ccording to Midrash, Yitzhak was 12 when God called upon Avraham to sacrifice him. Why 12? Because if Yitzhak had been a teenager, it wouldn't have been such a sacrifice.

So Avraham decided to upgrade his computer operating system and Yitzhak said, “Dad, your old Mac doesn't have enough memory.” And Avraham answered: “My son, God will provide the RAM.”

As you may have guessed, today’s Torah portion is the Story of God commanding Avraham to sacrifice his son Yitzhak. In Judaism it is called the Binding of Yitzhak; in Hebrew the Akedah. This is one of the most harrowing narratives in the Torah. What are we to make of this blood-thirsty God who asks for a human sacrifice? And this terrifying father who so loves his God, he is willing to kill his son?

This story has captured the imagination of writers, poets, artists, and philosophers, for 3 thousand years. Why? Because it seems completely contrary to what religion is supposed to be about: love, life, compassion, family, justice.

Every parent in this room would say no to God’s command. And yet Avraham is held up as an example to us.

Even crazier: there are people in other rooms today who would say yes. The bombing of the World Trade Center symbolizes this divide. And let’s be honest: some of those yes-sayers are Muslims, some of them are Christians, and some of them are Jews.

I will base my discussion on Everett Fox’s translation. If you’d like to follow along, turn to the supplement, pages 16 and 17.

This will count for 20% of your final mark.

Now after these events it was that God tested Avraham and said to him: Avraham! He said: Here I am. He said: Pray, take your son, your only-one, whom you love, Yitzhak,

God says: “your son, your only one, whom you love, Yitzhak”—he is piling on the significance, raising the stakes as he moves from the general to the specific. It is interesting that this is the first time the word LOVE is mentioned in the Torah.

and go-you-forth to the land of Moriya and offer him up there as an offering-up (sacrifice) upon one of the mountains that I will tell you of.

“and go-you-forth” in Hebrew is lekh-lekha—this is the same term that God used when first we met Avraham when he is called by God and sent from his family and his homeland. This is as significant. In that story God says: “go you forth to the land I will show you”; here the exact destination again is withheld — you even have to trust God for directions;

This story takes place on Mt Moriah. The ancients considered mountains closer to the Heavens. As we read, look for references to height and sight in the text.

When God tells Avraham to kill Yitzhak, what’s his response? We know Bob Dylan’s:

God said to Abraham Kill me a son Abe says: Man, you must be putting me on. God says no. Abe says What? God says: You can do what you want Abe but, Next time you see me coming, you better run Well Abe says Where do you want this killin’ done God says Out on Highway 61.

But our Abe said nothing. Remember, this is the same man who bargained with God for the people of Sodom. Abe says: What if there were 50 good people. God says he won’t wipe out the place if there are 50. Then Avraham bargains for 45, 40, 30, 20 and finally 10. But when it comes to his own son, he says nothing. Why?

Did Avraham talk to his wife? After all, it’s her son, too. The only commentator who seems to really understand Sara is Woody Allen, who writes: “And Sarah who heard Abraham's plan grew vexed and said, “How dost thou know it was the Lord and not Harry who loveth practical jokes.” But Sara is never mentioned in this passage. Maybe Avraham was smart not to consult her. Sarah would have given him such a zetz!

The text continues… And Avraham started early in the morning, (he was eager!) and saddled his donkey, and he took with him two servant boys, and Yitzhak his son, and he split the wood for the offering-up and he arose (again, going up) and went to the place God had told him of.

Earlier in the Torah Avraham was willing to take leave of his father forever; here he is ready to take leave of his son forever. Given his earlier experience, there is no reason Avraham should doubt God’s intention to have him complete the task.

On the third day Avraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place from afar. And Avraham said to his servant boys: You stay here with the donkey and I and the boy will go yonder, we will bow down and then return to you. (In the Hebrew, the sense here is plural, we will both return: Is this a lie or a sign of his hope that God will be just?)

And Avraham took the wood for the offering-up, and placed them upon Yitzhak, his son, (now Yitzhak has become the sacrificial animal in our eyes) in his hand he took the fire and the knife. Thus the two of then went together. (Together—the writer really rubs it in.)

And Yitzhak said to Avraham, his father, (again, the text underscores the relationship) he said: Father. He said: Here I am my son. This is exactly how Avraham replied to God at the beginning of our story: Here I am. He said: (and this is the only thing Yitzhak says the whole time) Here are the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the offering-up? And Avraham said: God will see-for-himself to the lamb for the offering-up, my son. (Is this a white lie? Or does he mean: It’s in God’s hands) And the two of them went together.

And they came to the place that God had told him of; and Avraham built the slaughter site and arranged the wood and bound Yitzhak his son, and placed him on the slaughter-site atop the wood. (Yitzhak doesn’t protest)

Avraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. And God’s messenger called to him from heaven, and said: Avraham! Avraham! (this repeats the call to Avraham at the beginning of the story, but this time he says his name twice: is God as shocked as we are? How does Avraham respond?) He said: Here I am. (It’s the same guy, he's not angry, he's not confused, he's not relieved, he's ready: Ay-yi, Sir) He said: Do not stretch out your hand against the boy, and do not do anything to him! For now I know that you are one in awe of God— you have not withheld you son, your only-one, from me!

And Avraham lifted up his eyes and saw there, a ram caught in the thicket by its horns. And Avraham went, he took the ram, (a ram’s horn of course is a shofar—this is why we are reading this on Rosh Hashanah) and offered it as an offering-up in the place of his son.

And Avraham called the name of this place: Adonay Yireh (God sees; or God is seen. As the saying is today: On God’s mountain it is seen.

Perhaps this is why there are so many references to sight and height. Because seeing the invisible is what faith must have felt like. And on this holy mountain, Avraham’s faith was seen.

Now God’s messenger called to Avraham a second time from heaven, and said: By myself I swear —God’s utterance— indeed because you have done this thing, have not withheld your son, your only-one, indeed I will bless you, bless you, I will make your seed many, yes many, (repetitions fit with the blessing) like the stars of the heavens (in pagan time the heavens were said to predict the future; now it is only God who can predict, the heavens are reduced to serving as illustration) and like the sand that is on the shore of the sea, your seed shall inherit the gate of their enemies. and all the nations of the earth shall enjoy blessing through your seed, in consequence of your hearkening to my voice.

And Avraham went back then to his servant-boys, and they arose and went together to Be’er Sheva, and Avraham dwelt in Be’er Sheva.

Privacy