The place that I shall say to you
- How do we know that the place of the Akedah is special?
- What do we know about the location of this place? How do we know it?
- What other special 'places' do the Torah and Tanach describe?
Go to the land of Moriah (Abraham)
(א) וַיְהִ֗י אַחַר֙ הַדְּבָרִ֣ים הָאֵ֔לֶּה וְהָ֣אֱלֹקִ֔ים נִסָּ֖ה אֶת־אַבְרָהָ֑ם וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֵלָ֔יו אַבְרָהָ֖ם וַיֹּ֥אמֶר הִנֵּֽנִי׃ (ב) וַיֹּ֡אמֶר קַח־נָ֠א אֶת־בִּנְךָ֨ אֶת־יְחִֽידְךָ֤ אֲשֶׁר־אָהַ֙בְתָּ֙ אֶת־יִצְחָ֔ק וְלֶךְ־לְךָ֔ אֶל־אֶ֖רֶץ הַמֹּרִיָּ֑ה וְהַעֲלֵ֤הוּ שָׁם֙ לְעֹלָ֔ה עַ֚ל אַחַ֣ד הֶֽהָרִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֖ר אֹמַ֥ר אֵלֶֽיךָ׃
(ג) וַיַּשְׁכֵּ֨ם אַבְרָהָ֜ם בַּבֹּ֗קֶר וַֽיַּחֲבֹשׁ֙ אֶת־חֲמֹר֔וֹ וַיִּקַּ֞ח אֶת־שְׁנֵ֤י נְעָרָיו֙ אִתּ֔וֹ וְאֵ֖ת יִצְחָ֣ק בְּנ֑וֹ וַיְבַקַּע֙ עֲצֵ֣י עֹלָ֔ה וַיָּ֣קָם וַיֵּ֔לֶךְ אֶל־הַמָּק֖וֹם אֲשֶׁר־אָֽמַר־ל֥וֹ הָאֱלֹקִֽים׃ (ד) בַּיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁלִישִׁ֗י וַיִּשָּׂ֨א אַבְרָהָ֧ם אֶת־עֵינָ֛יו וַיַּ֥רְא אֶת־הַמָּק֖וֹם מֵרָחֹֽק׃
(1) Some time afterward, God put Abraham to the test. He said to him, “Abraham,” and he answered, “Here I am.” (2) And He said, “Take your son, your favored one, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the heights that I will point out to you.”
(3) So early next morning, Abraham saddled his ass and took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. He split the wood for the burnt offering, and he set out for the place of which God had told him. (4) On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place from afar.
(יד) וַיִּקְרָ֧א אַבְרָהָ֛ם שֵֽׁם־הַמָּק֥וֹם הַה֖וּא ה' ׀ יִרְאֶ֑ה אֲשֶׁר֙ יֵאָמֵ֣ר הַיּ֔וֹם בְּהַ֥ר ה' יֵרָאֶֽה׃
Abraham worshipped and prayed there in that place and said before H': Here generations shall worship. Therefore it was said, "on this day, on this mountain, Abraham worshipped H'."
(1) 'ה יראה Its real meaning [contextual meaning] is as the Targum renders it: The Lord will choose and select for Himself this place to make His Shechinah reside in it and for sacrifices to be offered there.
(ד) על אחד ההרים . ולא אמר לו עדיין על איזה הר אמר,... והסיבה השנית להורותו מקום הנבחר שיבנו בניו בית לה' ומזבח להעלות עליו עולות וזבחים ולחנך המקום ההוא בנפש הנבחר והאהוב, כי אע"פ שלא נשלם הדבר ולא נשחט הרי היה לרצון לפני האל כאלו נעשה, והנה הועלה על המזבח נעקד כשה:
(4) על אחד ההרים, even now G’d did not tell Avraham precisely on which mountain he was to offer up Yitzchok as a burnt offering. ... The second reason why G’d worded the instructions in the manner in which the Torah records them, is to teach us that the site where this binding eventually took place is such a holy site; moreover after Avraham named the site, we know that it is one where the attribute of Justice may be changed to the attribute of Mercy due to the manner in which man relates to G’d’s commands. Not only that, but man learned that sometimes the intention behind an action is worth more to G’d than the action itself, so that the binding of Yitzchok rated in G’d’s eyes as if his father had actually sacrificed him. [See the Hebrew!]
Another 'place' (Jacob)
(י) וַיֵּצֵ֥א יַעֲקֹ֖ב מִבְּאֵ֣ר שָׁ֑בַע וַיֵּ֖לֶךְ חָרָֽנָה׃ (יא) וַיִּפְגַּ֨ע בַּמָּק֜וֹם וַיָּ֤לֶן שָׁם֙ כִּי־בָ֣א הַשֶּׁ֔מֶשׁ וַיִּקַּח֙ מֵאַבְנֵ֣י הַמָּק֔וֹם וַיָּ֖שֶׂם מְרַֽאֲשֹׁתָ֑יו וַיִּשְׁכַּ֖ב בַּמָּק֥וֹם הַהֽוּא׃
(10) Jacob left Beer-sheba, and set out for Haran. (11) He came upon a certain place and stopped there for the night, for the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of that place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place.
(א) ויפגע במקום. לֹא הִזְכִּיר הַכָּתוּב בְּאֵיזֶה מָקוֹם אֶלָּא בַּמָּקוֹם – הַנִּזְכָּר בְּמָקוֹם אַחֵר, הוּא הַר הַמּוֹרִיָּה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר בּוֹ וַיַּרְא אֶת הַמָּקוֹם מֵרָחֹק:
(1) ויפגע במקום AND HE LIGHTED UPON THE PLACE — Scripture does not mention which place, but by writing בַּמָקוֹם the place it refers to the place mentioned already in another passage, viz., Mount Moriah of which it is stated (Genesis 22:4) “And he saw the place (המקום) afar off”.
Another reference to 'place' (King David)
Note: I Chronicles 21 is parallel to 2 Samuel 24, with many fascinating differences.
"Ornan" ארנן in Chronicles is "Araunah (Aravnah) ארונה" in Samuel
(יח) וּמַלְאַ֧ךְ ה' אָמַ֥ר אֶל־גָּ֖ד לֵאמֹ֣ר לְדָוִ֑יד כִּ֣י ׀ יַעֲלֶ֣ה דָוִ֗יד לְהָקִ֤ים מִזְבֵּ֙חַ֙ לַה' בְּגֹ֖רֶן אָרְנָ֥ן הַיְבֻסִֽי׃ (יט) וַיַּ֤עַל דָּוִיד֙ בִּדְבַר־גָּ֔ד אֲשֶׁ֥ר דִּבֶּ֖ר בְּשֵׁ֥ם ה'׃ (כ) וַיָּ֣שָׁב אָרְנָ֗ן וַיַּרְא֙ אֶת־הַמַּלְאָ֔ךְ וְאַרְבַּ֧עַת בָּנָ֛יו עִמּ֖וֹ מִֽתְחַבְּאִ֑ים וְאָרְנָ֖ן דָּ֥שׁ חִטִּֽים׃
(כא) וַיָּבֹ֥א דָוִ֖יד עַד־אָרְנָ֑ן וַיַּבֵּ֤ט אָרְנָן֙ וַיַּ֣רְא אֶת־דָּוִ֔יד וַיֵּצֵא֙ מִן־הַגֹּ֔רֶן וַיִּשְׁתַּ֧חוּ לְדָוִ֛יד אַפַּ֖יִם אָֽרְצָה׃ (כב) וַיֹּ֨אמֶר דָּוִ֜יד אֶל־אָרְנָ֗ן תְּנָה־לִּי֙ מְק֣וֹם הַגֹּ֔רֶן וְאֶבְנֶה־בּ֥וֹ מִזְבֵּ֖חַ לַה' בְּכֶ֤סֶף מָלֵא֙ תְּנֵ֣הוּ לִ֔י וְתֵעָצַ֥ר הַמַּגֵּפָ֖ה מֵעַ֥ל הָעָֽם׃
(18) The angel of the LORD told Gad to inform David that David should go and set up an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. (19) David went up, following Gad’s instructions, which he had delivered in the name of the LORD. (20) Ornan too saw the angel; his four sons who were with him hid themselves while Ornan kept on threshing wheat.
(21) David came to Ornan; when Ornan looked up, he saw David and came off the threshing floor and bowed low to David, with his face to the ground. (22) David said to Ornan, “Sell me the site of the threshing floor, that I may build on it an altar to the LORD. Sell it to me at the full price, that the plague against the people will be checked.”
A place marked for the future
וַיָּ֣חֶל שְׁלֹמֹ֗ה לִבְנ֤וֹת אֶת־בֵּית־ה' בִּיר֣וּשָׁלִַ֔ם בְּהַר֙ הַמּ֣וֹרִיָּ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר נִרְאָ֖ה לְדָוִ֣יד אָבִ֑יהוּ אֲשֶׁ֤ר הֵכִין֙ בִּמְק֣וֹם דָּוִ֔יד בְּגֹ֖רֶן אָרְנָ֥ן הַיְבוּסִֽי׃
Then Solomon began to build the House of the LORD in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where [the LORD] had appeared to his father David, at the place which David had designated, at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
Another reference to 'place' (Moses)
(ח) לֹ֣א תַעֲשׂ֔וּן כְּ֠כֹל אֲשֶׁ֨ר אֲנַ֧חְנוּ עֹשִׂ֛ים פֹּ֖ה הַיּ֑וֹם אִ֖ישׁ כָּל־הַיָּשָׁ֥ר בְּעֵינָֽיו׃ (ט) כִּ֥י לֹא־בָּאתֶ֖ם עַד־עָ֑תָּה אֶל־הַמְּנוּחָה֙ וְאֶל־הַֽנַּחֲלָ֔ה אֲשֶׁר־ה' אֱלֹקֶ֖יךָ נֹתֵ֥ן לָֽךְ׃ (י) וַעֲבַרְתֶּם֮ אֶת־הַיַּרְדֵּן֒ וִֽישַׁבְתֶּ֣ם בָּאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁר־ה' אֱלֹקֵיכֶ֖ם מַנְחִ֣יל אֶתְכֶ֑ם וְהֵנִ֨יחַ לָכֶ֧ם מִכָּל־אֹיְבֵיכֶ֛ם מִסָּבִ֖יב וִֽישַׁבְתֶּם־בֶּֽטַח׃ (יא) וְהָיָ֣ה הַמָּק֗וֹם אֲשֶׁר־יִבְחַר֩ ה' אֱלֹקֵיכֶ֥ם בּוֹ֙ לְשַׁכֵּ֤ן שְׁמוֹ֙ שָׁ֔ם שָׁ֣מָּה תָבִ֔יאוּ אֵ֛ת כָּל־אֲשֶׁ֥ר אָנֹכִ֖י מְצַוֶּ֣ה אֶתְכֶ֑ם עוֹלֹתֵיכֶ֣ם וְזִבְחֵיכֶ֗ם מַעְשְׂרֹֽתֵיכֶם֙ וּתְרֻמַ֣ת יֶדְכֶ֔ם וְכֹל֙ מִבְחַ֣ר נִדְרֵיכֶ֔ם אֲשֶׁ֥ר תִּדְּר֖וּ לַֽה'׃
(8) You shall not act at all as we now act here, every man as he pleases, (9) because you have not yet come to the allotted haven that the LORD your God is giving you. (10) When you cross the Jordan and settle in the land that the LORD your God is allotting to you, and He grants you safety from all your enemies around you and you live in security, (11) then you must bring everything that I command you to the site where the LORD your God will choose to establish His name: your burnt offerings and other sacrifices, your tithes and contributions, and all the choice votive offerings that you vow to the LORD.