I know that once the Torah portion is lained or chanted on Shabbos morning, it is practically on to the following weeks Torah portion. By mincha time on Shabbos afternoon, we are already reading the beginning of the next weeks portion. This past Shabbos we read the portion of Vayera, but even though we are now at Chayei Sarah, I am not done with Vayera yet. I couldnt wait until next year!
One of the most difficult narratives in the Torah is in Vayera the binding of Isaac. From the time we are little children we all know the famous story. But this time I noticed something different, something sad, that seemed present in the narrative.
Even before the actual binding scene, one of the most famous images of the story is that of Abraham and Isaac, father and son, walking together to the place of the sacrifice.
Adding to the intimacy of their journey is their dialogue. And Isaac spoke to Abraham his father, and said, my father (avi): and he said, here I am (hineini), my son (bni) an intimate father-and-son moment, each addressing the other with deep affection, avi, my father, and bni, my son.
Then comes the evident trust that lived between them, for the Torah continues:
And Isaac said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? And Abraham said, My son, G-d will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering.
A child (though Isaac was 37 years old at the time, but still) asks his father a question, wondering what and how the sacrifice will be. The father answers, and that is enough for the child. No further questions asked.
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