The captivating lesson of Avraham’s self-sacrifice

Genesis 18:1 – 22:24

They were young Israeli men and women. Held in captivity by savage terrorists, one would expect them to question the ways of the Creator. Yet the opposite occurred! Eitan Horn of Kibbutz Nir Oz revealed that in Gaza, he fasted on Yom Kippur and observed the holy day properly for the first time in his life.

When Segev Kalfon saw Hamas terrorists on a Gaza stage prior to his release, he wanted to jump on the platform and scream: “Shema Yisrael, Hashem Elokeinu, Hashem Echad.”

Rom Braslavsky was promised more food and better conditions if he would convert. But he kept repeating: “I am a strong Jew!” Once free, he said: “A Jew must know that he comes from greatness, that he’s not like everyone else.”

Omer Shem Tov said that in captivity he spoke to Hashem and he felt that Hashem was with him, listening.

These are all incredible testimonies to the “Pintele Yid,” the Holy Spark present in every Jew. Yet many of the hostages never thought about that spark, or even knew it existed until they were taken into the dungeons of hell. Like fire in a flintstone, the spark remained hidden, just waiting to be revealed. What caused many of the hostages to display it while they were still in captivity? It defies logic.

Yet the answer is in this week’s Torah portion, Vayeira, in which Hashem asks Avraham, “Please take your son, your only son, whom you love, Yitzchak … and offer him as a sacrifice.”

The sages in the Talmud (Sanhedrin 89b) explain, “The Holy One, Blessed be He, told Avraham. ‘I have tested you many times, and you have withstood all of them. Please withstand this test, as well, so that no one will say that the other tests were meaningless.’”

It is a strange passage. Each previous test had meaning or it would not have been given. What was different about this test? One possible response is that each previous trial uncovered a different quality or power that Avraham possessed. However, this test was tied to Avraham’s very being.

On an emotional level, Avraham was being asked to choose between following G-d and following his own head and heart, which were bound to his son. In fact, Avraham had already shown that he was prepared to sacrifice his own life when he was thrown into a flaming pit by King Nimrod. Asking Avraham to sacrifice his son and remain alive was something else altogether.

Furthermore, Avraham had spent his life teaching the world about a compassionate G-d who made man in His image, and who emphasized living a just and righteous life. Now Avraham was being asked to reject those values and commit cold-blooded murder.

There is further point. Throughout thousands of years, Jews have given their lives for the sake of G-d’s name. Yet Avraham’s experience was/is so integral to Jewish life and faith that we say it in our prayers daily and make special mention of it on Rosh Hashanah, the Day of Judgment.

Our sages state, “All beginnings are difficult.” Avraham was the first Jew to undergo such a test. He cleared the way for a myriad of others to follow over time. Beyond that, he performed his deed with love and fear that integrated self-sacrifice and self-nullification to Hashem. In this way, Avraham showed that he, and by extension his seed, were worthy of having the Pintele Yid, a Holy Soul, implanted within every Jewish body.

How do we know that all this reflects the truth of Judaism and the Jewish people? Look at the effect that hostages are having on other Jews. Their spark has brought out the hidden spark in other Jews from all walks of life, all around the world. It is a spark that blazes with love and longing for Hashem. It is a spark which cannot be extinguished by anyone or anything. Ultimately, it is a spark that will light the way to a new era of peace and prosperity in Israel and around the worId with the coming of Moshiach! PJC

Rabbi Yossi Rosenblum is head of school of Yeshiva Schools of Pittsburgh and rabbi of Congregation Kesser Torah. This column is a service of the Vaad Harabonim of Greater Pittsburgh.