וַיָּ֤שָׁב אַבְרָהָם֙ אֶל־נְעָרָ֔יו וַיָּקֻ֛מוּ וַיֵּלְכ֥וּ יַחְדָּ֖ו אֶל־בְּאֵ֣ר שָׁ֑בַע וַיֵּ֥שֶׁב אַבְרָהָ֖ם בִּבְאֵ֥ר שָֽׁבַע׃ (פ)
Y tornóse Abraham á sus mozos, y levantáronse y se fueron juntos á Beer-seba; y habitó Abraham en Beer-seba.
Aggadat Bereshit
[2] Another interpretation: "And God tested Abraham, who went weeping, etc." (Psalms 126:6). "I went weeping" refers to Avraham, as when God said to him, "Go out of your land." (Genesis 12:1) "And wept" - why did he weep? He wept in his heart, because just yesterday God said to him: "Through Yitzhak you will have descendants" (Genesis 21:12), and now He says to him: "Slaughter him." "Faithful is he that hath promised, and he found his heart faithful before thee" (Nehemiah 9:8), and he set out to do God's will, leading Yitzchak, as it is said, "He that draweth his seed." (Nehemiah 9:8) (Psalms 126:6) When God said to him, "Do not stretch out your hand" (Genesis 22:12), they returned home safely, and Abraham returned to his servants. "Let him come and carry his burdens" (Psalms 126:6) - he considered himself deaf and dumb and said nothing, as it is said, "The deaf cannot hear" (Psalms 38:14). That is why it says, "Let him come bearing his torches."
Midrash Tanchuma Buber
(Gen. 22:1:) NOW IT CAME TO PASS AFTER THESE THINGS, < THAT GOD TESTED ABRAHAM >. This text is related (to Ps. 126:6): THOUGH HE GOES AWAY WEEPING, BEARING HIS SEED BAG, HE SHALL SURELY COME BACK BEARING HIS SHEAVES WITH REJOICING. THOUGH HE GOES AWAY: This refers to Abraham in the hour that the Holy One tested him and said to him (in Gen. 22:2): PLEASE TAKE < YOUR SON … AND OFFER HIM … AS A BURNT OFFERING >. Even though he was weeping in his heart, he told him with his mouth (in vs. 1): HERE I AM. When? When BEARING HIS SEED BAG. Thus it is stated (in Gen. 21:12): FOR IN ISAAC SHALL SEED BE SUMMONED FOR YOU. (Ps. 126:6:) HE SHALL COME BACK WITH REJOICING, BEARING HIS SHEAVES. (Cf. Gen. 22:19:) SO ABRAHAM RETURNED UNTO HIS YOUNG MEN. What caused him to receive a reward? < It was > because he kept silent and made himself like a one who is dumb, as stated (in Ps. 38:14 [13]): LIKE ONE WHO IS DEAF I DO NOT HEAR, [AND LIKE ONE WHO IS DUMB ('LM) HE DOES NOT OPEN HIS MOUTH]. Then he had an excuse for saying to him: Yesterday you said to me (in Gen. 21:12): FOR IN ISAAC SHALL SEED BE SUMMONED FOR YOU; but now you are telling me to slaughter him. Still, he did not say anything but kept silent. Ergo (in Ps. 126:6): HE SHALL COME BACK WITH REJOICING, BEARING HIS SHEAVES (rt.: 'LM).
Bereshit Rabbah
“The angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from the heavens” (Genesis 22:15).
“He said: I swear by Myself, the utterance of the Lord, that because you have done this matter, and did not withhold your son, your only one” (Genesis 22:16).
“The angel of the Lord called…a second time…He said: I swear by Myself” – what need was there for this oath? He [Abraham] said to Him: ‘Take an oath to me that you will not test me again from now on, nor Isaac my son.’ This is analogous to one who jumped from the bank of a stream, over the current, and took his son along with him as he jumped.
Another interpretation, what need was there for this oath? Rabbi Ḥama ben Rabbi Ḥanina: He said to Him: ‘Take an oath to me that You will not test me again from now on.’ This is analogous to a king who was married to a noblewoman. She bore for him a first son, and he divorced her. [He remarried her and she bore him] a second son, and he divorced her, a third son, and he divorced her. When she bore a tenth son for him, all of them gathered together and said to him: ‘Take an oath to us that you will not divorce our mother from now on.’ So, too, when Abraham our patriarch was tested with the tenth ordeal,52The binding of Isaac was the tenth and last of Abraham’s tests (see Mishna Avot 5:3). he said to Him: ‘Take an oath to me that You will not test me again from now on.’
Rabbi Ḥanin said: “That because you have done this matter” – this was the tenth test, and yet you say [when reading the verse]: “That because you have done this matter”? The explanation is that this final ordeal is equal in importance to all the others combined, as had he not accepted it upon himself, he would have lost everything <variant reading:="" everything="" that="" he="" had="" done.="">
“For that I will bless you and multiply your descendants as the stars of the heavens, and as the sand that is upon the seashore, and your descendants will inherit the gate of their enemies” (Genesis 22:17).
“For that I will bless you [varekh avarekhekha]…” – [the doubling of the verb indicates] a blessing for the father, a blessing for the son. “And multiply [veharba arbeh]” – multiplication for the father, multiplication for the son.
“And your descendants will inherit the gate of their enemies” – this refers to Tarmod.53The people of Tarmod were implacable enemies of the Jews. Fortunate are all those who will witness the downfall of Tarmod, as it was a partner to the two destructions [of the Temples]. Rabbi Yudan and Rabbi Ḥanina, one of them said: In the destruction of the First Temple, they provided eighty thousand archers <variant reading:="" shooters="">, and in the destruction of the Second Temple, it provided eight thousand archers.
“Abraham returned to his young men, and they arose and went together to Beersheba and Abraham lived in Beersheba” (Genesis 22:18).
“Abraham returned to his young men” – and where was Isaac? Rabbi Berekhya in the name of the Rabbis from over there:54Babylon. He sent him away to Shem to learn Torah from him. This is analogous to a woman who became wealthy from plying her spindle. She said: ‘Since it was from this spindle that I became wealthy, it will never depart from my possession’. So, Abraham said: ‘Everything that has come into my possession is only because I engaged in Torah and mitzvot. That is why I do not want it to depart from my children forever.’
Rabbi Ḥanina said: He sent him at night55Abraham did not bring Isaac back with him, but told him to travel later on, at night. due to the evil eye.56He did this so that the evil eye would not affect Isaac in the wake of the miracle that was performed on his behalf. [Similarly, we find] that from the moment that Ḥananya, Mishael, and Azarya emerged from the fiery furnace, their names are not mentioned again. Where did they go? Rabbi Elazar said: They died because of the spittle.57After they survived, all the gentiles mocked Israel and spat at them, saying: ‘You have a God capable of such miracles, and yet you worship idols?’ God took the lives of Ḥananya, Mishael, and Azarya so that Israel would no longer be mocked by the gentiles. Rabbi Yosei said: They died from the [evil] eye. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: They relocated and went to Yehoshua ben Yehotzadak to learn Torah from him. That is what is written: “Hear now, Yehoshua the High Priest, you and your colleagues who sit before you, [for they are men of wonders]” (Zechariah 3:8). Rabbi Ḥanina said: It is was with that understanding that Ḥananya, Mishael, and Azarya descended into the fiery furnace – in order that a sign would be performed through them.58If they would be saved, it would be a sign of God’s greatness. If they would not be saved, it would be a sign of loyalty to God even at the cost of one’s life.
“He said: I swear by Myself, the utterance of the Lord, that because you have done this matter, and did not withhold your son, your only one” (Genesis 22:16).
“The angel of the Lord called…a second time…He said: I swear by Myself” – what need was there for this oath? He [Abraham] said to Him: ‘Take an oath to me that you will not test me again from now on, nor Isaac my son.’ This is analogous to one who jumped from the bank of a stream, over the current, and took his son along with him as he jumped.
Another interpretation, what need was there for this oath? Rabbi Ḥama ben Rabbi Ḥanina: He said to Him: ‘Take an oath to me that You will not test me again from now on.’ This is analogous to a king who was married to a noblewoman. She bore for him a first son, and he divorced her. [He remarried her and she bore him] a second son, and he divorced her, a third son, and he divorced her. When she bore a tenth son for him, all of them gathered together and said to him: ‘Take an oath to us that you will not divorce our mother from now on.’ So, too, when Abraham our patriarch was tested with the tenth ordeal,52The binding of Isaac was the tenth and last of Abraham’s tests (see Mishna Avot 5:3). he said to Him: ‘Take an oath to me that You will not test me again from now on.’
Rabbi Ḥanin said: “That because you have done this matter” – this was the tenth test, and yet you say [when reading the verse]: “That because you have done this matter”? The explanation is that this final ordeal is equal in importance to all the others combined, as had he not accepted it upon himself, he would have lost everything <variant reading:="" everything="" that="" he="" had="" done.="">
“For that I will bless you and multiply your descendants as the stars of the heavens, and as the sand that is upon the seashore, and your descendants will inherit the gate of their enemies” (Genesis 22:17).
“For that I will bless you [varekh avarekhekha]…” – [the doubling of the verb indicates] a blessing for the father, a blessing for the son. “And multiply [veharba arbeh]” – multiplication for the father, multiplication for the son.
“And your descendants will inherit the gate of their enemies” – this refers to Tarmod.53The people of Tarmod were implacable enemies of the Jews. Fortunate are all those who will witness the downfall of Tarmod, as it was a partner to the two destructions [of the Temples]. Rabbi Yudan and Rabbi Ḥanina, one of them said: In the destruction of the First Temple, they provided eighty thousand archers <variant reading:="" shooters="">, and in the destruction of the Second Temple, it provided eight thousand archers.
“Abraham returned to his young men, and they arose and went together to Beersheba and Abraham lived in Beersheba” (Genesis 22:18).
“Abraham returned to his young men” – and where was Isaac? Rabbi Berekhya in the name of the Rabbis from over there:54Babylon. He sent him away to Shem to learn Torah from him. This is analogous to a woman who became wealthy from plying her spindle. She said: ‘Since it was from this spindle that I became wealthy, it will never depart from my possession’. So, Abraham said: ‘Everything that has come into my possession is only because I engaged in Torah and mitzvot. That is why I do not want it to depart from my children forever.’
Rabbi Ḥanina said: He sent him at night55Abraham did not bring Isaac back with him, but told him to travel later on, at night. due to the evil eye.56He did this so that the evil eye would not affect Isaac in the wake of the miracle that was performed on his behalf. [Similarly, we find] that from the moment that Ḥananya, Mishael, and Azarya emerged from the fiery furnace, their names are not mentioned again. Where did they go? Rabbi Elazar said: They died because of the spittle.57After they survived, all the gentiles mocked Israel and spat at them, saying: ‘You have a God capable of such miracles, and yet you worship idols?’ God took the lives of Ḥananya, Mishael, and Azarya so that Israel would no longer be mocked by the gentiles. Rabbi Yosei said: They died from the [evil] eye. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: They relocated and went to Yehoshua ben Yehotzadak to learn Torah from him. That is what is written: “Hear now, Yehoshua the High Priest, you and your colleagues who sit before you, [for they are men of wonders]” (Zechariah 3:8). Rabbi Ḥanina said: It is was with that understanding that Ḥananya, Mishael, and Azarya descended into the fiery furnace – in order that a sign would be performed through them.58If they would be saved, it would be a sign of God’s greatness. If they would not be saved, it would be a sign of loyalty to God even at the cost of one’s life.