that for the sake of that which would occur in the future. In Bereshit Raba (55:7) the rabbis said as much, ‘they say to the place where the incense is offered, as it is said “I will go to the mountain of myrrh…” (Shir HaShirim 4:6) However Onkelos, who translated it as “a land of service” does not appear to be speaking of the mor in the incense because the word service does not apply to one of the spices from among those used in the Temple service. Why did he not say ‘to a land of incense?’ Rather it appears that he meant to a land where they would serve Gd. In this he was aligned with what is written in Pirke d’Rabbi Elizer 31: They said, that Gd showed Avraham the location of the altar by pointing at it saying ‘this is the altar.’ This is the altar upon which the first man made offering, it is the altar upon which Cain and Abel made offering, it is the altar on which Noach and his sons made offering, as it says “and Avraham built there the altar.” It is not written ‘an altar’, but rather ‘the altar’ – this is the altar upon which the early ones offered. End of the midrash. They made the name Moriah from morah (awe/fear) that there they would stand in awe of Gd and serve before Him. The correct explanation in the simple sense is like “I will go to the mountain of myrrh (mor) and to the hill of frankincense.” Because upon that mountain will be found mor and aloes and cinnamon, as it says in the Talmud Yerushalmi ‘cinnamon used to grow in the land of Israel and the goats and deer would eat from it.’ Or that it is called so in order to praise Israel. Here the land is called ‘the land of Moriah,’ while in Divre HaYamim it appears that only the Temple mount is called ‘Mount Moriah.’ Perhaps the city is called by the name of the mountain which is within it, the land in which is Moriah, and only the mountain is actually called Moriah. Avraham knew the land, but did not know the mountain, therefore Gd told him to go to the land of Moriah and that He would show him one of the mountains there which is called thus. And He commanded him to offer up Yitzchak in that place because it is the mount on which Gd desired to come to rest, and He wanted the merit of the binding of Yitzchak within the offerings forever. If Avraham had done so suddenly by surprise, right where he was, then his act would have been in panic and haste. But when it came after a journey of days it was done with a settled consciousness and counsel. They said as much in Bereshit Rabba (55:6): R’ Akiva said ‘He tested him in a situation of certainty in order that it not be said that Gd shocked and confused him and that he didn’t know what to do.’

וישכם AND HE ROSE EARLY — He was alert to fulfil the command (Pesachim 4a)

עד כה YONDER — meaning a short distance: to the place in front of us. The Midrashic explanation (based upon the meaning of כה “thus”) is: I will see where will be (i.e. what will happen to) the promise which God made to me, (Genesis 15:5) “Thus (כה) shall thy seed be” (Genesis Rabbah 56:2).