Weekly Story: Passing the Ultimate Test

by Rabbi Sholom D. Avtzon

Akeidas Yitzchok is one of the most significant events in Jewish history. Its message is so crucial, that it is recited ever morning before Shacharis. On Rosh Hashanah it has special prominence, as we read that portion of the Torah on the second day of Rosh Hashanah. Additionally, we blow a Shofar taken from a Ram, in commemoration of the ram that was sacrificed by Avrohom avinu on the alter, in place of his son Yitzchok avinu. The following story gives a deeper insight into what Akeidas Yitzchok is all about.

The Maggid had 120 outstanding talmidim (students). However, there were other great talmidei chachomim (Torah scholars) who came to the Maggid, but for reasons known to him, they weren’t accepted as his students. Some of them returned home; however, others refused to be denied. If they wouldn’t be accepted as a talmid, they would serve as a shammas. They would clean the beis hamidrash and take care of errands. They would learn from the great Maggid through serving him. After all, when the possuk describes the greatness of Elisha the prophet, it specifies that he “poured water for the prophet Eliyahu.”

Once, late at night, three of these shamoshim entered the beis hamidrash to clean up and put the seforim in their proper places on the shelves. The Alter Rebbe wanted to find out the true essence of these people, so he acted as if he was sound asleep. This way he could listen into their conversation as they would speak uninhibitedly.

The Alter Rebbe heard as one of these shamoshim asked the others: “What is the greatness of the fact that Avrohom Avinu brought his son Yitzchok to the akeidah? Throughout our history, hundreds upon thousands of Jews were moser nefesh (sacrificed their life) in actuality; fathers, mothers, and indeed entire families?!”

The other two asked him, “And what is your answer?”

He responded, “I believe the greatness of Avrohom Avinu is the fact that he was the first one to have mesiras nefesh. He showed us the way. Every Jew that was moser nefesh afterwards received that strength from him.”

One of the others objected and said, “No, that is not a sufficient answer. Throughout history, all of those Jews were faced with a situation of mesiras nefesh, and maybe they indeed received the inspiration from Avrohom Avinu to stand firm in their belief in Hashem. However, I am positive that if Hashem would have personally told any Jew to slaughter his son, he would have done so even if no one ever did it before him. After all, who wouldn’t fulfill a commandment he heard directly from Hashem?! There must be something more to it.”

“So then,” the others asked, “What do you say is Avrohom’s greatness?”

“I believe,” he replied, “Avrohom’s greatness lies in the swiftness and simcha (joy) he had in fulfilling Hashem’s command. After all, Hashem had just said, ‘Take your son.’  Hashem did not say when he was to do so. Avrohom could have waited and spent some more time with his beloved son. But no, he fulfilled Hashem’s command immediately, as the possuk says, ‘And Avrohom woke up early in the morning and saddled his donkey’. That is impressive.”

I don’t think so, said the third. It was obvious that Hashem wanted it to be done immediately. Otherwise He wouldn’t have relayed the commandment to Avrohom at that moment. If anyone were to receive a commandment directly from Hashem, he would certainly fulfill it immediately!”

“If so,” the other two asked, “According to your opinion, what do you say is his greatness?”

The third shamosh replied: As much as we all love Hashem, we also love our children. So yes, we would have fulfilled his commandment right away and with joy. But if a malach (angel) would then come and instruct me not to sacrifice my beloved child, I, for one, would have breathed a sigh of relief. This is where the greatness of Avrohom Avinu is expressed. Even when he didn’t sacrifice his son, he did so only because that was the will of Hashem and not because he was happy that his son’s life was spared.”

Years later, when the Alter Rebbe related this conversation, he added, “Each “shamosh” was holding at the level he had discussed.”

The Tzemach Tzedek writes in a maamar, [while the above is true, but] the truest answer is, that Avrohom Avinu didn’t question the commandment. The natural response of any human would have been, “How could you command me to do this? You yourself said that all of my descendants will come through Yitzchok. So how can you now instruct me to slaughter him before he had a child?”

So the greatness of Avrohom was that he didn’t question Hashem, for even a mere second.

This well-known story was related by a mashpia at a farbrengen. He continued, perhaps this is the reason why we layn (read) the story of the akeidah on Rosh Hashanah. It is not only so that we can reap its benefits, – as the midrash tells us that Hashem sees the ashes of Yitzchok in front of Him and His mercy is aroused on his offspring – but also so that we can learn from Avrohom Avinu.

We all face challenges, some of which may even cast doubts in our belief. Indeed the most difficult challenge is the one that challenges our faith. We all have questions, how can Hashem allow or want this or that tragedy etc, to happen.

This is what we learn from Avrohom Avinu: Don’t allow doubts to enter your mind. Realize that Hashem’s understanding and knowledge is not merely tremendously greater than ours, but it is infinitely greater, and therefore it is natural that our limited understanding doesn’t comprehend everything, but that doesn’t mean we should question Him;

This, indeed, is the final test of the Jewish nation. May we speedily merit passing the test and we shall all hear the blow of the shofar announcing that Moshiach has arrived!!

May all of Israel be blessed with only apparent good, in everything they need and desire, a kesiva v’chasima tova l’shana tova umesuka to all.

The author can be reached at avtzonbooks@gmail.com.