In Memory of our beloved David Schwartz, who fell in battle sanctifying God’s name, on 27 Tevet, 5784 (8 January 2024).
“Le’David Barchi Nafshi” is a compilation of essays written on the weekly Torah reading by David Schwartz, of blessed memory. First published on the occasion of his marriage to Meital, David’s unique Torah thoughts that delve into the depths of the Torah are shared now to elevate his memory and sanctify his soul.
We were introduced to the story of Abraham and his family in the parasha of Lech Leha, and their story continues in the parasha of Vayeira. The akeida, or binding of Isaac, occurs at the conclusion of Vayeira. The akeida is referred to as the tenth trial of Abraham in Mishna Avot.
“With ten trials,” the Mishna states, “Abraham our father was tested and he withstood them all. It was done in order to show how great the love was for Abraham our Patriarch” (5,3).
Obadiah of Bartenura explains: “The ten trials - the first was at Ur Kasdim, when Nimrod threw him into a fire pit … and the tenth was the akeida.” When we look closely at the trials of Abraham, we see that the tenth trial is unique. A moment before the akeida, after Abraham had shown complete loyalty, the angel tells him: “Do not raise your hand upon the lad [to slay him] or do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your favored one, from Me” (22:12). Rashi explains: “For now I know” - “This means ‘Now, I have a response to Satan and to the nations of the world who question My love for you. I now have what to say, that you revere God.’”
This is not the place to examine the meaning of all of the ten trials of Abraham. However, we can focus on the special meaning of the tenth trial, as Abraham was called Yerai Elohim, God fearing, after the tenth trial. Our sages provide us with insight to help us understand how special it is to attain fear or reverence of God. In Tractate Shabbat, it states: “Rava said, ‘When a person is brought to judgment in the afterlife, they say to him: ‘Did you conduct business faithfully? Did you designate times for Torah study? Did you engage in procreation? Did you await salvation? Did you engage in the study of wisdom or dialectics? And nevertheless, beyond all these, if the fear of the Lord is his treasure, yes, he is worthy, but if not, no” (Shabbat, 31a).
In Berachot 33b, Rabbi Hanina adds in the name of Rabbi Simeon bar Yohai: “In the treasure house of God only the treasure of the fear of heaven is stored away. As the Prophet Isaiah states: ‘The fear of God is His treasure’” (Isaiah, 33:6).
The Rambam holds that this attribute is the ultimate goal. He writes: “It is distinctly stated that one sole thing, the fear of God, is the object of the whole Law with its affirmative and negative precepts, its promises and its historical examples” (Guide 3, 24). The Mishna in Avot (3:9) attaches force to this teaching when it states: “Rabbi Hanina ben Dosa said: anyone whose fear of sin precedes his wisdom, his wisdom is enduring, but anyone whose wisdom precedes his fear of sin, his wisdom is not enduring.”
Thus, our sages prioritize the reverence for Heaven over the fulfillment of the commandments and the other important moral attributes. Reverence for God is a foundational pillar in the service of God. While the commentators differ in their interpretations of the tenth trial, they agree that this trial is the greatest one of all.
I will try with the help of God to clarify the uniqueness of that moment, in light of my understanding of the words of our ancestors.
In this regard, let us consider the topic of Bikkurim (first fruits). In the reading of Ki Tavo, Midrash Rabba (1:4) it states: “The world was created on the merit of three things: challah, tithes, and first fruits.” Thus the act of creation depended on this mitzvah (of bikkurim). In my opinion, we can utilize an understanding of the mitzvah of bikkurim to shed light on the meaning of the trial of the akeida.
In his commentary on Ki Tavo, Rav Shalom Noah Berezovsky (1911-2000), known after his work the Netivot Shalom, cites the words of the Meor Ve’Shemesh (Rav Kalonymous Kalman Epstein) who writes the following in the name of the Rebbe Elimelekh of Lizensk (1717-1787).
"What is the mitzvah of bikkurim? A man goes down into his field and sees a ripe fig, a ripe cluster of grapes, or a ripe pomegranate, so he ties a bundle on it and recites the benediction by the first fruits. The explanation of this is that the man who goes down into his field after toiling and working in his field all year by the sweat of his brow, and now when he merits to see a fig tree blossoming, it is his greatest delight. Thereupon, a strong desire ignites in him to grab the fruit and swallow it while it is at hand … Yet at that moment for which he worked all year long, he stops himself and ties a bundle on the fruit and singles it out as dedicated to God for the mitzvah of first fruits, and he ascends with it to Jerusalem.
"For this reason, this mitzvah is so dear and precious to God, as he has dedicated to God the object that is most dear to him in which he invested all his life’s work.”
A person dedicates what is most dear to him to God, and this sanctification is intended to bring a person to a state of great joy. As the verses state: “... you shall place it before your God, the Lord, and bow low before your God, the Lord. And you shall rejoice in all the bounty that your God the Lord has bestowed upon you (Deut. 26:10-11). It seems to me that Reb Elimelekh of Lizensk may have been directing our attention to the akeida with his words that “he dedicated to God the thing that is most dear to him.”
Abraham and Sarah had hoped longingly for a son who would be able to continue their venture and take upon himself the role of carrying the responsibilities that Abraham had borne. In their journeys coming to Canaan, pain and sadness from being childless had followed them. Then, with God’s help their prayers for a son were answered, Isaac. Their joy knew no bounds. After their greatest prayers have been answered, the call of God announces to Abraham that his dear son is needed for nothing less than an olah (burnt offering) sacrifice.
One cannot imagine the pain and distress from such a trial. On a simple level, we might say that it was their great pain that brought about their great merit, but the grand Rebbe of Ger explains this in a different way, focused on love. The Chiddushe Ha’Rim writes, “With all the love that you have for Him so you should raise up a sacrifice … Here God commands that he fulfill in his heart all the love that he has for Isaac in a way to bring a sacrifice as this is the greatness of the trial.” The Sefat Emet ,in a similar manner, explains: “And Abraham in his desire to fulfill the will of God went in happiness to bind Isaac. And it was written that Isaac was “your favored one” as certainly he could have believed that another son might be granted to him as had happened in his old age. He said, however, that he has no other son, only Isaac, and that Isaac will be the offering to God in a manner such that all the succeeding descendants of Israel are connected to this akeida. Through all this, Abraham accepted the word of God with happiness.”
It is evident that Abraham’s happiness as he overcame that trial is what brought him to great heights. Just as in the mitzvah of bikkurim, when a person dedicates what is most dear, his chosen fruits, to God with great happiness, so too Abraham’s happiness in fulfilling the word of God with his dear son is what epitomizes his greatness.
Returning to the mitzvah of bikkurim, our sages explain that one who fulfills this mitzvah has great merits. We can only imagine then how great the merits are of Abraham. He represents the servant who serves God with reverence and happiness simultaneously during his trial.
From here we learn about the great responsibility that rests upon us all. That which is most dear to us may be taken and dedicated to God. This dedication to God must not simply be a result of a Divine decree, we must raise ourselves to the level of feeling love and great happiness in fulfilling God’s word. The routine practice of religious ritual in our lives is not what makes one a Yirei Elohim (God-fearing). We attain that status when we offer what is most dear to us.
Love, gladness and happiness break apart the set routine and boundaries in our lives. Abraham provides us with the great teaching about integrating these two components of service and happiness. It is our ultimate obligation in the world.
Translation: Akiva Herzfeld