Avraham’s Faith

Rabbi Soloveitchik describes עקידת יצחק a little differently from other commentators. First, he points out that  the section regarding the binding of Yitzchak, begins with the words והאלוקים ניסה את אברהם. The name אלוקים means strict justice. Hashem made Avraham believe that he was actually going to offer his son as a קרבן.

The remarkable part of this whole story is the manner in which Avraham accepted Hashem’s command to sacrifice his son. He did it with joy.

We know this because Avraham was told to go to, “one of the mountains that he would be shown.” Avraham knew which mountain by way of prophecy. The fact that he still had prophecy was because he still had joy. (One is not given prophecy unless he was in a state of joy.)

The Rav further says that Avraham’s faith was so strong that he no longer saw Yitzchak as a son, but viewed him as a קרבן. His faith in Hashem and not questioning Hashem in any way at all, is what made Avraham’s faith in the Akeida, stand out above all other acts of faith and martyrdom throughout our history. Shabbat Shalom