Kaisipang Hudyo sa Mga Awit 62:13: Akeidat Yitzchak & Duties

It is an accepted principle that the donor should advise the recipient of a gift so the latter can express his appreciation (Shabbat 10). The reason G-d desires the prayers of the tzaddikim, the righteous, is so that man can express his gratitude for the favors G-d does for him every single day (Yevamot 30). Even the good which man deserves because of merits he may have accumulated, contains elements of grace, since the idea that a lessee of a field who pays his dues to the owner may ask for a reward is absurd. Where would the lessee be without the owner? This is the meaning of Psalms 62,13, "When You pay man his deserts, You perform an act of kindness." This is why righteous people never demand what they deserve, and always ask only for an act of kindness, a gift. (5) G-d, on the other hand, goes far and beyond any merit man has accumulated when He recompenses him. Had G-d granted Abraham and Sarah children in their youth, they would never have been sure whether this had required G-d’s personal intervention in their fates, or whether it had been a natural occurrence. This is why G-d waited until they had become aware of their need, and would pray for it to be granted. Since Abraham still did not get around to praying, G-d had to provoke him into the comment, "See You have not given me any seed!" (2) He wanted Abraham to realize that the riches he had returned to the king of Sodom, or even the glory attained through his military accomplishments, were minor compared to the reward G-d had still in store for him, and that he had no cause to fear that the four kings would return with reinforcements. So G-d evoked the desired response from Abraham when the latter asked Him, "What can You give me, seeing You have denied me children?" (1) That is the point at which G-d took Abraham "outside," to acquaint him with the fact that considerations based on horoscopic knowledge were not absolute, that He, G-d could and would alter the fate in store for Abraham, which according to horoscopic constellations seemed to preclude his having natural issue. (3) The oblique introduction "and here,” shows that G-d had held His response in store all the time, but that He had had to wait for Abraham's complaint (statement of resignation) to be able to reveal to him that he would become a father. (6) Abraham's belief in this hashgachah peratit, G-d’s personal Providence, is what was new, and for this he deserved credit. Having established that Abraham was bothered by his childlessness to the point of speaking out about it, the Torah reports that Sarah too was upset about it, and proceeded to do what was in her power to relieve the problem. (8+9) She did this by offering Hagar as a wife to Abraham also. Although both Abraham and Sarah knew a great deal about the power of G-d, they were still under the impression that it was not within His domain to change the physical nature of barrenness. Therefore, they did not pray, since they had no reason to believe that prayer would be a key to success. Their knowledge of G-d was restricted to their conceiving of Him as the ultimate Cause, but not as the constant guardian of individual fates. Ultimately, this lack of understanding prompted the angel in Genesis 18,14 to say, "Is anything too wonderful for G-d (to accomplish)?"

(2) The second factor is a kindness from the Al-mighty, and generosity and goodness, as written "to You, G-d, is kindness, for You pay a man according to his deeds" (Tehilim 62:13) (i.e. even if one has only his own good deeds [and did not bring others to the good], G-d will bestow on him good reward in Olam Haba - TL).

The punishment in both worlds, however, is through truth and justice, and it is a debt a man must pay. Yet here too the Creator's loving-kindness is extended to us in both worlds, as written "to You, G-d, belongs loving-kindness" (Tehilim 62:13), and "the compassionate One will atone for sin, and will not destroy" (Tehilim 78:38).