God tested [nisa] Abraham” – Rabbi Yosei HaGelili says: He exalted him like the ensign [nes] on a ship. Rabbi Akiva says: He tested him in the literal sense, so that people should not say: He stunned him and confused him and he did not know what to do.12That is why the journey to Mount Moriah took three days, to give Abraham time to consider whether or not to sacrifice his son. “He said: Here I am” – Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korḥa said: In two places Moses likened himself to Abraham.13“God called out to him from amidst the bush and said: Moses, Moses.
And he said: Here I am” (Exodus 3:4). The Holy One blessed be He said to him: “Do not glorify yourself before a king, and in the place of the great do not stand” (Proverbs 25:6).14Do not presume to compare yourself to Abraham. Abraham said: “Here I am” – here I am [ready] for priesthood, here I am [ready] for kingship. And he in fact merited priesthood and merited kingship.
He merited priesthood, [as it is stated regarding Abraham] – “The Lord has sworn, and He will not renounce it; you are a priest forever (Psalms 110:4); [and] kingship [as the Hittites said to Abraham] – “you are a prince of God in our midst” (Genesis 23:6). Moses [also] said: “Here I am” (Exodus 3:4) – here I am [ready] for priesthood, here I am [ready] for kingship. The Holy One blessed be He said to him: “Do not approach [tikrav] here [halom]” (Exodus 3:5).
Kerav is specifically a reference to the priesthood, just as it says: “The stranger who approaches [karev] shall be put to death” (Numbers 1:51). Halom is specifically a reference to kingship, just as it is stated [that David said]: “That You have brought me to here [halom]” (II Samuel 7:18).15But in fact Moses received neither priesthood not kingship. The Midrash elaborates on only one of the two ways in which Moses compared himself to Abraham. For the other, see Devarim Rabba 2:7.