The Story of Akeidat Yitzhak

1:07Most people don't read the Midrash, but a lot of people read the Tefillah. The problem is that not many people cry, because not many people understand what they're reading. That's why I tell you, it's much more important for you to understand what you're reading than just to be like a robot and read it. Anyway, in the Tefillah, it talks about Akedat Yitzchak, and it says literally about the whole behind-the-scenes story. behind-the-scenes story of what happened, how Hashem Yitbarach told Avraham Avinu, "Avraham, bring your son, your only son, as a korban." Avraham brought Yitzchak with him, but before that, he told Sarah, "I'm taking our son because he hasn't, he's grown up already, but he hasn't learned everything about Torah." I'm taking them with me. And Sarah Imenu says, but not too far. This shows that she was human. Even though Yitzchak Avinu was 37 years old, he's still Ima's little boy. He's still Ima's little baby.

2:27So Sarah Imenu says to Avraham, okay, take him, but not too far. I mean, she doesn't know he's in a... And Avraham says, whatever happens, always trust in Hashem. It says in the tefillah: whatever happens, trust in Hashem, have bitachon in Hashem. It’s a strange response. He takes Yitzchak, he takes Ishmael, and he takes Eliezer, his assistant. And they get closer and closer to the mountain. Then he says to Yitzchak, "Do you see something going on over there on the mountain?" Yitzchak responds, "Yes, yes, something's happening over there. The Shekhinah is there." He asks Eliezer and Yishmael, "Do you see anything?" They reply, "Other than the mountain, no." He says, "Okay. The donkey also doesn't see anything. You stay with the donkey."

3:27You stay with the donkey. The donkey also doesn't see anything over there. You're just like the donkey. Even though Eliezer was one of ten people who never died and went to Gan Eden with his clothes on, he did not have the merit to see what was happening on the mountain. So Avraham Avinu wasn't worried about hurting his feelings. It's just the truth. You don't see anything, so you stay here with the donkey. The donkey also doesn't see. People, you tell this to somebody today, they get offended. Everybody gets offended about everything today. You don't say hello to them the right way, they get offended. "Oh, he didn't say hello. He said hello to you." "Yeah, but he just did the head thing. He didn't like say, 'Oh, Shabbat Shalom.' He didn't give you like a whole welcoming committee." Anyway, they go up to the mountain. It's like Avraham Avinu. We made the mishkan. We made the whole thing. The whole korban. Everything is ready. Where's the korban? Where's the korban? Where's the korban? Avraham says, you're the korban. You're the korban. If it was me or you, what would we do? Abba. I'll be in touch. Text me. Send me an email.

4:54Let me know how it happened. Let me know how it worked out for you. Ah, Avraham! What did the Akeidah involve? Abba, make sure you tie, because I'm strong. Stronger than you, Abba. 37 years old. Strong. You're Abba, you're 137 already. Even the pension doesn't pay anymore because they said they expected you to die 20 years ago. Enough, Abba. Listen, tie me up. The Gemara in Masechet Shabbat discusses how we learn the halacha related to tying up certain animals on Shabbat. This is because you're not allowed to cause unnecessary suffering to animals. However, at the same time, if you don't tie the animal, it may run away. The Gemara teaches us to tie three of its legs, but not all four. Why is this so? What is the reason for this distinction? Because if you tie three of its legs, it can still move; it's still mobile, but it won't run away. But if you tie all four, then it won't move. Where do we learn this from? We learn it from Akedat Yitzchak. Masechet Shabbat says we learn it from Akedat Yitzchak. Why? Because Yitzchak Avinu says, "Oh, I'm the korban, oh, no problem. Listen, tie my arms to my legs so I don't move. I can't move, even if I want to, because I'm strong. At the last minute, if I give up..."

6:01So now, make sure, why? Because we're already going to do a korban, make sure it's kasher. If we have bad thoughts in our head, if I move, then it's not, it's pasul, I'm pasul, Abba, I'm not kosher. Hashem is not going to take me as a korban. This is what they're talking about right now. Avraham Avinu, it says, it says in your tefillah, Avraham Avinu and Yitzchak are both crying hysterically. They're crying hysterically. It says in the Torah, it says in your Siddur, you read it. I can't seem to find it for some reason. But the point is, you read it, it says that Avraham Avinu and Yitzchak are both tearing like it's rain. And Chazal explain why they're crying. Avraham is crying while he's about to kill his son, no? He's crying because he's excited to fulfill the mitzvah for Hashem. But at the same time, he's also crying because he's about to lose his son too. In the beginning, he was excited about giving; in the beginning, he's excited about doing a mitzvah for Hashem. When is he crying about his son? When his son reminds him and he says, Abba, it says it in your Machzor, you read it. He says, Abba, tell Ima, tell Ima that the love of our life is no longer here.

7:23love of our life, me, is no longer here. And I'm sorry I can't be there for her to help her mourn. Because who's going to be there for her to mourn me? If you understand these words, you start crying in the middle of tefillah. He's crying, he's crying, the malachim start crying. Why? They're like, Abba, Hashem, Hashem, look what You're about to allow. They all think He's going to allow them to be harmed. He's going to let it happen. No one knows except Hashem what's happening. Hashem, look, they're excited, but they're crying. You're going to let this happen? Hashem, stop it, please. Let us stop it. Don't harm him, please. Hashem, find somebody else. Take Yishmael. Take somebody else. Don't harm Yitzchak. He's a tzaddik. They start crying. If you look at the Gemara, Masechet Chagigah, it says: Where does the fire of Gehenom come from? It comes from the sweat of the angels. Why? The angels are fire, but they have the privilege of being next to Hashem. They have the privilege of seeing something we can't see while we're still in human form. And they're scared to death.

8:45They're so scared of Hashem Yitbarach, they sweat profusely. Non-stop sweating. And all of the sweat is fire. And that's what fills Gehinnom. They're fire. And they're all scared to death of Hashem. And now they're crying to Hashem with more tears. Hashem, please. You're about to kill everything. Yitzchak. Yitzchak. Then Hashem says, "Now I know you fear me. Now I know you fear me," to Avraham. "Avraham, Avraham." He says his name twice, "Don't touch the boy. Now I know you fear me. Now I know you fear me. Why? Avraham, Avraham, you've now arrived at a bigger Yirat Shemayim."

9:49You have now arrived at a bigger Yirat Shamayim than the angels. So when we think, we ask ourselves, why do we have the merit of Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov? It's 4,500 years ago. What's its connection to me? Why did Avraham get such great merit for all the things that he did? Why? Like why? Because you understand. When you go and you delve into it, and delve into it, you see it's not just, oh, he brought his son, and maybe he lost his mind momentarily. He was crying like anybody else would be crying. He didn't want to kill his son. He told his wife what any one of us would do. He was a human being just like us, but he wasn't like us. Why? Because he reached a level of malachim (angels). This, Rabotai, is just a small token of some of the things you can learn from your Machzor, from the Mishnayot, from Mussar in general. You can learn from everything in the Torah. All you need to do is delve into it and delve into it, and Hashem will open our eyes. Be'ezrat Hashem, Hashem will continue to open our eyes and continue to reveal the truth to us in this coming year on a much greater level than at any other time in the past. Be'ezrat Hashem, may He help us do real Teshuva. Bimheira Veyameinu.