פרשת וירא תש"ח - העקדה

And He said: ‘Take now thy son, thine only son, whom thou lovest, even Isaac, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt-offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.’

... 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.’

And Abraham rose early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he cleaved the wood for the burnt-offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.

He bound his son. Yitzchok assumed that this was to be a symbolic offering. It was only when Avraham took the knife and marked the place for the cut did he realize that he was actually to be slaughtered. At that moment he called out to Hashem.

הנני HERE AM I — Such is the answer of the pious: it is an expression of meekness and readiness (Midrash Tanchuma, Vayera 22).

ויחבוש AND HE SADDLED [HIS ASS]—He himself: he did not order one of his servants to do so, for love disregards the rule imposed on one by his exalted position in life. (“Love” here means Love of God as displayed in obedience to His command.) (Genesis Rabbah 55:8)

And Abraham rose early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he cleaved the wood for the burnt-offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.

ויבא הפליט AND THERE CAME THE ONE WHO ESCAPED — According to the real meaning this was Og who had escaped from the battle with the Rephaim (see Genesis 5:5) and it is to this that the text refers (Deuteronomy 3:11) “For only Og king of Bashan was left of the remnant of the Rephaim”, and this is what is meant by נשאר “left”, for Amraphel and his allies did not kill him when they smote the Rephaim in Ashteroth Karnaim. So is the statement in the Tanchuma 4:6:25 (Chukat). But according to the Midrash Genesis Rabbah (Genesis Rabbah 42:8) it refers to Og in allusion to him as the only one of the generation of the Flood who escaped that catastrophe, and this is what is meant (Deuteronomy 3:11) “of the remnant of the Rephaim”, for it is said. (Genesis 6:4) “The Nephilim (= Rephaim cf. Genesis Rabbah 26) were in the earth etc.” His intention in telling Abraham that his nephew was captured was that Abraham should wage war against the kings and that he should be killed so that he, himself, might marry Sarah.

אל הנער TO THE YOUNG MAN — This was Ishmael whom he bade to do this in order to train him to the performance of religious duties (in this case the duty of hospitality) (Genesis Rabbah 48:13).