Commentaire sur La Genèse 22:6

המאכלת — means a knife. It is called מאכלת from אכל to eat, because it devours the meat, — just as you say, (Deuteronomy 32:42 “And my sword shall devour (תאכל) flesh”— or because it makes animal flesh fit for eating (מאכלת) (by killing the animal; because while the animal is living its flesh is unfit for eating). Another explanation: זאת נקראת This knife is called מאכלת (and the term is never used of an ordinary knife) because Israel still eats of the reward given for it (Genesis Rabbah 56:3).

המאכלת , the knife; it is derivative of the expression in Deut. 32,42 וחרבי תאכל בשר, “and My sword will consume flesh.”

ויקח, he did not take the donkey along so that the lads should not think that they were going to a distant location. Also, there would not be anyone guarding the donkey at the time when he would be occupied with binding and slaughtering Yitzchok. Furthermore, he did not want the donkey to enter such sacred precincts.

Because Israel eats of its reward. Rashi brought both explanations because according to the first one [“it consumes”] a question arises: Why not call it אוכלת? Thus Rashi explains, “it prepares.” But according to this [second] explanation, it should be called סכין, which is its simple meaning. Thus Rashi explains further: “Because Israel eats of its reward.” And the last explanation alone is insufficient, although it answers why it is called מאכלת and not אוכלת or סכין, because why does it say המאכלת, connoting something already known? Until this point a knife was not called a מאכלת! Scripture calls it so only now, because of this incident. Therefore, Rashi explains that “it consumes” and “it prepares,” and therefore it is a term that is used for every knife. (R. Meir Stern)

וילכו שניהם יחדיו, dieser Refrain kehrt zweimal wieder — Abraham und Isaak, Vater und Sohn, den als Opferer wie als Opfer gleich schweren Weg in einmütiger, unerschütterlicher Seelengröße hinanpilgernd, das ist das ewige Vorbild, das allen Vätern und Söhnen, jedem älteren und jüngeren Geschlechte vom Hause Abrahams den Weg weisen soll, den sie zusammen zu vollbringen haben.

וילכו שניהם יחדיו AND THEY WENT BOTH OF THEM TOGETHER — Abraham who was aware that he was going to slay his son walked along with the same willingness and joy as Isaac who had no idea of the matter.