הלכה אויף בראשית 22:1

Opponents of "land for peace" also cite certain aggadic statements to support their position. They often quote Rabi Shimon Bar Yochai's statement (Berachot 5a) that God presented the Jewish people with three precious gifts, which are acquired only through great difficulty: Torah, Eretz Yisrael, and the World to Come. They also point to the Rashbam's explanation of why God subjected Avraham to the ordeal of binding Yitzchak (Bereishit 22:1). He suggests that God meted out a punishment to Avraham for making a peace treaty with Avimelech, King of the Philistines.

On New Year, the section is that beginning, "And in the seventh month, on the first day of the month" (Numbers 29:1). It is however a general custom to read on the first day the section beginning, "And the Lord remembered Sarah" (Genesis 21:1-34); and the lesson from the Prophets is that beginning, "Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim—zophim" (I Samuel 1:1-2:10). On the second day, the section read is that beginning, "And it came to pass after these things that God did prove Abraham" (Genesis 22:1-24); and the lesson from the Prophets is that concluding, "Is Ephraim a darling son unto me" (Jeremiah 31:1-19).

2. We take out two Torah scrolls. In the first one, we read five portions from "God attended Sarah" [Genesis 21:1] until "After these things" [Genesis 22:1]. If it is Shabbat, we read seven portions [from this selection]. The maftir reads from the second scroll from Pinchas, "In the seventh month..." [Numbers 29:1] and for the haftarah, "There was a man from Ramatayim" [1 Samuel 1:1] until "He will bring triumph to His annointed one" [1 Samuel 2:10]. Rem"a: Some places have the custom of calling up the shofar blower for one of the five aliyot to the Torah (Kol Bo).