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Share(ו) וַיִּקַּ֨ח אַבְרָהָ֜ם אֶת־עֲצֵ֣י הָעֹלָ֗ה וַיָּ֙שֶׂם֙ עַל־יִצְחָ֣ק בְּנ֔וֹ וַיִּקַּ֣ח בְּיָד֔וֹ אֶת־הָאֵ֖שׁ וְאֶת־הַֽמַּאֲכֶ֑לֶת וַיֵּלְכ֥וּ שְׁנֵיהֶ֖ם יַחְדָּֽו׃ (ז) וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יִצְחָ֜ק אֶל־אַבְרָהָ֤ם אָבִיו֙ וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אָבִ֔י וַיֹּ֖אמֶר הִנֶּ֣נִּֽי בְנִ֑י וַיֹּ֗אמֶר הִנֵּ֤ה הָאֵשׁ֙ וְהָ֣עֵצִ֔ים וְאַיֵּ֥ה הַשֶּׂ֖ה לְעֹלָֽה׃ (ח) וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ אַבְרָהָ֔ם אֱלֹהִ֞ים יִרְאֶה־לּ֥וֹ הַשֶּׂ֛ה לְעֹלָ֖ה בְּנִ֑י וַיֵּלְכ֥וּ שְׁנֵיהֶ֖ם יַחְדָּֽו׃ (ט) וַיָּבֹ֗אוּ אֶֽל־הַמָּקוֹם֮ אֲשֶׁ֣ר אָֽמַר־ל֣וֹ הָאֱלֹהִים֒ וַיִּ֨בֶן שָׁ֤ם אַבְרָהָם֙ אֶת־הַמִּזְבֵּ֔חַ וַֽיַּעֲרֹ֖ךְ אֶת־הָעֵצִ֑ים וַֽיַּעֲקֹד֙ אֶת־יִצְחָ֣ק בְּנ֔וֹ וַיָּ֤שֶׂם אֹתוֹ֙ עַל־הַמִּזְבֵּ֔חַ מִמַּ֖עַל לָעֵצִֽים׃ (י) וַיִּשְׁלַ֤ח אַבְרָהָם֙ אֶת־יָד֔וֹ וַיִּקַּ֖ח אֶת־הַֽמַּאֲכֶ֑לֶת לִשְׁחֹ֖ט אֶת־בְּנֽוֹ׃
(6) And Abraham took the wood of the burnt-offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took in his hand the fire and the knife; and they went both of them together. (7) And Isaac spoke unto Abraham his father, and said: ‘My father.’ And he said: ‘Here am I, my son.’ And he said: ‘Behold the fire and the wood; but where is the lamb for a burnt-offering?’ (8) And Abraham said: ‘God will aprovide Himself the lamb for a burnt-offering, my son.’ So they went both of them together. (9) And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built the altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar, upon the wood. (10) And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.
A legitimate son is borne to the wise man by his wedded wife, a beloved and only son, very beautiful in his person and very excellent in his disposition. For he was already beginning to display the most perfect exercises of his age, so that his father felt a most strong and vehement affection for him, not only from the impulse of natural regard, but also from the influence of deliberate opinion, from being, as it were, a judge of his character. To him, then, being conscious of such a disposition, an oracular command suddenly comes, which was never expected, ordering him to sacrifice this son on a certain very lofty hill... And he, although attached to his child by an indescribable fondness, neither changed color, nor wavered in his soul, but remained firm in an unyielding and unalterable purpose, as he was at first. And being wholly influenced by love towards God, he forcibly repressed all the names and charms of the natural relationship: and without mentioning the oracular command to any one of his household...as if he were bent upon the celebration of some ordinary divine rite...[he] went forth with his son...and he gave his son the fire and the wood to carry, thinking it proper for the victim himself to be burdened with the materials for the sacrifice, a very light burden, for nothing is less troublesome than piety. They walked with equal speed of mind rather than body along the short straight road at the end of which is holiness...
Now Abraham greatly loved Isaac, as being his only begotten, and given to him at the borders of old age, by the favor of God. The child also endeared himself to his parents still more, by the exercise of every virtue, and adhering to his duty to his parents, and being zealous in the worship of God...[God] who being desirous to make an experiment of Abraham's religious disposition towards himself appeared to him, and enumerated all the blessings he had bestowed on him...and he said that he required this son of his as a sacrifice and holy oblation...Now Abraham thought it was not right to disobey God in any thing, but that he was obliged to serve him in every circumstance of his life...Now Isaac was twenty-five years old. And as he was building the altar he asked his father what he was about to offer, since there was not animal there for an oblation:- to which it was answered, "That God would provide himself an oblation, he being able to make a plentiful provision for men out of what they have not and to deprive others of what they already have, when they put too much trust therein..." As soon as the altar was prepared and Abraham had laid on the wood....he said to his son, "O son, I poured out a vast number of prayers that I might have thee for my son...but since it was by God's will that I became thy father, and it is now his will that I relinquish thee, bear this consecration to God with a generous mind; for I resign thee up to God who has thought fit not to require this testimony of honor to himself...Accordingly thou, my son, wilt now die, not in any common way of going out of the world, but sent to God, the Father of all men, beforehand, by thy own father, in the nature of a sacrifice. I suppose he thinks thee worthy to get clear of this world neither by diseases, neither by war, nor by any other severe way, by which death usually comes upon men, buy so that he will receive thy should with prayers and holy offices of religion, and will place thee near to himself..." Now Isaac was of such a generous disposition as became the son of such a father, and was pleased with this discourse and said "That he was not worthy to be born at first, if he should reject the determination of God and of is father, and should not resign himself up readily to both their pleasures; since it would have been unjust if he had not obeyed, even if his father alone had so resolved." So he went immediately to the altar to be sacrificed. And the deed had been done if God had not opposed it....It was not out of a desire of human blood that he was commended to slay his son...but to try the temper of his mind, whether he would be obedient to such a command. Since therefore he now was satisfied... he was delighted in have bestowed such blessings upon him.
(ד) ויאמר יצחק אל אברהם אביו ויאמר אבי בא לו סמאל אצל אבינו אברהם אמר ליה סבא סבא אובדת לבך בן שניתן לך לק' שנה אתה הולך לשחטו א"ל ע"מ כן א"ל ואם מנסה אותך יותר מיכן את יכול לעמוד (איוב ד) הנסה דבר אליך תלאה א"ל ויתר על דין א"ל למחר אומר לך שופך דם את חייב ששפכת דמו של בנך א"ל ע"מ כן וכיון שלא הועיל ממנו כלום בא לו אצל יצחק אמר לו ברא דעלובתא הולך הוא לשוחטך א"ל ע"מ כן א"ל א"כ כל אותן הפרגזיות שעשת אמך לישמעאל שנאיה דביתה ירותא ואתה אינך מכניס בלבך כד לא תיעול מילא תיעול פלגא הה"ד ויאמר יצחק אל אברהם אביו אבי למה אבי אבי פ' פעמים כדי שיתמלא עליו רחמים ויאמר הנה האש והעצים א"ל יצף לההוא גברא דיגער ביה מכל מקום אלהים יראה לו השה בני ואם לאו אתה השה לעולה בני וילכו שניהם יחדו זה לעקוד וזה ליעקד זה לשחוט וזה לישחט:
"And Isaac spoke unto Abraham his father and said, my father" (Gen. 22:7). Samael went to the Patriarch Abraham and upbraided him saying: 'What means this, old man! Have you lost your wits? You go to slay a son granted to you at the age of a hundred!?' 'Even this I do,' he replied....Seeing that he could achieve nought with him, he approached Isaac and said : 'Son of an unhappy mother! He goes to slay you.' 'I accept my fate' he replied... "So they went, both of them together" (Gen. 22:8) - one to slaughter and the other to be slaughtered.
(ח) ד"א א"ר יצחק בשעה שבקש אברהם לעקוד יצחק בנו אמר לו אבא בחור אני וחוששני שמא יזדעזע גופי מפחדה של סכין ואצערך ושמא תפסל השחיטה ולא תעלה לך לקרבן אלא כפתני יפה יפה מיד ויעקד את יצחק כלום יכול אדם לכפות בן שלשים ושבע [נ"א בן עשרים ושש שנה] אלא לדעתו?
Another comment: R. Isaac said: When Abraham wished to sacrifice his son Isaac, Isaac said to him: 'Father, I am a young man and am afraid that my body may tremble through fear of the knife and I will grieve thee, whereby the slaughter may be rendered unfit and this will not count as a real sacrifice; therefore bind me very firmly'. Forthwith, he bound Isaac: can one bind a man thirty-seven years old? (another version: twenty-six years old) without his consent?
Isaac instituted the afternoon Tefillah; as it is said, "And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at eventide" (Gen. xxiv. 63) — "meditation" [sihah] means prayer; as it is said, "A prayer of the afflicted when he fainteth, and poureth out his complaint [sihah] before the Lord" (Ps, cii. 1).
(63) And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide; and he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold, there were camels coming.
(א) תְּ֭פִלָּה לְעָנִ֣י כִֽי־יַעֲטֹ֑ף וְלִפְנֵ֥י יְ֝הוָ֗ה יִשְׁפֹּ֥ךְ שִׂיחֽוֹ׃ (ב) יְ֭הוָה שִׁמְעָ֣ה תְפִלָּתִ֑י וְ֝שַׁוְעָתִ֗י אֵלֶ֥יךָ תָבֽוֹא׃ (ג) אַל־תַּסְתֵּ֬ר פָּנֶ֨יךָ ׀ מִמֶּנִּי֮ בְּי֪וֹם צַ֫ר לִ֥י הַטֵּֽה־אֵלַ֥י אָזְנֶ֑ךָ בְּי֥וֹם אֶ֝קְרָ֗א מַהֵ֥ר עֲנֵֽנִי׃ (ד) כִּֽי־כָל֣וּ בְעָשָׁ֣ן יָמָ֑י וְ֝עַצְמוֹתַ֗י כְּמוֹ־קֵ֥ד נִחָֽרוּ׃
(1) A Prayer of the afflicted, when he fainteth, and poureth out his complaint before the LORD. (2) O LORD, hear my prayer, and let my cry come unto Thee. (3) Hide not Thy face from me in the day of my distress; incline Thine ear unto me; in the day when I call answer me speedily. (4) For my days are consumed like smoke, and my bones are burned as a hearth.
ר' לוי אמר אחר דבריו של ישמעאל ליצחק אמר לו ישמעאל ליצחק אני גדול ממך במצות שאתה מלת בן שמנת ימים ואני בן שלש עשרה שנה אמר לו ובאבר אחד אתה מגרה בי אם אומר לי הקב"ה זבח עצמך לפני אני זובח מיד והאלהים נסה את אברהם
R`Levi said [in explanation of 'after these words']; After Ishmael's words to Isaac.
Ishmael said to Isaac: am more virtuous(26) than thee in good deeds, for thou wast circumcised at eight days, [and so couldst not prevent it], but I at thirteen years'.'
On account of one limb wouldst thou incense me!' he replied: 'Were the Holy One, blessed be He, to say unto me, Sacrifice thyself before Me, I would obey', Straightway, God did tempt Abraham.