“Yitzchak said to his father Avraham, ‘Father!’ He answered, ‘Yes, my son.’ He said, ‘Here are the fire and wood; and where is the sheep for the burnt offering?’ Avraham said, ‘God will see to the sheep for a burnt offering, my son.’ And the two of them walked on together. וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יִצְחָ֜ק אֶל־אַבְרָהָ֤ם אָבִיו֙ וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אָבִ֔י וַיֹּ֖אמֶר הִנֶּ֣נִּֽי בְנִ֑י וַיֹּ֗אמֶר הִנֵּ֤ה הָאֵשׁ֙ וְהָ֣עֵצִ֔ים וְאַיֵּ֥ה הַשֶּׂ֖ה לְעֹלָֽה׃ וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ אַבְרָהָ֔ם אֱלֹהִ֞ים יִרְאֶה־לּ֥וֹ הַשֶּׂ֛ה לְעֹלָ֖ה בְּנִ֑י וַיֵּלְכ֥וּ שְׁנֵיהֶ֖ם יַחְדָּֽו׃.” (Gen. 22:7-8)
How are we meant to understand Avraham's seemingly deceptive response to Yitzchak’s question, at a time when Avraham’s intent was to sacrifice Yitzchak? At worst, Avraham’s response can be viewed as manipulative, to keep Yitzchak compliant. In a slightly better light, maybe Avraham was empathically keeping Yitzchak calm before fulfilling God’s command. In the most positive light, could it be that Avraham was perhaps offering a tefillah for God to ultimately spare his son?
As it happens, this perhaps-tefillah of Avraham is – mostly – answered in the affirmative. As he is about to sacrifice his son, “Avraham lifted his eyes and looked, and behold a ram was caught by its horns behind a thicket. Avraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering in place of his son / וַיִּשָּׂ֨א אַבְרָהָ֜ם אֶת־עֵינָ֗יו וַיַּרְא֙ וְהִנֵּה־אַ֔יִל אַחַ֕ר נֶאֱחַ֥ז בַּסְּבַ֖ךְ בְּקַרְנָ֑יו וַיֵּ֤לֶךְ אַבְרָהָם֙ וַיִּקַּ֣ח אֶת־הָאַ֔יִל וַיַּעֲלֵ֥הוּ לְעֹלָ֖ה תַּ֥חַת בְּנֽוֹ׃.” (Gen. 22:13) While obviously not the sheep discussed by Yitzchak and Avraham, the ram still saves Yitzchak’s life. It is possible that Yitzchak’s question had awakened in Avraham just enough hope Yitzchak’s life would be spared that he notices the ram – just barely enough, as the malach still needs to call Avraham’s name twice. (Gen. 22:11) Avraham’s earlier response to Yitzchak is actually telling in this regard. While generally translated as “God will see to the sheep,” the literal meaning is “God will see for Godself the sheep/אֱלֹהִ֞ים יִרְאֶה־לּ֥וֹ הַשֶּׂ֛ה,” as if to say, ‘if there were an animal up there, it would be visible only to God (so it won’t save you anyway)! Or, even harsher: ‘God sees you as the sheep.’ Thankfully, though, this turns out not to be the case.
All of which leads to a followup question: If in the end God provided an animal, why not just provide what Yitzchak asked about, a sheep? A possible answer can be found in Mishnah Avot (5:6), where we learn that “there were ten things created on Erev Shabbat at twilight/עֲשָׂרָה דְבָרִים נִבְרְאוּ בְּעֶרֶב שַׁבָּת בֵּין הַשְּׁמָשׁוֹת,” including “the ram of Avraham our forefather/וְאֵילוֹ שֶׁל אַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ.” According to this, there was a plan in place from Creation to prevent Avraham from going through with the sacrifice, with the substitute being a ram. That plan couldn’t change because of the subsequent conversation between Yitzchak and Avraham.
It is worth adding that, according to this Mishnah, the ram barely made it into existence (much like Yitzchak himself). It was created on Erev Shabbat, at twilight, right before Shabbat began. And in the list of Erev Shabbat creations, the main commonality is that they are all miraculous items, occurring outside the natural order. Thus, plan or no plan, it was miraculous the ram appeared just in time to save Yitzchak’s life, and that Avraham noticed it in time, just as it was perhaps miraculous that Yitzchak and Avraham even raised the possibility that there would be an animal to sacrifice in the first place.
May we all believe that there is a divine plan in place to support us when needed, and may we all have the strength and vision to ask “where/אַיֵּה,” enabling us and others to perceive, even under challenging circumstances, the more positive directions that our lives can take.
Shabbat shalom!
Rabbi Jack Nahmod
Middle School Judaic Studies Head (Ivrit/Limudei Kodesh/Tefillah)
