Les Psaumes 89:35 Midrash : Aggadat Bereshit, Midrash Tanchuma Buber & Bereshit Rabbah

Chapter 31: The Torah [1] And it came to pass after these things, that God tested, etc. (Genesis 22:1) "I will not break my covenant, nor change that which has come out of my lips." (Psalms 89:35) "What covenant did Hashem make with Avraham that day?" (Genesis 15:18) "And how can I break my covenant, if Yitzchak is slaughtered? Even the angels gathered together and wept," as it is said, "Behold, their mighty men cry out without, the messengers of peace weep bitterly." (Isaiah 33:7) The people said, "Master of the universe! The paths have been silent; the sabbath traveler passes by, and the covenant is broken!" (Shabbat 33a) But if Yitsak was slaughtered, where were the footprints? Where is it written about them: "The Israelites said to him: 'We are going up the highway'? (Numbers 20:19) "The paths have been quiet" - Did you not say to him: "Yitsak's name is your seed"? (Gen. 21:12) God answered, "I swear by your life that I will not break my covenant, nor change that which has come from my lips," as it is said, "Take, pray for your son, etc." (Gen. 22:2) "And how can I keep both promises?" It can be compared to the king who said to his beloved, "I want to see a peacock on my table." His beloved immediately went and brought the peacock and placed it on the table. The king rushed to bring a knife to slaughter it, but the bird spread its wings and flew away. The king exclaimed: "What are you doing? Isn't this what I asked you - to bring the peacock to my table to be slaughtered?" The Beloved replied: "Here it stands before you, and you have a knife. Slaughter it under the peacock." Likewise, God said to Abraham, "I wanted to see your only son Yitzhak on Mount Moriah as a burnt offering. As soon as you brought him there and placed him on the altar above the tree, I thought you would have already sacrificed him." (Midrash Tanchuma, Vayera 22) Rabbi Chanina asked: What does "ma'al" (above) mean in the verse "The Seraphim stood above him" ( Isaiah 6:2)? It means that above the altar, which was opposite the Throne of Glory, Abraham stretched out his hand to take the knife to slaughter his son, as it says: "And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son" (Genesis 22:10). For at that moment God called to him from heaven, saying, “Avraham, Avraham!” And he answered, “Here I am.” And God said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy and do nothing to him. For now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld your beloved son from me." (Genesis 22:11-12) ).The Midrash teaches that at that moment God told Avraham that just as he had brought his son to be sacrificed, so in the future God will command his children to bring sacrifices to Him. And it says, "And God called Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting, saying: Speak to the people of Israel and say to them: When one of you sacrifices cattle to Hashem, choose your own. offering from the flock or herd" (Leviticus 1:1-2).The rabbis learned from the verse, "I did not speak to your fathers, nor did I command them about burnt offerings or sacrifices" (Jeremiah 7:22), that God did not command Jephthah to sacrifice his daughter. Nor did God command the king of Moab to sacrifice his son on the wall, as it says, "And he took his firstborn, who was to succeed him as king, and offered him as a burnt offering on the wall." (2 Kings 3:27) For it never occurred to me in my heart to tell Abraham to sacrifice his son, although I told him to take him and offer him as a burnt offering. (Genesis 22:2) Therefore I will not break my covenant.

Another interpretation (of Gen. 22:1): NOW IT CAME TO PASS AFTER THESE THINGS, < THAT GOD TESTED ABRAHAM >. This text is related (to Ps. 89:35 [34]): I WILL NOT DEFILE MY COVENANT, NOR WILL I ALTER THE UTTERANCE OF MY LIPS. R. Aha said: I WILL NOT DEFILE MY COVENANT, the one which I made with Abraham when I said to him (according to Gen. 21:12): FOR IN ISAAC SHALL SEED BE SUMMONED FOR YOU. (Ps. 89:35 [34]:) NOR WILL I ALTER THE UTTERANCE OF MY LIPS, because I have said to him (in Gen. 22:2): PLEASE TAKE < YOUR SON >. A parable: To what is the matter comparable? To a king who said to his friend: I yearn to see a small child on my table. Immediately his friend went, brought his son, and set him on the table before the king. Then he went and brought his sword to slaughter him. Immediately, however, the king cried out and said to him: What are you doing? He said to him: But did you not say to me: I yearn to see a small child on my table. He said to him: I told you a living child. < Would > I have possibly < meant > a dead one? Similarly the Holy One said to Abraham: PLEASE TAKE YOUR SON. Immediately (in Gen. 22:9f.): AND ABRAHAM BUILT AN ALTAR THERE … THEN ABRAHAM STRETCHED FORTH HIS HAND < AND TOOK THE KNIFE TO SLAUGHTER HIS SON >. The angel cried to him (in vs. 12): DO NOT RAISE YOUR HAND AGAINST THE LAD. Abraham said to him: Did you not say to me (in vs. 2): PLEASE TAKE YOUR SON? He said to him: Would I have told you¹⁴³Buber reads “him” here. to slaughter him? Ergo (in Ps. 89:35 [34]): I WILL NOT DEFILE MY COVENANT, NOR WILL I ALTER THE UTTERANCE OF MY LIPS.

Another matter, Rabbi Yitzḥak said: When Abraham sought to bind Isaac his son, he said to him: ‘Father, I am a young man, and I am concerned that my body will tremble due to fear of the knife, and I will [thereby] upset you, or perhaps the slaughter will [thereby] be rendered unfit and it will not be counted for you as a valid offering. Therefore, bind me very well.’ Thereupon, “he bound Isaac his son.” Is a person capable of binding a thirty-seven- year-old [variant reading: a twenty-six-year-old] without his consent?³⁹So it must be that Isaac consented to be bound.
Immediately, “Abraham extended his hand.” As he extended his hand to take the knife, his eyes were emitting tears and the tears were falling into Isaac’s eyes, because of the father’s mercy [for his son]. Nevertheless, his heart was joyful in fulfilling the will of his Creator. The angels gathered themselves into groups up above. What did they cry out? “The highways are desolate, those passing on the way have ceased, he breached the covenant, he has spurned the cities” (Isaiah 33:8)⁴⁰See section 5, where the relevance of this passage is explained. – does He not in fact desire Jerusalem, and the Temple that He had planned to bequeath to Isaac’s descendants? “He had no regard for man” (Isaiah 33:8) – if the merit of Abraham is not sufficient, there is no significance for any person before Him.⁴¹“He had no regard for man” means that if God does not show grace to the great, righteous Abraham, no other man could possibly hope for grace from Him.
Rabbi Aḥa said: Abraham began to express his astonishment, [saying to God]: ‘These events are nothing short of bewildering. Yesterday⁴²Some time ago. You said: “For it is through Isaac that will be called your descendants” (Genesis 21:12), then You said: “Take you your son […and offer him up]” (Genesis 22:2), and now You say to me: “Do not extend your hand against the lad”? This is bewildering.’ The Holy One blessed be He said to Abraham: ‘“I will not violate My covenant, nor alter the utterance of My lips” (Psalms 89:35) – when I said to you: “Take you your son,” I did not say: “Slaughter him,” but rather, “take him up.” I said this to you in affection. You have taken him up and fulfilled My words, now take him down.’ <Variant reading: They said a parable; this is analogous to a king who said to his friend: ‘Bring your son up to [eat at] my table.’ He brought him to him, knife in hand. The king said: ‘Did I say to bring him up in order to eat him? I said: Bring him up out of affection for him.’ That is what is written: “[They built altars on which to burn their sons and daughters in fire, something that I never commanded] and which never entered my mind” (Jeremiah 19:5) – this refers to Isaac.>