Isaac's Ascent

We all know the story: Abraham, tested by God, is commanded to sacrifice his beloved son. But what happened to Isaac in those heart-stopping moments?

The familiar Genesis account leaves us with Abraham returning to his servants, but notably silent about Isaac (Genesis 22:19). Where was he? Some later traditions fill in the gaps in truly remarkable ways.

Imagine this: the knife flashes, poised above Isaac's throat. But instead of death, something extraordinary occurs. The midrash, the interpretive tradition, paints a picture of Isaac's soul taking flight. As Tree of Souls (Schwartz) tells it, his soul didn't simply vanish; it ascended, rising through the very palaces of Heaven.

Can you picture it? Isaac's soul, soaring through the celestial realms. The angels themselves escort him to a special place: the celestial academy of Shem and Eber. This academy, a place of learning, isn't just any school. According to Sefer ha-Yashar, Abraham even told Sarah he was taking Isaac there before they set off for Mount Moriah! And here, Isaac spends three years immersed in the study of Torah. What a reward for his ordeal!

The Zohar tells us that all the Treasuries of Heaven were opened to him: the celestial Temple, which has existed since Creation, the Chambers of the Chariot, and all the palaces of heaven. He was shown the Treasuries of Ice and Snow, as well as the Treasury of Prayers, and the Treasury of Souls. Imagine seeing where you came from, tracing your lineage all the way back to the seed of Adam!

But it doesn’t stop there. Isaac was also granted a vision of the future, all the generations that would spring from Abraham. He even glimpsed the End of Days! No heavenly secret was withheld from Isaac's pure soul. He even found his own face on the Pargod, the curtain of God!

Meanwhile, back on Earth, Abraham stood frozen, knife raised. But to him, it felt like a single breath. Then the angel's voice rang out: "Lay not your hand upon the lad." In that instant, Isaac's soul returned to his body.

And when Isaac felt his soul restored, he exclaimed, "Blessed is He who quickens the dead!" (Pirkei de-Rabbi Eliezer 31). Isaac arose, reborn, seeing the world anew. He understood, as Pirkei de-Rabbi Eliezer points out, that this was how the dead would come back to life in the future.

Now, some scholars, like those mentioned in Tree of Souls, suggest that this legend, with its themes of sacrifice, death, and resurrection, might echo Christian beliefs. The three years Isaac spends in heavenly study mirrors, for some, the three days between Jesus's death and resurrection. It’s a point worth considering.

However, regardless of its origins, this midrash offers a powerful image. This legend underscores the rabbinic belief in the pre-existence of the Torah, as this academy existed long before the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. As Genesis Rabbah 56 and other texts indicate, the academy of Shem and Eber was a place of immense spiritual significance. It represents a connection to ancient wisdom and prophetic insight.

So, the next time you read the story of the Akedah, remember Isaac's heavenly journey. Think about the wisdom he gained, the mysteries he witnessed. It’s a reminder that even in the face of unimaginable trials, there's the potential for profound spiritual growth and revelation. And perhaps, a glimpse of what awaits us beyond this world.

Commentary

So too were all the Treasuries of Heaven opened to Isaac: the celestial Temple, which has existed there since the time of Creation, the Chambers of the Chariot, and all of the palaces of heaven; all the Treasuries of Ice and Snow, as well as the Treasury of Prayers, and the Treasury of Souls. There Isaac saw how he had descended from the seed of Adam. So too was he permitted to see the future generations that would arise from the seed of Abraham. Even the End of Days was revealed, for no mystery of heaven was deemed too secret for the pure soul of Isaac. There, too, Isaac found his own face on the curtain of God known as the Pargod. During all this time Abraham remained frozen in place, the knife in his upraised hand. But to him it seemed but a single breath. Then the angel spoke: "Lay not your hand upon the lad," and at that instant Isaac's soul returned to his body. And when Isaac found that his soul had been restored to him, he exclaimed: "Blessed is He who quickens the dead!" And when Abraham unbound him, Isaac arose, seeing the world as if for the first time, as if he had been reborn. Although it is clearly stated in Genesis 22:12 that the angel of the Lord commanded Abraham not to raise his hand against Isaac, this late midrash, which may well echo Christian influence, asserts that Abraham did in fact slay Isaac, and that Isaac's soul ascended to Paradise, where he studied in the academy of Shem and Eber. The basis of this midrash is the conclusion of the Akedah episode of the binding of Isaac, where it is Abraham alone who returns to his servants, and no mention is made of Isaac (Gen. 22:19). The themes of dying and resurrection here echo the Christian belief in the death and resurrection of Jesus. The similarity of the three days after the death of Jesus when the resurrection takes place, and the three years in this midrash about Isaac underscores the parallel. This legend about the ascent of Isaac is linked to the Resurrection of the Dead by adding that when Isaac arose, "He knew that in this way the dead would come back to life in the future, whereupon he began to recite, 'Blessed are You, O Lord, who quickens the dead'" (Pirkei de-Rabbi Eliezer 31). For further discussion of the legends of the Akedah , the Binding of Isaac, see The Last Trial by Shalom Spiegel. The academy of Shem and Eber is often referred to in the Midrash. Abraham is said to have told Sarah that he was taking Isaac to study there at the time he set off for Mount Moriah (Sefer ha-Yashar 43a-44b). While this academy may once have been on earth, in most rabbinic legends it is identified as the academy on high. Therefore Isaac's ascent to Paradise to study in this academy verifies Abraham's statement to Sarah, affirming his honesty. The origin of this legend is the identification of the tents of Shem in Genesis 9:27 with a Beit Midrash or House of Study, which evolved in midrashic literature into an academy led by Shem and his great-grandson Eber. Later legends identify the academy as a heavenly one, where the greatest sages study. There also is a strong identification of prophecy with Shem, who was said to have had the gift of prophecy. Note that in the midrash this "academy" existed long before the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, underscoring the rabbinic belief of the pre-existence of the Torah. This myth finds it fullest form in "The Akedah," a medieval piyyut by Ephraim ben Jacob of Bonn.

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