Rabbi's Corner

In this week's parashah, Parashat VaYeira, we find the story of Akeidat Yitzchak (the Binding of Yitzchak).  This story is read twice each year: once in its "proper place" as part of the weekly Torah readings and once on the second day of Rosh Hashanah.  The story relates how Hashem tests Avraham by asking him to bring his beloved son Yitzchak up to Mount Moriah (i.e.- the Temple Mount) and offer him up as an "olah" (an elevated completely burnt offering).  Because Avraham willingly acceded to Hashem's command, our tradition teaches us that he passed “the test."  Our commentators ask why HaShem had to test Avraham in the first place.  Because, they ask, HaShem is omniscient (all knowing), wouldn’t He already know that Avraham would indeed pass the test?  Why should Avraham have to go through such an anguish-producing test to prove his loyalty and devotion to Hashem?  Additionally, had not HaShem already promised Avraham that Yitzchak would carry the "mantle" handed to him by his father?  How could he do so if he becomes an olah?

One answer to the question of "Why?" is given by the Ramban who said that Hashem tested Avraham in this way so that "dei lehotzi mei-ha-koach el haoel."  The test helped Avraham take what he believed and put it into action.  Rabbi Yaakov Neuberger, a Rosh Yeshivah at Yeshiva University, cites this verse from Sefer Devarim (the Book of Deuteronomy) as an explanation of the Ramban: "Hashem has tested you in order for you to know if you love Hashem your G-d with all your heart and with all your soul." (Devarim 13:4) The test was meant for Avraham to see for himself how much he loved HaShem.  HaShem already knew this.

The same is true for us when we perform "mitzvot" (the duties of the Torah).  Using the Ramban's reasoning, Hashem tests us by commanding us to perform mitzvot so that we can feel good about ourselves by showing our love for HaShem.  The more mitzvot we do, the more our souls are enlarged and the more spiritual we become which causes us to grow closer to Hashem.  In fact, as opposed to the more common way of viewing the completion of mitzvot, our Rabbis encourage us to perform as many mitzvot as possible rather than doing an entire mitzvah all at once.  An example of this is that it is better to give ten different people a single dollar than to give one poor person ten dollars.  By doing so, you are “spreading the wealth” of Jewish tradition and HaShem’s love to more people.  Additionally, the more mitzvot we do, the more we actually live our spirituality.  And the more we perform actual physical actions in service of HaShem, the closer we come to HaShem.

Avraham understood that the way to bring about a greater love of HaShem was to take what he believed in his heart and in his soul and put it into action. His actions of carrying out HaShem's command to offer up his beloved son as an olah proved to himself that his love of HaShem was even greater than he realized.  We must do all that we can do to be like Avraham so that, like him, we can bring our greater love of HaShem to Hashem, for ultimately that is what He wants from us.