Yalkut Shimoni on Torah Reader

"The LORD tests the righteous, but the wicked and the lover of violence His soul hates" (Psalms 11:5). This potter does not test cracked jugs, because he does not manage to knock upon them before they shatter; rather, what does he test? The fine jugs, which even if he knocks upon them many times do not break. So too the Holy One, blessed be He, tests only the righteous, as it is said, "The LORD tests the righteous." This flax-worker, when he knows that his flax is fine, the more he pounds it the better it becomes, and the more he beats it the more it glistens. So too the Holy One, blessed be He, tests only the righteous. A parable of a householder who had two cows, one of strong power and one of weak power. Upon which does he place the yoke? Is it not upon the one whose power is strong? So too the Holy One, blessed be He, tests only the righteous. "Inasmuch as the word of a king is authoritative, who may say to him, What are you doing?" (Ecclesiastes 8:4). [Scripture says,] "You shall not test the LORD your God" (Deuteronomy 6:16), yet "God tested Abraham." This is like a teacher who would command his student, "Do not lend at interest," while he himself lent at interest. The student said to him, "My teacher, you told me, Do not lend at interest, yet here you are lending at interest." He said to him, "I am telling you not to lend at interest to an Israelite, but you may lend at interest to a foreigner, as it is said, 'To the foreigner you may lend at interest' (Deuteronomy 23:21)." So too Israel said to the Holy One, blessed be He: You wrote in Your Torah, "You shall not take vengeance nor bear a grudge," yet You take vengeance and bear a grudge, as it is said, "The LORD is avenging and full of wrath" (Nahum 1:2). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them: I wrote in My Torah, "You shall not take vengeance nor bear a grudge against the children of your people" (Leviticus 19:18), but I take vengeance and bear a grudge against the nations of the world, as it is said, "Avenge the vengeance of the children of Israel" (Numbers 31:2). "After these things": there were stirrings of words there. Who stirred them? Abraham stirred them. He said: Isaac my son was born; I rejoiced and made everyone rejoice, yet I did not set aside for the Holy One, blessed be He, even one bull or one ram. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: It was on the condition that I would tell you to offer up your son, and you would not hold back. According to the opinion of Rabbi Eliezer, who said "and the LORD" means He and His court, and "and God" means He and His court: the ministering angels said, Abraham rejoiced and made everyone rejoice, yet he did not set aside for the Holy One, blessed be He, even one bull or one ram. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them: It was on the condition that He would tell him to offer up his son, and he would not hold back. The nations of the world said: This Abraham rejoiced and made others rejoice, and so forth.

Another interpretation: "after these things" means Isaac and Ishmael were disputing with one another. This one said, "I am greater than you, for I was circumcised at eight days." Ishmael said, "I am more beloved, because it was in my power to protest and I did not protest." [He had been circumcised at thirteen years of age and could have resisted.] At that hour Isaac said, "Would that the Holy One, blessed be He, reveal Himself to me and tell me to cut off one of my limbs, and I would not hold back." The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: On the condition that you would offer up yourself and not hold back.

"And God tested Abraham." Rabbi Yose the Galilean says: He made him great like the banner of a ship. Rabbi Akiva says: He tested him truly, so that the heretics should not say, "He confused him and he did not know what to do," as it is said, "And He said to him, Abraham, and he said, Here I am" (Genesis 22:1). Rabbi Joshua ben Korchah said: In two places Moses likened himself to Abraham. 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). Abraham said, "Here I am": here I am for priesthood, here I am for kingship. He merited priesthood, he merited kingship. He merited priesthood, as it is said, "The LORD has sworn and will not relent: You are a priest forever" (Psalms 110:4). He merited kingship, as it is said, "You are a prince of God among us" (Genesis 23:6). Moses said, "Here I am": here I am for priesthood, here I am for kingship. He said to him, "Do not draw near here (halom)" (Exodus 3:5). "Drawing near" refers only to priesthood, as it is said, "And the stranger who draws near shall be put to death" (Numbers 1:51); and "here (halom)" refers only to kingship, as it is said, "For You have brought me thus far (halom)" (2 Samuel 7:18).

Another interpretation: "And it came to pass after these things." After what? Rabbi Yochanan said in the name of Rabbi Yose ben Zimra: after the words of Satan, as it is written, "And the child grew and was weaned" (Genesis 21:8). Satan said before the Holy One, blessed be He: Master of the universe, this old man whom You favored with the fruit of the womb at a hundred years old, of all the feasting that he made, did he not have a single turtledove or a single young pigeon to offer up before You? He said to him: Did he do anything except for the sake of his son? If I should say to him, Slaughter your son before Me, he would slaughter him. Immediately, "God tested Abraham." [Another version:] after the words of Ishmael, and so forth, as above.

Another interpretation: a parable of a king who had a poor friend. The king said to him, "It is upon me to make you rich," and he gave him money in order to conduct business with it. In time he entered the palace. They said, "Why does this one enter?" The king said to them, "Because he is my faithful friend." They said to him, "If so, tell him to return your money." Immediately the king said to him, "Return to me what I gave you," and he did not hold back, and the members of the palace were put to shame; and the king swore to add to his wealth. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to the ministering angels: Had I listened to you when you said to Me, "What is man that You are mindful of him?" (Psalms 8:5), would there have been an Abraham who glorifies Me in My world? The attribute of justice said before the Holy One, blessed be He: All the trials with which You tested him were with his wealth; test him with his body. They said: Let him offer up his son before You. Immediately He said to him, "Take now your son."

The tenth trial: "And it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham." Ishmael came out from the wilderness to see Abraham his father. On that very night the Holy One, blessed be He, revealed Himself to him and said to him, "Take now your son."

"And He said, 'Take, please.'" The word "please" is nothing other than a term of request. "Your son." He said to Him, "Which son?" He said, "Your only one." He said to Him, "This one is the only son of his mother, and that one is the only son of his mother." He said, "Whom you love," and so forth (as above in section 62). "And go for yourself to the land of Moriah" (Genesis 22:2). Rabbi Chiyya the Elder and Rabbi Yannai differed. One said: to the place from which instruction (hora'ah) goes forth to the world. The other said: to the place from which reverence (yir'ah) goes forth. Similarly with the word "Aron" (the Ark): one said, the place from which light (orah) goes forth to the world, and the other said, the place from which reverence goes forth to the world. And similarly with the word "Devir" (the Holy of Holies): one said, the place from which speech (dibbur) goes forth to the world, and the other said, the place from which the commandments (dibberot) go forth to the world. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: from there the Holy One shoots like an arrow (moreh) at the nations of the world and brings them down to Gehinnom. Rabbi [Shimon] ben Yochai says: to the place that corresponds (ya'ru'i) opposite the Temple that is above. Rabbi Yudan says: to the place that I am creating for you. Rabbi Pinchas said: from the place that is the dwelling of the Master of the world. The rabbis say: to the place where the incense is offered, as you say, "I will go to the mountain of myrrh (mor)" (Song of Songs 4:6). "And offer him up there as a burnt offering." He said before the Holy One, blessed be He, "Is there a sacrifice without a priest?" The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, "I have already appointed you to be a priest." This is what is written, "The LORD has sworn and will not relent: You are a priest forever" (Psalms 110:4). "To the land that I will show you," and so forth (as written in section 63). To what may the matter be compared? To a king who said to his friend, "I long to see a small child on my table." Immediately his friend went and brought his own son and stood him on the table before the king, and went and brought a sword to slaughter him. The king cried out at him, "What are you doing?" He said to him, "But did you not say to me, 'I long to see him'?" He said to him, "Did I say so that he should die?" So the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Abraham, "Take, please, your son." "And Abraham stretched out his hand," and so forth. He said to him, "Do not lay your hand upon the lad." He said to Him, "But did You not say to me, 'Take, please, your son'?" He said to him, "Did I say to you to slaughter him? Rather, 'I will not profane My covenant, nor change what has gone forth from My lips' (Psalms 89:35)."

"And He said, 'Take, please, your son.'" The word "please" is nothing other than a term of request. To what may the matter be compared? To a king of flesh and blood against whom many wars arose, and he had a single warrior who would defeat them all. In time a fierce war arose against him. He said to him, "I beg of you, stand for me in this war, so that the earlier battles not be said to have had no substance." So the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Abraham, "I have tested you with many trials and you withstood them all. I beg of you, stand for Me in this trial, so that it not be said that the earlier ones had no substance." "Take, please, your son." "I have two sons," and so forth. Satan met him on the way. He said to him, "Old man, where are you going?" "Is it not to slaughter your son?" Immediately he opened with, "If one ventures a word to you, will you be wearied? Behold, you have instructed many... your words have raised up him who was stumbling... but now it has come upon you and you are wearied" (Job 4:2-5). He said to him, "I will walk in my integrity" (Psalms 26:11). He said to him, "Is not your fear of God your folly?" (Job 4:6). He said to him, "Remember, now: who that was innocent ever perished?" (Job 4:7). When he saw that he would not listen to him, he said to him, "Now a word was stolen to me" (Job 4:12): thus I heard from behind the heavenly curtain that the lamb is for the burnt offering, and not Isaac for the burnt offering. He said to him, "Such is the punishment of a liar: that even when he speaks the truth, no one listens to him."

"And Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey" (Genesis 22:3). Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai said: Love disrupts the normal order, and hatred disrupts the normal order. Love disrupts the order, as it is said, "And Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey." Did he not have servants? Rather, love disrupts the order. "And Joseph harnessed his chariot" (Genesis 46:29): did he not have servants? Rather, love disrupts the order. "And he harnessed his chariot and took his people with him" (Exodus 14:6): did Pharaoh not have servants? Rather, hatred disrupts the order. Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai said: Let the saddling that Abraham our father saddled in order to do the will of the One who spoke and the world came into being come and stand against the saddling that the wicked Balaam saddled to go and curse Israel. Let the harnessing that Joseph harnessed to go up toward Israel his father come and stand against the harnessing that Pharaoh harnessed to pursue the children of Israel. Rabbi Yishmael taught: Let the sword in the hand that Abraham our father made, as it is said, "And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife" (Genesis 22:10, below), come and stand against the sword in the hand of Pharaoh, who said, "I will draw my sword, my hand will dispossess them" (Exodus 15:9). "And he took his two lads with him." Rabbi Abbahu said: Two people conducted themselves with proper courtesy, Abraham and Saul. Abraham: "And he took his two lads with him." Saul: "And he went, he and two men with him" (1 Samuel 28:8).

"And he split the wood for the burnt offering." As a reward for the two splittings with which Abraham split the wood for the burnt offering, he merited that the sea be split before his children. It is said here, "And he split the wood for the burnt offering," and it is said elsewhere, "And the waters were split" (Exodus 14:21). Rabbi Levi said: Is this enough for you? Rather, Abraham acted according to his strength, and the Holy One, blessed be He, according to His strength. "And he arose and went to the place." He gave him the reward of rising and the reward of going.

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."

"On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar" (Genesis 22:4). It is written, "He will revive us after two days; on the third day He will raise us up, and we shall live before Him" (Hosea 6:2). On the third day of the tribes, as it is said, "And Joseph said to them on the third day" (Genesis 42:18). On the third day of the giving of the Torah, as it is said, "And it came to pass on the third day when it was morning" (Exodus 19:16). On the third day of the spies, as it is said, "And you shall hide there three days" (Joshua 2:16). On the third day of Jonah, as it is said, "And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days" (Jonah 2:1). On the third day of those who came up from exile, as it is said, "And we encamped there three days" (Ezra 8:15). On the third day of the resurrection of the dead, as it is said, "He will revive us after two days." On the third day of Esther, as it is said, "And it came to pass on the third day that Esther put on royalty" (Esther 5:1). By what merit? The rabbis say: by the merit of the third day of the giving of the Torah. And Rabbi Levi said: by the merit of the third day of Abraham. "On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place." What did he see? He saw a cloud bound to the mountain. He said, "It seems to me that this is the place where the Holy One, blessed be He, told me to offer my son." He said to Isaac, "Do you see what I see?" He said to him, "Yes." He said to his two lads, "Do you see what I see?" They said to him, "No." He said, "Since the donkey does not see, and you do not see, stay here with the donkey." The rabbis bring this from here: "Six days you shall labor and do all your work... and your manservant and your maidservant and your ox and your donkey" (Deuteronomy 5:13-14).

They said: On the very day that our father Abraham offered Isaac his son upon the altar, the Holy One, blessed be He, established two lambs, one in the morning and one toward evening, as it is said, "the one lamb" and so forth. And why all this? Because at the time when Israel offers the daily offerings upon the altar and reads this verse, "northward before the LORD" (Leviticus 1:11), He remembers the binding of Isaac son of Abraham. I call heaven and earth to witness for Me: whether gentile or Israelite, whether man or woman, whether manservant or maidservant, who reads this verse, "northward before the LORD," the Holy One, blessed be He, remembers the binding of Isaac son of Abraham. Another interpretation: "Northward before the LORD" refers to the deeds of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who are stored away (tzefunim) before Him, as it is said, "new ones and also old ones, my beloved, I have stored away for you" (Song of Songs 7:14). Amram and all the worthy ones who were in Egypt are the old ones, and those after him are the new ones.

Rabbi Yitzchak said: What is the meaning of "from afar"? In the future the Divine Presence (Shekhinah) is destined to be distanced from its dwelling place. Could this be forever? The teaching states: "This is My resting place forever and ever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it" (Psalms 132:14). Rabbi Yitzchak asked what lay hidden in the small phrase that Abraham saw the place "from afar." He heard in it a prophecy reaching far beyond that morning. One day the Divine Presence would be distanced from its dwelling place, withdrawn and far off, just as the holy mountain first appeared to Abraham at a distance.

On the third day they reached the lookout point and saw the glory of the Divine Presence standing there, as it is said, "On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw" (Genesis 22:4). He saw a pillar of fire standing from the earth to the heavens. He said to him, "Isaac, my son, do you see what I see?" He said to him, "Yes." Then Abraham understood that the lad was found acceptable for the offering.

Since the way was not long, why did they delay three days? Rather, because they did not listen to Satan, he went and turned himself into a great river before them, so that they could not cross. Abraham said, "If the lads go down, I am afraid they may drown." He went down, and the water rose up to their necks. Abraham lifted his eyes to the heavens and said, "Master of the worlds, You revealed Yourself to me and said to me, 'I am unique and you are unique; make My name known throughout all the world, and offer up your son as a burnt offering.' I did not question Your words, and I did not delay Your commands. And now the waters have come up to the soul. If Isaac my son drowns, how will Your name be made one?" Immediately the Holy One, blessed be He, rebuked Satan, and he went away.

"And he saw the place from afar" (Genesis 22:4). At first the place was a deep valley. The Holy One, blessed be He, said, "It is not the way of a king to dwell in a valley, but rather in a high place, lofty and beautiful." So the Holy One, blessed be He, raised it up. Therefore it is called Mount Moriah [Har ha-Moriyah], for out of its awe [yir'ah] it was made a mountain.

There we learned: any woman over whom there is no betrothal binding upon him or upon others, her child is like her. And which is this? The child of a maidservant or of a non-Jewish woman. As for the maidservant, from where do we know it? Scripture says, "Stay here with the donkey" (Genesis 22:5) [literally, "with the donkey," read as] "with the people who are like a donkey." We have found that betrothal does not take hold with her; from where do we know that her child is like her? Scripture says, "The woman and her children shall belong to her master" (Exodus 21:4). As for the non-Jewish woman, it is written, "You shall not intermarry with them" (Deuteronomy 7:3). We have found that betrothal does not take hold with her; from where do we know that her child is like her? Scripture says, "For he will turn away your son" (Deuteronomy 7:4) and so forth: the son who comes from an Israelite woman is called your son, but the son who comes from a non-Jewish woman is not called your son but rather her son. But this is written about the seven nations? Scripture says "for he will turn away your son" to include all who turn one away. This works well for Rabbi Shimon, who expounds the reason of a verse; but according to the Rabbis, who do not expound it, what is the reason? Because Scripture says, "and afterward you may come to her and be her husband" (Deuteronomy 21:13), which implies that beforehand the betrothal status did not take hold with her. We have found that betrothal does not take hold with her; from where do we know that her child is like her? Because Scripture says, "when they belong to a man... and they bear him children" (Deuteronomy 21:15): wherever we can read "when they belong," we can read "and they bear him children"; wherever we cannot read "when they belong," we cannot read "and they bear him children." If so, the same should apply to the maidservant. Indeed it does. Then why do I need "the woman and her children"? It is needed for that which was taught: One who says to his maidservant, "You are a freewoman, but your child is a slave," the child is like her [the mother], because it is said, "the woman and her children" - the words of Rabbi Yose the Galilean. And the Sages say, his words stand.

Rava said: An ox that gored a maidservant and her offspring came out [she miscarried] - the owner pays the value of the offspring. What is the reason? It is a pregnant she-donkey that he damaged, for Scripture says, "Stay here with the donkey" (Genesis 22:5) [read as] "the people who are like a donkey."

"Stay here with the donkey" (Genesis 22:5) - until the one comes of whom it is written, "poor and riding on a donkey" (Zechariah 9:9); then the place shall return to its owners. "And I and the lad will go yonder [literally, 'until thus']" - we will go and see what will be the end of "thus," "thus shall your seed be" (Genesis 15:5). "And we will bow down and return to you" - a covenant was cut by the lips: he announced that he would return from Mount Moriah. Rabbi Isaac said: Everything is by the merit of bowing down. Abraham returned from Mount Moriah only by the merit of bowing down, as it is said, "and we will bow down and return to you." Israel was redeemed only by the merit of bowing down, as it is said, "And the people believed and heard... and they bowed their heads and bowed down" (Exodus 4:31). The Torah was given only by the merit of bowing down, as it is said, "and you shall bow down from afar" (Exodus 24:1). Hannah was remembered only by the merit of bowing down, as it is said, "and he bowed down before the LORD" (1 Samuel 1:28). The exiles will be gathered in only by the merit of bowing down, as it is said, "And it shall come to pass on that day that a great shofar shall be sounded... and they shall bow down before the LORD" (Isaiah 27:13). The Temple was built only by the merit of bowing down, as it is said, "Exalt the LORD our God and bow down" (Psalms 99:9). Even the dead will live again only by the merit of bowing down, as it is said, "Come, let us bow down and bend the knee" (Psalms 95:6).

"And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son" (Genesis 22:6) - like one who carries his cross on his shoulder. "And he took in his hand the fire and the knife [ma'akhelet]." Why is it called ma'akhelet? Because it makes food [okhalim] fit. And the Rabbis say: Why is it called ma'akhelet? Because Israel eats [okhlim] in this world by the merit of that knife. "And the two of them went together" - this one to bind and that one to be bound, this one to slaughter and that one to be slaughtered. "And Isaac said to Abraham his father, and he said, My father" (Genesis 22:7-8). Samael came and said to him, "Old man, have you lost your heart? A son given to you at a hundred years old, and you are going to slaughter him?" He said to him, "For just this purpose." "And if He tests you even more than this, can you withstand it? 'If one ventures a word to you, will you be wearied?' (Job 4:2)." He said to him, "And even more than this." "Until now? Tomorrow He will say to you, You are a shedder of blood, for you shed his blood." He said to him, "For just this purpose." And since he did not prevail with him, he came to Isaac. He said to him, "Son of an unhappy mother, he is going to slaughter you." He said to him, "For just this purpose." He said to him, "If so, all those fine garments your mother made will be Ishmael's, the hated one of the house, as inheritance; do they not concern you?" If the whole does not enter, half enters. This is what is written, "And he said, My father" - why "My father" twice? So that he would be filled with mercy for him. "And he said, Behold the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" He said to him, "May that man who would taunt be rebuked. In any case, He will show Himself the lamb for the burnt offering; and if not, you are the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." "And the two of them went together" - this one to bind and that one to be bound, this one to slaughter and that one to be slaughtered. "And they came to the place which God had told him, and Abraham built there the altar" (Genesis 22:9). He took it [a stone] and hid it from Isaac, saying that this one should not throw a stone and render him unfit for the offering.

"And he bound Isaac his son" (Genesis 22:9). All the while that our father Abraham was binding Isaac his son below, the Holy One, blessed be He, was binding the princes of the nations of the world above. And it would have remained so, but when Israel cast themselves into idolatry in the days of Jeremiah, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to them, "What do you suppose, that those bindings still stand?" as it is said, "For while they are like tangled thorns" (Nahum 1:10) [read as] "while the princes are entangled," their bindings were loosed, "they shall be devoured like dry stubble." "And he bound Isaac his son above [mima'al]" - what is "above"? This teaches that he made the altar aligned opposite the Throne of Glory, as you say, "seraphim standing above Him" (Isaiah 6:2). "And he saw the place from afar" - a mile, as you say, "yet there shall be a distance between you" (Joshua 3:4). Isaac said to him, "Father, bind me by my hands and my feet, for the soul is brazen; lest I see the knife and flinch and become unfit for the offering. I beg you, do not make a blemish in me." "And they came to the place" - both bringing the stones, both bringing the fire, both bringing the wood. Abraham was like one making a wedding feast for his son, and Isaac was like one making a wedding canopy for himself. Isaac said to him, "Father, hurry and do the will of your Maker, and burn me well, and take my ashes to my mother, and set them down; and whenever she sees them she will say, This is my son whom his father slaughtered." "Father, what will you do in your old age?" He said to him, "My son, we know our death is near. The One who has comforted us until now will comfort us until the day of our death." "And he laid him on the altar" - the eyes of Abraham on the eyes of Isaac, and the eyes of Isaac on the highest heavens, and tears were streaming and falling from Abraham's eyes until his whole stature was awash in tears. He said to him, "My son, since you have begun upon a quarter-measure of your blood, your Maker will provide for you another offering in your place." At that moment he opened his mouth in weeping and let out a great cry, and his eyes were trembling and gazing toward the Divine Presence, and he raised his voice and said, "I lift my eyes to the mountains; from where shall my help come? My help is from the LORD, maker of heaven and earth" (Psalms 121:1-2). At that moment, "behold, the angels cried out in the street" (Isaiah 33:7) and so forth. The ministering angels stood in rows upon rows in the firmament, saying to one another, "See, a unique one slaughtering and a unique one being slaughtered." They said, "Who will say before You at the Sea, 'This is my God and I will glorify Him' (Exodus 15:2)? The oath, 'thus shall your seed be' - what will You do with it?" Immediately, "Do not stretch out your hand against the lad" (Genesis 22:12).

"And Abraham built there the altar" (Genesis 22:9) is not written here, but rather "the altar" with the definite article: the very altar on which Cain and Abel offered, the same altar on which Noah and his sons offered. Isaac said to his father, "Father, bind my two hands and my two feet, that I not kick you and be found profaning the commandment 'Honor' (Exodus 20:12)." And he did so. And like a High Priest he brought near his meal-offering and his drink-offering, and the Holy One, blessed be He, was watching the father binding with a whole heart and the son being bound with a whole heart, while the ministering angels cried out and wept, as it is said, "Behold, their valiant ones" (Isaiah 33:7). They said before the Holy One, blessed be He: "Master of the universe, You are called 'merciful and gracious' (Exodus 34:6); He whose mercies are over all His works, have mercy on Isaac, who is a man and a son of man, bound before You like an animal. 'Man and beast You save, O LORD' (Psalms 36:7)." Rabbi Yehuda says: when the knife reached the throat, Isaac's soul flew off and departed. And when the voice was heard from between the two cherubim, "Do not stretch out your hand against the lad," his soul returned to his body, and Abraham released him, and Isaac stood up. And Isaac knew that thus the dead are destined to live again, and he opened and said, "Blessed are You, O LORD, who revives the dead." Rav was sitting behind Rabbi Hiyya before Rabbi, and Rabbi was sitting and saying: From where do we learn that ritual slaughter must be with a detached implement? As it is said, "And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son." Rav said to Rabbi Hiyya: "What is he saying?" He said: "He is speaking of the vav that is written" [reading the verse closely]. "But the verse itself says it!" The verse teaches us Abraham's zeal. At the moment Abraham our father stretched out his hand to take the knife to slaughter his son, the ministering angels wept, as it is said, "Behold, their valiant ones cried out outside" (Isaiah 33:7): "outside" is written, [read as] the knife is in their hands to cover [slaughter] their son. What were they saying? "The highways are desolate" - that Abraham no longer receives the passersby and the wayfarers; "the wayfaring man has ceased"; "He has broken the covenant" - "And My covenant I will establish with Isaac"; "He has despised the cities" - "And Abraham journeyed from there to the land of the Negev"; "He regards no man" - he does not reckon the merit of Abraham. "And he took the knife": Rav inquired before Rabbi Hiyya the Great: From where do we learn that slaughter is with a movable object? From here: "And Abraham stretched out his hand and took" - this implies that it was detached. He said to him: if Rabbi told you this from Aggadah, even with an attached object it is permitted, for he may retract; if he told you it as binding teaching, he does not retract, for Levi taught: if they were fixed in the ground from the start, they are unfit; if detached and then fixed, they are fit, as we have learned: one who slaughters with a hand-sickle, with flint, or with reed - his slaughter is fit. "And the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, Abraham, Abraham": an expression of affection, an expression of urging. Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov says: to him and to the generations - there is no generation without one like Abraham, no generation without one like Jacob, and no generation without one like Moses and Samuel. "And He said, Do not stretch out your hand against the lad" - and where was the knife? Three tears fell upon it from the ministering angels, and the knife was ruined. He said: "What then shall I do to him? Shall I strangle him?" He said: "Do not stretch out your hand against the lad." He said: "Let me draw a drop of blood from him." He said: "Do not do to him anything [me'umah] - any blemish [mumah]." "For now I know that you fear God" - I have made known to all that you are My beloved, and you did not withhold your son, your only one, from Me, that you should not say that all afflictions outside the body are not afflictions; rather, I reckon it to you as though I had said that you offer yourself, and you did not hold back. He said before Him: "Is it possible, as it were, that there is before You anything like the talk of human beings, who change their words? Yesterday You said to me, 'For in Isaac shall your seed be called' (Genesis 21:12), and You turned back and said, 'Take now your son,' and now You say, 'Do not stretch out your hand.'" The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: "I will not profane My covenant, for I said, 'And My covenant I will establish with Isaac' (Genesis 17:21). When I said to you, 'Take now your son,' that which goes forth from My lips I do not change. And did I say to you, slaughter him? I said to you, 'Bring him up' - bring him up and bring him down."

"Abraham, Abraham" - because Abraham was hurrying to slaughter him. Abraham said to him: "Who are you?" He said: "An angel." He said: "When the Holy One, blessed be He, told me to offer him, He told me Himself; and now I ask that He Himself tell me." Immediately the Holy One, blessed be He, opened the firmament and said to him, "By Myself I have sworn" (Genesis 22:16). He said to Him: "I too have sworn that I will not come down from the altar until I say all that I need to say." He said: "Speak." He said: "You said to me, 'For in Isaac shall your seed be called' (Genesis 21:12). Just as I had reason to answer You back and did not answer You, so too, when the children of Isaac sin before You, remember for them the binding of Isaac their father and redeem them from their trouble." He said to him: "Your children are destined to sin before Me, and I am destined to judge them on Rosh Hashanah; and if they wish that I forgive them, let them sound the shofar before Me." Isaac said to Sarah: "Father took me and brought me up mountains and down hills and up to the top of one mountain, and he built an altar and arranged the wood-pile and laid out the wood and bound me upon the altar, and took the knife in his hand to slaughter me. Had the Holy One, blessed be He, not said to him, 'Do not stretch out your hand against the lad,' I would already have been slaughtered." She said to him: "Woe to you, son of a wretched mother! Had the Holy One, blessed be He, not said, 'Do not stretch out your hand,' you would have been slaughtered." She had not finished speaking the matter before her soul departed. This is what is written, "And Abraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her." From where did he come? He came from Mount Moriah. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: "The righteous did not rejoice in My world, and you rejoice in My world? 'I said to the boastful, Do not boast, and to the wicked, Do not lift up the horn' (Psalms 75:5)."

"And Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a ram" (Genesis 22:13). Rabbi Zechariah says: that ram which had been created at twilight was running and coming to draw near in place of Isaac, and Samael was standing and accusing it in order to nullify the offering of Abraham our father, and it was caught by its two horns among the trees. What did that ram do? It stretched out its leg and caught Abraham's prayer-shawl, and he looked behind him and saw the ram, and released it [Isaac] and offered it. Rabbi Berekhiah says: the pleasing fragrance of Isaac ascended and was sweet to Him. What did the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He stretched out His right hand and grasped the head of Isaac and swore to bless him in this world and in the world to come, as it is said, "For blessing" - in this world; "I will bless you" - in the world to come; "and multiplying" - in this world; "I will multiply your seed" - in the world to come. Rabbi Hanina ben Dosa says: from that ram which was created at twilight nothing came forth in vain. The sinews of the ram - these are the ten strings of the harp on which David played. The hide of the ram was the girdle around the loins of Elijah. The left horn of the ram is the one He sounded on Mount Sinai, "And the sound of the shofar" (Exodus 19:19). The right horn, which is larger than the left, is the one He is destined to sound in the time to come, as it is said, "And it shall be on that day, a great shofar shall be sounded" (Isaiah 27:13).

"And he looked, and behold, a ram." Rabbi Eliezer says: it came from the mountains, where it had been grazing. Rabbi Yehoshua said: an angel brought it from the Garden of Eden, and it had been grazing beneath the Tree of Life and drinking from the waters that flow beneath it, and the fragrance of the ram wafted through all the world. And when was it placed in the Garden? At twilight of the six days of creation.

"And he looked, and behold, a ram afterward [achar]." What is "afterward"? After all the deeds, Israel becomes entangled in transgressions and ensnared in troubles, and in the end they will be redeemed by the horns of the ram, as it is written, "On that day a great shofar shall be sounded" (Isaiah 27:13). Because Abraham our father saw the ram tearing loose from one thicket and becoming entangled in another, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: "So are your children destined to be entangled among the kingdoms, from Babylon to Media, and from Media to Greece, and from Greece to Edom, and in the end they will be redeemed by the horns of the ram," as it is written, "And the LORD God will sound the shofar... the LORD... will shield them" (Zechariah 9:14-15). "And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt-offering in place of his son." He said before Him: "Master of the universe, regard the blood of this ram as though it were the blood of Isaac my son being brought near." This is like what we have learned: "Behold, this in place of this; behold, this is the exchange of this; behold, this is the substitute." Rabbi Pinchas said: he said before Him: "Master of the universe, regard the blood of this ram as though I had first offered Isaac my son, and afterward offered the ram in his place," as it is said, "And Jotham his son reigned in his place" (2 Kings 15:7), meaning in his stead. "And Abraham called the name of that place, The LORD will see" (Genesis 22:14). He said before Him: "Master of the universe, when You said to me, 'Take now your son,' I had reason to answer: yesterday You said to me, 'For in Isaac shall your seed be called,' and now You say, 'Take now your son.' Yet I did not do so, but suppressed my mercy to do Your will. May it be Your will that when the children of Isaac come into transgressions, You will remember for them this binding-service and be filled with mercy upon them."

Abraham called it "Yireh" [will see], and Shem son of Noah had called it "Shalem" [whole/peace], as it is said, "And Melchizedek, king of Shalem" (Genesis 14:18). The Holy One, blessed be He, said: "If I call it 'Yireh,' as Abraham called it, Shem son of Noah is a righteous man and will be aggrieved. And if I call it 'Shalem,' as Shem son of Noah called it, Abraham is a righteous man and will be aggrieved. Rather, I will call it as both of them called it: Yireh-Shalem, Jerusalem [Yerushalayim]." Rabbi Berekhiah in the name of Rabbi Helbo: while he was still Shalem, the Holy One, blessed be He, made him a sukkah, and he would pray within it, as it is said, "And His tabernacle was in Shalem, and His dwelling place in Zion." What did he say? "May it be His will that I see the building of My house."

Another interpretation: this teaches that the Holy One, blessed be He, showed him the Temple built, and destroyed, and built again. "The LORD will see" - behold, built. "As it is said this day, on the mountain" - behold, destroyed, as you say, "Concerning Mount Zion, which is desolate" (Lamentations 5:18). "The LORD shall be seen" - behold, built and perfected in the time to come, as you say, "For the LORD has built Zion, He has appeared in His glory" (Psalms 102:17). "And the angel of the LORD called to Abraham and said, By Myself I have sworn" (Genesis 22:15-16). What need was there for this oath? He said to Him: "Swear to me that You will test me no more, neither me nor Isaac my son." This is like a king who was married to a noblewoman. She bore him a first son and he divorced her, then took her back, and she bore a second son and he divorced her, until she bore a tenth son; and they all came in and said to him, "Swear that you will not divorce our mother any more from now on." So too, once Abraham our father had been tested with the tenth trial, he said to Him: "Swear to me that You will test me no more from now on." "Because you have done this thing" - this is the tenth trial, and you say, this thing? Rather, the last trial is weighed against them all, for had he not accepted it upon himself, he would have lost all that he had done from the start. "For blessing I will bless you" - a blessing for the father, a blessing for the son. "And multiplying I will multiply" - abundance for the father and abundance for the son. "And your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies" - this is Tarmod [Palmyra]. Happy is he who sees the downfall of Tarmod, which was a partner in both destructions. Rabbi Yudan and Rabbi Huna: one of them said, in the first destruction it raised up eight thousand archers, and in the second forty thousand archers; and the other said, in the first destruction it raised up four thousand archers, and in the second two thousand archers. "And Abraham returned to his young men" (Genesis 22:19). And where was Isaac? He sent him to Shem to learn Torah from him. This is like a woman who grew rich from her spindle; she said: since I grew rich from this spindle, it shall never leave my hand. Rabbi Yose bar Hanina said: he sent him by night, on account of the evil eye, that it not have power over him. For from the moment Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah came up from the fiery furnace, no further mention is made of where they went. Rabbi Eliezer says: they died by spittle, for the nations of the world would spit at them and say, "You have a God like this, and you worship idols?" Rabbi Yose bar Hanina said: they died by the evil eye. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: they changed their place and went to Yehoshua ben Yehotzadak to learn Torah, as it is written, "Hear now, O Yehoshua the High Priest, you and your fellows who sit before you, for they are men of a sign" (Zechariah 3:8). It was for this purpose that they went down into the fiery furnace, that a sign might be wrought through them.

"And it came to pass after these things that it was told to Abraham, saying, Behold, Milcah also has borne children" (Genesis 22:20). It is written, "A sound heart is the life of the flesh" (Proverbs 14:30). For while he was still on Mount Moriah, he received the good news that his son's mate had been born, as it is said, "And Bethuel begot Rebecca."

Another interpretation of "After these things" (Genesis 22:20): after the troubling thoughts about the matters that had occurred there. Who was troubled by such thoughts? Abraham was troubled. He said: "Had Isaac died on Mount Moriah, he would have died without children. Now that a miracle was done for him, I will take a wife for him from the daughters of Aner, Eshkol, and Mamre, who are righteous women, even though they are not of distinguished lineage; for what does lineage matter to me?" The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: "There is no need. The mate of your son Isaac has already been born, as it is said, 'Behold, Milcah also has borne children' (Genesis 22:20)." What is the meaning of "also she"? Just as this one [Sarah] had children of the mistress numbering eight and children of the concubine numbering four, so too this one [Milcah, in her household] had children of the mistress numbering eight and children of the concubine numbering four.

Another interpretation: what troubled him? He was afraid of sufferings. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: "You have no need to fear; one who will receive them has already been born"; namely "Uz his firstborn" (Genesis 22:21). Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish in the name of Bar Kappara said: Job lived in the days of Abraham. Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said: he lived in the days of Jacob, and Dinah was Job's wife, as it is said, "As one of the foolish women speaks, so you speak" (Job 2:10), and it is written, "for he had wrought folly in Israel" (Genesis 34:7). Rabbi Levi said: he lived in the days of the tribes, as it is written, "which wise men have told and have not hidden from their fathers" (Job 15:18); this refers to Reuben and Judah. What reward did they receive for this? "To them alone was the land given" (Job 15:19). Rabbi Yose ben Halafta said: he was born when they went down to Egypt and died when they came up. You find that the main span of Job's years was two hundred and ten years, and Israel was in Egypt two hundred and ten years; and Satan came to accuse and incited him against Job. A parable: it is like a shepherd standing and watching his flock when a wolf came and attacked it; he said, "Give the wolf one ram so it will busy itself with that." Rabbi Hama bar Hanina said: it is like a king sitting at a banquet when a dog came and attacked; he said, "Give it one limb so it will busy itself with that." So Satan came to accuse, and was incited against Job. This is what Job said: "God delivers me to the unjust one" (Job 16:11), this is Satan; "and casts me into the hands of the wicked," these are his companions. Rabbi Yose son of Rabbi Yehudah said: he lived in the days when the judges judged, as it is written, "Behold, all of you have seen it" (Job 27:12); you have seen my deeds and the deeds of my generation: my deeds, the commandments and good works; the deeds of my generation, that they sought to give the wages of harlots from the threshing floors, as it is written, "You have loved a harlot's hire upon every threshing floor" (Hosea 9:1). Rabbi Shemuel bar Nahman said: he lived in the days of the Chaldeans, as it is said, "The Chaldeans formed three bands" (Job 1:17). Rabbi Nathan said: he lived in the days of the kingdom of Sheba, as it is said, "and Sheba fell upon them and took them" (Job 1:15). Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korha said: he lived in the days of Ahasuerus, as it is said, "Let there be sought for the king young virgins" and so forth (Esther 2:2), and it is written, "And in all the land there were no women found so fair as the daughters of Job" (Job 42:15). Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: Job never existed and is destined never to exist. Resh Lakish's view appears to contradict itself: there he said in the name of Bar Kappara that Job lived in the days of Abraham, and here he says Job never existed and never will exist! Rather, he existed, but the sufferings written about him did not occur; and why were they written about him? Only to say that had they come upon him, he would have been able to withstand them. Rabbi Yochanan said: he was among those who came up from the exile, and he was an Israelite. And we learn from him the laws of mourners: "Then Job arose and rent his robe" (Job 1:20), from here that a person must rend his garment while standing. Rabbi Hanina said: he was a gentile, for Rabbi Hiyya taught: "I had one righteous man among the nations of the world in My world, and I gave him his reward and dismissed him; and who is he? This is Job." "And Bethuel begot Rebecca" (Genesis 22:23) is written in the portion "When a woman conceives." "And Kemuel the father of Aram" (Genesis 22:21): he is Laban, he is Kemuel; and why was his name called Kemuel? Because he rose up against the nation of God [kam al ummato shel El]. "And his concubine, whose name was Reumah" (Genesis 22:24): these are all expressions of rebellion: Tevah, they slaughtered; Gaham, they raged; Tahash, they made haste; Maacah, they crushed.

Portion of Hayyei Sarah (Genesis 23:1). "The LORD knows the days of the blameless, and their inheritance shall be forever" (Psalms 37:18). Just as they are blameless [tamim, whole], so are their years whole. At twenty she was like one of seven in beauty; at one hundred she was like one of twenty in freedom from sin.

Another interpretation: "The LORD knows the days of the blameless" (Psalms 37:18), this is Sarah; "and their inheritance shall be forever," as it is said, "the years of the life of Sarah" and so forth (Genesis 23:1). "The sun rises and the sun sets" (Ecclesiastes 1:5): do we not know that the sun rises and the sun sets? Rather, before the Holy One, blessed be He, causes the sun of one righteous person to set, He causes the sun of his fellow righteous person to rise. On the day Rabbi Akiva died, Rabbi [Judah the Prince] was born, and they read over him, "the sun rises and the sun sets." On the day Rabbi died, Rav Ada bar Ahavah was born. On the day Rav Ada died, Rabbi Avin was born. On the day Rabbi Avin died, his son Rabbi Oshaya was born. On the day Rabbi Oshaya died, Abba Hoshaya of Tira was born. On the day Abba Hoshaya of Tira died, Rabbi Oshaya was born. Before the Holy One, blessed be He, caused Moses's sun to set, He caused Joshua's sun to rise, as it is said, "Take to yourself Joshua son of Nun" (Numbers 27:18). Before Joshua's sun set, the sun of Othniel son of Kenaz rose, as it is said, "And Othniel son of Kenaz captured it" (Joshua 15:17). Before Eli's sun set, Samuel's sun rose, as it is said, "and the lamp of the LORD had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down" (1 Samuel 3:3). Before Sarah's sun set, Rebecca's sun rose, as it is said, "Behold, Milcah also has borne children" (Genesis 22:20), and afterward, "the years of the life of Sarah." Rabbi Akiva was sitting and expounding, and the congregation was dozing off; he wished to rouse them. He said: what did Esther see that she should reign over a hundred and twenty-seven provinces? Rather, let Esther, who is the granddaughter of Sarah who lived a hundred and twenty-seven years, come and reign over a hundred and twenty-seven provinces. "And Sarah died in Kiriath-arba" (Genesis 23:2): four names were given to it, Eshkol, Mamre, Kiriath-arba, and Hebron. And why is it called Kiriath-arba [city of four]? Because four righteous men dwelt in it: Aner, Eshkol, Mamre, and Abraham; and four righteous men were circumcised there: Abraham, Aner, Eshkol, and Mamre; and four matriarchs were buried there: Eve, Sarah, Rebecca, and Leah; and on account of its master, who were four, Anak and his three sons. Rabbi Azaryah said: from there Abraham our father went out and pursued the four world-ruling kings. It is one of four disgraceful places in the land of Israel. Rabbi Yitzhak says they are Dor, and Naphath-dor, and Timnath-serah, and Hebron; and the rabbis say Danah, and Kiriath-danah, and Timnath-serah, and Hebron. [The land of Hebron was assigned] first to Judah, then to Caleb, then to the priests, then to the Levites.

"The cave of Machpelah" (Genesis 23:9): Rav and Shmuel differed. One said it was two chambers, one within the other; and one said it was a chamber with an upper story above it. It is well according to the one who says one was above the other, for this is why it is written "Machpelah" [doubled, as in folded over]. But according to the one who says two chambers, one within the other, what is the meaning of "Machpelah"? That it was doubled with pairs [of those buried in it].

Rabbi Yose the Galilean says: since Scripture weighs the deeds of the land of Egypt against the deeds of the land of Canaan, as it is said, "After the doings of the land of Egypt" and so forth (Leviticus 18:3), why did the Canaanites merit to dwell upon their land forty-seven years, as it is said, "and Hebron was built seven years before Zoan of Egypt" (Numbers 13:22)? Because they honored Abraham our father, for they said to him, "You are a prince of God among us" and so forth (Genesis 23:6), they merited to dwell upon their land forty-seven years. Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel says in the name of Rabbi Yehudah ben Lakish: behold, it says, "the greatest man among the Anakim, and the land had rest from war" (Joshua 14:15) in the merit of Abraham; because they honored Abraham our father, they merited that the land would have rest for them.

"Mamre, Kiriath-arba" (Genesis 23:19): Kiriath-arba [city of four], four pairs: Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, Jacob and Leah.

"And Abraham came to mourn for Sarah" (Genesis 23:2). When Abraham returned from Mount Moriah in peace, Samael's anger burned, for he saw that the desire of his heart, to nullify Abraham's offering, had not succeeded. What did he do? He went and said to Sarah: "Have you not heard what has happened in the world?" She said to him: "No." He said to her: "Abraham took Isaac your son and slaughtered him and offered him up as a burnt offering upon the fire." She began to weep and wail, three weepings corresponding to the three blasts [of the shofar], three wailings corresponding to the three quavering notes; and her soul flew away and she died. "And Abraham came": from where did he come? He came from Mount Moriah.

"And Abraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her" (Genesis 23:2). They inquired: Is a eulogy an honor due to the living [the surviving relatives] or an honor due to the dead? What practical difference does it make? It makes a difference for one who said, "Do not eulogize that man [me]"; or, alternatively, to exclude the heirs [from the cost], what is the ruling? Come and hear: "And Abraham came to mourn for Sarah." If you say it is on account of the honor of the living, would Abraham have left Sarah unburied [merely] for the sake of Abraham's own honor? Sarah herself was content, since through it Abraham would be honored. Come and hear: Rabbi Natan says, it is a good sign for the dead that punishment is exacted from him after death: a corpse that was not eulogized and not buried, or that a wild beast dragged off, or upon whose bier the rains were dripping. Learn from this that it is an honor due to the dead. Learn from this.

"And Abraham came" (Genesis 23:2): from where did he come? Rabbi Levi said, he came to Sarah from the burial of Terah. Rabbi Yose said to him: but did not Terah's burial precede Sarah's burial by two years? Rather, from where did he come? He came from Mount Moriah, and Sarah died from that very anguish. Therefore the binding [of Isaac] is placed next to "And the life of Sarah was." "And Abraham rose up from before his dead" (Genesis 23:3-4): this teaches that he saw the Angel of Death brandishing himself against him. Rabbi Yochanan said: from where do we learn the teaching that one whose dead lies before him is exempt from the recitation of the Shema, and from prayer, and from tefillin, and from all the commandments stated in the Torah? From here: "And he rose up" and "and he spoke."