Bereshit (Genesis) Chapter 22

1It was after these words that God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” and he replied devotedly, “Here I am. I am ready to do Your bidding.”   אוַיְהִ֗י אַחַר֙ הַדְּבָרִ֣ים הָאֵ֔לֶּה וְהָ֣אֱלֹהִ֔ים נִסָּ֖ה אֶת־אַבְרָהָ֑ם וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֵלָ֔יו אַבְרָהָ֖ם וַיֹּ֥אמֶר הִנֵּֽנִי:
אַחַר הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה - It was after these words. Some of our rabbis say that it was after the words of Satan, who spoke accusingly and said, “From any meal that Abraham prepared, he did not offer before You even one bull or one ram!” God answered him: “Whatever he did was only for his son’s sake. If I were to say to him: ‘Sacrifice him before Me,’ he would not refuse.” Others say that it was after the words of Ishmael, who boasted to Isaac that he was circumcised at the age of 13 and yet did not object. Isaac answered him: “You threaten me by boasting how you gave up one limb. If the Holy One, blessed be He, would say to me: ‘Sacrifice yourself before Me,’ I would not refuse.”   אַחַר הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה.  יֵשׁ מֵרַבּוֹתֵינוּ אוֹמְרִים (סנהדרין פ"ט) אַחַר דְּבָרָיו שֶׁל שָׂטָן, שֶׁהָיָה מְקַטְרֵג וְאוֹמֵר מִכָּל סְעוּדָה שֶׁעָשָׂה אַבְרָהָם לֹא הִקְרִיב לְפָנֶיךָ פַּר אֶחָד אוֹ אַיִל אֶחָד; אָמַר לוֹ כְּלוּם עָשָׂה אֶלָּא בִּשְׁבִיל בְּנוֹ, אִלּוּ הָיִיתִי אוֹמֵר לוֹ זְבַח אוֹתוֹ לְפָנַי לֹא הָיָה מְעַכֵּב; וְיֵשׁ אוֹמָרִים אַחַר דְּבָרָיו שֶׁל יִשְׁמָעֵאל, שֶׁהָיָה מִתְפָּאֵר עַל יִצְחָק שֶׁמָּל בֶּן י"ג שָׁנָה וְלֹא מִחָה, אָמַר לוֹ יִצְחָק בְּאֵבֶר א' אַתָּה מְיָרְאֵנִי? אִלּוּ אָמַר לִי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא זְבַח עַצְמְךָ לְפָנַי, לֹא הָיִיתִי מְעַכֵּב.
הִנֵּֽנִי - Here I am. Such is the response of the pious. It is an expression of humility and an expression of readiness.   הִנֵּֽנִי.  כָּךְ הִיא עֲנִיָּתָם שֶׁל חֲסִידִים, לְשׁוֹן עֲנָוָה הוּא וּלְשׁוֹן זִמּוּן:
2He said, “Please pass this ultimate test. Take your son, your only one, the one you love, Isaac. Take him and go away to the land of Moriah. Take him up there and prepare him as an ascent-offering on one of the mountains that I will designate to you.”   בוַיֹּ֡אמֶר קַח־נָ֠א אֶת־בִּנְךָ֨ אֶת־יְחִֽידְךָ֤ אֲשֶׁר־אָהַ֨בְתָּ֙ אֶת־יִצְחָ֔ק וְלֶ֨ךְ־לְךָ֔ אֶל־אֶ֖רֶץ הַמֹּֽרִיָּ֑ה וְהַֽעֲלֵ֤הוּ שָׁם֙ לְעֹלָ֔ה עַ֚ל אַחַ֣ד הֶֽהָרִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֖ר אֹמַ֥ר אֵלֶֽיךָ:
קַח־נָא - Please take. The word נָא is here an expression of request. He said to him, “I beg of you, pass this test, so that people not say that the previous ones were of no substance.”   קַח־נָא.  אֵין נָא אֶלָּא לְשׁוֹן בַּקָשָׁה, אָמַר לוֹ בְּבַקָּשָׁה מִמְּךָ, עֲמֹד לִי בְּזֶה הַנִּסָּיוֹן, שֶׁלֹּא יֹאמְרוּ הָרִאשׁוֹנוֹת לֹא הָיָה בָהֶן מָמָּשׁ:
אֶת־בִּנְךָ - Your son. He answered Him, “I have two sons.” God said to him, “Your only one.” He answered Him, “This one is his mother’s only one, and this one is his mother’s only one.” God then said to him, “The one you love.” He replied, “I love them both,” at which God said, “Isaac.” And why did He not reveal this to him from the start? In order not to confuse him suddenly, and he would thus become bewildered and irrational, and also to make the command precious to him and to give him reward for each and every expression.   אֶת־בִּנְךָ.  אָמַר לוֹ שְׁנֵי בָנִים יֵשׁ לִי, אָמַר לוֹ אֶת יְחִידְךָ; אָמַר לוֹ זֶה יָחִיד לְאִמּוֹ וְזֶה יָחִיד לְאִמּוֹ, אָמַר לוֹ אֲשֶׁר אָהַבְתָּ; אָמַר לוֹ שְׁנֵיהֶם אֲנִי אוֹהֵב, אָמַר לוֹ אֶת יִצְחָק (סנהדרין פ"ט). וְלָמָּה לֹא גִּלָּה לוֹ מִתְּחִלָּה? שֶׁלֹּא לְעַרְבְּבוֹ פִּתְאוֹם וְתָזוּחַ דַּעְתּוֹ עָלָיו וְתִטָּרֵף, וּכְדֵי לְחַבֵּב עָלָיו אֶת הַמִּצְוָה וְלִתֵּן לוֹ שָׂכָר עַל כָּל דִּבּוּר וְדִבּוּר:
אֶרֶץ המוריה - The land of Moriah. This is Jerusalem, and so we find in 2 Chronicles: 1 “to build the House of God in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah.” Our rabbis explained that it is called מֹרִיָּה because from there instruction (הוֹרָאָה) goes forth to Israel. But Onkelos translates it “the land of service,” relating to the ritual of incense, which includes myrrh (מוֹר), nard, and other spices.   אֶרֶץ המוריה.  יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, וְכֵן בְּדִבְרֵי הַיָּמִים לִבְנוֹת אֶת בֵּית ה' בִּירוּשָׁלִַם בְּהַר הַמּוֹרִיָּה (דברי הימים ב ג'). וְרַבּוֹתֵינוּ פֵּרְשׁוּ עַל שֵׁם שֶׁמִּשָּׁם הוֹרָאָה יוֹצְאָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל. וְאֻנְקְלוֹס תִּרְגְּמוֹ עַל שֵׁם עֲבוֹדַת הַקְּטֹרֶת שֶׁיֵּשׁ בּוֹ מוֹר נֵרְדְּ וּשְׁאָר בְּשָׂמִים:
וְהַֽעֲלֵהוּ - Take him up. He did not say to him, “Slaughter him,” because the Holy One, blessed be He, did not wish him to be slaughtered, but only to be brought up the mountain to be designated an ascent-offering, and once Abraham had brought him up, God told him, “Take him down.”   וְהַֽעֲלֵהוּ.  לֹא אָמַר לוֹ שְׁחָטֵהוּ, לְפִי שֶׁלֹּא הָיָה חָפֵץ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְשָׁחֳטוֹ אֶלָּא לְהַעֲלֵהוּ לָהָר לַעֲשׂוֹתוֹ עוֹלָה, וּמִשֶּׁהֶעֱלָהוּ אָמַר לוֹ הוֹרִידֵהוּ:
אַחַד הֶֽהָרִים - One of the mountains. The Holy One, blessed be He, makes the righteous wonder about their mission and only afterwards reveals it to them – and all this so as to increase their reward. Similarly we find: “Go… to the land that I will show you,” 2 and similarly regarding Jonah: “and admonish it with the admonition that I will tell you.” 3   אַחַד הֶֽהָרִים.  הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מַתְהֵא הַצַּדִּיקִים וְאַחַר כָּךְ מְגַלֶּה לָהֶם; וְכָל זֶה כְּדֵי לְהַרְבּוֹת שְׂכָרָן, וְכֵן אֶל הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר אַרְאֶךָּ (בראשית י"ב), וְכֵן בְּיוֹנָה וּקְרָא עָלֶיהָ אֶת הַקְּרִיאָה (יונה ג ב):
3Abraham got up early in the morning and saddled his donkey himself. He took his two young men, Eliezer and Ishmael, with him, together with his son Isaac. Abraham chopped wood for the offering, and rose and set out for the place that God had told him.   גוַיַּשְׁכֵּ֨ם אַבְרָהָ֜ם בַּבֹּ֗קֶר וַיַּֽחֲבשׁ֙ אֶת־חֲמֹר֔וֹ וַיִּקַּ֞ח אֶת־שְׁנֵ֤י נְעָרָיו֙ אִתּ֔וֹ וְאֵ֖ת יִצְחָ֣ק בְּנ֑וֹ וַיְבַקַּע֙ עֲצֵ֣י עֹלָ֔ה וַיָּ֣קָם וַיֵּ֔לֶךְ אֶל־הַמָּק֖וֹם אֲשֶׁר־אָֽמַר־ל֥וֹ הָֽאֱלֹהִֽים:
וַיַּשְׁכֵּם - He got up early. He was eager to fulfill the commandment.   וַיַּשְׁכֵּם.  נִזְדָּרֵז לַמִּצְוָה (פסחים ד'):
וַיַּֽחֲבשׁ - He saddled. He himself did it and did not command one of his servants to do it, because love overrides the dictates of standard conduct.   וַיַּֽחֲבשׁ.  הוּא בְעַצְמוֹ, וְלֹא צִוָּה לְאֶחָד מֵעֲבָדָיו, שֶׁהָאַהֲבָה מְקַלְקֶלֶת הַשּׁוּרָה:
אֶת־שְׁנֵי נְעָרָיו - His two young men. Ishmael and Eliezer. He took both of them because an important person may not travel without two attendants, for should one of them need to relieve himself and therefore move away, the other will remain with him.   אֶת־שְׁנֵי נְעָרָיו.  יִשְׁמָעֵאל וֶאֱלִיעֶזֶר, שֶׁאֵין אָדָם חָשׁוּב רַשַּׁאי לָצֵאת לַדֶּרֶךְ בְּלֹא ב' אֲנָשִׁים (בראשית רבה), שֶׁאִם יִצְטָרֵךְ הָאֶחָד לִנְקָבָיו וְיִתְרַחֵק, יִהְיֶה הַשֵּׁנִי עִמּוֹ:
וַיְבַקַּע - He chopped. Onkelos translates this as וְצַלַּח, which has a similar meaning to: they split (וְצָלְחוּ) the Jordan” 4 – connoting splitting; “fender” in Old French.   וַיְבַקַּע.  תַּרְגּוּם וְצַלַּח, כְּמוֹ וְצָלְחוּ הַיַּרְדֵּן (שמואל ב' י"ט), לְשׁוֹן בִּקּוּעַ, פינדר"א בלע"ז: