(א) והאלהים נסה את אברהם. י"א כי הסמ"ך תחת שי"ן, והה"א תחת האל"ף וטעם כל הפרשה יכחישם רק נסה כמשמעו.
ואנשי שיקול הדעת אמרו, כי הדעות הם שתים האחת דעת העתיד בטרם היותו, והשנית דעת היש הנמצא, וזה פי' נסה, גם "כי עתה ידעתי"
והגאון אמר שמלת נסה להראות צדקתו לבני אדם, גם מלת "ידעתי" כטעם "הודעתי" והלא ידע זה הגאון, כי בשעה שעקד בנו לא הי' שם אפילו נעריו.
ואחרים אמרו כי פי' והעלהו שם לעולה שיעלהו אל ההר, וזאת תחשב לו לעולה, ואברהם לא ידע סוד הנבואה, וימהר לשחוט אותו, והשם אמר לו לא בקשתי זאת.
ואחרים אמרו הראה שתעלהו לעולה כמו "והשקית אותם יין" (ירמי' לה ב)
והוצרכו אלה הגאונים לפי' האלה, כי יאמרו לא יתכן אחר שיצוה השם מצוה שיאמר אח"כ לא תעשינה והנה לא שמו על לב הבכורים שהחליפם בלוים אחר שנה ואחר שהכתוב אומר בתחלה "והאלהים נסה את אברהם" סרו כל הטענות והשם נסהו כדי שיקבל שכר (ב) וטעם כי עתה ידעתי, כמו "ואם לא אדעה" (בראשית יח כא) ועוד אפרש סודו בפסוק "ידעתיך בשם" (שמות לג יב) אם יעזרני השם יודע הנסתרות:
(1) THAT GOD DID PROVE ABRAHAM. Some say that the word nissah (did prove, tested) is a variation of nissa (lifted up),1The problem which some commentators found in a literal translation of nissah as prove is that it seemed to imply that God did not know what Abraham’s response to his request would be. They thus interpreted nissa as coming from nun, sin, alef, meaning lifted up; i.e., God exalted Abraham by showing him to be a paragon of absolute obedience to the Lord’s will. Cf. Bereshit Rabbah 80:55. with the sin replacing the samekh2Nissah is spelled nun, samekh, heh ; nassah is spelled nun, sin, alef. and the heh replacing the alef.3The heh in nissah, like the alef in nasa, is silent. However, the plain meaning of the entire chapter contradicts this interpretation.4The chapter deals with a test, a trial. Hence nissah means proved, tested, not exalted. The word nissah is thus to be taken literally. The philosophers teach that there are two kinds of knowledge, knowledge of events prior to their occurrence, and knowledge of what is presently in existence. The latter is the meaning of God did prove, and for now I know (v. 12).5God knew (now I know) what Abraham would do if tested. However, until Abraham offered Isaac, God’s knowledge was knowledge of the potential or possible. He tested Abraham (did prove) to actualize His knowledge (Krinsky). He now knew what Abraham did, not only what Abraham would do. Saadiah Gaon says that did prove means that God tested Abraham in order to demonstrate his piety to mankind; furthermore, he interprets for now I know that thou art a God-fearing man (v. 12) to mean that now I have made known to all that thou art a God-fearing man. But didn’t Saadiah know that even Abraham’s young men were not present when he bound Isaac and placed him on the altar?6Cf. verse 5. In other words, no one was there to witness his act. Others say that and offer him there for a burnt offering is to be interpreted as: bring him up to the mountain; this will be considered as if you brought him up as a burnt offering.7The word translated as offer him { ve-ha’alehu) literally means bring him up. However, Abraham did not understand his prophetic vision8He thought that God actually wanted him to offer his son as a burnt offering. and hurried to sacrifice Isaac. God then told him, “I did not ask you to slay Isaac.”Still others say that God told Abraham: act as if you were bringing him up as a burnt offering. We find a similar occurrence in connection with the prophet Jeremiah, who was commanded to Go unto the house of the Rechabites…and give them wine to drink (Jer. 35:2).9The Rechabites were foresworn by Rechab from drinking wine (Jer., Chap. 35). When God told Jeremiah, and give them wine to drink he did not intend that Jeremiah actually make them drink. Similarly God’s intention was not that Abraham actually sacrifice Isaac. He wanted Abraham to make all the preparations necessary for the sacrifice, i.e., to bind Isaac, lay him on the altar, etc. He was to do everything as if he were offering him as a sacrifice. Now these geonim offered the above interpretations because they held that it is not possible that God would issue a command and then take it back.10God is unchangeable; hence his mind, too, is unchangeable. Therefore they offered the latter two interpretations. However, they overlooked the fact that God took the firstborn to serve Him and after a year replaced them with the Levites.11The first-born were at first sanctified to God to minister before him (Ex. 13:2). However, the next year the Levites took their place. Cf. Num. 3:40-44. In reality all questions are removed by Scripture’s first stating that God did prove Abraham.12God did not change His mind. He never intended for Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. The reason God tested Abraham was in order to reward him.13For his willingness to sacrifice his son in obedience to His will. I.E. now backsteps and explains why God, who is all-knowing, tested Abraham. He had earlier insisted that “prove” is to be taken literally. He now explains why. He similarly alludes to the meaning of for now I know. (2) The meaning of for now I know that (v. 12) is the same as and if not, I will know (Gen. 18:21).14See I.E.’s comments on Gen. 18:21. I will also explain, if God who knows all hidden things will help me, the secret meaning of this term in my comments on I know thee by name (Ex. 33:12).
As Ibn Ezra's commentary demonstrates, many commentators were troubled by the apparent plain sense of והאלהים נסה את אברהם because it might suggest either limits on divine knowledge: Why did God need to test Abraham? Doesn't God know his nature or what he will do? or capriciousness or even cruelty: Why would God demand such a horrific act if it was only a test? Ibn Ezra describes earlier attempts to address this issue (and, not surprisingly, rejects them all before offering his interpretation). Ramban offers a very different interpretation.
The Hebrew of the Ramban is straightforward. I have uploaded a good translation of the Ibn Ezra from Now I Know: Five Centuries of Akedah Exegesis by Albert van der Heide to the lesson.
The Hebrew of the Ramban is straightforward. I have uploaded a good translation of the Ibn Ezra from Now I Know: Five Centuries of Akedah Exegesis by Albert van der Heide to the lesson.
(א) וְהָאֱלֹקִים נִסָּה אֶת אַבְרָהָם עִנְיַן הַנִּסָּיוֹן הוּא לְדַעְתִּי בַּעֲבוּר הֱיוֹת מַעֲשֵׂה הָאָדָם רְשׁוּת מֻחְלֶטֶת בְּיָדוֹ, אִם יִרְצֶה יַעֲשֶׂה וְאִם לֹא יִרְצֶה לֹא יַעֲשֶׂה, יִקָּרֵא "נִסָּיוֹן" מִצַּד הַמְּנֻסֶּה, אֲבָל הַמְּנַסֶּה יִתְבָּרַךְ יְצַוֶּה בּוֹ לְהוֹצִיא הַדָּבָר מִן הַכֹּחַ אֶל הַפֹּעַל, לִהְיוֹת לוֹ שְׂכַר מַעֲשֶׂה טוֹב, לֹא שְׂכַר לֵב טוֹב בִּלְבַד. דַּע כִּי הַשֵּׁם צַדִּיק יִבְחָן (תהלים י"א:ה'), כְּשֶׁהוּא יוֹדֵעַ בְּצַדִּיק שֶׁיַּעֲשֶׂה רְצוֹנוֹ וְחָפֵץ לְהַצְדִּיקוֹ יְצַוֶּה אוֹתוֹ בְּנִסָּיוֹן, וְלֹא יִבְחַן אֶת הָרְשָׁעִים אֲשֶׁר לֹא יִשְׁמְעוּ. וְהִנֵּה כָּל הַנִּסְיוֹנוֹת שֶׁבַּתּוֹרָה לְטוֹבַת הַמְּנֻסֶּה:
(1) AND G-D TRIED ABRAHAM. The matter of “trial,”364See Rambam’s discussion of this problem, ibid., III, 24. in my opinion, is as follows: Since a man’s deeds are at his absolute free command, to perform them or not to perform them at his will, on the part of one who is tried it is called “a trial.” But on the part of the One, blessed be He, who tries the person, it is a command that the one being tested should bring forth the matter from the potential into actuality so that he may be rewarded for a good deed, not for a good thought alone.
Know further that G-d trieth the righteous,365Psalms 11:5. See also Bereshith Rabbah 34:2. “The Holy One, blessed be He, trieth only the righteous.” for knowing that the righteous will do His will, He desires to make him even more upright, and so He commands him to undertake a test, but He does not try the wicked, who would not obey. Thus all trials in the Torah are for the good of the one who is being tried.
Know further that G-d trieth the righteous,365Psalms 11:5. See also Bereshith Rabbah 34:2. “The Holy One, blessed be He, trieth only the righteous.” for knowing that the righteous will do His will, He desires to make him even more upright, and so He commands him to undertake a test, but He does not try the wicked, who would not obey. Thus all trials in the Torah are for the good of the one who is being tried.