VBM Avraham vs. Iyov By Harav Yaakov Medan
I. The Words of Satan
The story of the Akeida opens with the words, "And it came to pass after these things" (Bereishit 22:1). Rashi (based on the Gemara in Sanhedrin 89b) proposes two explanations:
"After these things [or: words]" – Some of our Rabbis say that it means after the words of Satan, who denounced Avraham, saying: “Of all the banquets that Avraham prepared, not a single bullock nor a single ram did he bring as a sacrifice to You.” God replied to him: “Does he do anything at all except for his son's sake? Yet if I were to bid him: ‘Sacrifice him to Me,’ he would not refuse.”
Others say it means after the words of Yishmael, who boasted to Yitzchak that he had been circumcised when he was thirteen years old without resisting. Yitzchak replied to him: “You think to intimidate me by mentioning the loss of one part of the body! If the Holy One, blessed is He, were to tell me: ‘Sacrifice yourself to Me,’ I would not refuse.” (Rashi, Bereishit 22:1)
The two conversations that Rashi reports as having preceded the Akeida are not recorded in Scripture. The disagreement between the two views of Chazal cited by Rashi relates to the question of whether the hero of the Akeida was Avraham or Yitzchak. An argument can be made for both options, and this disagreement is found also in various piyyutim and midrashim. Since in my opinion the biblical passage points to Avraham as the hero, I will focus on the first opinion cited by Rashi, which deals with the conversation between God and Satan.
I. The Words of Satan
The story of the Akeida opens with the words, "And it came to pass after these things" (Bereishit 22:1). Rashi (based on the Gemara in Sanhedrin 89b) proposes two explanations:
"After these things [or: words]" – Some of our Rabbis say that it means after the words of Satan, who denounced Avraham, saying: “Of all the banquets that Avraham prepared, not a single bullock nor a single ram did he bring as a sacrifice to You.” God replied to him: “Does he do anything at all except for his son's sake? Yet if I were to bid him: ‘Sacrifice him to Me,’ he would not refuse.”
Others say it means after the words of Yishmael, who boasted to Yitzchak that he had been circumcised when he was thirteen years old without resisting. Yitzchak replied to him: “You think to intimidate me by mentioning the loss of one part of the body! If the Holy One, blessed is He, were to tell me: ‘Sacrifice yourself to Me,’ I would not refuse.” (Rashi, Bereishit 22:1)
The two conversations that Rashi reports as having preceded the Akeida are not recorded in Scripture. The disagreement between the two views of Chazal cited by Rashi relates to the question of whether the hero of the Akeida was Avraham or Yitzchak. An argument can be made for both options, and this disagreement is found also in various piyyutim and midrashim. Since in my opinion the biblical passage points to Avraham as the hero, I will focus on the first opinion cited by Rashi, which deals with the conversation between God and Satan.
No comments:
Post a Comment