He said before Him, "To which mountain?" He said to him, "In every place where you see My glory standing, there I will wait for you." He rose early in the morning and took Ishmael, Eliezer, and Isaac his son with him, and saddled the donkey. This is the foal of the she-donkey that was created at twilight. It is the donkey that Moses rode, as it is said, "And Moses took his wife and his sons and mounted them on the donkey" (Exodus 4:20). It is the donkey upon which the son of David is destined to ride, as it is said, "humble and riding on a donkey" (Zechariah 9:9). Isaac was thirty-seven years old when he went to Mount Moriah, and Ishmael was fifty years old. A rivalry arose between Ishmael and Eliezer. Ishmael said, "Now Abraham is offering Isaac his son as a burnt offering, and I am his firstborn son, and I am the one who inherits Abraham." Eliezer said to him, "He has already driven you out like a woman divorced from her husband and sent you to the wilderness; but I am his servant, serving him by day and by night, and I am the heir." And the Holy Spirit answered them, "Neither this one inherits nor that one inherits." At that hour Abraham reasoned in his heart: If I inform Sarah, the minds of women are easily unsettled over such a matter. And if I do not inform her and steal him away, once she does not see him she will choke herself to death. He said to her, "Prepare us food and drink and let us rejoice today." She said to him, "What is the reason for this rejoicing?" He said to her, "Elders such as we are had a son born to them; it is fitting that we rejoice." In the midst of the joy he said to her, "You know that when I was three years old I recognized my Creator, and the lad is grown and has not been trained, and there is a place where they train the young; I will take him there." She said to him, "Take him in peace." He rose early in the morning. He said, "While she sleeps I will go out, so she does not retract, and so that people do not see us." Satan came and stood before him in the likeness of an old man. He said to him, "Where are you going?" He said, "To pray." He said to him, "And why the wood, the fire, and the knife?" He said to him, "Perhaps we will tarry a day or two, to bake and to eat." He said to him, "A man like you would destroy the son who was given to him in his old age, and destroy a soul and be guilty in judgment?" He said to him, "The Holy One, blessed be He, told me." He came and stood beside Isaac in the likeness of a lad. He said to him, "Where are you going?" He said to him, "To learn discipline and understanding." He said to him, "In your lifetime or after your death? He is going to slaughter you." He said to him, "Even so." He came to Sarah and said to her, "Where is your husband?" She said to him, "At his work." "And where is your son?" She said to him, "With him." He said to her, "Did you not used to say that you do not let him go out of the outer doorway?" She said to him, "They did not go to work, but to pray." He said to her, "You will not see him." She said, "May the Holy One, blessed be He, do His will with my son."
The Donkey of the Binding Ridden by Moses and Messiah
Yalkut Shimoni on Torah 98:2
אָמַר לְפָנָיו, לְאֵיזֶה הַר, אָמַר לוֹ, בְּכָל מָקוֹם שֶׁתִּרְאֶה כְּבוֹדִי עוֹמֵד, וְאַמְתִּין לְךָ הִשְׁכִּים בַּבֹּקֶר וְלָקַח יִשְׁמָעֵאל וֶאֱלִיעֶזֶר וְיִצְחָק בְּנוֹ עִמּוֹ, וְחָבַשׁ אֶת הַחֲמוֹר. הוּא בֶּן הָאָתוֹן שֶׁנִּבְרָא בֵּין הַשְּׁמָשׁוֹת. הוּא הַחֲמוֹר שֶׁרָכַב עָלָיו מֹשֶׁה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר, (שמות ד, כ) "וַיִּקַּח מֹשֶׁה אֶת אִשְׁתּוֹ וְאֶת בָּנָיו וַיַּרְכִּיבֵם עַל הַחֲמוֹר". הוּא הַחֲמוֹר שֶׁעָתִיד בֶּן דָּוִד לִרְכַּב עָלָיו, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר, (זכריה ט, ט) "עָנִי וְרוֹכֵב עַל חֲמוֹר". בֶּן שְׁלֹשִׁים וְשֶׁבַע שָׁנָה הָיָה יִצְחָק בְּלֶכְתּוֹ לְהַר הַמּוֹרִיָּה, וְיִשְׁמָעֵאל בֶּן חֲמִשִּׁים שָׁנָה, נִכְנַס תַּחֲרוּת בֵּין יִשְׁמָעֵאל לְאֱלִיעֶזֶר, אָמַר יִשְׁמָעֵאל עַכְשָׁיו מַקְרִיב אַבְרָהָם אֶת יִצְחָק בְּנוֹ לְעוֹלָה מוּקֶדֶת, וַאֲנִי בְּנוֹ בְּכוֹרוֹ, וַאֲנִי הוּא הַיּוֹרֵשׁ אֶת אַבְרָהָם. אָמַר לוֹ אֱלִיעֶזֶר, כְּבָר גִרֵשְׁךָ כְּאִשָּׁה הַמִּתְגָּרֶשֶׁת מִבַּעֲלָהּ, וְשִׁלְּחֲךָ לַמִּדְבָּר, אֲבָל אֲנִי עַבְדּוֹ מְשָׁרֵת אוֹתוֹ בַּיּוֹם וּבַלַּיְלָה, וַאֲנִי הַיּוֹרֵשׁ. וְרוּחַ הַקֹּדֶשׁ מֵשִׁיבָה אוֹתָן, לֹא זֶה יוֹרֵשׁ וְלֹא זֶה יוֹרֵשׁ. בְּאוֹתָה שָׁעָה הִרְהֵר בְּלִבּוֹ אַבְרָהָם, אִם אֲנִי מוֹדִיעַ לְשָׂרָה, נָשִׁים דַּעֲתָן קַלָּה, וְאִם לֹא אוֹדִיעָה וְאֶגְנְבֶנוּ, כֵּיוָן שֶׁאֵינָה רוֹאָה אוֹתוֹ תַּחְנֹק אֶת עַצְמָה. אָמַר לָהּ, תַּקְּנִי לָנוּ מַאֲכָל וּמִשְׁתֶּה וְנִשְׂמַח הַיּוֹם. אָמְרָה לֵיה, מַה טַעַם שֶׁל שִׂמְחָה זוֹ. אָמַר לָהּ, זְקֵנִים שֶׁבִּדְמוּתֵנוּ נוֹלַד לָהֶן בֵּן, דִּין הוּא שֶׁנִּשְׂמַח. בְּתוֹךְ הַשִּׂמְחָה אָמַר לָהּ, אַתְּ יוֹדַעַת כְּשֶׁהָיִיתִי בֶּן שָׁלֹשׁ שָׁנִים, הִכַּרְתִּי אֶת בּוֹרְאִי, וְהַנַּעַר גָּדוֹל וְלֹא נִתְחַנֵּךְ, וְיֵשׁ מָקוֹם שֶׁשָּׁם מְחַנְכִין הַתִּינוֹקוֹת, אוֹלִיכֶנוּ לְשָׁם. אָמְרָה לוֹ, קַחֵנוּ לְשָׁלוֹם. וְהִשְׁכִּים בַּבֹּקֶר אָמַר, עַד שֶׁהִיא יְשֵׁנָה אֵצֵא וְלֹא תַּחְזֹר בָּה, וְעוֹד שֶׁלֹּא יִרְאוּ אוֹתָנוּ בְּנֵי אָדָם. בָּא שָׂטָן וְעָמַד לְפָנָיו וְנִדְמֶה לוֹ לְזָקֵן. אָמַר לוֹ, לְהֵיכָן אַתָּה הוֹלֵךְ, אָמַר לוֹ, לְהִתְפַּלֵּל. אָמַר לוֹ, וְהָעֵצִים וְהָאֵשׁ וּמַאֲכֶלֶת לָמָה, אָמַר לוֹ, שֶׁמָּא אֶשְׁהֶה יוֹם וְיוֹמַיִם לֶאֱפוֹת וְלֶאֱכֹל. אָמַר לוֹ, אָדָם שֶׁכְּמוֹתְךָ יְאַבֵּד בְּנוֹ שֶׁנִּתַּן לוֹ בְּזִקְנָתוֹ, וּתְאַבֵּד נְשָׁמָה וְתִתְחַיֵּב בַּדִּין. אָמַר לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אָמַר לִי בָּא וְעָמַד אֵצֶל יִצְחָק, נִדְמֶה לוֹ כְּנַעַר. אָמַר לוֹ, לְהֵיכָן אַתָּה הוֹלֵךְ, אָמַר לוֹ, לִלְמֹד מוּסָר וּבִינָה. אָמַר לוֹ, בְּחַיֶּיךָ אוֹ לְאַחַר מִיתָתְךָ. לְשָׁחְטְךָ הוּא הוֹלֵךְ. אָמַר לוֹ, אַף עַל פִּי כֵן. בָּא אֵצֶל שָׂרָה, אָמַר לָה, בַּעֲלֵךְ, הֵיכָן הוּא, אָמְרָה לוֹ, בִּמְלַאכְתוֹ, וּבְנֵךְ הֵיכָן הוּא, אָמְרָה לוֹ, עִמּוֹ. אָמַר לָהּ, לֹא כָּךְ הָיִית אוֹמֶרֶת, שֶׁאֵינֶךְ עוֹזֶבֶת אוֹתוֹ שֶׁיֵּצֵא מִפֶּתַח הָחִיצוֹנָה. אָמְרָה לוֹ, לֹא לִמְלָאכָה הָלְכוּ, אֶלָּא לְהִתְפַּלֵּל אָמַר לָהּ, לֹא תִּרְאִי אוֹתוֹ. אָמְרָה, הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא יַעֲשֶׂה רְצוֹנוֹ מִבְּנִי.