Parsha Pearls
וַיֹׁאמֶר יִצְחָק אֶל־אַבְרָהָם אָבִיו וַיֹׁאמֶר אָבִי וַיֹׁאמֶר הִנֶנִי בְנִי
And Yitzchak spoke to Avraham his father, and he said, "My father!" And he said, "Here I am, my son." (Bereishis 22:7)
Seforim tell us that when something appears in the Torah for the first time, it has great significance, because we learn its true meaning and definition. "Here I am, my son" are the first words recorded in the Torah where Avraham speaks to Yitzchak. In fact, these are the first words in the Torah where a Jewish father speaks to his son! Hence, these words carry a fundamental lesson in them - they teach a person how he should view his role as a father in relation to his child: It is a role of הִנֶנִי בְנִי - "Here I am, my son" - “I am here for you, always. I am always ready and prepared to give to you what you need, because you are my precious, dear son.”
