창세기 22:12의 주석

אל תשלח LAY NOT THINE HAND [UPON THE LAD] to slay him. Then he (Abraham) said to God, “If this be so, I have come here for nothing; let me at least inflict a wound on him and draw some blood from him”. God replied, “Neither do thou anything (מאומה) to him” — inflict no blemish (מום) on him (Genesis Rabbah 56:7).

FOR NOW I KNOW THAT THOU ART A G-D FEARING MAN. At the beginning Abraham’s fear of G-d was latent; it had not become actualized through such a great deed. But now it was known in actuality, and his merit was perfect, and his reward would be complete from the Eternal, the G-d of Israel.³⁸⁵See Ruth 2:12.
The doctrine of this chapter which teaches that G-d is the One who tries Abraham and commands him about the binding of Isaac, and it is the angel of G-d who restrains and promises him, will be explained in the verse, The angel who hath redeemed me.³⁸⁶Further, 48:16.

כי עתה ידעתי, I now can demonstrate My knowledge about you to the whole world,

Now (ata) I know that you fear God: Not every usage of ata is to negate time before it. As behold we find, "And ata, O Israel, what does the Lord [...] ask of you but to fear [Him]" (Deuteronomy 10:12). And is it that before this, He did not ask fear of us? Rather it is as if He said, "And behold, O Israel." Likewise, "ata I know," is as if He said, "and behold, I know."

Now I know. These were the words of the angel — “Now I know why God elevated you above us.”

ויאמר...ואל תעש לו מאומה, again G’d repeated what He had said in different words, in order to lend additional emphasis to His warning not to touch Yitzchok.

Nor do anything to him: It is like the explanation of Rashi, that he should not even make an impression of blood like the matter of the blood of circumcision: For even if [a child] is not relevant to this commandment - such as if he is born circumcised - it is nevertheless a commandment to draw a drop of covenantal blood. But here He warned him also against this.

אל תשלח ידך אל הנער, “do not touch the lad!” According to the Midrash, the angel saw that Avraham had suddenly realized that he no longer had a knife in his hand. (this is why the angel told him not to harm Yitzchok with his hand, instead of with his knife). Avraham therefore decided to strangle Yitzchok with his bare hands in order to carry out G’d’s command. This is when the angel had to tell him not to harm Yitzchok in any manner.

Now I know. Hashem knew that even when Avraham spared his son’s life he did so only because he was commanded to do so. This was the proof that he was truly God-fearing.

I will make a cut in him and draw a little blood... Question: Why does drawing blood make a מום (blemish)? The answer is: Avraham said, “I will draw blood and offer it up. Hashem said: “Do not draw blood.” Avraham thought that just drawing blood was insufficient and said, “If so, I will offer up one of his limbs.” Hashem said: “Do not cause him any מום.” (Maharshal)

Do not stretch out your hand against the lad: For you have already done the commandment. As He only commanded you to bring him up, and you brought him up over the wood.

עתה ידעתי, “now I know for a fact, etc;” did G-d not already know? Actually the meaning is: “now I am able to make My knowledge public to all.” We have a similar formulation in Exodus 32,12, where G-d said to Moses: ידעתיך בשם, “I have made your name well known.” The appropriate translation would be: “I have made you so famous that no one can dispute it.”

כי עתה ידעתי FOR NOW I KNOW—R. Aba said: Abraham said to God, “I will lay my complaint before you. Yesterday (on an earlier occasion) you told me, (Genesis 21:12) “In Isaac shall seed be called to thee”, and then again you said, (Genesis 21:2) “Take now thy son”. Now you tell me, “Lay not thy hand upon the lad”! The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, in the words of Psalms 89:35, “My covenant will I not profane, nor alter that which is gone out of My lips”. When I told you, “Take thy son”, I was not altering that which went out from My lips, namely, My promise that you would have descendants through Isaac. I did not tell you “Slay him” but bring him up to the mountain. You have brought him up — take him down again” (Genesis Rabbah 56:8).

And some say, "I know," is like, "I made it known" - since the purpose of this test was in order to raise the banner flag to show the nations the beauty of his deeds. So the statement, "And God nisa Avraham" (Genesis 22:1), was an expression of raising a banner (nes) visible to everyone. For 'good is open reproof,' when it comes 'from concealed love': When there is great love but it is concealed, the Holy One, blessed be He, sends open reproof upon one. And from his accepting it with love, his love is revealed and seen in the eyes of everyone. And behold regarding God's knowledge of everything before it happens and man's choice [nevertheless] being preserved - many have been confused by this investigation. And most scholars went out 'to gather and did not find' a sufficient path to answer this question - since [these principles] seem to contradict one another; and it is a teaching that is 'deep, who can find it?' And about it, the Rambam explained [that] our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Avot 3:15), "Everything is foreseen, and freewill is given" - that even though everything is foreseen in front of Him, may He be blessed, free will is nevertheless given to man, so he remains with his free choice.

From Me (or, “than I am”). These are also the words of the angel. The verse should be inverted and read: “You are more God-fearing than I am because you did not withhold your son”.

That you fear God: This statement is wonderous! And was it not already known, even to everyone, that Avraham feared God in the most expansive way possible? And just the opposite - there was no great proof from this deed alone that Avraham always feared God, since it was in His hands to kill [him] even without Avraham's sacrifice! As behold, if a king of flesh and blood decrees upon a man to slaughter his son, it is impossible to resist it. For he knows that it is in the hands of the king to kill both of them, the father and the son. Rather the matter of the test is in two things: The first is that if a king commanded a simple person that has no acquaintance or business with the king to slaughter his son, it is obvious that he has nothing to do besides to go and fulfill the word of the king. But if [the king] says to his friend who is frequently with him to do this wonderous thing, it is obvious that he would not restrain himself from asking the king why and how; and maybe he would change his mind. So too was it possible with Avraham. As he was the friend of the Holy One, blessed be He, and he found the courage to request much concerning Sodom. But behold, when a decree like this about his son, who was like his own soul, came before him, he did not say a thing and went and did [it] without any question or hesitation. And this is as if he were not a particular friend, but rather with the fear of God like any person. So he did not say anything about that which related to himself. And this is a wonderous novelty, and see what I wrote on the book of Deuteronomy 4:10 (Haamek Davar on Deuteronomy 4:10).

כי עתה ידעתי, if we were to explain this word as derived from the root ידע in the kal conjugation and we follow the path we outlined in verse 1 that G’d wanted Avraham to translate his potential into an actual, in verse 1 of this chapter, the problem is that we never find the root ידע in a transitive mode; therefore I suggest that the meaning of ידעתי is similar to Exodus 33,12 ידעתיך בשם, or Exodus 33,17 ואדעך בשם. [This means כי שב החלק, “individual attributes form an integrated part of the larger pattern of one’s personality.” This is my understanding of the somewhat obscure phrase כי שב החלק, seeing that we do not have the author’s commentary on the verses in which he quotes himself as having interpreted the root ידע in such a fashion. Ed.] This allusion is sufficient for the initiated. (author’s words).

כי ירא אלוקים אתה, that you are G’d fearing. [in the most selfless manner. Ed.]

כי עתה ידעתי, “for now I know, etc.” Nachmanides writes that the meaning is that up until that moment the degree of reverence for G’d that Avraham was capable of existed only as a potential; now it had been translated into reality.

For now I know: It is [God's] way to speak like the speech of people. For He knows the hearts of people from the beginning. [So this is] meaning to say, I made Myself to be as if I did not know and now I know. [This was] to make it known to all, so no prosecutor will be able to prosecute you any more.

כי עתה ידעתי FOR NOW I KNOW — From now I have a reply to give to Satan and to the nations who wonder at the love I bear you: I have an opening of the mouth (i.e. I have an excuse, a reason to give them) now that they see that you are a God-fearing man (Genesis Rabbah 56:7).

And you have not withheld, etc. from Me: And this is the second novelty:

כי ירא אלוקים אתה. The word יראה, “fear,” mentioned here is none other than a form of אהבה, love, seeing that the fear was not something physical, concern for his body, but concern that he soul should not suffer irretrievable damage. Avraham was prepared to sacrifice his son to demonstrate that his love for abstract, invisible G’d was greater than his love for his physical, mortal son. He wanted to ensure that neither of them would forfeit their lives in the world to come.

And it is the reason for, "nor do anything to him." For if the Holy One, blessed be He, had commanded him to slaughter and kill his son, he would have been obligated to do it whether he wanted to or not. But with God's command to bring him up as a burnt-offering - given that a burnt-offering is only willing, as it is written, "according to your will" - if so, if it had been from compulsion, Yitzchak would not have been sanctified as a burnt-offering. So he would have been permitted afterwards to inflict a blemish upon him. But since Avraham did it with love, with complete will to the point that Yitzchak was sanctified as a burnt-offering; if so, he did not withhold him from Him. And because of that, He warned him not to inflict a blemish upon him.