Akeidas Yitzchak Transpired at the Time of the Morning Tamid Offering the Ram Was Sacrificed at the Time of the Evening Tamid

Rabbi Pinches Friedman Parshas Vayeira 5778 Translation by Dr. Baruch Fox The Fantastic Revelation from the Ma aseh Rokeiach Akeidas Yitzchak Transpired at the Time of the Morning Tamid Offering the Ram Was Sacrificed at the Time of the Evening Tamid In parshas Vayeira, which we read this week, we learn about the trying ordeal of Akeidas Yitzchak. It was the tenth and the most difficult of the ten tests Avraham Avinu was subjected ויהי אחר הדברים האלה והאלקים ניסה :(1 to. We read (Bereishis,22 את אברהם ויאמר אליו אברהם ויאמר הנני, ויאמר קח נא את בנך את יחידך אשר אהבת את יצחק ולך לך אל ארץ המוריה והעלהו שם לעולה על אחד ההרים אשר And it happened after these words that G-d tested אומר אליך. Avraham, and He said to him, Avraham, and he said, Here I am. And He said, Please take your son, your only one, whom you love Yitzchak and go to the land of Moriah, and bring him up there as an offering upon one of the mountains, which I shall tell you. This trying ordeal left a positive, lasting impression on the people of Yisrael throughout the generations. This is reflected in the berachah HKB H bestows upon Avraham Avinu via the ויאמר בי נשבעתי נאום ה, כי יען אשר עשית :(16 (ibid. heavenly malach את הדבר הזה ולא חשכת את בנך את יחידך, כי ברך אברכך והרבה ארבה את זרעך ככוכבי השמים וכחול אשר על שפת הים וירש זרעך את שער אויביו, והתברכו בזרעך swear And he said, By Myself I כל גויי הארץ עקב אשר שמעת בקולי. the word of Hashem that because you have done this deed, and have not withheld your son, your only one, that I shall surely bless you and surely increase your offspring like the stars of the heavens and like the sand on the seashore; and your offspring shall inherit the gate of its enemy. And all the nations of the earth shall bless themselves by your offspring, because you have heeded My word. He Who Answered Avraham Avinu He Who Answered Yitzchak His Son It is with the utmost pleasure that we will examine the formula instituted by our blessed sages in the selichos that we recite prior to Rosh HaShanah, during the Aseres Yimei מי שענה לאברהם אבינו בהר המוריה הוא days: Teshuvah and on fast He יעננו. Who מי שענה ליצחק בנו כשנעקד על גבי המזבח הוא יעננו answered Avraham Avinu on Har HaMoriah, may He answer us. He Who answered his son Yitzchak atop the mizbeiach, may He answer us. Our Sephardi brothers recite a slightly דעני לאברהם אבינו meaning: different formula with the identical These formulas בהר המוריה ענינן. דעני ליצחק על גבי מדבחא ענינן. imply that Avraham Avinu and Yitzchak Avinu offered a unique, special tefilah at the time of the akeidah that was answered by HKB H. Apropos this special tefilah uttered by Avraham Avinu on Har HaMoriah, we find a marvelous passage in the Midrash Tanchuma (Vayeira 23): ויאמר בי נשבעתי נאום ה. אמר לו ]אברהם להקב ה[ אתה נשבעת, ואני נשבעתי שלא ארד מן המזבח עד שאומר כל מה שאני צריך. אמר לו ]הקב ה[ אמור... אמר לו ]אברהם[, כשם שהיה בלבי מה להשיבך ולומר לך, אתמול אמרת לי )בראשית כא-יב( כי ביצחק יקרא לך זרע, עכשיו אתה אומר לי )שם כב-ב( העלהו שם לעולה, וכבשתי את יצרי ולא השבתיך, כך כשיהיו בניו של יצחק חוטאים ונכנסים לצרה, תהא נזכר להן עקידתו של יצחק, ותיחשב לפניך כאילו אפרו צבור על גבי המזבח, ותסלח להם ותפדם מצרתם. Donated by Family Madeb for the Refuah Shelimah of Lea bat Virgini To receive the mamarim by email: mamarim@shvileipinchas.com Parshas Vayeira 5778 1

אמר לו הקב ה, אתה אמרת את שלך ואומר אני את שלי, עתידים בניו של יצחק לחטוא לפני ואני דן אותם בראש השנה, אלא אם מבקשים שאחפש להן זכות ואזכור להן עקידת יצחק, יהיו תוקעים לפני בשופר של זה. אמר לו ]אברהם[ ומה הוא השופר, אמר לו חזור לאחוריך, מיד )שם יג( וישא אברהם את עיניו וירא והנה איל אחר נאחז בסבך בקרניו... אמר לו הקב ה יהיו תוקעים לפני בקרן איל ואושיעם ואפדם מעוונותיהם. The Midrash records a conversation between Avraham and HKB H. Avraham says: We swore that I would not leave this altar until I ve had my full say. HKB H replied: Speak your mind. Avraham says: Yesterday, You told me that my offspring would be named after Yitzchak. Now, You are telling me to sacrifice him on the altar. I controlled my inclination and did not protest. In similar fashion, when Yitzchak s children sin and are in trouble, recall Yitzchak s akeidah on their behalf. Consider it as if his ashes lie here atop the altar. In his merit, forgive them and redeem them. HKB H responds: You ve had your say; now, I shall have Mine. Yitzchak s children are destined to sin and transgress My commands. I will judge them on Rosh HaShanah. If they ask Me to seek merit on their behalf and to remember the akeidah of Yitzchak, they should sound this one s shofar. Avraham inquires: What is a shofar? HKB H answers: Step back. Avraham looks around and sees a ram entangled in the thicket by its horns. They need only blow into the horn of a ram, and I will spare them and pardon their transgressions. Thus, we have an explicit source teaching us that Avraham Avinu prayed on Har HaMoriah that the merit of the akeidah should protect Bnei Yisrael and rescue them from all of their calamities. HKB H responded that they should blow the shofar on Rosh HaShanah to recall Akeidas Yitzchak. In this merit, HKB H will forgive them all of their transgressions and rescue them from all of their troubles and misfortunes. This is the source for the institution of the formula in tefilas Mussaf to mention Akeidas Yitzchak at the conclusion of the pesukim of Zichronos: יצחק לזרעו היום ברחמים תזכור -- ועקידת You shall recall the binding of Yitzchak mercifully for the sake of his children, today. מי שענה tefilah: This then is the rationale for reciting the undeserving, Even if we are.לאברהם אבינו בהר המוריה הוא יעננו due to our wrongdoings, chas v shalom, nevertheless, the mention of Akeidas Yitzchak evokes HKB H s abundant mercy. Still, we must endeavor to solve the enigma that bothers the מי שענה ליצחק בנו כשנעקד על plea: commentaries regarding our Where do we find that Yitzchak prayed to.גבי המזבח הוא יעננו HKB H at the time of the akeidah and was answered? Yitzchak Instituted the Tefilah of Minchah at the Time of the Akeidah We will begin to shed some light on the subject by referring to a tremendous chiddush in the sefer Iggeres HaTiyul, authored by Rabbi Chaim the son of Rav Betzalel, the brother of the Maharal of Prague, zy a. He explains why our blessed sages named the afternoon prayer service Minchah rather than Afternoon. It is because Yitzchak Avinu instituted the tefilah of Minchah at the time of the akeidah ; it was intended to replace the korban minchah that should have been brought along with the korban olah that he was supposed to be. Here are his magnificent words: יש לתמוה מה שאנו אומרים תפלת מנחה, ואין אומרים תפלת צהרים כדרך שאנו אומרים תפלת שחרית וערבית, וכן דוד המלך ע ה אמר )תהלים נה-יח( ערב ובוקר וצהרים אשיחה וגו. נראה לי כי ג תפלות הללו )ברכות כו:( ג אבות תקנום, ובשעה שנעקד יצחק על גבי המזבח לעולה אמר, אין עולה בלא מנחה, עמד ותיקן תפלת צהרים במקום מנחת העולה, לכך נקראת תפלת מנחה. He questions why we don t call tefilas Minchah the afternoon service, as we do for Shacharis and Arvis which aptly describe the morning and evening services. In fact, in Tehillim 55, David HaMelech, a h, says (18): Evening, morning and afternoon, I pray... It appears to me that these three tefilot were instituted by the three Avos. When Yitzchak was bound on top of the mizbeiach as an olah, he thought, An olah requires a minchah. He promptly instituted the afternoon service in place of the minchah that accompanies an olah. Therefore, it is called tefilas Minchah. It appears that the Shela hakadosh (Vayeira) was referring to this explanation of the Iggeres HaTiyul in his commentary; he presents this explanation with the prefatory remark: I found it. I would like to present to our royal audience a difficulty I had with the explanations of the Iggeres HaTiyul and the Shela hakadosh. They both suggested that Yitzchak Avinu established Parshas Vayeira 5778 2

tefilas Minchah when he asserted: עולה בלא מנחה an אין olah must be accompanied by a minchah. This implies that Yitzchak prayed Minchah prior to being offered up by Avraham as a korban olah. For, after being sacrificed, he would no longer be able to pray. The difficulty here is that the accompanying korban minchah is always offered after the olah is sacrificed. In fact, it states explicitly in Toras Kohanim parshas Emor (12, if שאם the minchah precedes קדמה מנחה לעולה פסולה :(9 the olah, it is invalid. Furthermore, this raises a question with regards to Avraham קיים 28b): Avinu. After all, Chazal attest to the fact that (Yoma אברהם אבינו כל התורה כולה, שנאמר )בראשית כו-ה( עקב אשר שמע אברהם Avraham בקולי Avinu observed all of the mitzvot of the וגו Torah. That being so, he knew full-well that a korban minchah must be offered along with a korban olah. So, why wasn t he concerned as Yitzchak was--about the need to bring a minchah along with the olah namely Yitzchak? Nowhere does the Torah mention that he brought along provisions for a minchah such as flour and oil. The Magnificent Revelation of the Ma aseh Rokeiach I was struck by a wonderful idea that resolves both of these difficulties. We find a magnificent revelation regarding Akeidas Yitzchak in the Ma aseh Rokeiach (Likutei Shas, Yoma, 1). Due to his extreme proficiency, he cites both exoteric (apparent) and esoteric (mystical) sources. I will attempt to do this tzaddik justice; may Hashem guide me on the path of emes. First, let us introduce the words of the Midrash (Tanna אמרו אותו היום שעקד אברהם את יצחק בנו :(6 D Bei Eliyahu Rabba על גבי המזבח, התקין הקב ה שני כבשים אחד שחרית ואחד ערבית, שנאמר --the day Avraham )שמות כט-לט( את הכבש האחד תעשה בבוקר וגו bound Yitzchak on the mizbeiach, HKB H established that two sheep be offered, one in the morning and one in the evening... We must endeavor to explain the reason HKB H established the two tamid offerings in the merit of the single act of Akeidas Yitzchak. Additionally, it behooves us to examine what we have learned תניא רבי שמעון בן יוחאי אומר, מניין לתמיד :(26b in the Gemara (Yoma של בין הערבים שטעון שני גזירי עצים בשני כהנים, שנאמר )ויקרא א-ז( ]ונתנו בני אהרן הכהן אש על המזבח[ וערכו עצים, אם אינו ענין לתמיד של שחר, דכתיב )שם ו-ה( וביער עליה הכהן עצים בבוקר בבוקר וערך עליה, תניהו ענין לתמיד It was taught in a Baraisa: Rabbi Shimon bar של בין הערבים. Yochai says: From where do we know that the afternoon tamid requires that two blocks of wood be carried by two kohanim? For it states: And they shall arrange wood. Since this phrase is not applicable to the morning tamid-- for it is already written: And the kohen shall kindle wood upon the fire every morning, and he shall arrange upon it apply it to the afternoon tamid. The passuk: עליה הכהן עצים בבוקר בבוקר וביער is written in the singular; thus, we learn that the two blocks of wood for the morning tamid are brought by one kohen. On the other hand, the passuk: עצים וערכו is written in the plural tense; thus, we learn that the two blocks of wood for the afternoon tamid are arranged by two kohanim. We must endeavor to comprehend why HKB H commanded that specifically two kohanim arrange the wood of the afternoon tamid ; whereas one kohen suffices for the morning tamid. Avraham Bound Yitzchak in the Morning and Sacrificed the Ram in the Evening To explain the matter, the Ma aseh Rokeiach presents two opinions regarding the time of day that the akeidah transpired. According to one viewpoint, it transpired at the time of the morning tamid offering; according to the second viewpoint, it transpired at the time of the afternoon tamid offering. This latter viewpoint ובזמנא 164b): is consistent with the Zohar hakadosh (Vayeitzei דאתעקד יצחק על גבי מדבחא, דההיא שעתא בין הערבים הוה. The Ma aseh Rokeiach concludes that both viewpoints are ואלו דברי אלקים חיים correct. אלו Avraham Avinu hurried to bind Yitzchak in the morning; afterwards, however, Hashem s אל תשלח 12): heavenly malach called out to him (Bereishis 22, do ידך not extend your hand towards the young אל הנער וישא אברהם את עיניו וירא והנה איל אחר נאחז בסבך :(13 (ibid. man. Then and בקרניו, Avraham וילך אברהם ויקח את האיל ויעלהו לעולה תחת בנו raised his eyes and saw; behold, a ram, afterwards, caught in the thicket by its horns; so, Avraham went and took the ram and offered it up as an olah in place of his son. Rashi comments in the name of the Midrash that the Satan confused the ram to prevent Avraham from sacrificing it. Hence, until Avraham sacrificed the ram, it was already late afternoon. Parshas Vayeira 5778 3

In light of this sequence of events, we can better understand Chazal s contention in the Midrash. In the merit of Akeidas Yitzchak, HKB H established that Yisrael offer two tamids daily one in the morning and one in the afternoon. The morning tamid corresponds to the binding of Yitzchak, which occurred in the morning; whereas the afternoon tamid corresponds to the sacrificing of the ram in the late afternoon. Following this line of reasoning, the Ma aseh Rokeiach proceeds to explain why the arranging of the two blocks of wood for the morning tamid only required one kohen; while the arranging of the wood for the afternoon tamid required two kohanim. He refers to the explanation in the Zohar hakadosh (Vayeira 119b) that the purpose of Akeidas Yitzchak was to subjugate and mitigate Yitzchak s midas hadin with Avraham s midas hachesed. This concept is explained very nicely in the siddur Kol Yaakov, authored by the divine kabbalist Rabbi Yaakov Kapil, zy a: סוד עקידת יצחק על ידי אביו, הוא סוד מיתוק הדינים שהם מכונים בשם יצחק כנודע, על ידי החסדים שהם מכונים בשם אברהם... ומיתוקם הוא על ידי עקידה שהוא לשון קישור, והוא סוד קישורם והתכללותם של הדינים בחסדים, וחסדים מסבבים לדין וממתקים אותו בסוד הכתוב )תהלים לב-י( חסד יסובבנו. He writes that the hidden meaning of Akeidas Yitzchak relates to the diminution of the forces of din referred to as Yitzchak by means of the forces of chesed referred to as Avraham. This process requires binding. Thus, the forces of chesed surround the forces of din, as alluded to by the passuk (Tehillim 32, 10): Chesed surrounds him. Now, we will introduce an additional bit of information from the Midrash. Prior to the akeidah, HKB H imparted to Avraham the kedushah of the kehunah (priesthood); so that he would be qualified to perform the avodah of offering up Yitzchak as a korban olah. The Midrash Pesikta Rabbati (40) : מוריה addresses the significance of the name מוריה. אמר לו ]אברהם להקב ה[, רבון העולמים וכי כשר אני להקריבו, כהן אני ]בלשון פליאה[, שם כהן גדול יבוא ויקבלו ממני. אמר לו הקב ה כשתגיע למקום, אני מקדשך ועושה כהן אותך ]במקום שם[, מהו מוריה, תמורתו של שם חליפיו, כמה דאת אמר )ויקרא כז-י( לא יחליפנו ולא ימיר אותו. Avraham said to HKB H, Master of the Universe, am I qualified to sacrifice him? Am I a kohen?! Let Shem, who is a Kohen Gadol, come and accept him from me. HKB H responded to him, When you arrive at the destination, I will sanctify you and will make you a kohen (in place of Shem). What is the significance of the name Moriah? The replacement of Shem, his substitute, as it says (Vayikra 27, 10): He shall not exchange it nor substitute ( yah-mir ) it. (Translator s note: The Midrash relates the name Moriah to the word temurah, meaning exchange or substitute.) After the Akeidah Yitzchak Was Also Sanctified with the Kedushah of the Kehunah Accordingly, the Ma aseh Rokeiach proposes an amazing chiddush. In reality, when Avraham bound his son, Yitzchak, on the mizbeiach in the morning, at the hour of the morning tamid, he arranged the wood and bound Yitzchak by himself. Subsequently, however, after Yitzchak had been raised up onto the mizbeiach, and his din had been mollified by Avraham s chesed, Yitzchak was also sanctified with the kedushah of the kehunah just like Avraham. So, when Avraham went to sacrifice the ram in place of his son, Yitzchak, who now had the status of a kohen, participated in the sacrifice of the olah. This illuminates for us the statement of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai in the Gemara cited above. He said that the two blocks of wood for the morning tamid are arranged by a single kohen; whereas the two blocks of wood of the afternoon tamid are arranged by two kohanim. After all, we learned from the Midrash that HKB H established the two tamids in the merit of Akeidas Yitzchak. Accordingly, since the morning tamid corresponds to the binding of Yitzchak in the morning, which Avraham performed alone; therefore, the arranging of its wood is performed by a single kohen. The afternoon tamid, however, which corresponds to the sacrificing of the ram in the late afternoon, was performed by Avraham with Yitzchak s participation. Therefore, the arranging of the wood for the afternoon tamid requires two kohanim corresponding to Avraham and Yitzchak, who performed the avodah together. This is the gist of his magnificent explanation with some additional clarification. Based on the Ma aseh Rokeiach s chiddush, we are now able to reconcile the claims of the Iggeres HaTiyul and the Shela hakadosh. They taught us that Yitzchak instituted tefilas Minchah at the time of the akeidah, in order to fulfill the Parshas Vayeira 5778 4

requirement of bringing a korban minchah with a korban olah. We questioned how he could offer a minchah before Avraham offered him up as an olah. Yet, according to the chiddush of the Ma aseh Rokeiach, we can suggest an answer. In reality, he instituted tefilas Minchah in the late afternoon when he joined Avraham to assist him in sacrificing the ram as an olah. For, when Avraham bound Yitzchak to offer him as an olah, he was not yet qualified to sacrifice a minchah. Avraham Prayed Tefilas Shacharis to Fulfill the Requirement of a Korban Minchah Continuing onward with this line of reasoning, we can explain why Avraham did not think to prepare a minchah to accompany the olah he was bringing in the guise of Yitzchak. אברהם תיקן תפלת 26b): We have learned in the Gemara (Berachos Avraham שחרית שנאמר וישכם אברהם בבוקר אל המקום אשר עמד שם instituted tefilas Shacharis, as it says (Bereishis 19, 27): Avraham arose early in the morning to the place where he had stood. Thus, we learn that Avraham already instituted tefilas Shacharis when Sedom and Amorah were destroyed. It seems obvious, therefore, that when Avraham instituted tefilas Shacharis corresponding to the morning tamid, he did so fully including the korban minchah that accompanied the morning tamid. So, let s take this one step further. According to the Ma aseh Rokeiach, Avraham bound Yitzchak in the morning. Hence, when he prayed tefilas Shacharis, he had in mind the required korban minchah, as well, to accompany the olah he was offering in the form of Yitzchak. Yet, HKB H prevented him from offering Yitzchak as an olah ; and by the time he sacrificed the ram, it was already time for the afternoon tamid. Therefore, the tefilas Shacharis he prayed in the morning was of no use with regards to the minchah required אין interjected: for the afternoon tamid. Consequently, Yitzchak olah this עולה בלא מנחה, עמד ותיקן תפלת צהרים במקום מנחת העולה requires a minchah ; so he proceeded to institute the afternoon tefilah to supply the missing minchah. Now, one might ask why Avraham did not pray tefilas Minchah in order to supply the required korban minchah. According to Tosafos (Berachos 26b), Avraham only prayed tefilas Minchah after it was instituted by Yitzchak. For, Avraham perceived that tefilas Minchah corresponds to the afternoon tamid, which is related to Yitzchak. Therefore, when he sacrificed the ram, he left the fulfillment of the minchah obligation to Yitzchak--who instituted tefilas Minchah at that time. A Person Should Always Be Diligent with Regards to Tefilas Minchah That Is a Segulah for Diminishing the Forces of Din It is fitting at this time to emphasize the importance of tefilas Minchah. We will begin by explaining why HKB H arranged for Yitzchak Avinu to institute tefilas Minchah at the time of the akeidah. We learn from the Zohar hakadosh (Chayei Sarah 132b) that Yitzchak Avinu whose midah is din instituted the afternoon tefilah, tefilas Minchah. For that is when the sun sets in the west and din prevails in the world. Hence, he established a means of diminishing the force of din namely tefilas Minchah. Here is an excerpt from the Zohar hakadosh: כיון שנטה השמש וירד לצד מערב, הרי אז הוא זמן תפלת המנחה, וכבר פנה היום ובאו צללי הערב ונתעורר דין קשה בעולם, ופנה היום שהוא מדרגת החסד, ונטו צללי ערב שהם מדרגת הדין הקשה, ואז נחרב בית המקדש ונשרף ההיכל, ועל כך למדנו שיהא בן אדם זהיר בתפלת המנחה, שהוא בזמן שדין קשה שורה בעולם. The time for Minchah is when the sun heads toward the west and begins to set. That indicates that the day is passing, the evening shadows are arriving and strict din prevails in the world. The day represents chesed ; Parshas Vayeira 5778 5

the evening shadows represent strict din. That is when the Beis HaMikdash was destroyed and the Heichal was consumed by fire. For this reason, we are taught the importance of tefilas Minchah; one should be diligent with regards to this tefilah, because it is when strict din prevails in the world. We can now begin to comprehend why HKB H arranged for Yitzchak to establish tefilas Minchah after her was bound atop the mizbeiach. As we have learned, the purpose of Akeidas Yitzchak was for Yitzchak to submit to Avraham, so that his forces of din would be mitigated by his father s chesed. Therefore, at the precise moment on Har HaMoriah when Yitzchak s din was mitigated, it was appropriate for him to institute tefilas Minchah, which is aimed at diminishing the din that prevails towards the end of the day. Tefilas Minchah Is a Gift to Hashem Who Wants to Treat His Creatures Benevolently It is with great pleasure that we can propose a novel reason for Chazal s choice of the name Minchah for the afternoon tefilah more so than for any of the other tefilot. Our sacred sefarim teach us that the world was created, so that HKB H the ultimate source of goodness could treat all of His creatures benevolently. The source for this notion is found in the כשעלה ברצונו יתברך שמו לברוא את העולם כדי להיטיב לברואיו. Chaim: Arizal s Eitz Thus, by praying tefilas Minchah after midday, when the forces of din prevail, and by means of our prayers, we mitigate the forces of din, we are in effect giving Hashem a a מנחה gift. We find the word minchah used in this sense in the following passuk (Bereishis 32, 14): מן הבא בידו מנחה he ויקח took from that which had come into his hand a gift ( minchah ). For there is no greater gift that we can give to HKB H Who wants to act benevolently than to mitigate the forces of din, so that He will not be compelled to punish Yisrael. So, let this teach us a valuable lesson and impress upon us how important it is to pray tefilas Minchah with the utmost kavanah and diligence. It has the power to mitigate the forces of din that prevail in the world at that time of day. It is not for naught that the yetzer hara makes every effort to deter mankind from davening Minchah with a proper minyan ; this applies especially to businessmen and those who must work for a living. We see how much people seek all sorts of segulos for salvation and medical cures. Here we have an amazing segulah for diminishing the forces of din. We need merely daven tefilas Minchah with sincerity and kavanah the tefilah instituted by Yitzchak Avinu at the time of the akeidah, aimed at mitigating the forces of din that prevail towards the end of the day. We know of many cases of people who were granted salvations and incredible cures in the merit of לעולם יהא אדם זהיר 6b): becoming more diligent with regards to tefilas Minchah. As our blessed sages promised (Berachos Minchah; a --בתפלת person should always be diligent with regards to tefilas המנחה, שהרי אליהו לא נענה אלא בתפלת המנחה for Eliyahu was only answered through tefilas Minchah. Parshas Vayeira 5778 6