Dr. Joseph Frager‏
Dr. Joseph Frager‏Courtesy of Dr. Frager

"They arrived at the place that G-d had told him; Abraham built the altar there, and arranged the wood; he bound Isaac, his son, and he placed him on the altar atop the wood.

Abraham stretched out his hand, and took the knife to slaughter his son." (22:9-10) Akeidat Yitzchak is fascinating and mysterious on many levels. It was a seminal moment in Jewish History. Although one could write volumes about this, I will just touch upon the question of what actually happened to Yitzchak and its significance.

The Haftorah right away gives a glimpse of what our Sages of Blessed Memory feel indeed did happen that fateful day on Har Moriah. "Elisha came into the house and behold!-the lad was dead, laid out on his bed."(Kings II 4:32) "Then he went up and lay upon the lad, and placed his mouth upon his mouth, his eyes upon his eyes, his palms upon his palms, and prostrated himself upon him and he warmed the flesh of the lad." (Kings II 4:34) This was clearly a case of Techiyat HaMeitim. In Gemara Zevachim 62a it states the following in regard to the Akeidah: "(When the generations that returned from the Babylonian Exile began to build the second Temple) How did they know what to do with the altar? Said R' Eleazar: They beheld the Altar all built and Michael, the Great Prince, stood by it sacrificing on it.

But R. Isaac Napha said: They beheld Isaac's ashes, that these lay on that spot." The Gemara is suggesting that the ashes were literal ashes. Rashi picks up on this idea of actual ashes of Yitzchak in Leviticus 26:52 where G-d is said to remember Abraham and Yaakov but not Yitzchak. "And why is the expression "remembering" not used with Yitzchak? (Because) Yitzchak's ashes (Bereishit Rabbah 56:9, Tanchuma Shelach 14) (always) appear before Me, gathered up and placed upon the altar."

G-d always sees Yitzchak therefore does not need to use memory to describe him. The Medrash Lekach Tov goes even further:"The G-d of Abraham and the fear of Yitzchak (Pachad Yitzchak): for Yitzchak was in the grip of fear as he lay bound on the top of the altar, and his soul flew out of him, and the Holy One, Blessed Be He" restored it to him by means of a few drops to be used for Techiyat Hameitim(resurrection of the dead). This is why in Genesis 22:19 after Abraham has returned from the Akeidah, Yitzchak is not mentioned.

"And Abraham returned to his attendants and together they set off and traveled to Be'er Sheva. And Abraham settled in Be'er Sheva." No mention of Yitzchak. It would also explain why Sarah passed away immediately after hearing about the Akeida. There is much more to the story than meets the eye.

Yitzchak is associated with Rosh Hashanah. The Akeida took place on Rosh Hashana. The Shofar represents the ram that "replaced" Yitzchak as a sacrifice. Yitzchak was conceived on Rosh Hashanah. Rosh Hashanah is both Yom HaDin and the gateway to the future. Yitzchak always represents the Yemot HaMashaich and Olam HaBa (the messianic age and the future world). Yitzchak represnts Gevura(Might, control ,discipline). Gevura is also Din (Judgement). He was not allowed to leave Eretz Yisrael. He was an "Olah Temima"(perfect sacrifice). He represented the future of our People. If one rearranges the letters of the name Yitzchak-one can see the Keitz (end of days) stand out.

Yitzchak is also known as Pachad Yitzchak- "the Fear of Isaac". It is interesting and not at all coincidental that our Shacharit Shemone Esrei and Musaph Shemone Esrai (as well as Maariv and Mincha) prayers on Rosh Hashana start "UveChain Tain Pachdecha("And so too Hashem, Our G-d,instill your awe upon all Your works.") Once again to highlight Yitzchak. Of all of the Avot it is Yitzchak who will be our future. The world scorned us, mocked us and tortured us but we will have the last laugh. In the End of Days we will be laughing.

Yitzchak's name was derived from "laughter" ("Then Hashem said to Abraham,"Why is it that Sarah laughed, saying, "Shall I in truth bear a child though I have aged?")(Genesis 18:13) Techiyat HaMeitim will occur (This is one of the 13 tenets of our Faith) just as it occurred to Yitzchak on Mount Moriah. I hope and pray this adds to one's insights into one of the most incredible but mystifying events recorded in the Torah.

Dedicated in memory to a Holocaust Survivor who fought for the IRGUN in 1948 and was imprisoned by the British who's Yahrzeit is this week and who represented his namesake in the finest and most glorious of ways- Eugene Blaustein-Yitzchak Ben Yosef Z"L. Shabbat Shalom