Communities

Writing
Writing
Codidact Meta
Codidact Meta
The Great Outdoors
The Great Outdoors
Photography & Video
Photography & Video
Scientific Speculation
Scientific Speculation
Cooking
Cooking
Electrical Engineering
Electrical Engineering
Judaism
Judaism
Languages & Linguistics
Languages & Linguistics
Software Development
Software Development
Mathematics
Mathematics
Christianity
Christianity
Code Golf
Code Golf
Music
Music
Physics
Physics
Linux Systems
Linux Systems
Power Users
Power Users
Tabletop RPGs
Tabletop RPGs
Community Proposals
Community Proposals
tag:snake search within a tag
answers:0 unanswered questions
user:xxxx search by author id
score:0.5 posts with 0.5+ score
"snake oil" exact phrase
votes:4 posts with 4+ votes
created:<1w created < 1 week ago
post_type:xxxx type of post
Search help
Notifications
Mark all as read See all your notifications »
Q&A

Welcome to the Judaism community on Codidact!

Will you help us build our community of learners? Drop into our study hall, ask questions, help others with answers to their questions, share a d'var torah if you're so inclined, invite your friends, and join us in building this community together. Not an ask-the-rabbi service, just people at all levels learning together.

Why didn't Yitzchak help his father?

+5
−0

In Bereishis 22, the story of the עקידת יצחק (binding of Isaac) takes place. When Avraham sets up the altar in Bereishis 22:9, the Pasuk says:

וַיָּבֹ֗אוּ אֶֽל־הַמָּקוֹם֮ אֲשֶׁ֣ר אָֽמַר־ל֣וֹ הָאֱלֹהִים֒ וַיִּ֨בֶן שָׁ֤ם אַבְרָהָם֙ אֶת־הַמִּזְבֵּ֔חַ וַֽיַּעֲרֹ֖ךְ אֶת־הָעֵצִ֑ים וַֽיַּעֲקֹד֙ אֶת־יִצְחָ֣ק בְּנ֔וֹ וַיָּ֤שֶׂם אֹתוֹ֙ עַל־הַמִּזְבֵּ֔חַ מִמַּ֖עַל לָעֵצִֽים
They arrived at the place of which God had told him. Abraham built an altar there; he (Abraham) laid out the wood; he (Abraham) bound his son Isaac; he (Abraham) laid him on the altar, on top of the wood.

Why didn't Yitzchak help his father to set up the altar, wood, and get on the altar (or why isn't there any mention of it)? What happened to the Mitzvah of Kibbud Av Veim (honoring your parents)?

History
Why does this post require moderator attention?
You might want to add some details to your flag.
Why should this post be closed?

1 comment thread

General comments (8 comments)

1 answer

+5
−0

Chizkuni writes:

Avraham built an altar;” Yitzchok did not participate in that activity; the reason that he did not do so was not that he would not have been willing to do so, but his father had hidden him so that Satan would not be able to tempt him, as he had tried to tempt Avraham not to carry out G-d’s request by hurting him so that he would be unfit to serve as an offering.

Malbim writes:

"ויבאו אל המקום. ספר הכתוב שאחר שידע יצחק שיש סברה שהוא יהיה השה וראה שבאו אל המקום ושם בנה מזבח וערך עצים הוא לבדו ולא שתף את יצחק לעזרו במעשים אלה, מזה ידע בברור שהוא נבחר לקרבן שע"כ לא יעבוד בו שום עבודה, ובזה אם לא היה מסכים אל המעשה, לא היה מניח שיעקדנו אביו אחר שידע בברור שעקדו ע"מ לשחטו, והוא היה בן ל"ז ואברהם איש זקן, בכ"ז מסר א"ע ברצונו לקרבן, ובזה נשלם הנסיון גם מצד יצחק..."

Translation: "And they arrived at the place. The written text tells us that after Yitzchak surmised that he will be the sheep and saw that they came to the place, and there he [Avraham] built an altar and prepared the wood by himself and didn't share the work with Yitzchak, to allow him to help in these acts, from here he [Yitzchak] knew with certainty that he was chosen to be the sacrifice and for this he [Avraham] didn't work him in any labor [I believe this is related to the din of "on which no yoke has been laid"] and in this if he didn't agree to this act, he would not have permitted his father to lay him on the altar after knowing with certainty that he was laying him in order to slaughter him, and he was 37 years old and Avraham was an old man, even so he gave himself willingly as a sacrifice, and in here was completed the test from the side of Yitzchak..."

History
Why does this post require moderator attention?
You might want to add some details to your flag.

0 comment threads

Sign up to answer this question »