Why Abraham Slaughtered Isaac: On 5 Levels (P’Vayeira)

What’s said in this shiur

The opening of this shiur, in Rabbi Aaron L Raskin’s own words — taken from the captions, so names and Hebrew terms may be approximate.

one of the most dramatic and heart-wrenching stories in the Torah is the episode with the akeda The Binding of Isaac is already a grown man 37 years old Abram is 137 years old and God tells avram take your son Yitzhak your only son the one you love for an offering on the altar foreign takes Isaac for the offering he's about to slaughter him an angel of God says don't touch him and that is the end of the story to understand the story on five levels first and foremost what does it mean by it happened after these words what were the words that took place here that God now told avraham to take his son yusraq for an offering says Rashi that Ishmael were having a conversation he smile said you think you're a big Mensch a big when I was 13 years old I circumcised myself you only circumcised yourself when you were eight days old turns to Ishmael and says you are willing to only offer one limb of yours to God I'm willing to give up my entire body for God after these words God now tests avraham the question is asked even though God tells avram to take his son he is for an offering why does avram avinu need to do this on his own there's a question my grandfather Rabbi Jacob blessed memory asked and he said you know you could have taken made a messenger through proxy get someone else to do the work we see this for example when it comes to the breeze to the actual circumcision there's a Mist found the father to circumcise his son yet most fathers don't circumcise their son you hire miles you get a mile you hire a Shalia you get an emissary

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1. 0:00one of the most dramatic and heart-wrenching stories in the Torah is the episode with the…
2. 2:01his own there's a question my grandfather Rabbi Jacob blessed memory asked and he said you…
3. 4:37himself will the Shekinah will dwell what is this place that Isaac was brought for a…
4. 7:11told me he will be my successor how can I Slaughter him and make him my…
5. 9:48so this is the drush this is the homileytics in the story of the arcade of…
6. 12:21we will witness with our own eyes the resurrection of the Dead how all those who…
7. 14:23him and after that many many people converted to manotheism and they followed Abraham yet we…
8. 16:59called Mr sniffish and this was the Brilliance and the uniqueness of this challenge that God…
9. 19:34kidney and all he has to do is give one kidney to another person and he…
10. 22:08and you took them by the hand and you walked away I never saw my son…

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