31 Oct PARASHAT VAYERA: THE TESTS THAT SHOW OUR LOVE FOR HASHEM

We read in Parashat
Vayera about the final
of the ten tests that
Avraham confronted
and withstood – the test
of Akedat Yishak, when G-d commanded
him to sacrifice his son, Yishak. Avraham
complied, proceeding with the Yishak to the
site where the sacrifice was to be performed
– and at the last moment, just as he lifted
the knife, G-d instructed him to withdraw
his knife, as his preparedness to fulfill this
command sufficed to prove his loyalty.
When G-d first spoke to Avraham to present
this command, He said, “Kah Na Et Bincha”
– “Take, if you please, your son.” Rashi,
based on the Gemara (Sanhedrin 89b), notes
G-d’s use of the word “Na” (“please”) in
this context, which seems to suggest that
G-d “pleaded” with Avraham to sacrifice his
son. Of course, G-d does not need to ask us
to perform His will; it suffices for Him to
command us, as we are subservient to Him.
Why, then, did G-d “ask” Avraham to sacrifice
his son? Rashi explains that G-d was telling
Avraham, “I am asking you, withstand this
test for Me, so that it won’t be said that the
first [tests] were not real.” Somehow, by
passing the test of Akedat Yishak, Avraham
proved that his passing the first nine tests was

“real,” a true indication of his unwavering,
steadfast devotion to Hashem.
Why is this the case? How did the test of
Akedat Yishak prove anything about the
previous tests?
The answer emerges from a remarkable
comment by the Ran (Rabbenu Nissim
of Gerona, Spain, d. 1376), in one of his
published Derashot (sermons), in a passage
which fundamentally changes our entire
understanding of the story of Akedat Yishak.
The Ran writes that indeed, Hashem requested
Avraham to sacrifice Yishak, and did not
command him to sacrifice his son. According
to the Ran, Avraham would not have been
punished had he refused to go through with
the sacrifice. This was not a command with
which he was dutybound to comply. Hashem
asked him to do this, but did not command
him. And so G-d said, “Kah Na” – asking him
to sacrifice Yishak.
This explains why this test revealed the nature
of Avraham’s withstanding the previous
nine tests. Were it not for Akedat Yishak,
people might have thought that Avraham
was devoted to Hashem only when it came
to commands, to that which he was obligated
to do. Akedat Yishak revealed that Avraham
was prepared to go to the greatest lengths to

serve Hashem even in ways he
was not strictly required to. It
showed that his commitment to
Hashem was driven not just by
the fear of punishment, but also
by genuine love for Hashem, and
an overpowering desire to fulfill
His will.
I recall once in school we were
given an assignment to write a

500-word essay. A certain smart-
aleck in the class wrote an essay

and stopped as soon as he wrote
his 500th word. He insisted
on doing the bare minimum
requirement. The teacher was
not pleased by his gall – and punished him by
forcing him to write a 1000-word essay…
Sometimes we, too, have the tendency to
stop after the 500th word, to do just the bare
minimum that Halacha requires, and then
allow ourselves to relax. But the greatest
accomplishments in life are achieved when
we seek to extend beyond the minimum
requirement, when we feel dissatisfied doing
just the basics, and ambitiously strive for
more.
There are some tests in life that are thrust
upon us, and our decision is how to handle

the challenge. But there is also a different
kind of test – one which follows the model
of Akedat Yishak, as understood by the Ran:
tests that present themselves in the form of an
opportunity which we have the option to seize
or to pass up. When we have an opportunity
to do something great, beyond the strict call
of duty, we are being tested to see whether
we are committed to Hashem only out of fear,
or also out of genuine love. If we seize these
opportunities, even when this entails a great
deal of sacrifice, then we show our true love
and devotion to Hashem, that we are not just
afraid of punishment, but overcome by love
and devotion that knows no bounds.