From an email:
SHALLOOOM SWEEETEST FRIENDS!!!!
During these high holy days, we read from the Torah about Akeidas Yitzchak and mention it consistently during our selichos.
We see how one event can impact and be a source of merit for all of world history! And as Rav Hutner ztz"l pointed out - it NEVER HAPPENED. Yitzchak wasn't sacrificed. He just went up on the altar, was tied up - and then came down, in ONE PIECE. We see the power of GOOD WILL even when things don't practically go as planned. Avraham had a ratzon, a desire, to sacrifice his son to Hashem and that suffices to constitute a merit for all the generations. So do what you must do but never expect results. Leave that up to Him.
For his behavior and good will Avraham is blessed:
כִּֽי־בָרֵ֣ךְ אֲבָֽרֶכְךָ֗ וְהַרְבָּ֨ה אַרְבֶּ֤ה אֶת־זַרְעֲךָ֙ כְּכֽוֹכְבֵ֣י הַשָּׁמַ֔יִם וְכַח֕וֹל אֲשֶׁ֖ר עַל־שְׂפַ֣ת הַיָּ֑ם וְיִרַ֣שׁ זַרְעֲךָ֔ אֵ֖ת שַׁ֥עַר אֹֽיְבָֽיו:
וְהִתְבָּֽרֲכ֣וּ בְזַרְעֲךָ֔ כֹּ֖ל גּוֹיֵ֣י הָאָ֑רֶץ עֵ֕קֶב אֲשֶׁ֥ר שָׁמַ֖עְתָּ בְּקֹלִֽי:
Because I will bless you and increase your seed like the stars of heaven
and like sand on the beach and your seed will inherit the gates of their enemies.
And through your children shall be blessed the nations of the world because you heeded my voice.
The two psukim seem to contradict each other. First, we are blessed that we will defeat all the bad guys. Then we are told that they will be blessed because of us. First - a strong nationalistic "make the Jewish people great again" "stop losing to China", "we are winners not losers" approach . Then we hear a globalistic "open borders" approach. Everyone will be blessed through us. All of the members of the UN will benefit from us and receive bracha through us [even after they condemned us so many times].
So which one is it? Strong parochial Jewish nationalism or universalistic, globalistic, we are all one, Goyish Lives Matter?? The first pasuk says the former, the second - the latter??
HUUUUGE PROBLEM!!!
Explained the Rav ztz"l in his siddur: There are two periods. First - we need to defeat our enemies. That is our blessing. We need protection. Iran is developing nuclear weapons. Hamas has in their charter that we should be wiped off the face of the earth. We are in GREAT DANGER. So we will be blessed with a salvation from our enemies.
Then comes the next stage. No more enemies. All the nations will understand that we bring them bracha!! They will be our friends. At that time we will be the source of bracha for them.
When we do our teshuva and fix all of our many flaws, we must never lose sight of the big picture. The ultimate goal is for us to bring blessing to all of mankind. That is one insight to explain why we mention the Akeida so often during our selichos and when we read the Torah on Rosh Hashana.
Make we fulfill our mandate and both defeat those who want to harm us and ultimately being bracha to the whole world!!!!
Bi-ahava
Me
