And it was after these matters and Hashem tested Avraham and He said to him, “Avraham!” and he said, “Behold, I am ready.” And He said, “Take now your son, the only one, that you love, Yitzchok, and go to the Land of Moriyah, and offer him up as an Olah on one of the moutains that I will tell you.
The Ohr Hachaim explains the test of the akedah through a careful reading of these pessukim.
The possuk starts out ‘after these matters’. Avraham was one hundred years old, he had lived a full life. He had suffered greatly in preparation for the birth of Yitzchok, as he purified himself for Klal Yisroel. Hashem promised him many times that he would have a son and that son would be the one to continue the bond with Hashem. He also lived in Pelishtim for many years, when Yitzchok was born in the first year that he moved to the land of Pelishtim, making Yitzchok an older person, not a child. Avraham had invested much effort into teaching Yitzchok and training him for his future role as one of the forefathers of Klal Yisroel.
After all of this, Hashem commanded Avraham to offer this son as a Korban. This increases the difficulty of the test manifold. How was he to offer up such a beloved child? How was he to reconcile the Divine promises of Yitzchok’s taking over the reins of Klal Yisroel? The Torah is showing us the difficulty of the test.
The possuk then writes והא-להים, adding a וי"ו and a ה"א to Hashem’s name, that already alluded to His Middas Hadin. Hashem approached this test with the full measure of judgment, with no temperance of mercy. (I think this means that usually, when Hashem tests someone, He tempers the test with mercy. He helps the person pass the test, even as He is testing him. In this case, no Divine assistance was offered; Avraham was on his own. It is impossible for us to fathom the extent of this test, as we are never tested in this way, Hashem always offers us assistance along the way.)
Hashem then called Avraham, which was a way to warn him that He was about to request something great and serious.
The next possuk begins with the words קח נא. The word נא could have two meanings. The Targum almost always translates it to mean ‘now’. Rashi often translates it to mean ‘please’. The Ohr Hachaim explains the possuk based on both explanations.
First, he explains the possuk that Hashem commanded him to do the Mitzvah immediately. Hashem was making the test more difficult, by not allowing him any time to say goodbye to his beloved son. When Yiftach promised to offer, as a Korban to Hashem, the first thing to emerge from his estate when he returned from war, he ended up offering his own daughter. But she asked him for two months to take her leave from this world. Hashem did not give Yitzchok this courtesy.
Another translation of the word נא is please. It is an expression of appeasement. Avraham was being commanded to appease his wife Sarah and to persuade her that Hashem’s requests were more important than their desires. As the Medrash tells us, Avaham was up all night persuading his wife to agree to them traveling together the next day to learn Torah.
Another reason behind the appeasement is for Yitzchok. Yitzchok had never been tested before, and Avraham now needed him to agree to offer himself up for Hashem’s sake. Avraham was to persuade and appease Yitzchok that becoming a Korban to Hashem was the greatest level he could ever reach.
The possuk continues with three descriptions of Yitzchok - קַח נָא אֶׁת בִנְךָ אֶׁת יְחִידְךָ אֲשֶׁר אָהַבְתָּ. The Ohr Hachaim explains the three expressions as corresponding to the three loves a person has to show Hashem. The possuk says וְאָהַבְתָּ אֵת ה' אלוקיךָ בְכָל לְבָבְךָ וּבְכָל נַפְשְךָ וּבְכָל מְאֹדֶׁךָ. This too has three expressions:
בְכָ ל לְבָבְךָ with all of your heart.
A person must love Hashem with all of his desires. Everything that his heart desires must be available to give up for Hashem. This corresponds to the words אֶׁת בִנְךָ. Nothing is as close to a person’s heart as his children, and giving up your heart’s desire means giving up your children.
וּבְכָל נַפְשְךָ with all of your soul.
A person has to be ready to give away his life for Hashem’s sake. This corresponds to the words אֶׁת יְחִידְךָ. Seeing as practically speaking, Yitzchok was Avraham’s only child, if he is offered as a Korban, Avraham will die childless, killing off his future. Shechting Yitzchok meant giving up his own life.
וּבְכָל מְאֹדֶׁךָ means with all of your possessions.
A person must give up everything he owns for Hashem’s sake. This corresponds to אֲשֶׁר אָהַבְתָּ. Everything a person likes and desires is included in his possessions. Yitzchok was the one that Avraham loved, and yet he was told to give him up for Hashem’s sake.
The purpose of these pessukim is to describe the lofty level of the Akeda. Not only was he asked to give up his child, he was asked to do so in the most difficult manner. Yet he fulfilled Hashem’s wishes as commanded because he loved Hashem so much.
