Parshas Vayera
The Passion
By Rabbi Pinchas Avruch
"And Avraham raised his eyes and saw - behold, a ram - afterwards,
caught
in the thicket by its horns; so Avraham went and took the ram and offered
it up as an offering instead of his son." (Beraishis/Genesis 22:13)
Rashi relates the mishna that teaches that this ram was prepared during
the Six
Days of Creation for this point in history. What was the great
significance of this offering that creation awaited it? And why does the
Torah need to inform us of the obvious reality that the ram was "instead
of his son"?
Sforno (1) explains "instead of his son: in exchange for that which was in
his heart to offer his son, in the realm of maintaining faithfulness to
that which he had previously committed in his heart." Rabbi Eliyahu
Dessler (2) finds this amazing: G-d gave Avraham the command to bring
Yitzchak (Isaac) up on the altar as a test, for just as G-d had commanded
Avraham to bring him he was commanded to remove him. The "commitment" that
Avraham made to bring his son as an offering was in error, a colossal
misunderstanding. Nevertheless, notes Rabbi Dessler in Sforno's words,
without an alternative vehicle with which to serve G-d, Avraham would have
been disingenuous to his commitment to serve. Indeed, Rashi explains that
the ram was "instead of his son" because Avraham literally requested that
G-d view each act - from the slaughter through each subsequent step - as
if it was performed in his son's stead. Rabbi Dessler notes that Avraham
was correlating every action to his original intent and commitment. That
even though he was absolved by nothing less than a Divine decree, Avraham
was concerned with fulfilling his "obligation".
Why such a burning passion? Because Avraham realized that this was not
simply some contractual obligation that was now moot because the contract
was revoked. This was the ultimate of Avraham's Divine trials. But these
trials did not test Avraham's G-d consciousness, they FORGED it. This
opportunity was presented to Avraham to allow him to transcend his human
condition and offer his entire future to G-d in His service. Avraham very
keenly appreciated this unparalleled opportunity and knew he was bound to
follow through. And G-d agreed, such that He built this parallel chance
into Creation. (And Satan was also rather aware of this unique
circumstance, for it was he who caught the ram's horns in the thicket; see
Rashi.)
True, we do not have the spiritual fortitude of our patriarch Avraham and
our challenges may seem insignificant compared to the Binding of Yitzchak.
But G-d imbues all mitzvos (Divine commands) - especially the challenging
ones -with the potential to mold our G-d consciousness. And He imbues every
Jew with the potential to emulate his grandfather's passion.
Have a Good Shabbos!
(1) 1470-1550; classic Biblical commentary of Rabbi Ovadiah Sforno of Rome
and Bologna, Italy
(2) 1891-1954; in Michtav Me'Eliyahu, his collected writings and
discourses; from England and, later, B'nai Brak, he was one of the
outstanding personalities and thinkers of the Mussar movement
Text Copyright © 2005 by Rabbi Pinchas Avruch
and Torah.org.
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