Rashi on TanakhGenesis 22

After these events. There are some Sages who say [that this event occurred:] “After the words of Satan” who said accusingly, [to God], “From all the feasts that Avraham prepared, he did not offer to sacrifice to You a single bull or ram.” He [God] responded to him, “Does he do anything but for the sake of his son? Yet, if I were to say to him, ‘Sacrifice him to Me,’ he would not refuse.” Other [Sages] say [that this refers to] “After the words of Yishmael” who would boast to Yitzchok that he was circumcised when he was thirteen and offered no resistance. Yitzchok responded to him: “Do you intimidate me [with the loss] of one limb? If God would tell me, ‘Sacrifice yourself to Me,’ I would not refuse.”

Here I am. This is the response of the pious— an expression of humility and readiness.

Please take. נָא is an expression of a request. He [God] said to him, “I plead with you, withstand this test so that it not be said that the first ones were not real [tests].”

Your son. He [Avraham] responded, “I have two sons.” He [God] said to him, “Your only one.” He responded, “This one is an only son to his mother and the other is an only son to his mother.” He said to him, “Who you love.” “I love them both,” he answered. Then, He said, “Yitzchok!” Why did He not immediately reveal [this] to him? So that He not confuse him suddenly, and become bewildered and deranged. And, also, to endear the mitzvah to him so that he may be rewarded for each and every expression.

Land of Moriah. [Referring to] Yerushalayim. Similarly, in Divrei Hayamim [II, 3, 1] “To build the House of God in Yerushalayim on Mount Moriah.” Our Rabbis explained [that it is so called] because it is from there [Torah] instruction goes forth to Israel. Onkelos’ translationis based on the incense service which contains myrrh, nard and other spices.

Sacrifice him. He [God] did say to him, “Slaughter him!” because God did not wish him killed, but, only to be brought up the mountain to be made into an Olah-sacrifice. Once he brought him up He [God] said to him, “Bring him down.”.

One of the mountains. God perplexes the righteous [at first]— and [only] afterwards reveals [his intention]. All this [is done] for the purpose of increasing their reward. Similarly, “The land that I will show you” and, similarly, concerning Yonah: “Proclaim about it the proclamation.”

[He] awoke. He was quick to fulfill the command.

[He] saddled. He [did this] himself without commanding one of his servants [to do so] because, “Love causes a disregard for propriety.”

His two assistants. Yishmael and Eliezer, because an esteemed person may not travel without two people so that if one needs to relieve himself and move off to a distance then the other will remain with him.

He split. Onkelos translates it וְצַלַּח [he split] as in “וְצָלְחוּ [they split] the Jordan,” a term denoting cleaving, fendre in Old French.

On the third day. Why did He delay from showing it to him immediately? So that people should not say that He suddenly perplexed and confused him and he became deranged and, had he had time to contemplate it, he would not have done it.

And [he] saw the place from afar. He saw a cloud attached to the mountain.

To that place. Meaning a short distance— to the place that is in front of us. The Midrashic explanation: I will see where is [the promise] that God said to me: “[כ"ה] thus will be your descendants.”

And return. He prophesied that they will both return.

The knife. [Meaning] a knife. It is so called because: 1) it consumes the meat as when you say: “My sword shall consume the flesh,” and because 2) it prepares meat to be eaten. 3) An alternate explanation: This [Avraham’s] knife is called מַאֲכֶלֶת because Israel eats of its reward.

And they both went together. Avraham, despite his knowledge that he was going to slaughter his son, went willingly and with joy, just as Yitzchok, who was unaware of anything.

Will show the lamb. Meaning: He will see and choose for Himself a lamb. If there will be no lamb [then] my son will be the offering. And although Yitzchok [now] understood that he was going to be slaughtered [nevertheless,] “They both went together” with the same heart.

He bound his hands and feet behind him. The term עֲקֵידָה refers to hand and feet tied together. That is the meaning of עֲקוּדִים [streaked] because their [the goats] ankles were streaked white so that the place where they are bound was readily distinguishable.

Avraham, Avraham. It is an expression of love to repeat his name.

Do not touch. To slaughter him. Then he [Avraham] said to Him, “Then, I have come here for nothing. I will make a cut in him and draw a little blood.” God then responded אַל תַעַשׂ לוֹ מְאוּמָה! Do not cause him any blemish.

For now I know. R. Abba said: Avraham said to Him “I wish to clarify to You my complaint. Yesterday [previously] You said to me, ‘For [only] through Yitzchok will seed be considered yours.’ And then, again You said, ‘Take your son.’ And now, You say to me, ‘Do not touch the lad.’” God responded to him, “I will not profane My covenant nor alter the utterance of My lips. When I said to you, ‘Take’ I am not altering the utterance of My Lips, [for] I did not say to you, ‘Slaughter him’ but only ‘Sacrifice him.’ Now that you have brought him up, take him down.”

For now I know. For now I have a response to Satan and the nations who wonder at My love for you. I now have a justification for they see that you are God-fearing.

A ram. It was prepared for this purpose from the Six Days of Creation.

After. [Meaning] after the angel had said to him, “Do not touch,” he saw it entwined. It is with this in mind that Onkelos translates it: “And Avraham lifted his eyes after these [words].”

In the thicket. A tree.

By its horns. For it was running towards Avraham and Satan entangled and mingled it amongst the trees to impede it.

Instead of his son. Once written, “And sacrificed it as a burnt-offering,” the verse lacks nothing. Then why [does it state] “Instead of his son”? [This is because] for every service of which he [Avraham] did he would pray and say, “May it be the will [of God] that this [act] be considered as if it were done to my son; as if my son were slaughtered, as if his blood were sprinkled, as if my son were skinned, as if he were burnt and reduced to ashes.”

Adonoy will see. The plain meaning is as Onkelos translates it: God will choose and select this place to rest His Holy Presence there and for offering sacrifices there.

As it is said [to] this day. That future generations will say about it, “On this mountain God reveals Himself to His nation.”

[To] this day. [Meaning] the future days, as in “until this day” that appears everywhere in Scripture. Because all the future generations who will read this verse will say “until this day,” referring to the day in which they exist. The Midrashic explanation is: God will see [remember] this akeidah so that He may forgive Israel every year and save them from punishment. So that it may be said “On this day”— in all the future generations— on the mountain of God shall be seen the ashes of Yitzchok heaped and standing for the purpose of atonement.”

Greatly bless you. One [blessing] for the father and one for the son.

Numerous.477 One for the father and one for the son.478

Avraham dwelt in Beer Sheva. This does not refer to a permanent dwelling for he lived in Chevron. Twelve years before Yitzchok’s akeidah he left Beer Sheva and moved to Chevron, as it is said: “Avraham lived in the land of the Philistines for many days,” [meaning:] more than the first years in Chevron which totaled 26 years as we explained above.

After these words. Upon returning from Mount Moriah Avraham was pondering and saying: “Had my son been slaughtered he would have died without children. I should have married him to a woman of the daughters of Aneir, Eshkol or Mamrei. Therefore, God announced to him that Rivkah, his [Yitzchok’s] destined mate, had been born. This is the intent of “After these דְבָרִים [words]” i.e., the words of the thoughts that came about as a result of the akeidah.

[She] also. She also equaled [the number of] her families to [the number] Avraham’s families—twelve. Just as Avraham produced twelve tribes which came out of Yaakov eight were children of the main wives and four from the secondary wives, these, too, eight children of the main wives and four of the secondary wives.

Besueil fathered Rivkah. All these family lineages were written only for this verse.