Love and Fear

Lech Lecha 5770

Rabbi Ari Kahn

Parshat Lech Lecha begins in what seems to be the middle

– the middle of Avraham's life, the middle of some ongoing
dialogue or relationship between Avraham and God, the
middle of a paradigm shift, the middle of Terah's failed
voyage to Canaan. The gap in the biographical information
leaves us at a loss to understand why Avraham has been
chosen1. This dearth of detail becomes even more curious
when we compare it to last week's parsha: Despite
everything we don't know about Noach, at a very
minimum we are told that he was a righteous man who
walked with God. He was set apart from his generation by
a certain moral uniqueness. What do we know about
Avraham? Avraham was introduced at the end of Parshat
Noach in almost laconic terms: Terah, son of Nahor, takes
Lot, his grandson by his deceased son, as well as Avram,
one of his two surviving sons, and Avram's wife Sarai, and
sets out for Canaan. He makes it as far as Charan, and the
narrative stops there. We know nothing of the moral fiber
of this family, no personal details about any of the
characters. In fact, the commentaries suggest that
Terach's son Nahor was only a half-brother to Avraham
and Nahor, and that Sarai was actually a sister to Lot and
Milka. In short, the opening statement of our present
parsha takes us by surprise:

‫ד‬-‫ א‬,‫ספר בראשית פרק יב‬

‫אל‬ֶ ָ ‫ביך‬ ִ ‫בית א‬ ֵ ‫מ‬ִ ‫דתְך ָ ו‬ ְ ַ‫ממול‬ ִ ‫מאר ְצ ְך ָ ו‬ֵ ָ ‫רם לֶך ְ לְך‬ ָ ְ‫אל אב‬ ֶ '‫מר ה‬ ֶ ‫ו ַֹיא‬
‫מך ָ ו ֶהְֵיה‬ ֶ ‫ש‬
ְ ‫לה‬ ָ ‫ד‬ְ ַ ‫גדול ו ַאֲבָר ֶכ ְך ָ ו ַאֲג‬ ָ ‫לגוי‬
ְ ָ ‫שך‬
ְ ‫ע‬ ֶ ֶ‫ ו ְא‬:‫ך‬ָ ֶ‫שר אר ְא‬ ֶ ֲ‫רץ א‬ ֶ ‫הא‬ ָ
‫חת‬ ֹ ְ ‫שפ‬ְ ‫מ‬ ִ ‫כל‬ ֹ ָ ‫רכו בְך‬ ְ ְ‫אר ו ְנ ִב‬ ֹ ‫קלֶלְך ָ א‬ ַ ‫מ‬
ְ ‫כיך ָ ו‬ֶ ֲ ‫מבָר‬ְ ‫כה‬ ָ ְ ‫ ו ַאֲבָר‬:‫כה‬ ָ ָ ‫בְר‬
.‫מה‬ָ ‫ד‬ ָ ֲ‫הָא‬

Regarding the midrashic material describing Avraham's early life see 1

.Explorations
 And God said to Avram, "Go forth from your land
and your birthplace and from the house of your
father to the land that I will show you; and I will
make you into a great nation and I will bless ayou
and I will magnify your name and you will be a
blessing. And I will bless those that bless you and
curse those who curse you, and all the nations of the
earth shall be blessed because of you. (Bereishit
12:1-4)

Avram merits direct communication, intimate personal

involvement with God. He is given a direct commandment,
and promised almost unimaginable reward. We have no
inkling as to the events that precipitate this
commandment.

If the text of our parsha leaves us with questions, we may

turn to the haftorah reading chosen by our sages to fill in
the gaps. Yet here, too, there is a dearth of detail. The
haftorah reading for this portion is a section taken from
the Book of Yishaiyahu, 40: 26-41 through 41: 16. This
reading speaks, in general, about the nature of the People
of Israel as God's chosen nation. There is only one
reference to Avraham in the section:

‫ספר ישעיה פרק מא‬

‫)ח( ואתה ישראל עבדי יעקב אשר בחרתיך זרע אברהם אהבי‬

You are Yisrael, my servant Yaakov whom I have

chosen, descendents of Avraham who loved Me.

We are left to surmise from this verse that the

"chosenness" of The People of Israel is a result of the
chosenness of Yaakov, which is a result of Avraham's love
of God. Clearly, this is a very central tenet of our faith, a
pillar of our national identity; where, then, can we find
Avraham's love of God in the text of the Torah?

Rashi analyzes the text of the Haftorah for clues:

‫רש"י ישעיה פרק מא פסוק ח‬

 ‫זרע אברהם אוהבי – שלא הכירני מתוך תוכחה ולימוד אבותיו אלא‬
:‫מתוך אהבה‬

Avraham finds God not through fear or rebuke, nor

through the teachings of his father, but through love.
Avraham comes to a unique and solitary understanding of
God, Creator and Sustainer of the Universe, as the source
and essence of love. As this parsha unfolds, each episode
of Avraham's life story must be seen through the prism of
Avraham's discovery of God.

Other commentaries expand Rashi's comment in order to

bring into focus the details of Avraham's life.

‫ פרשת וירא תורה אור‬- ‫ ספר בראשית‬- ‫ספר השל"ה הקדוש‬

(‫)ג‬
‫ ומאחר שזכה‬,‫ומדת החסד הוא סוד האהבה כמו שיתבאר לקמן‬
‫ אשר על זה נאמר אברהם‬,‫אברהם אבינו למדת החסד נכנס לאהבה‬
.‫אוהבי‬

And the attribute of hesed is the mystery of love, as

we shall see; and once Avraham merited the
attribute of hesed he entered this love, and in this
regard the verse refers to 'Avraham who loved Me'.

The love which Avraham discovers, the attribute of God as

a loving and sustaining Creator, is manifest in God's
attribute of hesed, and this becomes the defining attribute
of Avraham's relationship with God and with his fellow
men for the rest of his life.

Other commentaries interpret this verse differently, with

an ear to the echoes of the word ahava as it appears later
in the Torah. First, the Ramban's discussion of ahavat
Hashem (love of God), as it appears in his commentary on
the Ten Commandments:

‫רמב"ן על שמות פרק כ פסוק ו‬

‫ כי המודים‬,‫ הם המוסרים נפשם עליו‬,‫לאהביו‬... ‫לאהבי ולשומרי מצותי‬
‫בשם הנכבד ובאלהותו לבדו ויכפרו בכל אלוה נכר ולא יעבדו אותם‬
‫ כי זו היא האהבה שנתחייבנו בה‬,‫ יקראו אוהביו‬,‫עם סכנת נפשם‬
‫ כמו שאמר ואהבת את ה' אלהיך בכל לבבך ובכל נפשך‬,‫בנפשותינו‬
,‫ שלא תחליפנו באל אחר‬,‫ שתמסור נפשך וחייך באהבתו‬,(‫)דברים ו ה‬
‫ולא תשתף עמו אל נכר ולכך נאמר באברהם זרע אברהם אוהבי‬
‫ שנתן נפשו שלא יעבוד ע"ז באור כשדים ושאר‬,(‫)ישעיה מא ח‬
‫הצדיקים יקראו שומרי מצותיו ורבים פירשו )עי' רמב"ם בפירוש משנה‬
‫סנהדרין ריש פרק י( כי אוהביו העובדים מאהבה שלא על מנת לקבל‬
:(‫ כמו שהזכירו חכמים )בספרי דברים יא יג‬,‫פרס‬

"And I (God) will do hesed to those who love Me and

to those who safeguard My commandments": …
Those who love God are they who forfeit their souls
for Him, those who know and recognize God's
singularity and sovereignty and reject any foreign
power or deity, even if doing so puts them in mortal
danger – they are called ohavei Hashem (lovers of
God), for this is the love that is required of us by the
verse "And you shall love the Almighty your God with
all of your heart and with all of your soul." You are
required to forfeit you soul and your life for His love,
that you must not exchange love of God for any other
(god), nor accept any other deity along with Him. In
this regard Avraham is called "Avraham who loved
Me," because he forfeited his life rather than worship
other gods in Ur Kasdim. Other righteous people are
called "those who safeguard His commandments",
and other authorities have pointed out in many
instances (see Rambam's Commentary on the
Mishna, Sanhedrin, beginning of Chapter 10) that this
refers to those who serve God motivated only by love
and not in the hope of receiving any reward (see Sifri
Devarm 11:13). Ramban Sh'mot 10:6

The Ramban equates love of God with uncompromising

monotheism. The Jew is commanded, notes the Rambam,
to love God "with all your heart and all your soul," even to
the point of martyrdom. This is the sort of love of God that
Avraham had: his belief in the singularity and uniqueness
of God was so absolute and exclusive that he was
prepared to die rather than worship the pagan gods of Ur
Kasdim. Ramban here refers to an incident that does not
appear in the text of the Torah but which has become so
ingrained in our collective consciousness that it is an
axiom of our faith: Avraham was cast into the fiery furnace
when he espoused monotheism and refused to renounce
his belief in the Oneness of God.

The Ramban continues his analysis of the concept of

ahavat Hashem (love of God), and his conclusion gives us
pause:

‫ ולשומרי‬- ‫ זה אברהם וכיוצא בו‬,‫ומצאתי במכילתא )כאן( לאוהבי‬

,‫ לאוהבי ולשומרי מצותי‬,‫ אלו הנביאים והזקנים רבי נתן אומר‬,‫מצותי‬
‫אלו שהם יושבים בארץ ישראל ונותנין נפשם על המצות מה לך יוצא‬
‫ על שקראתי בתורה‬,‫ על שמלתי את בני מה לך יוצא לישרף‬,‫ליהרג‬
‫ות"ק שאמר זה אברהם‬... ‫ על שאכלתי את המצה‬,‫מה לך יוצא ליצלב‬
‫ אינו נכון שיאמר שהיו הנביאים עושים על מנת לקבל‬,‫ואלו הנביאים‬
‫ כענין‬,‫ אמר שאברהם מסר נפשו באהבה‬,‫ אבל יש בזה סוד‬,‫פרס‬
:‫ ושאר הנביאים בגבורה והבן זה‬,‫שכתוב חסד לאברהם‬

And I found in the Mikhilta on this verse: 'To those

that love Me' refers to Avraham and his kind; 'To
those who safeguard My commandments' refers to
the Prophets and the Elders. Rabbi Natan says, "To
those who love Me and those who safeguard My
commandments,' this refers to them that dwell in the
Land of Israel and martyr themselves: 'Why are you
being taken out to be killed?' 'Because I circumcised
my son.' 'Why are you to be burned at the stake?'
'Because I studied Torah.' 'Why are you to be
crucified?' 'Because I ate matza (on Pesach)'…And
those who intimate that the first part of the verse
refers to Avraham, and the second part to the
Prophets (intimating that the latter sought reward for
their service of God) are incorrect. Herein lies a
mystery: Avraham forfeited his soul out of ahava,
whereas the others were motivated by gevura.
Avraham was motivated by love - not by justice, not by
truth, nor by any other attribute through which God
relates to the world. The prophets and other righteous
martyrs were motivated by these other aspects of God's
uniqueness; Avraham alone related to God purely through
ahava.

Elsewhere, the Ramban extrapolates from this unique

relationship between Avraham and God:

‫רמב"ן על דברים פרק ז פסוק ז‬

‫ כי הבחירה‬,‫ מכל העמים שתהיו אתם סגולה ונחלה לו‬,‫ויבחר בכם‬...
‫ כי מאהבת ה' אתכם בחר‬,‫בכל מקום ברירה מן האחרים ואמר הטעם‬
‫ שראה אתכם ראויים להתאהב לפניו ונבחרים לאהבה יותר מכל‬,‫בכם‬
‫ כי הנבחר לאוהב הידוע‬,‫העמים ולא הזכיר בזה טעם מן הבחירה‬
,‫ וישראל ראויים לכך מכל עם‬,‫לסבול את אוהבו בכל הבא עליו ממנו‬
‫ כי יעמדו לו‬,‫( שלשה עזים הם ישראל באומות‬:‫כמו שאמרו )ביצה כה‬
(‫ או יהודאי או צלוב )שמו"ר מב ט‬,‫בנסיונות‬

And He chose you from all the nations to be uniquely

beloved and to be his portion, because in all cases
choice is a differentiation from from others, and He
stated the reason: Because of God's love for you He
chose you, for He saw that you are worthy of being
loved and preferred you for this love more than all
other nations. And He gave no reason for this choice,
because the one chosen for love is most capable of
suffering anything that may befall him because of
that love. And Israel are more capable of suffering
than all the other nations… Ramban D'varim 7:7

Just as Avraham was chosen because he was willing to go

into the furnace for his belief, the Jewish People are
chosen by God because they are capable or more inclined
to suffer for their love and their belief. Avraham's love of
God manifests itself in his willingness to go into the
furnace, and this creates the chosenness. Over the ages,
Avraham's descendents have proven again and again that
they are willing to suffer for their love of God, to die for
their belief.

Other commentaries see the manifestation of Avraham's

ahavat Hashem not in martyrdom but in the conduct of his
life: Avraham spent his life spreading the belief in One
God, not because he was a seeker of truth but because his
love of God was so great that he could not contain this
information. In fact, the Rambam formulates this type of
ahavat Hashem as the third in his list of positive
commandments by which each and every Jew is obligated:

‫ מצוה ג‬- ‫ מצות עשה‬- ‫ספר המצות להרמב"ם‬

‫ וכבר אמרו שמצוה זו כוללת גם‬... ‫ היא שצונו לאהבו יתעלה‬- ‫מצוה ג‬
‫כן שנדרש ונקרא האנשים כלם לעבודתו ית' ולהאמין בו וזה כשתאהב‬
‫אדם תשים לבך עליו ותשבחהו ותבקש האנשים לאהב אותו וזה על צד‬
‫המשל כן כשתאהב האל באמת כמה שהגיעה לך מהשגת אמיתתו הנה‬
‫אתה בלי ספק תדרש ותקרא הכופרים והסכלים לידיעת האמת אשר‬
‫ידעת אותה ולשון ספרי ואהבת את ה' אהבהו על הבריות כאברהם‬
‫אביך שנאמר ואת הנפש אשר עשו בחרן ר"ל כמו שאברהם בעבור‬
‫שהיה אוהב השם כמו שהעיד הכתוב אברהם אוהבי שהיה גם כן לגודל‬
‫השגתו דרש האנשים אל האמונה מחוזק אהבתו כן אתה אהוב אותו עד‬
:‫שתדרש האנשים אליו‬

The third positive commandment: The Transcendent

One has commanded that we love Him… And our
sages have already taught that this commandment
includes that we teach and call out to all other men
to serve Him and to believe in Him; just as when you
love another person you will constantly have him in
mind and praise him to others, and seek to make
others love him. This is analogous to love of God, for
a person who truly loves God will attempt to
enlighten others insofar as his own grasp of God has
enlightened him, and he will surely try to persuade
the non-believers and the unenlightened to see the
truth as he has seen it. So it is written in the Sifri,
'And you shall love the Almighty your God, make him
 beloved upon others as did Avraham your Forefather,
as it is written, "and the souls they made in Charan"'
In other words, like Avraham, because of his love of
God, as scripture testifies "Avraham who loved Me,"
sought to influence others because of the great
understanding that he achieved, and because of his
love of God called out to others to believe, so you
should love God and thus bring others close to Him.
Sefer Hamitzvot Positive Commandment 3

Avraham 'ohavi is reflected in Avraham's desire to teach

the world about God, and the " souls they made in
Charan" who went along on this epic journey were the
intellectual and spiritual beneficiaries of Avraham's love of
God. Ahavat Hashem poured from Avraham like a stream,
washing over all those who came in contact with him. The
huge influence Avraham had over the people of his
generation is the manifestation of Avraham's love, and
this is the Avraham we meet as Parshat Lech L'cha begins.

‫ספר בראשית פרק כא‬

:‫לם‬
ָ ‫אל עו‬
ֵ '‫שם ה‬
ֵ ְ‫שם ב‬
ָ ‫רא‬
ָ ‫ק‬
ְ ִ ‫בע ו ַי‬
ַ ‫ש‬
ָ ‫אר‬
ֵ ְ‫של בִב‬
ֶ ֵ‫טע א‬
ַ ִ ‫)לג( ו ַי‬

And he planted an eshel in Be'er Sheva and he called

there in the name of God, Master of the Universe.
Bereishit 21:33

‫רש"י על בראשית פרק כא פסוק לג‬

‫אשל – רב ושמואל חד אמר פרדס להביא ממנו פירות לאורחים‬
‫ ומצינו לשון‬.‫ וחד אמר פונדק לאכסניא ובו כל מיני פירות‬.‫בסעודה‬
:‫נטיעה באהלים שנאמר )דניאל יא( ויטע אהלי אפדנו‬

‫ויקרא שם וגו' – על ידי אותו אשל נקרא שמו של הקב"ה אלוה לכל‬
‫העולם לאחר שאוכלים ושותים אמר להם ברכו למי שאכלתם משלו‬
‫סבורים אתם שמשלי אכלתם משל מי שאמר והיה העולם אכלתם‬
:(‫)סוטה י‬
 Rav and Shmuel disagree: One said, this refers to an
orchard. (Avraham) planted an orchard in order to
bring fruits to guests at his table. The other said that
this refers to an inn: (Avraham) opened an inn and
guesthouse to offer passersby all types of fruit…
"And he called, etc.:" Therough the agency of this
eshel the Holy One's Name was known as Master of
the entire Universe, for after they would eat and
drink (Avraham) would say to them, 'Bless the One
whose food you have eaten. Do you think that you
have eaten food that belongs to me? You have eaten
the food of He who spoke and created the world.
(Rashi on Bereishit 21, 33)

Kabbalistic sources interpret Avraham's acts of hesed in a

similar vein:

‫ פרק אחד עשר‬- ‫ספר מערכת האלקות‬

‫והכוונה שיחסו המדות האלה לאבות הוא מפני שאברהם רצה לדמות‬
‫לקונו במדת חסד שרצה לגמול חסד עם אנשי דורו כדי להמשיכם‬
‫לעבודת השם ית' ולכוונה הזאת קרבם אל ביתו והאכילם והשקם‬
.‫ וזה היה גמר חסד שעשה להם‬.'‫והמשיך את לבם לעבודת השם ית‬
‫ומפני שנתן הנהגתו בחסד שהיא מדה טובה לעניים ולעשירים יחסו לו‬
‫ ומפני שגם היא נקראת אהבה אמר הכתוב זרע אברהם‬.‫המדה ההיא‬
‫ ואמר בבהיר‬.‫אוהבי )ישעיה מא( וכבר זכרנו בשמות שנקרא אברהם‬
‫אמר חסד לפני הב"ה רבוש"ע כל ימי היות אברהם בעולם לא‬
:‫הוצרכתי אני לעשות מלאכתי כי אברהם היה עומד שם במקומי‬

The reason various Godly attributes are associated

with the forefathers is because Avraham wished to
resemble his Creator in the attribute of hesed. He
wanted to perform acts of kindness for the people of
his generation in order to draw them to worship God.
With this intention he brought them to his home and
gave them food and drink and drew their hearts to
the service of God. This is absolute hesed that he did
for them…And because this attribute is also called
love, he was called "Avraham who loved me". And
 the Sefer HaBahir relates that the attribute of Hesed
said to the Holy One, bleesed be He, 'Master of the
Universe, all the days that Avraham lived there was
no need for me to perform my task, for Avraham
stood there in my place."(Sefer Maarekhet Elokit,
Chapter 11)

The conduct and purpose of Avraham's life in Charan are

built around acts of hesed, but this hesed is of one piece
with Avraham's love of God. Avraham acts as a messenger
of God, carrying out the Will of God to bring hesed into the
world. He builds his home and concentrates all of his
efforts in order to invite guests into his home and share
with them an appreciation for the God of Hesed.
Avraham's love of God is so great that he cannot keep it to
himself, and the enlightenment he shares with his guests –
not the food or drink he offers them – is the greatest
hesed of all.

The Rambam, and the Netziv after him, described ahavat

Hashem in terms that may be most accessible to students
of modern philosophy:

‫ הלכות תשובה פרק י‬- ‫רמב"ם יד החזקה‬

‫)ב( העובד מאהבה עוסק בתורה ובמצות והולך בנתיבות החכמה לא‬
‫מפני דבר בעולם ולא מפני יראת הרעה ולא כדי לירש הטובה אלא‬
‫עושה האמת מפני שהוא אמת וסוף הטובה לבא בגללה ומעלה זו היא‬
‫מעלה גדולה מאד ואין כל חכם זוכה לה והיא מעלת אברהם אבינו‬
‫שקראו הקב"ה אוהבו לפי שלא עבד אלא מאהבה והיא המעלה שצונו‬
‫בה הקב"ה על ידי משה שנאמר ואהבת את ה' אלהיך ובזמן שיאהוב‬
:‫אדם את ה' אהבה הראויה מיד יעשה כל המצות מאהבה‬
 One who serves God out of love engages in Torah
and Mitzvot and walks the paths of wisdom, not
because of any worldly concern and not out of fear of
the evil that may befall him, and not to inherit the
benefits that will result, rather he does the truth
because it is truth, and in the end good will result
because of it. This is a very high level and not all
wise men achieve it. This is the level of Forefather
Avraham, of whom God said "who loved me," for he
served God only out of love. This is the level that God
commanded us through Moshe, for it says "You shall
love the Almighty your God." And when a person
loves God with the appropriate type of love, he will
immediately fulfill all the commandments out of love.
(Rambam, Mishne Torah, Laws of Teshuva, Chapter
10)

Avraham was the first, the prototypical seeker of truth. He

sought out truth, and found that God, in His hesed, is the
source of truth. He therefore sought to emulate God, not
in the hope of any reward or advantage, but because he
loved truth. This, according to the Rambam, is the highest
level of service of God: to fulfill commandments and to live
truth because it is truth.

The Netziv traces this train of thought in other episodes in

the parsha:

‫העמק דבר על בראשית פרק יד פסוק כג‬

‫ורק מאהבה הנני עובד והיינו כשבא ישעיה מ"א לאותו ענין אמר ועתה‬
‫ישראל עבדי וגו' זרע אברהם אוהבי דבאותו מעשה הראה אברהם‬
‫שעובד מאהבה ולא משום גמול והיה בזה דברו למלך סדום דאחר‬
‫ האיך‬.‫ אם אקח מכל אשר לך‬.‫שאינו מבקש שכר מהקב"ה ממילא‬
:‫אקבל ממך שכר‬

And only out of love do I serve, … By acting thus,

Avraham demonstrated that he served only out of
love and not for any reward. So it was in his words to
 the King of Sodom, for he did not seek any reward
from the Holy One Blessed be He. "If I take anything
that is yours:" If I seek no reward from God, I
certainly seek no reward from you.(Ha'amek Davar
on Bereishit 14:23)

When Avraham declines the reward offered to him by the

King of Sodom, it is not because this money is tainted, or
because Avraham hopes to receive a much greater reward
from God. Avraham seeks no reward for doing what is
right, for championing justice. He acts as he does simply
out of ahavat Hashem.

And yet, although this school of thought seems to present

an extremely intellectual approach, equating ahavat
Hashem with the search for truth, in this same passage
the Rambam describes ahavat Hashem in distinctly
emotional terms: ahavat Hashem is an all-consuming
emotional state which motivates and animates. It is
lovesickness for God's proximity, intimacy, favor.

This leads us to an underlying question that remains

unanswered: Is Avraham's discovery of God an expression
or an outgrowth of Avraham's own particular personality?
Is he able to relate to God as a God of love because he
himself is a person imbued with this outlook? Or does
Avraham become the person most identified with loving
others because of his discovery of God and his desire to
emulate and relate to God? This question becomes most
poignant when we consider the akeida, the ultimate test
of Avraham's hesed. It is with this test that the Torah
throws a spotlight on the entire question of Avraham's
personality, his relationship with God, and the very
essence of God's hesed. Our dilemma is concentrated on
the words of the angel who intervenes at the last moment
and stops Avraham from sacrificing his son Yitzchak:
 ‫יב‬-‫ יא‬,‫ספר בראשית פרק כב‬
:‫ני‬
ִ ֵ ‫מר הִנ‬ ֶ ‫הם ו ַֹיא‬
ָ ָ ‫הם אבְר‬ ָ ָ ‫מר אבְר‬ ֶ ‫מים ו ַֹיא‬ַ ‫ש‬ ָ ׁ ַ‫מן ה‬
ִ '‫לאך ְ ה‬ ְ ‫מ‬ ַ ‫ליו‬
ָ ֵ‫רא א‬ ָ ‫ק‬ְ ִ ‫ו ַי‬
‫כי‬
ִ ‫תי‬ ִ ‫ע‬
ְ ‫ד‬
ַ ָ ‫תה י‬ ָ ‫ע‬
ַ ‫כי‬ִ ‫מה‬ ָ ‫מאו‬ ְ ‫עש לו‬ ַ ַ‫ער ְואל ת‬ ַ ַ ‫אל הַנ‬ ֶ ָ ‫דך‬
ְ ָ ‫לח י‬ַ ‫ש‬ ְ ִ‫מר אל ת‬ ֶ ‫ו ַֹיא‬
:‫ני‬
ִ ‫מ‬ֶ ‫מ‬
ִ ָ ‫דך‬ ְ ‫חי‬
ִ ְ ‫את י‬ ֶ ָ ‫את בִנ ְך‬ ֶ ָ‫שכ ְת‬ַ ‫ח‬ָ ‫לא‬ ֹ ְ ‫תה ו‬ָ ‫הים א‬ ִ ‫ל‬
ֹ ֱ‫רא א‬ ֵ ְ‫י‬

And an angel of God called out to him from heaven

and said, "Avraham, Avraham." And he said, "I am
here." And he said, "Do not put your hand to the boy
and do not do anything to him, for now I know that
you are God-fearing for you did not deny me your
only son."(Bereishit 22, 11-12)

Avraham relates to God as the source of all hesed. How,

then, does he respond to the commandment to sacrifice
his son, the object of all his hopes and prayers, the
culmination of 100 years of waiting? At no point does
Avraham argue, as he did on behalf of the people of
Sodom. At no instant does he doubt God's hesed ; at no
time does he invoke justice. How are we to understand
this?

Our first response seems to be supported by the text

itself: Avraham responded with fear. Avraham's love of
God was tested by fear of God, and he passed the test:
the angel declared that Avraham had proven that he was
God-fearing. In light of everything we have seen, this
answer is somehow unsatisfying. Avraham did not respond
with fear, nor is his legacy to us one of fear.

The Recanati offers a solution:

‫ פרשת וירא‬- ‫פירוש הרקאנאטי על התורה‬

‫ יש לשאול כי ידענו כי אברהם היה‬.‫כי עתה ידעתי כי ירא אלהים אתה‬
‫ ואיך לא שבחו‬.('‫אוהב שנאמר זרע אברהם אוהבי )ישעיה מא' ח‬
‫במעלתו הגדולה שהיא מצד החסד רק שבחו במדת היראה כי ידענו כי‬
‫כל מה שעשה אברהם אבינו ע"ה עשה מאהבה ויש הבדל בין האוהב‬
‫ ועל כן יש לך לדעת מאמר בעלי הקבלה‬.‫לירא כיתרון האור מן החושך‬
‫כי היראה היא על שני דרכים יראה פנימית ויראה חיצונית היראה‬
‫חיצונה היא למטה מן האהבה והפנימית היא למעלה מן האהבה כיצד‬
‫יראה חיצונה היא סוד כל הירא לעבור על מצות המלך פן יענש ויתפש‬
‫ יראה פנימית בהיות האדם משיג מעלת הבורא יתעלה‬.‫במאמר המלך‬
‫ורוב התענוגים והעושר והכבוד אשר בהיכלו בהגיע אדם לידיעת מעלה‬
.‫זו יפחד ויבהל ויאמר שמא אינני ראוי לעמוד בהיכל המלך‬

This raises a question, for we know that Avraham was

God-loving, as it says "descendents of Avraham who
loved me." How did he (i.e., the angel) not praise him
for his great attribute of hesed and only praised his
yir'a? We know that everything that Avraham did, he
did out of ahava and the superiority of ahava over
yir'a is like the superiority of light over darkness.
Thus, we should take note of the kabbalistic teaching
that there are two types of yir'a – internal and
external. External yir'a is inferior to ahava but
internal but internal yir'a is greatly superior to
ahava. How is this so? External yir'a is the secret of
all those who fear transgressing the word of the King,
for fear that they will be caught and punished.
Internal yir'a stems from comprehension of the true
stature of the Creator…When a person reaches this
understanding, they become afraid that they are
unworthy to stand in the presence of the King.
(Recanati on the Torah, Parshat Vayera)

The akeida is not a test designed to break Avraham's

natural inclination to hesed. Out of love of God, Avraham
proceeds: Even the akeida is ahava because ahava is
doing truth because it is truth. What is the definition of
truth? Whatever God says it is. God is truth, and His
commandment is truth. Sacrificing Yitzchak is truth, a
manifestation of love and not of fear. Avraham's ahavat
Hashem brings him to the level that the Recanati
describes as "internal yir'a": Avraham does not want to
cause God any disappointment or separation. Avraham is
full of love, both for God and for his own son Yitzchak.
When God forces him to choose between these two loves,
Avraham chooses the love of God, which necessarily
assumes, and subsumes, all other love.
Ultimately, God does not force Avraham to consummate
this choice, and the heavenly voice commands Avraham
to desist. This, too, is seen by our sages as a test:
Avraham does not fear punishment; he fears that he will
be unworthy of God's presence. He is almost overcome by
his desire to consummate his choice, to act upon his
ahavat Hashem. His most concerted effort is in pulling
back, stopping short of sacrifice. He overcomes his dread
of separation from God; he forces himself to obey the
commandment to desist, to override his inclination to give
everything he has.

Avraham, motivated by his great love of God, dedicated

his life to emulating God through hesed, and started a
relationship which is replicated by his descendants to this
very day. Our challenge is to emulate Avraham by finding
our own love of God. We hope and pray that martyrdom
will not be required of us, and that instead we can
manifest our love of God through acts of hesed, through
sharing our knowledge of God with others, by calling all of
humanity to serve God – with love.