VOLUME 108 NUMBER 4 
Cheshvan 19, 5784
November 3, 2023
PARSHAS VAYEIRA
Candlelighting Time 5:37 PM

Undoubtedly, the Akeida, when Avrohom was seemingly commanded to sacrifice his son Yitzchok, was a momentous and decisive event in our history. He was challenged to offer up his son as a sacrifice which would have been the end of his lineage and brought his movement to a abrupt end! He was halted from that and the mountain where this occurred, Mt. Moriah, is the place where the Beis Hamikdash was built. Avrohom referred to the mountain as Hashem will see, meaning He will designate this place to be where He displays His Shechina, His radiant appearance. And, the verse continues, Hashem will be seen there for all future generations. Quite a mysterious and enigmatic naming for the Beis Hamikdash.

Malbim has a very insightful understanding of this parsha. Yitzchok was prepared to be offered on the altar of Hashem for the glory of Heaven. After all, Hashem had commanded his father to sacrifice him and fulfilling that mandate would be a clear statement of total subservience to that which Hashem wants. Therefore, he was extremely motivated to accomplish that goal. However, in truth, Hashem only wanted their totality of fortitude to execute His directive and that they indeed achieved. As we know, the Akeida took place where the future Beis Hamikdash was to be built. Inherent in this venue is that every sacrifice that will take place in the Beis Hamikdash will be essentially patterned after that of the Akeida. In order words, the theme of self-sacrifice remains intact for all future generations when they will offer their sacrifices, only the substance of the offerings will be the animals as opposed to the actual individuals. Because the substance of the sacrifice is not the essence of the service, rather the crux of the theme is the person’s totality of subjugation to Hashem which manifests itself in the absolute dedication to the mitzvah of the offering. 

Meshech Chochmah takes this theme of the Malbim to a novel level and suggests that Yitzchok’s innate desire to fulfill Hashem’s command to sacrifice himself for His glory created a remarkable and extraordinary intrinsic configuration within each and every Jewish soul to sacrifice himself when the need arises. This infused conformation actually is in tandem with the fundamental soul motif of the nation that every Jew wants to obey and observe every law in the Torah to its fullest expression. Therefore, when someone wants to do a mitzvah and due to circumstances beyond his control is unable to accomplish that goal, it is as though he did the mitzvah and receives full compensation for that ‘achievement.’ Whereas if one intended to sin and was unable to for reasons other than his own control of his behavior he is not punished although left to his own he would have actually transgressed and rebelled against Hashem. Because that type of behavior is not truly indicative of one, rather it is an aberration of our normative conduct. 

Yitzchok added a dimension to our soul that we are primed and ready to surrender our very existence for the sake of Hashem. The ultimate sacrifice is fused into our very blood and therefore we offer our lives to exemplify our totality of dedication to Hashem and the Torah. 

A BYTE FOR SHABBOS

The blessings that Avrohom received after his accomplishment of the Akeidah were unconditional. They are not based upon our execution of the mitzvos, rather the merit of the Akeidah is so awesome and stunning that Hashem will grant us those blessings under all conditions.  

CHOFETZ CHAIM

GOOD SHABBOS

As I write these words on the parsha my mind is fogged with the potential threat to the lives of our brave soldiers who have undertaken the task to obliterate Hamas. Their mandate is to destroy each and everyone of us and we not only identify but feel the sacrifice of our brothers and sisters in Eretz Yisroel who are faced with an adversary bent upon our destruction. We pray and give tzedakah for those in need and it should be Hashem’s will to protect and provide Heavenly assistance for those in danger in defending and guarding our people.