After Abraham passed the test of the
"Akeida" ('Binding of Isaac'), an angel called out to him:
This blessing appears to be contradictory. On the one hand, Abraham's
descendants will be victorious over their enemies ("your offspring
shall conquer their enemies' gate"). On the other hand, his
descendants will be loved and appreciated by the entire world ("all the
nations shall be blessed through your descendants"). What will be the
lot of the Abraham's children - enmity from the nations, or love and
appreciation?
Also: why did God compare Abraham's offspring to both the stars and the
sand? Are they not both objects which cannot be counted?
God's angel appeared to Abraham twice. The angel appeared the first
time just as Abraham was about to slaughter his son:
Why were there two messages from heaven? Rav Kook explained that two
themes pervade the test of the 'Akeida' and the blessings which God
subsequently bestowed. The Akeida relates to two levels of holiness. This
first is a latent holiness, concealed in the inner soul. The second is a
holiness revealed in action and deed.
The first call from heaven stopped Abraham from physically carrying out
the 'Akeida'. This summons belonged to the hidden inner state of sanctity,
truly revealed only to God. "For now I know that you fear God".
Only God knew the true greatness of Abraham's inner soul. This holiness
could not be expressed in any external activity. "Do not do
anything".
The angel appeared a second time after Abraham had sacrificed the ram
in place of his son. Abraham's inner dedication and devotion had now been
revealed in the physical realm of action. At this point the angel could
inform Abraham that his blessing was not limited to himself, to his own
inner spiritual world, but extended to all generations of his descendants.
Abraham succeeded in expressing this inner holiness in the outer physical
world. The angel emphasized this aspect when saying, "because you
performed this act".
What is the meaning of God's unusual form of an oath, "I have sworn
by My own Essence"? This short phrase refers to both hidden and
revealed dimensions. God's Essence is, of course, the deepest, most
profound secret. On the other hand, to swear is to promise to take action,
to fulfill and act upon an inner decision. The word "oath"
('shvua') has the same Hebrew root as "'seven", relating it to the
seven days of creation and the physical world.
This dichotomy of the hidden and the revealed explains the dual nature
of God's blessing to Abraham. Why will his children be like the stars and
the sand? They will reach for the stars - to attain their sublime inner
aspirations of love towards God. Yet they will be like the sand, with a
unveiled holiness, expressed in practical, down-to-earth ways.
The destiny of Abraham's descendants among the nations also carries
this dual nature. In the beginning the Jewish people appeared as yet
another nation in the world, struggling against enemies and foes. Their
inner sanctity hidden and unrecognized, the Jewish people needed God's
blessing of "conquering their enemies' gate".
But in the future, when God's hidden light will be revealed on Israel,
all the nations will realize that this is not an ordinary nation, but the
revelation of God's Word among humanity and the entire universe. The inner
sanctity of Israel will be apparent to all, and "all the nations of the
world shall be blessed through your descendants".
[Olat Riiah I: 94-6]
"God declares: I have sworn by My own
Essence, that because you performed this act, and did not hold back
your only son, I will bless you greatly, and increase your offspring
like the stars of the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your
offspring shall conquer their enemies' gate. All the nations of the
world shall be blessed through your descendants - all because you
obeyed My voice." [Gen 22:16-18]
"Do not harm the boy. Do not do
anything to him. For now I know that you fear God." [Gen 22:12]
Hidden and Revealed Holiness
