Above Logic

Rabbi Moshe Shalit - Shabbat Bi-Shabbato Vayera 5773

"This passage is the ultimate in the essence of Yisrael and shows their merits before their Father in Heaven. We therefore repeat it in our prayers every day." [Abarbanel on the Binding of Yitzchak].   The Binding is Avraham's tenth trial, and it is the most important of all. The Talmud teaches us that the Holy One, Blessed be He, begged Avraham to pass this test. "'Please take' [Bereishit 22:2] – I put you through several trials and you passed them all, now pass this test too, so that nobody will be able to say that the first trials were unimportant." [Sanhedrin 89]. This seems quite problematic. Why, if Avraham fails the trial of the Binding, will it be said that the earlier trials had no significance, including the test of Ur Kasdim, when Avraham was thrown into a fiery furnace (even though he did not do this in response to a direct command)?   To find an answer to this question, we must first understand the essence of the trial of the Binding. It is commonly accepted that what made the Binding the most serious trial of all was the fact that Avraham was given an almost inhuman command to sacrifice his only son. This is clearly a most difficult task but it does not explain why this was so important to Avraham himself! We should not have any doubts that Avraham would have definitely fulfilled the command, and that it was not necessary for the Holy One, Blessed be He, to beg him to obey. After all, Avraham was given a direct command by the Almighty!   An Illogical Trial   The Rebbe of Lubavitch explains that the unique aspect of this trial was that it is not logical at all. In all the other trials Avraham stands up against tremendous difficulty, and he is willing to sacrifice himself for the exalted task of spreading the name of G-d. But in the case of the Binding of Yitzchak, G-d asks Avraham to sacrifice his only son for no apparent reason, and even without anybody else present to witness the event.   In addition, Yitzchak was known to be Avraham's heir, who would continue the tradition of spreading the word of G-d in the world. The new command is completely contrary to G-d's promise to Avraham, that Yitzchak would continue the traditions after his death, "for Yitzchak will carry on the name of your offspring" [21:12]. And it is an established principle that "a good prophesy will never be cancelled." But then what is happening here? In order to comply with G-d's earlier promise, Avraham should beg G-d not to do this, not to cross this boundary. This act would have destroyed all the faith that had been built up throughout the world! Avraham could have also told himself that G-d's revelation commanding him to do the sacrifice must surely be an act of his own imagination.   But in the end Avraham was able to pass this confusing trial, showing that "the first trials were also significant." He passed those tests too not because of logical and spiritual considerations, but only through his feeling of total insignificance in relation to G-d, without any further considerations or reckoning.   The main lesson that we can learn from the Binding of Yitzchak is not only the dedication and willingness to sacrifice a life but mainly the dedication of giving over the internal "I" to the Master of the World, to act without trying to understand. The link between us and the Holy One, Blessed be He, must not depend on how we understand Him.   Our link to Our Father in Heaven goes beyond our intellect! It goes without saying that there is strict logic in our service of G-d, but this does not "depend" on the logical approach of the creatures. Mainly, it is based on the exalted high position of G-d and the insignificance of any other consciousness in relation to Him.   The Link is in Response to a Divine Initiative   This approach can help us understand why the story of Avraham in the Torah begins with the command, "Lech Lecha – go for yourself" [Bereishit 12:1] from your land. There is no mention at all of his exalted status and his righteousness and of his struggle against all of humanity from the age of three until the age of seventy-five in order to publicize the name of G-d, including being thrown into the furnace at Ur Kasdim. Avraham appears in the Torah with the command to leave his family and his land and to move on to "the land I will show you" [12:1]. In this way the Torah emphasizes that Avraham's greatness did not stem from his choosing G-d and from his own initiative but solely because G-d chose him. The existence of a command by G-d created a much stronger link with the Almighty than Avraham would have been able to achieve himself by any Divine service or effort of his own.