A Paradoxical Blessing
After Abraham passed the test of the Akeidah, the Binding of Isaac, an angel informed him:
“This is what God says: I have sworn by My Essence, since you performed this act and did not withhold your only son, I will bless you greatly and increase your descendants like the stars of the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will possess their enemies’ gate. And all the nations of the world will be blessed through your descendants.” (Gen. 22:16-18)
This blessing appears to contradict itself. On the one hand, Abraham is promised that his descendants will be victorious over their enemies: “Your offspring will possess their enemies’ gate.” On the other hand, his descendants will be prized and cherished by other peoples: “All the nations of the world will be blessed through your descendants.”
What will be the lot of Abraham’s descendants: hostility and strife from the nations, or love and respect?
Also: why did God compare the Jewish people to both the stars and the sand?
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