The tradition tells us that he did.

Imagine the scene: Abraham, his father, raises the knife. But according to some accounts, Isaac's eyes weren't fixed on the blade. Instead, they were drawn upward, toward the heavens. It's said that Isaac saw the angels present at that momentous event, angels that were invisible to Abraham.

The Talmud, specifically B. Berakhot 1:6, tells us that at the very moment the sword touched his neck, Isaac's soul departed. A terrifying thought, isn't it? But then, the voice of the angel rings out – "Do not raise your hand against the boy!" (Gen. 22:12). And with that divine decree, Isaac's soul returned to his body. He was unbound, and stood on his own two feet. This experience, this brush with death and resurrection, gave Isaac a profound understanding. He knew, with certainty, that there is a resurrection of the dead. And he proclaimed, "Blessed are You, O God, who resurrects the dead."

There's a beautiful image in Genesis Rabbah 61:6. When Rebecca first sees Isaac, he’s wrapped in a tallit, a prayer shawl. And his appearance? Like an angel of God. Perhaps this was a lingering effect of his experience on Mount Moriah, a visible manifestation of his spiritual elevation.

Later, Isaac returns to Mount Moriah. Why? The tradition in Midrash Tanhuma, Toledot 2, says that through his prayer, he changed God's decree that Rebecca be barren. For twenty-two long years, they longed for a child. It was only when Isaac entreated the Lord that Rebecca conceived.

After Abraham's death, God appeared to Isaac and blessed him. But the nature of this divine encounter is also interesting. The text tells us that God did not appear to Isaac with the Merkavah, the Divine Chariot, a powerful and complex image of God's presence. Instead, the Shekhinah, the divine presence, rested directly upon him. A more intimate, perhaps even more profound connection. As we find in Philo, Legum Allegoriarum 3:218-19, Philo, De Somniis 2:10, Philo, De Congressu, Eruditionis Gratia 1:7-9, Philo, De Cherubim 43-47, Philo, De Fuga et Inventione 166-, 168, Philo, De Ebrietate 56-62, and Zohar 1:60a, God gave Isaac a taste of the World to Come while he was still in this world. As a result, the yetzer hara, the Evil Inclination, had no power over him.

It's fascinating, isn't it? Given how little the Torah explicitly tells us about Isaac, these traditions paint a rich and evocative picture. We first meet him as a child, then later as an old, blind man. What happened in between? This very absence of narrative invites the imagination to fill in the gaps.

One particularly striking tradition, mentioned in Tree of Souls (Schwartz), asserts that Isaac was actually slain by Abraham at Mount Moriah! His soul ascended into Paradise for three years before being reborn. This myth, while seemingly contradicting the Akedah narrative, bears a resemblance to Christian beliefs, particularly the three days between Jesus' death and resurrection. Some see the binding of Isaac as a prefiguration of the Passion of Jesus. The verse "God Himself will provide the sacrifice, my son" (Gen. 22:8) is sometimes interpreted to mean that God will provide Himself – the Christian notion that Jesus and God are one, and that in sacrificing Jesus, God was sacrificing Himself.

Whether you see these connections as profound parallels or simply interesting coincidences, they highlight the enduring power of the Akedah, the Binding of Isaac. It continues to resonate across traditions, sparking interpretations and inspiring reflection on faith, sacrifice, and the nature of the divine.

So, what do we take away from these myths surrounding Isaac? Perhaps it’s this: even in the silences of scripture, there are whispers of profound experiences, glimpses into the soul of a man who stood at the precipice of death and returned with a deeper understanding of life, faith, and the promise of resurrection. And maybe, just maybe, a glimpse of angels.