Friday, 24 June 2022

The Akedah; Part 2 – a Literary Analysis · ORAL-AURAL tradition

Robert Alter in his The Art of Biblical Narrative  (2011), ch. 5, “The Techniques of Repetition” and especially p. 114, points out a key aspect of the Chumash that is regularly forgotten today -- and which, in fact, has been overlooked for centuries.

Namely, that the Chumash is meant to be read aloud to an assembled mass: groups of 10, 20, 30 or many more, who have no copies of the text in hand.

After all, it was only with the invention of the printing press by Gutenberg c. 1450[i] and the spread of this revolutionary technology that mass production of texts – books -- became availability and the price of copies made relatively cheap.

The first publication of the Chumash in Hebrew was in Bologna, Spain in 1487.[ii]

 

As the Chumash is written for an oral-aural audience experience, it relies on key techniques that are universal in such cultural settings.

1.       Repetition of key ideas is essential to ensure that key ideas will not be missed by someone

way at the back or by a distracted audience member. 

 

For example Gen. 2: 2-3 said aloud every Friday night at mealtime Kiddush:[iii]

ב  וַיְכַל אֱלֹהִים בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי, מְלַאכְתּוֹ אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה; וַיִּשְׁבֹּת בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי, מִכָּל-מְלַאכְתּוֹ אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה.

2 And on the seventh day God finished His work which He had made; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made.

ג  וַיְבָרֶךְ אֱלֹהִים אֶת-יוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי, וַיְקַדֵּשׁ אֹתוֹ:  כִּי בוֹ שָׁבַת מִכָּל-מְלַאכְתּוֹ, אֲשֶׁר-בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים לַעֲשׂוֹת.   

3 And God blessed the seventh day, and hallowed it; because that in it He rested from all His work which God in creating had made.

The idea that God rested in the seventh day is repeated THREE TIMES – back to back to back.

 

Another example is Exod. 14: 30-31, said in the daily morning Shacharit.

ל  וַיּוֹשַׁע יְהוָה בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא, אֶת-יִשְׂרָאֵל--מִיַּד מִצְרָיִם; וַיַּרְא יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת-מִצְרַיִם, מֵת עַל-שְׂפַת הַיָּם.

30 Thus the ETERNAL saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea-shore.

לא  וַיַּרְא יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת-הַיָּד הַגְּדֹלָה, אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה יְהוָה בְּמִצְרַיִם, וַיִּירְאוּ הָעָם, אֶת-יְהוָה; וַיַּאֲמִינוּ, בַּיהוָה, וּבְמֹשֶׁה, עַבְדּוֹ.  {ר}  {ש}

31 And Israel saw the great work which the ETERNAL did upon the Egyptians, and the people feared the LORD; and they believed in the LORD, and in His servant Moses. {P}

The death of the Egyptians is repeated TWICE – back to back.  And THREE times if one includes the opening general statement of verse 30.

 

2.       Allusions via repetition of key words and phrases which ‘echo’ key words in earlier or later Bible texts.  This simple device triggers links and associations in the minds of the audience with other events described in the Chumash elsewhere.  The FIVE (5) ’echoes’ found in the Akedah will be elaborated below.

 

3.       Use of short sentences and simple compound sentences.  Complex sentences with multiple and/or long subordinate clauses make it hard for the ear to follow.  Ideas get lost or – worse – get jumbled and misunderstood.

Oral-aural tradition keeps it simple.  Short sentences abound and where needed a long idea or ‘idea string’ is presented as a straight forward compound sentence.

                                                           A + B + C + D

 

4.       Verbal cues to show when dialogue begins, and the speaker changes. The Chumash abounds with such cues.

Every dialogue by any person or God is ‘cued’ for the audience with some variation of the verb to speak: “spoke”, “talked”, ”said”, etc.

 

And when God Eternal is about to announce a commandment, the verbal dialogue cues are usually DOUBLED: twice repeating the idea that Divine instruction is about to begin – so pay attention!

For example, the third portion of Shema begins:

 לֵּאמֹר אֶ֯ל־משֶׁה יְ֯הֹוָה֯ וַֽיֹּאמֶר֯     And the Eternal spoke to Moses saying …”    

 

                       Or the daily prayers passages re: sacrifices which begin:

 

… וְאֶת־בָּנָיו אֶת־אַהֲרֹן צַו :רמֹאלֵּ אֶל־משֶׁה יְהֹוָה רבֵּדַיְוַ

And the Eternal spoke to Moses saying; Command Aaron and his sons saying…

 

                    םהֶלֵאֲ וְאָמַרְתָּ יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת־בְּנֵי צַו : לֵאמֹר אֶל־משֶׁה יְהֹוָה רבֵּדַיְוַ

And the Eternal spoke to Moses saying: command the children of Israel saying …

 

 

All of these devices and techniques reaffirm the often forgotten fact that the Chumash was meant to be read aloud to people assembled for this reading, but who had no written text in hand to ‘follow along’.

Unlike as we do in synagogue services today.

 

The Akedah text exemplifies these oral-aural rules.

The following colours will be used to highlight these features:

  • Simple and Compound sentences – black
  • Complex phrase or subordinate clause – if any -- green
  • Repeated key words/ideas – black (underlined)
  • Allusions - red
  • Dialogue cues – yellow highlighting

 

The Akedah

Gen. 22: 1- 19           (https://mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0122.htm , with * * marking my corrections)

א  וַיְהִי, אַחַר הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה, וְהָאֱלֹהִים, נִסָּה אֶת-אַבְרָהָם; וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו, אַבְרָהָם וַיֹּאמֶר הִנֵּנִי.

1 And it came to pass after these things, that God did prove Abraham, and said unto him: 'Abraham'; and he said: 'Here am I.'

ב  וַיֹּאמֶר קַח-נָא אֶת-בִּנְךָ אֶת-יְחִידְךָ אֲשֶׁר-אָהַבְתָּ, אֶת-יִצְחָק, וְלֶךְ-לְךָ, אֶל-אֶרֶץ הַמֹּרִיָּה; וְהַעֲלֵהוּ שָׁם, לְעֹלָה, עַל אַחַד הֶהָרִים, אֲשֶׁר אֹמַר אֵלֶיךָ.

2 And He said: 'Take now thy son, thine only *one*, whom thou lovest, even Isaac, and *for your benefit go* into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt-offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.'

ג  וַיַּשְׁכֵּם אַבְרָהָם בַּבֹּקֶר, וַיַּחֲבֹשׁ אֶת-חֲמֹרוֹ, וַיִּקַּח אֶת-שְׁנֵי נְעָרָיו אִתּוֹ, וְאֵת יִצְחָק בְּנוֹ; וַיְבַקַּע, עֲצֵי עֹלָה, וַיָּקָם וַיֵּלֶךְ, אֶל-הַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר-אָמַר-לוֹ הָאֱלֹהִים.

3 And Abraham rose early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he cleaved the wood for the burnt-offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.

ד  בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁלִישִׁי, וַיִּשָּׂא אַבְרָהָם אֶת-עֵינָיו וַיַּרְא אֶת-הַמָּקוֹם--מֵרָחֹק.

4 On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.

ה  וַיֹּאמֶר אַבְרָהָם אֶל-נְעָרָיו, שְׁבוּ-לָכֶם פֹּה עִם-הַחֲמוֹר, וַאֲנִי וְהַנַּעַר, נֵלְכָה עַד-כֹּה; וְנִשְׁתַּחֲוֶה, וְנָשׁוּבָה אֲלֵיכֶם.

5 And Abraham said unto his young men: 'Abide ye here with the ass, and I and the lad will go yonder; and we will worship, and come back to you.'

ו  וַיִּקַּח אַבְרָהָם אֶת-עֲצֵי הָעֹלָה, וַיָּשֶׂם עַל-יִצְחָק בְּנוֹ, וַיִּקַּח בְּיָדוֹ, אֶת-הָאֵשׁ וְאֶת-הַמַּאֲכֶלֶת; וַיֵּלְכוּ שְׁנֵיהֶם, יַחְדָּו.

6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt-offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took in his hand the fire and the knife; and they went both of them together.

ז  וַיֹּאמֶר יִצְחָק אֶל-אַבְרָהָם אָבִיו, וַיֹּאמֶר אָבִי, וַיֹּאמֶר, הִנֶּנִּי בְנִי; וַיֹּאמֶר, הִנֵּה הָאֵשׁ וְהָעֵצִים, וְאַיֵּה הַשֶּׂה, לְעֹלָה.

7 And Isaac spoke unto Abraham his father, and said: 'My father.' And he said: 'Here am I, my son.' And he said: 'Behold the fire and the wood; but where is the lamb for a burnt-offering?'

ח  וַיֹּאמֶר, אַבְרָהָם, אֱלֹהִים יִרְאֶה-לּוֹ הַשֶּׂה לְעֹלָה, בְּנִי; וַיֵּלְכוּ שְׁנֵיהֶם, יַחְדָּו.

8 And Abraham said: 'God will provide Himself the lamb for a burnt-offering, my son.' So they went both of them together.

ט  וַיָּבֹאוּ, אֶל-הַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר אָמַר-לוֹ הָאֱלֹהִים, וַיִּבֶן שָׁם אַבְרָהָם אֶת-הַמִּזְבֵּחַ, וַיַּעֲרֹךְ אֶת-הָעֵצִים; וַיַּעֲקֹד, אֶת-יִצְחָק בְּנוֹ, וַיָּשֶׂם אֹתוֹ עַל-הַמִּזְבֵּחַ, מִמַּעַל לָעֵצִים.

9 And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built the altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar, upon the wood.

י  וַיִּשְׁלַח אַבְרָהָם אֶת-יָדוֹ, וַיִּקַּח אֶת-הַמַּאֲכֶלֶת, לִשְׁחֹט, אֶת-בְּנוֹ.

10 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.

יא  וַיִּקְרָא אֵלָיו מַלְאַךְ יְהוָה, מִן-הַשָּׁמַיִם, וַיֹּאמֶר, אַבְרָהָם אַבְרָהָם; וַיֹּאמֶר, הִנֵּנִי.

11 And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said: 'Abraham, Abraham.' And he said: 'Here am I.'

יב  וַיֹּאמֶר, אַל-תִּשְׁלַח יָדְךָ אֶל-הַנַּעַר, וְאַל-תַּעַשׂ לוֹ, מְאוּמָה:  כִּי עַתָּה יָדַעְתִּי, כִּי-יְרֵא אֱלֹהִים אַתָּה, וְלֹא חָשַׂכְתָּ אֶת-בִּנְךָ אֶת-יְחִידְךָ, מִמֶּנִּי.

12 And he said: 'Lay not thy hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him; for now I know that thou art a God-fearing man, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, from Me.'

יג  וַיִּשָּׂא אַבְרָהָם אֶת-עֵינָיו, וַיַּרְא וְהִנֵּה-אַיִל, אַחַר, נֶאֱחַז בַּסְּבַךְ בְּקַרְנָיו; וַיֵּלֶךְ אַבְרָהָם וַיִּקַּח אֶת-הָאַיִל, וַיַּעֲלֵהוּ לְעֹלָה תַּחַת בְּנוֹ.

13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt-offering in the stead of his son.

יד  וַיִּקְרָא אַבְרָהָם שֵׁם-הַמָּקוֹם הַהוּא, יְהוָה יִרְאֶה, אֲשֶׁר יֵאָמֵר הַיּוֹם, בְּהַר יְהוָה יֵרָאֶה.

14 And Abraham called the name of that place Adonai-*sees*; as it is said to this day: 'In the mount where the LORD is seen.'

טו  וַיִּקְרָא מַלְאַךְ יְהוָה, אֶל-אַבְרָהָם, שֵׁנִית, מִן-הַשָּׁמָיִם.

15 And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham a second time out of heaven,

טז  וַיֹּאמֶר, בִּי נִשְׁבַּעְתִּי נְאֻם-יְהוָה:  כִּי, יַעַן אֲשֶׁר עָשִׂיתָ אֶת-הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה, וְלֹא חָשַׂכְתָּ, אֶת-בִּנְךָ אֶת-יְחִידֶךָ.

16 and said: 'By Myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son,

יז  כִּי-בָרֵךְ אֲבָרֶכְךָ, וְהַרְבָּה אַרְבֶּה אֶת-זַרְעֲךָ כְּכוֹכְבֵי הַשָּׁמַיִם, וְכַחוֹל, אֲשֶׁר עַל-שְׂפַת הַיָּם; וְיִרַשׁ זַרְעֲךָ, אֵת שַׁעַר אֹיְבָיו.

17 that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the seashore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;

יח  וְהִתְבָּרְכוּ בְזַרְעֲךָ, כֹּל גּוֹיֵי הָאָרֶץ, עֵקֶב,             אֲשֶׁר שָׁמַעְתָּ בְּקֹלִי.

18 and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast hearkened to My voice.' 

 

 

יט  וַיָּשָׁב אַבְרָהָם אֶל-נְעָרָיו, וַיָּקֻמוּ וַיֵּלְכוּ יַחְדָּו אֶל-בְּאֵר שָׁבַע; וַיֵּשֶׁב אַבְרָהָם, בִּבְאֵר שָׁבַע.   

19 So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beer-sheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beer-sheba. 

 

DIALOGUE CUES (yellow highlighting)

The 19 verses of the Akedah abound with dialogue:  a surprising seventeen (17) cues of  וַיִּקְרָא or  וַיֹּאמֶר

Why?  Because it is filled with short dialogue responses and only three lengthy statements by God (verse 2) and God’s messages at the sacrifice alter: verses 12 and 16-18.

And two (2) times the text uses DOUBLED CUES to ensure all the audience is ready to listen: for the central question if Isaac is to be sacrificed, verse 11-12,  and the Divine blessings of verses 16-18.

 

SENTENCE STRUCTURE

The Akedah text is 19 verses long in all printed texts today, whether in Hebrew or and English translations.  But in reality it is composed of many, many more short simple sentences; sentences marked in the Hebrew Masoretic text with a colon (:) - the Hebrew ‘period’ or a comma.

Verse 1, for instance, is really 3 sentences.

א  וַיְהִי, אַחַר הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה, וְהָאֱלֹהִים, נִסָּה אֶת-אַבְרָהָם;/ וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו, אַבְרָהָם/ וַיֹּאמֶר הִנֵּנִי.

1 And it came to pass after these things, that God did prove Abraham/, and said unto him: 'Abraham';/ and he said: 'Here am I.'

Verse 3 is actually seven (7) sentences.

ג  וַיַּשְׁכֵּם אַבְרָהָם בַּבֹּקֶר/ וַיַּחֲבֹשׁ אֶת-חֲמֹרוֹ,/ וַיִּקַּח אֶת-שְׁנֵי נְעָרָיו אִתּוֹ,/ וְאֵת יִצְחָק בְּנוֹ;/ וַיְבַקַּע, עֲצֵי עֹלָה, /  וַיָּקָם/ וַיֵּלֶךְ, אֶל-הַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר-אָמַר-לוֹ הָאֱלֹהִים.

3 And Abraham rose early in the morning,/ and saddled his ass,/ and took two of his young men with him,/ and Isaac his son;/ and he cleaved the wood for the burnt-offering,/ and rose up,/and went unto the place of which God had told him.

The standard versification – just like the odd Chumash chapter divisions -- is a Medieval, non-Jewish creation[iv] but it has been ‘accepted’ by all print publishers both Christian and Jewish ever since.

But it masks the simplicity and numerous short sentences of the text and its oral-aural design.

Only two sentences are not simple or just compound. 

 

The opening verse starts with an adverbial clause to give a ‘time’ setting.

This common opening style appears even in the first words of the Chumash: 

Gen. 1:1  

      In the beginning, God created ….    אֱלֹהִים בָּרָא  תירֵאשִׁבְּ

 

The second complex sentence is part of the lengthy 3 verse Divine blessing of verses 16-18.

טז  וַיֹּאמֶר, בִּי נִשְׁבַּעְתִּי נְאֻם-יְהוָה:  כִּי, יַעַן אֲשֶׁר עָשִׂיתָ אֶת-הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה, וְלֹא חָשַׂכְתָּ, אֶת-בִּנְךָ אֶת-יְחִידֶךָ.

16 and said: 'By Myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son,

Again, an adverbial clause is placed at the start: to explain why Abraham deserves the ensuing three blessings of verse 17-18..

Otherwise, all else is simple sentences and ‘stringing along’ compound clauses.

Easy on the ear to follow.

 

 

 

ALUSIONS  (red lettering)

The Akedah is filled with allusions to earlier passages re: Abraham and later passages as well.

 

·      Verse 2 parallels to Gen. 12:1

Verse 2 of the Akedah repeats the key words and phrasing style used in Gen. 12:1 when we first meet Abraham: when God tells him to go to Canaan.

  • The unusual, key verb   וְלֶךְ-לְךָ.
  • The instruction to leave for Canaan is worded as a ‘spiral of stages’ in  Gen. 12:2, and here a similar spiral of wording is used to identify who would be sacrificed.    
  • Similarly, both opening verses are vague re: the destination’s location: both times stressing it will be some place chosen by God.   

 

Gen. 12:1

א  וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֶל-אַבְרָם, לֶךְ-לְךָ מֵאַרְצְךָ וּמִמּוֹלַדְתְּךָ וּמִבֵּית אָבִיךָ, אֶל-הָאָרֶץ, אֲשֶׁר אַרְאֶךָּ.

1 Now the LORD said unto Abram: 'Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto the land that I will show thee.

Gen. 22: 2   The Akedah

ב  וַיֹּאמֶר קַח-נָא אֶת-בִּנְךָ אֶת-יְחִידְךָ אֲשֶׁר-אָהַבְתָּ, אֶת-יִצְחָק, וְלֶךְ-לְךָ, אֶל-אֶרֶץ הַמֹּרִיָּה; וְהַעֲלֵהוּ שָׁם, לְעֹלָה, עַל אַחַד הֶהָרִים, אֲשֶׁר אֹמַר אֵלֶיךָ.

2 And He said: 'Take now thy son, thine only son,                whom thou lovest, even Isaac, and get thee into                      the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a                       burnt-offering upon one of the mountains which                   I will tell thee of.'

·    Verse 3 and Gen.  21:14

Verse 3 -- stressing Abraham’s dedication to carry out the Divine command by getting up ‘early’ -- is identical in wording to when years before, at Sarah’s insistence and God’s order, Abraham exiles his son Ishmael and Hagar.

Gen. 21: 14

יד  וַיַּשְׁכֵּם אַבְרָהָם בַּבֹּקֶר וַיִּקַּח-לֶחֶם וְחֵמַת מַיִם וַיִּתֵּן אֶל-הָגָר שָׂם עַל-שִׁכְמָהּ, וְאֶת-הַיֶּלֶד--וַיְשַׁלְּחֶהָ; וַתֵּלֶךְ וַתֵּתַע, בְּמִדְבַּר בְּאֵר שָׁבַע.

14 And Abraham arose up early in the morning, and took bread and a bottle of water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her away; and she departed, and strayed in the wilderness of Beer-sheba.

Akedah verse 3

ג  וַיַּשְׁכֵּם אַבְרָהָם בַּבֹּקֶר, וַיַּחֲבֹשׁ אֶת-חֲמֹרוֹ, וַיִּקַּח אֶת-שְׁנֵי נְעָרָיו אִתּוֹ, וְאֵת יִצְחָק בְּנוֹ; וַיְבַקַּע, עֲצֵי עֹלָה, וַיָּקָם וַיֵּלֶךְ, אֶל-הַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר-אָמַר-לוֹ הָאֱלֹהִים.

3 And Abraham rose early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he cleaved the wood for the burnt-offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.

·         The DIVINE BLESSING of verses 17-18

Finally, Abraham’s reward from God for his loyalty: the triple blessing of verses 17-18, ‘echoes’ the promised blessings of Gen. 12: 2-3 when Abraham is ordered to leave for Canaan and God the Eternal’s blessing to Abraham at his circumcision, Gen. 17: 5-6,

Gen. 22: 17-18  The Akedah 

יז  כִּי-בָרֵךְ אֲבָרֶכְךָ, וְהַרְבָּה אַרְבֶּה אֶת-זַרְעֲךָ כְּכוֹכְבֵי הַשָּׁמַיִם, וְכַחוֹל, אֲשֶׁר עַל-שְׂפַת הַיָּם; וְיִרַשׁ זַרְעֲךָ, אֵת שַׁעַר אֹיְבָיו.

17 that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the seashore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;

יח  וְהִתְבָּרְכוּ בְזַרְעֲךָ, כֹּל גּוֹיֵי הָאָרֶץ, עֵקֶב,             אֲשֶׁר שָׁמַעְתָּ בְּקֹלִי.

18 and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast hearkened to My voice.' 

Gen. 12: 2-3  (Leave for Canaan)

ב  וְאֶעֶשְׂךָ, לְגוֹי גָּדוֹל, וַאֲבָרֶכְךָ, וַאֲגַדְּלָה שְׁמֶךָ; וֶהְיֵה, בְּרָכָה.

2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and be thou a blessing.

ג  וַאֲבָרְכָה, מְבָרְכֶיךָ, וּמְקַלֶּלְךָ, אָאֹר; וְנִבְרְכוּ בְךָ, כֹּל מִשְׁפְּחֹת הָאֲדָמָה.

3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and him that curseth thee will I curse; and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed.'

Gen. 17: 5-6  (Circumcision)

ה  וְלֹא-יִקָּרֵא עוֹד אֶת-שִׁמְךָ, אַבְרָם; וְהָיָה שִׁמְךָ אַבְרָהָם, כִּי אַב-הֲמוֹן גּוֹיִם נְתַתִּיךָ.

5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for the father of a multitude of nations have I made thee.

ו  וְהִפְרֵתִי אֹתְךָ בִּמְאֹד מְאֹד, וּנְתַתִּיךָ לְגוֹיִם; וּמְלָכִים, מִמְּךָ יֵצֵאוּ.

6 And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee

 

Finally, it also echoes the blessing God gave later on to Jacob when he dreamed of angels on a ladder to Heaven.

 

Gen. 28:14 (Ladder to Heaven)

יד  וְהָיָה זַרְעֲךָ כַּעֲפַר הָאָרֶץ, וּפָרַצְתָּ יָמָּה וָקֵדְמָה וְצָפֹנָה וָנֶגְבָּה; וְנִבְרְכוּ בְךָ כָּל-מִשְׁפְּחֹת הָאֲדָמָה, וּבְזַרְעֶךָ.

14 And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south. And in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.

 

So, the Akedah contains many allusions:  to previous wording and texts re Abraham and even to an event and a blessing thereafter.

As the Chumash was read to audiences weekly and on an annual or triennial cycle, both previous chapter allusions and even a later one would instantly be triggered in the minds of the audience.

And certainly in the minds of anyone who had a copy of the Chumash as a printed text (after Gutenberg) or was fortunate to have access to a Torah scroll for centuries beforehand.

 

REPEATED KEY WORKS  (black)

The Akedah repeatedly uses the words for ‘son’ and ‘.

·         הִנֶּנִּי  “Here I am./ I am ready” – This appears three (3) times and while the standard English translation is “Here I am.”, it also has the meaning “I am ready.”

Each time it is Abraham speaking: first when God tells him of the mission (verse 1), THEN when Isaac asks about the animal to be sacrificed (verse 7) and finally when the voice from above tells Abraham to stop and not slaughter Isaac (verse 11).

Its repetition highlights and stresses Abraham’s willingness and dedication from the start, through the middle, and to the end point.

 

·           וַיֵּלְכוּ שְׁנֵיהֶם יַחְדָּו  “And they went both of them together.”  This wording appears twice and emphasizes that Abraham and Isaac went up the mountain to the sacrifice site in harmony.  It appears first in verse 6 when the two together start the trek up the mountain and again after their conversation mid-way re: missing sacrifice animal, verse 8.

 

The close bond of father and son – their harmony – is stressed by this ironic wording.

 

For the audience knows from the start that Abraham was going to kill Isaac as a sacrifice, yet Abraham maintained a calm and fatherly demeanor to Isaac, and Isaac in turn continued to act as he should, a loving and obedient son.

 

 

·          -  בִּנְךָ , בְּנִי, בְּנוֹ  “his son”,“my son”, “your son” 

 

The text leaves no room for doubt that it is all about the sacrifice of Abraham’s son.  The word ‘son’ appears seven (7) times and in the opening verse is amplified with synonyms as:

קַח-נָא אֶת-בִּנְךָ אֶת-יְחִידְךָ אֲשֶׁר-אָהַבְתָּ, אֶת-יִצְחָק

“Take now thy son, thine only *one*, whom thou lovest, even Isaac …”

 

Only once is Isaac not referred to as ‘son’; when Abraham tells his two servants to stay behind with the donkey and Abraham, knowing the Divine plan, lies – saying he and Isaac will return.

 

At this moment, Abraham cannot make himself refer to Isaac by name or as son.  Instead, the text has him – for once only – refer to Isaac simply as “the youth”.

 

וַאֲנִי וְהַנַּעַר, נֵלְכָה עַד-כֹּה; וְנִשְׁתַּחֲוֶה, וְנָשׁוּבָה אֲלֵיכֶם

 

“and I and the lad will go yonder; and we will worship, and come back to you.'

The Akedah text stresses in its wording the close relationship between Abraham and Isaac as father and son, and constantly raises the question in the audience’s mind whether the father, Abraham, will   sacrifice his only son if God so ordered.

By repeatedly using the word ‘son’, the text emphasizes this extreme test of faith and brings home to every audience member who is a father (or mother) or son what such a Divine challenge would feel like if it were to occur in their own lives.

 

CONCLUSION

The Akedah is filled with numerous oral-aural techniques. 

It is a key event in the Chumash and every trick – every oral-aural device – is used repeatedly to ensure the assembled audience can follow the events, understand the unspoken turmoil within Abraham the father, and the ultimate Divine message: NO to human sacrifice, and the resultant triple blessing Abraham and the Jewish people received.

 

 [i]   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannes_Gutenberg

[iv] https://charlesasullivan.com/2693/history-chapters-verses-hebrew-bible/  It traces the process back to the early 13th century and the division into chapters by Archbishop  Stephen Langton, and final verse division in the mid-16th century in the Bomberg Bible .

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Wednesday, 22 June 2022

The Akedah Part 3: The psychology of the text

The account of the Akedah is a marvel of deceptive simplicity.

Its sentences are mostly short and simple: to allow an assembled crowd to easily follow the text as read aloud, but it is also a masterful piece that engages and engrosses the minds and hearts of its audience -- at three (3) levels.

 

Level 1 – Step by step by step

The text details almost everything step by step by step. This both teases the audience and allows the audience to relive each key moment and create tension in the audiences mind and heart.

The audience from the start knows -- thanks to the opening verse -- the mission and challenge Abraham is to face: to sacrifice his only child and son.  It is a kind of foreshadowing.

 

Verse 2 begins the slow, step by step by step approach.

The son to be sacrificed is identified in a four (4) stage spiral: teasing the reader as to the intent as one word/description is replaced by another that is more precise and more  personal/emotional  – until the last ‘yells’ out the name Isaac.

 

               (https://mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0122.htm , with my corrections marked *   * )

ב  וַיֹּאמֶר קַח-נָא אֶת-בִּנְךָ אֶת-יְחִידְךָ אֲשֶׁר-אָהַבְתָּ, אֶת-יִצְחָק, וְלֶךְ-לְךָ, אֶל-אֶרֶץ הַמֹּרִיָּה; וְהַעֲלֵהוּ שָׁם, לְעֹלָה, עַל אַחַד הֶהָרִים, אֲשֶׁר אֹמַר אֵלֶיךָ.

2 And He said: 'Take now thy son, thine only *one*, whom thou lovest, even Isaac, and *for your benefit go* to the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt-offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.'

This spiral grabs the audiences’ attention, activates their ‘minds’ in trying to figure out the ‘who’, and creates a heightened sense of anxiety and sadness in the audience as the spiral unfolds and the name Isaac is finally revealed.

The same mind game plays out when Abraham gets set to start out on this trip in the very next verse, verse 3.

Each preparatory action or step is given in detail.  All six (6) steps of the day they left [1].

ג  וַיַּשְׁכֵּם אַבְרָהָם בַּבֹּקֶר, וַיַּחֲבֹשׁ אֶת-חֲמֹרוֹ, וַיִּקַּח אֶת-שְׁנֵי נְעָרָיו אִתּוֹ, וְאֵת יִצְחָק בְּנוֹ; וַיְבַקַּע, עֲצֵי עֹלָה, וַיָּקָם וַיֵּלֶךְ, אֶל-הַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר-אָמַר-לוֹ הָאֱלֹהִים.

3 And Abraham rose early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he cleaved the wood for the burnt-offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.

As the order is somewhat surprising, the audiences’ mind again becomes triggered into puzzle solving:

Q1. Why is Isaac – the focus of the account - not mentioned as step #2, ahead of the ass? 

Q3. Why are the two attendants mentioned before Isaac?

Q3. Why is the cutting of wood done or mentioned last, just before they leave?

 

The next verse, verse 4, also uses this technique.

ד  בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁלִישִׁי, וַיִּשָּׂא אַבְרָהָם אֶת-עֵינָיו וַיַּרְא אֶת-הַמָּקוֹם--מֵרָחֹק.

4 On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.

Why do we need to know Abraham “lifted up his eyes”?   Why not just state: “Abraham saw far off …”?

Because the text wants us to visualize Abraham’s physical act of raising his eyes gazing:  as if we were there -- as if we were HIM.

 

Verse 5, the next verse, also gives a step by step description.  One that is logical and orderly but ends with a huge lie.

ה  וַיֹּאמֶר אַבְרָהָם אֶל-נְעָרָיו, שְׁבוּ-לָכֶם פֹּה עִם-הַחֲמוֹר, וַאֲנִי וְהַנַּעַר, נֵלְכָה עַד-כֹּה; וְנִשְׁתַּחֲוֶה, וְנָשׁוּבָה אֲלֵיכֶם.

5 And Abraham said unto his young men: 'Abide ye here with the ass, and I and the lad will go yonder; and we will worship, and  we will come back to you.'

Abraham and we, the audience, know from the outset that Abraham plans to kill and burn to ashes his son Isaac: the secret hidden from the two attendants and from Isaac!

And when Abraham says to his two servants “we will worship and WE will come back to you” וְנִשְׁתַּחֲוֶה, וְנָשׁוּבָה  (plural)  אֲלֵיכֶם.   it is an outright lie!

But will it be a lie, the audience surely, quickly asks itself? 

Maybe Abraham has had a change of heart.

Lie or truth?  The question is left to dangle and linger in the audience’s mind for an excruciating two verses.

Verse 6, the very next verse, also plays step by step mind games with the audience.

ו  וַיִּקַּח אַבְרָהָם אֶת-עֲצֵי הָעֹלָה, וַיָּשֶׂם עַל-יִצְחָק בְּנוֹ, וַיִּקַּח בְּיָדוֹ, אֶת-הָאֵשׁ וְאֶת-הַמַּאֲכֶלֶת; וַיֵּלְכוּ שְׁנֵיהֶם, יַחְדָּו.

6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt-offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took in his hand the fire and the knife; and they went both of them together.

Again, every step is detailed.

And the wording of step #2: having Abraham place the wood ‘on Isaac’s back’, symbolically invokes the future alter sacrifice process were the victim and wood fully ‘touch’.

Then there are step #3 and step #4 which seem reversed.  After all, Isaac would have his throat cut or be stabbed to death before he would be set on fire, so why mention the ‘fire’ first?

Answer: to end with the most horrific element, the knife the father would use to murder his own son.

Once on the mountaintop, the step by step style returns with verses 9 and 10.

 

ט  וַיָּבֹאוּ, אֶל-הַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר אָמַר-לוֹ הָאֱלֹהִים, וַיִּבֶן שָׁם אַבְרָהָם אֶת-הַמִּזְבֵּחַ, וַיַּעֲרֹךְ אֶת-הָעֵצִים; וַיַּעֲקֹד, אֶת-יִצְחָק בְּנוֹ, וַיָּשֶׂם אֹתוֹ עַל-הַמִּזְבֵּחַ, מִמַּעַל לָעֵצִים.

9 And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built the altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar, upon the wood.

י  וַיִּשְׁלַח אַבְרָהָם אֶת-יָדוֹ, וַיִּקַּח אֶת-הַמַּאֲכֶלֶת, לִשְׁחֹט, אֶת-בְּנוֹ.

10 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.

 

Every stage needed for the sacrifice is described; all seven (7) of them!

·         Abraham builds an altar,

·         Abraham sets the wood on top,

·         Abraham ties up Isaac,

·         Abraham lifts up Isaac on top of the altar’s wood

·         Abraham reaches out his hand

·         Abraham takes the butchering knife

·         Abraham lifts it up to kill his son

Who in the audience would not be led by the text to visualize this process and ‘see’ in his or her mind’s eye Abraham last steps as if present – or as he or she were Abraham himself: reaching for the knife and lifting it up to kill his own son?

 

The step by step approach continues with verse 13.

יג  וַיִּשָּׂא אַבְרָהָם אֶת-עֵינָיו, וַיַּרְא וְהִנֵּה-אַיִל, אַחַר, נֶאֱחַז בַּסְּבַךְ בְּקַרְנָיו; וַיֵּלֶךְ אַבְרָהָם וַיִּקַּח אֶת-הָאַיִל, וַיַּעֲלֵהוּ לְעֹלָה תַּחַת בְּנוֹ.

13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt-offering in the stead of his son.

Again, we see Abraham ‘lifting his eyes’ and we follow his gaze as he turns around.

We share his startle as he sees a ram –of all things – nearby and, even more surprisingly, its horns are trapped in a bush.

Abraham rushes up, grabs the ram and then makes it a substitute burnt offering on the altar.

And, again, the text triggers questions in the audiences’ mind:

Q1. Why did not Abraham notice this large ram beforehand?

Q2.  How was elderly Abraham – well past age 100, able to overpower the ram?

Q3. Or did he kill the ram while trapped by the bush?

Q4. Why not detail the ram section as with Isaac? The steps of cutting the throat (first or third), tying up the ram’s legs, placing it on the wood, and lighting the fire so it could burn?

Q5. What was ISAAC doing during all this ram work?

 

All these questions flood to one’s mind because the text has trained the audience from verse 2 on to be active and engaged and questioning.

Lastly, the detailed step by step approach is used to end the Akedah.

יט  וַיָּשָׁב אַבְרָהָם אֶל-נְעָרָיו, וַיָּקֻמוּ וַיֵּלְכוּ יַחְדָּו אֶל-בְּאֵר שָׁבַע; וַיֵּשֶׁב אַבְרָהָם, בִּבְאֵר שָׁבַע.  {פ}

19 So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beer-sheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beer-sheba. {P}

·         Abraham (and Isaac) come down from the mountain

·         They reunite with the two attendants (and ass)

·         They break camp and get up

·         They return to Beer-sheba

Again, the text leads us to visualize each element and step as if we were there.

 

The text, then, has carefully led the audience as if we too had made this trip and gone up the mountain and been present at Isaac’s binding, the intercession of a voice from Heaven, the substitute ram sacrifice, and the final return down the mountain and departure.

And, we, in literary terms, have been made by the text to visualize the prologue and inciting action(verse 1), the rising action, the climax when Abraham is about to kill Isaac by the Divine message, the denouement of the ram replacement and final ending: the return home.

 

Level 2  The psychology of Abraham

There is also a gigantic SILENCE throughout the Akedah as to what went through Abraham's mind and heart from the moment he received the Divine command to kill his only child and heir -- and burn him as a sacrifice to God --  to the very end when they all go homeward three days later.

The silence, in fact, entices the audience to speculate as to Abraham’s emotions and thoughts at every step. 

 

The sacrifice is to be his one and only child and heir: information painfully stretched out as the sacrifice victim is ‘identified’ slowly over a spiral of four (4) synonyms in verse 2.

ב  וַיֹּאמֶר קַח-נָא אֶת-בִּנְךָ אֶת-יְחִידְךָ אֲשֶׁר-אָהַבְתָּ, אֶת-יִצְחָק, וְלֶךְ-לְךָ, אֶל-אֶרֶץ הַמֹּרִיָּה; וְהַעֲלֵהוּ שָׁם, לְעֹלָה, עַל אַחַד הֶהָרִים, אֲשֶׁר אֹמַר אֵלֶיךָ.

2 And He said: 'Take now thy son, thine only * one*, whom thou lovest, even Isaac, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt-offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.'

One can almost feel the pain Abraham felt as this message is revealed to him: that stresses his son Isaac as the victim four (4) times back to back.

Abraham is also told at the outset the sacrifice is to take place far away.  And so Abraham’s mind and heart was to be tormented for many hours and days – in fact, a three (3) day journey.

The audience surely would wonder if Abraham managed to sleep the night he got the Divine command, or during the ensuing 2 nights along the journey.


Thoughts re: Sarah

What were Abraham’s thoughts re: Sarah, his beloved wife and mother of Isaac?

How would she react and cope with news her only child had been killed and burned to ashes by his own father – her husband? 

Would Abraham not have speculated on how carrying out the sacrifice of Isaac would affect his marital bond with Sarah going forward?

Legend has it she died of sudden shock on hearing from a Satanic angel of Isaac’s sacrifice.  Did Abraham have any such concern?  

And what, at the outset, did he tell Sarah re: this long 5 to 6 day round trip journey accompanied by their only, young son, Isaac?

Surely, she would have questions as to why, and qualms about the safety of her son (and husband) on a long journey through Canaanite territory.

So Abraham had to come up with a plausible reason – a lie; one that the Torah leave out.

 

Thoughts re: Isaac

And what thoughts ran through Abraham’s mind and heart during the 3 days of slow walking with Isaac beside him.

 How did Abraham keep his composure and ‘act calm’?

When they reach the mountain base, Abraham maintains his outward calmness and lies to the two servants staying behind and to Isaac, when Abraham say in verse 5 that they will BOTH return after worshipping.

Then in the verses 7 and 8, the key conversation with Isaac as they walked up the mountain alone, would have been extremely traumatic for Abraham. 

Isaac asks where is the animal to be sacrificed is and Abraham answers obliquely that God will show him the offering: Abraham knowing full well it is to be Isaac, his son who was walking beside him.

And when Isaac adds the superfluous vocative "my father", Abraham responds with the equally unnecessary "my son" TWICE:  reflecting the strong bond of love between them.

A bond soon to be torn to bits, or, more accurately, turned to ashes.

And what thoughts and feeling rushed through Abraham as he built the alter and arranged the wood and bond Isaac and placed him atop the wood and reached out to get the butchering knife and raised it up ready to strike?

The message from Heaven calls out TWICE to get Abraham’s attention: 

יא  וַיִּקְרָא אֵלָיו מַלְאַךְ יְהוָה, מִן-הַשָּׁמַיִם, וַיֹּאמֶר, אַבְרָהָם אַבְרָהָם; וַיֹּאמֶר, הִנֵּנִי.

11 And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said: 'Abraham, Abraham.'

As if Abraham was so focused on carrying out God’s command or so emotionally wound up that he might not hear the voice without it yelling out “Abraham” TWICE.

And what relief and joy did Abraham feel once he was told NOT to kill Isaac?

What emotions ran through Abraham when he suddenly noticed the ram and slaughtered it in place of Isaac?

What did Abraham feel and think on the walk down from the mountain alongside Isaac?

And what did he say to his son on the way down?

 

All of this is left to the audience’s imagination as the text is totally and utterly and surprisingly silent on Abraham’s feelings and thoughts during this three (3) day ‘test’.

The audience: whether fathers, sons, mothers or daughters, would certainly raise these questions, and even project their own experiences and emotions into Abraham and his lengthy, three (3) day emotional trauma.

 

Level 3: The psychology of Isaac

As for Isaac and what he felt and thought during the three day travel, or once on the mountain top or on the way down to their camp, all this too is left to the audience's imagination.

As made clear in The Akedah: part 1 – the FACTS, the Torah text, the peshat, states again and again that the test was only of Abraham: of his total dedication to God the Eternal.

Attempts by ancient rabbinic legends and by Medieval commentaries to find clues and inferences in the text that would make this test also one for Isaac, i.e., that he knowingly participated and was willing to be sacrificed if so willed by God the Eternal, is fanciful, wishful thinking. 

There is no rabbinic consensus as to how old Isaac was at the time (affecting his ability to resist) and even as to when Isaac ‘clued in’.

Abarbanel holds that Isaac thought the actions on the mountain top were to be ‘symbolic’ and therefore did not resist being bound and placed on top of the altar’s wood. Once he saw Abraham lift the knife, however, he finally realized the plan was to kill him, and he yelled out to God Eternal to intervene.[ii]

And the Malbim states that Abraham took with two attendants to make sure Isaac did not resist or run off.[iii]

 

Below, are explored the various scenarios that one or another Jewish, religious group might accept as accurate, and their implications.

 

At the outset

No Jewish tradition claims Isaac was fully aware from the start that he was to be killed and sacrificed by his father. Only that he was told the journey was to fulfil a Divine command and to worship at a distant, special place chosen by God.

As such, Isaac, if a child, would have at the start seen the trip as a chance to spend ‘quality time’ alone with his busy father, while simultaneously being glad his father chose to take him along on this journey to fulfil a Divine commandment re: worship.  After all, they both believed in and followed God the Eternal.  And it is quite possible this trip was -- for a young Isaac – an adventure: his first time off alone with his father camping.

So Isaac, at the start, would have been excited and overjoyed at the prospect of this travelling adventure and father bonding, and also for the religious, divine worship aspect.

If Isaac was age 37, much of the above feelings and thoughts would still apply. Of course, he would as an adult have gone on trips before but spending ‘quality time” with his father and taking part in a special, divinely ordered sacrifice act of worship -- in some especially holy location -- would have been positive motivations; just as if he were a child.

 

Moment of truth

Whenever it was that Isaac somehow realized he was to be the sacrifice, that his father was ready to kill him and burn his body to ashes on God’s order, his first reactions would certainly have been shock, fear and even anger: at God who ordered his innocent ‘murder’ and at his obedient father who did not tell him the truth from the outset.

 

Subsequent reaction

Once the divine command sunk in: whether according to the legend of the Satanic Angel revealing the truth to him or any Medieval commentary that saw him realize ‘the truth’ on his own when Abraham had him carry the wood on his back or from the obtuse answer from Abraham re: sacrifice animal on their walk up the mountain, Isaac’s agreement to go on and be sacrificed would be a major act of piety and obedience to God’s will.  To die -- if so ordered by God -- would be the highest act of faith, an Al Kiddush Hashem moment.

But if as the Malbim suggests and as Abarbanel details it, i.e., that Isaac only realized the truth when it was clear beyond a doubt that his father was ready -- and just seconds away -- from killing him, and Isaac cried out in fear triggering the divine intervention, then there is no moment of ‘voluntary submission’ or Al Kiddush Ashem on Isaac’s part.  Only shock, fear and, probably, anger.

 Yes, Isaac would surely cry out to heaven, to God the Eternal, for salvation, and so it came.

 

Post-climax and going back down

As to what Isaac thought and felt -- and any words he may have said to Abraham -- while Abraham was sacrificing the ram instead, or during their long return down the mountain ‘together’, is again left to the audience’s imagination.

One could ask:

·         How long was Isaac upset – even angry-- with his father?

·         Did he return down the mountain in muted rage?

·         Did the Akedah alter the relationship between Isaac and his father: weakening or destroying the son-father bond?

Such questions are sure to run through the minds of the audience: whether fathers, sons, mothers or daughters.    

And my answer to these logical questions appears in the dramatization I offered at the end of part 1 – the FACTS. 

Reprinted below:

 

A dramatic audience moment

One can envision the following discussion triggered by an inquisitive young audience member (IAM) near the front as the Aramaic translator finishes the last verse of the Akedah.

 

     Setting: Jerusalem market place in the days of Ezra the Scribe, c. 445 BCE.

 

IAM (jumping up and down with arm raised):  What happened to Isaac?                                             The text only names Abraham coming down the mountain.  And the verb is           singular - not plural.  So what happened to Isaac?

                     Did he fly off to Heaven with the messenger angel?

 

                  Aramaic translator:  No.  Isaac came down the mountain with his father Abraham.              As the 'test' was only of Abraham, the Bible only names Abraham coming down to emphasize he alone was tested.

    

                   Torah Reader (in Aramaic): In the next parshah we find Isaac is age 37 when his mother Sarah dies (Gen. ch.23), and soon thereafter Abraham arranges a marriage, a shidduch    for Isaac, with his cousin Rebecca from far off Haran        (Gen. ch. 24).  They wed when Isaac turns 40 (Gen. 25:20) and eventually they have twin boys: Esau and Jacob           (Gen. ch. 25: 20-34). 

So Isaac did not fly off to Heaven. He came down from the mountain with his father.

 

  Ezra the Scribe (in Aramaic):  from his seat on the platform

          If you had paid close attention to the last verse, you would have found your answer          in the clue:  יַחְדָּו  "together"  

יט  וַיָּשָׁב אַבְרָהָם אֶל-נְעָרָיו, וַיָּקֻמוּ וַיֵּלְכוּ יַחְדָּו אֶל-בְּאֵר שָׁבַע;

19 So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beer-sheba; 

 

 

Why would the Torah care if Abraham and his two servants left happily together?  

יַחְדָּו   is the key word, the EXACT SAME WORD,  used TWICE when Abraham and Isaac walked up the mountain “together” i.e., in harmony (Gen. 22: 6 and 8).

And its recurrence in verse 19 – at the very end of the account -- is to show that father and son continued on and left in harmony.

Yes, the test was Abraham's alone, but eventually Isaac understood and felt no anger or grudge against his father.

After all, the test was ordered by God the Eternal whom both worshipped and followed.

 

Torah Reader (in Aramaic):  And if you had just waited another minute you would have known Isaac returned home.  The parshah ends with Abraham, sometime later, getting news that his brother, Nahor, had had many children and grandchildren – one of whom was a girl named Rebecca (verse 23).

 

Ezra the Scribe (in Aramaic): A classic Bible foreshadowing of the upcoming marriage of Isaac and Rebecca

 

And as the tall young man lowered his arm and head, the reading of the rest of the parshah resumed.

 


The bond of love between Abraham and Isaac survived Abraham’s test.

The text’s closing "together" יַחְדָּו   is a clue, but more telling is the explicit account of the great effort and expensive gifts Abraham sent to Haran to get Isaac a bride – all 67 verses of Gen. ch 24.  

 

And, as Ezra the Scribe stresses in the dramatization:

After all, the test was ordered by God the Eternal whom both worshipped                       and followed.

 

 

CONCLUSION

The Akedah is a masterful multi-layered psychological thriller.

We follow -- as if present -- the test of Abraham as it unfolds step by step by step.

We, the audience, are triggered by the great SILENCE of the text to constantly speculate as to the thoughts and emotions of Abraham – the key actor – and even Isaac: based on our own family life experiences.

The text, while simple in language and sentence structure: to ensure any audience at even an open marketplace could hear and understand the Akedah text and message, also cleverly and continually triggers the audience’s mental and emotional engagement.

A truly masterful piece of literature and Torah teaching.


[i] There are a number of steps that must have been taken by Abraham the day before their departure (i.e., as soon as he got the Divine command) which the Torahs leaves out but which were ‘logistically’ very  important nevertheless: food and drink for 4 people and a donkey for a 5 to 6 day round trip had to be arranged and packed, equipment and utensils for food preparation and meal eating had to be collected, and camping gear and sleeping gear.

[ii] See right sidebar for verse 3  at https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.22.3?ven=The_Contemporary_Torah,_Jewish_Publication_Society,_2006&vhe=Miqra_according_to_the_Masorah&lang=bi&with=Abarbanel&lang2=en

[iii] Ibid.


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