Chesbon Nefesh: Lessons from the Akeida

(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. (5) Then Abraham said to his servants, “You stay here with the ass. The boy and I will go up there; we will worship and we will return to you.” (6) Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and put it on his son Isaac. He himself took the firestone and the knife; and the two walked off together. (7) Then Isaac said to his father Abraham, “Father!” And he answered, “Yes, my son.” And he said, “Here are the firestone and the wood; but where is the sheep for the burnt offering?” (8) And Abraham said, “God will see to the sheep for His burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them walked on together. (9) They arrived at the place of which God had told him. Abraham built an altar there; he laid out the wood; he bound his son Isaac; he laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. (10) And Abraham picked up the knife to slay his son. (11) Then an angel of the LORD called to him from heaven: “Abraham! Abraham!” And he answered, “Here I am.” (12) And he said, “Do not raise your hand against the boy, or do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your favored one, from Me.” (13) When Abraham looked up, his eye fell upon a ram, caught in the thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering in place of his son. (14) And Abraham named that site Adonai-yireh, whence the present saying, “On the mount of the LORD there is vision.” (15) The angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven, (16) and said, “By Myself I swear, the LORD declares: Because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your favored one, (17) I will bestow My blessing upon you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars of heaven and the sands on the seashore; and your descendants shall seize the gates of their foes. (18) All the nations of the earth shall bless themselves by your descendants, because you have obeyed My command.” (19) Abraham then returned to his servants, and they departed together for Beer-sheba; and Abraham stayed in Beer-sheba.

And saw the place from afar: He [Avraham] said to Yitzchak, 'Do you see what I see?' He answered him 'I see a beautiful praiseworthy mountain and a cloud attached to it.' He [Avraham] said to his attendants, 'Do you see anything?' They said, 'We see nothing but deserts!'

(8) And he said...God will see to the sheep for the burnt offering my son. Avraham’s reply to his son is capable of two interpretations. One interpretation would be that the word 'בני' 'my son' is a response to Yitzchak’s cry or question, meaning “I am here my son; God will select the lamb for the burnt offering.” In other words: “don’t worry, God already knows who is going to be the sheep for the offering. He will put it at our disposal.” The second interpretation of Avraham’s answer would arrange the words as follows: “God will select the sheep for the offering; who is the sheep? It is my son.” Yitzchak understood from this that he had been chosen to be the offering. This is why the Torah continues, significantly:

וילכו שניהם יחד, “they continued walking together,” i.e. of one mind and of one spirit.