#akeida

וַיִּקְרָא אַבְרָהָם שֵׁם הַמָּקוֹם הַהוּא ה' יִרְאֶה אֲשֶׁר יֵאָמֵר הַיּוֹם בְּהַר ה' יֵרָאֶה (בראשית כב, יד)

And Avraham named that place, "G-d shall see", so it is said to this day: on the mountain, G-d will be seen. (Beraishis 22:14)

Avraham's prayers were granted. The location of the Akeida, the Binding of Yitzchak, was chosen by G-d as the place of the mizbei'ach, the altar in the Beis Hamikdash. The Beis Hamikdash would be designated as both the epicenter of Divine worship, "a House for G-d, prepared for sacrifices to be offered within," as well as, "where we celebrate three times a year (Rambam, Beis Habechirah 1:1)" – where G-d would be seen, perceived by all the pilgrims to Jerusalem for the holidays.

These two themes in the Beis Hamikdash reflect two fundamental aspects of Jewish belief that the episode of the Akeida served to establish.

In the words of the Rambam (Moreh Nevuchim 3:24): "[The Akeidah] informs us the extent of love and awe of G-d... The angel, therefore, said to him [Avraham], ‘For now I know that you fear G-d' (22:12). That is, from this action, for which you deserve to be truly called a G-d fearing man, all people shall learn how far we must go in the fear of G-d." Secondly, the Akeida "informs us the degree to which the prophets are certain about their revelations from G-d in prophecy... Avraham agreed to offer his only and beloved son as he was commanded, even though this command came in a dream or a vision... He would not have done so if he had even the slightest doubt about the vision's veracity."

The devotion to G-d that Avraham inspired in the world through his readiness to sacrifice his son at G-d's request set the location of the Akeida as the stage for mankind's highest form of Divine worship – the sacrifices which were offered on the mizbei'ach.

The faith in G-dly revelation through prophecy that was inspired by Avraham's confidence in the command of the Akeida earned the place of the Akeida the designation as the seat of G-d's future revelation and manifestation.

קַח נָא אֶת בִּנְךָ אֶת יְחִידְךָ אֲשֶׁר אָהַבְתָּ אֶת יִצְחָק וְלֶךְ לְךָ אֶל אֶרֶץ הַמֹּרִיָּה וְהַעֲלֵהוּ שָׁם לְעֹלָה - בראשית כב, ב 

Please take your son, your only one, whom you love, Yitzchak, and go away to the land of Moriah and bring him up there for a burnt offering. (Bereishit 22:2)

To knowingly give up your life runs contrary to the basic human instincts of survival. Yet, our history is filled with kedoshim, holy martyrs who accepted death rather than submit to a belief contrary to the Torah. Chassidus explains that they drew their strength from Avraham, who "opened the channels of self-sacrifice", enabling his descendants to access the supernatural ability to part with one's very existence for the sanctification of G-d's name.

But throughout history, people of other faiths too have sacrificed their lives for their beliefs. What makes Avraham's strain of self-sacrifice different?

The singularity of Avraham's self-sacrifice, and consequently, his descendants', comes to light in the Akeida.

The ultimate test of sacrifice is not to part with your life, but to part with your entire identity and existence. It's possible for someone to feel that he's better off dead than alive. For example, martyrdom can be driven by a belief of great rewards in the afterlife, or that life without living freely by your beliefs isn't worth living. In either case, however, the motivation is the betterment of your state of existence.

The Akeida was different. Avraham had dedicated his life to the discovery and propagation of a belief in the One G-d, Creator of heaven and earth, contrary to all the pagan beliefs of his time.  Even when this faith had caused Avraham's life to be threatened, one could argue that Avraham's willingness to sacrifice his life was for the furtherance of this very belief, by showing the world the extent of his convictions. But to sacrifice Yitzchak, especially with no one around to know about it, would not further this belief but defeat it. It would extinguish any hope that the belief system that had been Avraham's raison d'etre would be passed on to future generations. This was truly a sacrifice of everything for which Avraham felt that he existed.

The Akeida revealed that Avraham's self-sacrifice was not driven by hopes of achievement or even spiritual gain, but solely by his unbreakable devotion to G-d's every command.