וַיִּקַּ֨ח אַבְרָהָ֜ם אֶת־עֲצֵ֣י הָעֹלָ֗ה וַיָּ֙שֶׂם֙ עַל־יִצְחָ֣ק בְּנ֔וֹ וַיִּקַּ֣ח בְּיָד֔וֹ אֶת־הָאֵ֖שׁ וְאֶת־הַֽמַּאֲכֶ֑לֶת וַיֵּלְכ֥וּ שְׁנֵיהֶ֖ם יַחְדָּֽו׃
Avraham tomou a lenha da oferta de elevação e colocou-a sobre Yitzchak, seu filho; e ele pegou em sua mão o fogo e a faca. E ambos caminharam juntos.
Rabbeinu Bahya
הנה נא ידעתי כי אשה יפת מראה את, “here now, I am well aware that you are a woman of beautiful appearance, etc.” The word הנה usually appears as an introduction to something new as in Genesis 19,20 where Lot introduces his request to spare the town of Tzoar by saying הנה נא העיר הזאת קרובה “here, after all, is this city which is nearby.” Another example of a new subject being introduced with the word הנה appears in Genesis 22,6 when Yitzchak prefaces his inquiry about where the lamb for the sacrifice is with the word הנה.
Rabbeinu Bahya
A kabbalistic approach to this expression: the verse is a reference to the attribute of חסד, “loving kindness.” Seeing that attribute had failed to find within Sodom any deserving individuals who would enable it to become active on behalf of the town they lived in, this attribute now returned to its former place and left the field to the attribute of Justice. This is the mystical aspect of the words ויבאו שני המלאכים סדומה, “the two messengers (angels) arrived at Sodom (19,1).” Shortly afterwards (19,29), the Torah writes: ויהי בשחת אלוקים את ערי הככר, וג', “when Elohim destroyed the towns in the valley, etc.” The attribute of Justice is not allowed to operate until it has received “authority” to do so from the attribute of Mercy. In 19,29 we find for the first time since Avraham had begun to plead that the name of G’d used by the Torah is the name representing the attribute of Justice. At this point in the story the attribute of Justice became active against people concerning whom the die had already been cast.
When Avraham is described in 22,6 as ויקח בידו את האש ואת המאכלת, “he took in his hand the fire and the knife (in preparation for slaughtering Yitzchak),” this expression also indicated that at that point the attribute of Mercy had handed over Yitzchak to the attribute of Justice. The words וילכו שניהם יחדו, “they both walked together,” which follow the expression that אלוקים יראה לו השה, “that G’d in His capacity of the attribute of Justice will select the lamb for Himself,” are a strong hint that what was about to happen was being orchestrated by the attribute of Justice. In that episode Yitzchak was the willing object of the attribute of Justice. We must not forget that basically, the attribute of Justice remains “bound,” before the attribute of Mercy as otherwise the world would be destroyed by the attribute of Justice. This is the mystical dimension of the words ויעקד את יצחק בנו, “he bound his son Yitzchak” (22,9), and this is the meaning of the words ורב חסד, in Exodus 34,6, i.e. that the attribute of חסד, “love, kindness, mercy,” is stronger than the attribute of דין, “Justice.” [Rabbi Chavell quotes commentaries on this which explain the words “he took the knife in his hand” to mean that Avraham took in his hand the combined attributes and spiritual forces of his son Yitzchak which are symbolised by “fire and knife.” When Yitzchak is in full possession of these two spiritual forces of his no creature could prevail against what is known in Rabbinic parlance as פחד יצחק. By Avraham gathering in his own hands these spiritual weapons of his son Yitzchak, such as at the time when he pleaded for the people of Sodom, the attribute of Justice (Yitzchak) could not operate at full capacity until Avraham again released these “weapons of Yitzchak” (after he had completed his plea).Yitzchak had not been born yet, it is clear that such terms as פחד יצחק used by the kabbalists, are not to be understood as something exclusively Yitzchak’s, but as similes for these spiritual forces. Ed.]
When Avraham is described in 22,6 as ויקח בידו את האש ואת המאכלת, “he took in his hand the fire and the knife (in preparation for slaughtering Yitzchak),” this expression also indicated that at that point the attribute of Mercy had handed over Yitzchak to the attribute of Justice. The words וילכו שניהם יחדו, “they both walked together,” which follow the expression that אלוקים יראה לו השה, “that G’d in His capacity of the attribute of Justice will select the lamb for Himself,” are a strong hint that what was about to happen was being orchestrated by the attribute of Justice. In that episode Yitzchak was the willing object of the attribute of Justice. We must not forget that basically, the attribute of Justice remains “bound,” before the attribute of Mercy as otherwise the world would be destroyed by the attribute of Justice. This is the mystical dimension of the words ויעקד את יצחק בנו, “he bound his son Yitzchak” (22,9), and this is the meaning of the words ורב חסד, in Exodus 34,6, i.e. that the attribute of חסד, “love, kindness, mercy,” is stronger than the attribute of דין, “Justice.” [Rabbi Chavell quotes commentaries on this which explain the words “he took the knife in his hand” to mean that Avraham took in his hand the combined attributes and spiritual forces of his son Yitzchak which are symbolised by “fire and knife.” When Yitzchak is in full possession of these two spiritual forces of his no creature could prevail against what is known in Rabbinic parlance as פחד יצחק. By Avraham gathering in his own hands these spiritual weapons of his son Yitzchak, such as at the time when he pleaded for the people of Sodom, the attribute of Justice (Yitzchak) could not operate at full capacity until Avraham again released these “weapons of Yitzchak” (after he had completed his plea).Yitzchak had not been born yet, it is clear that such terms as פחד יצחק used by the kabbalists, are not to be understood as something exclusively Yitzchak’s, but as similes for these spiritual forces. Ed.]
Rabbeinu Bahya
Personally, I believe that the word אף used in connection with G’d remembering Yitzchak and Avraham respectively is an allusion to the attribute of Justice such as in Genesis 18,23 האף תספה צדיק עם רשע. Both Avraham and Yitzchak had an equal part in the binding of Yitzchak, each one of them suppressing their natural instincts; Avraham suppressed the father’s instinct by demonstrating obedience to G’d and being prepared to slaughter his son, whereas Yitzchak suppressed the natural survival instinct by not challenging his father who made him the victim of G’d’s commandment and by submitting to being slaughtered. When the Torah wrote on that occasion (Genesis 22,6) “they both walked together,” the point of that statement is to show that both father and son shared equally in that merit, they both had the same thing in mind, namely to submit to the attribute of Justice.
In our verse the name Yaakov is spelled with the extra letter ו, something quite unusual which we find only on five occasions in the entire Bible. This corresponds to five other places in the Bible where the name Elijah, normally spelled as אליהו is spelled with the letter ו at the end of his name missing, i.e. as אליה. According to Rashi what all this means is that Yaakov took a letter from Elijah’s name as a guarantee, as collateral, that the prophet would make an appearance on earth announcing the advent of the redemption of the Jewish people.
In our verse the name Yaakov is spelled with the extra letter ו, something quite unusual which we find only on five occasions in the entire Bible. This corresponds to five other places in the Bible where the name Elijah, normally spelled as אליהו is spelled with the letter ו at the end of his name missing, i.e. as אליה. According to Rashi what all this means is that Yaakov took a letter from Elijah’s name as a guarantee, as collateral, that the prophet would make an appearance on earth announcing the advent of the redemption of the Jewish people.