At the end of this week’s פרשה we have a narrative of Moshe ascending הר סיני, and what is interesting is that when you read these Pesukim describing what happened before he went up the mountain it sounds a lot like something that happened earlier in the Torah. Was there ever before someone who was commanded by Hashem to ascend a mountain? As it happens, there was, and there a quite a few linguistic parallels between this story and the one I’m referring to that happened earlier in פרשת וירא. Avraham was also commanded by Hashem to ascend to the top of a mountain, and to sacrifice his beloved son there. now what could the connection be between עקידת יצחק and Moshe getting the Torah on הר סיני? Let’s explore the connection the Torah makes between the two and we can see what the message is.
1- In both cases someone is told to ascend a mountain, here it says ויאמר יהוה אל משה עלה אלי ההרה, and to Avraham Hashem says והעלהו שם לעלה על אחד ההרים אשר אמר אליך.
2- Both have the words וישכם בבקר used since both were eager to perform the will of God.
3- Both Avraham and Moshe have an entourage with them, but only them and one person to serve them go up the mountain. Moshe has Aaron, Nadav, Avihu and the 70 Elders with him, but when it comes to ascending the Pasuk says ויקם משה ויהושע משרתו (and although Yehoshua did not in fact go up with him, we know from the story when Moshe comes down that Yehoshua remained at the foot of the mountain the entire time that Moshe was on top of the mountain). Avraham has Eliezer and Yishmael with him but only he and Yitzchak go up, and although it doesn’t use the word משרתו by Yitzchak, he is helping Avraham carry the load up the mountain.
4- The remaining people in the group get told to wait in the exact same language in both cases. Moshe tells the זקנים, שבו לנו בזה עד אשר נשוב אליכם. And Avraham tells Eliezer and Yishmael, שבו לכם פה אם החמור … ונשובה אליכם.
5- As Moshe goes up the Pasuk tells us ויכס הענן את ההר, and רש”י says that when the Pasuk says that Avraham saw the mountain, וירא את המקום מרחוק, he knew it was the right place since he saw a cloud tied to the mountain, meaning that there was a cloud covering the mountain.
6- The timing on both was the same. It says here that the Glory of Hashem rested on the mountain and the cloud was there for 6 days, but רש”י says that these were the 6 days from ראש חודש סיון until the 6th of סיון, which would mean that it was 3 days after Moshe’s preparation ended, and by Avraham it says that he ascended the mountain on the third day of his travel, i.e. 3 days after his preparations.
It seems clear to me that the Torah is comparing these stories. But why? What does עקידת יצחק have to do with הר סיני?
There are three more similarities and I think they take it to the next level and show us why these stories are referencing each other in the Torah. Many times, when the Torah is comparing stories the similarities are not always the same, rather sometimes they manifest as two sides of the same coin, kind of like an equal but opposite. A good משול could be how a photo and the photo negative are the same thing and they reference each other exactly, but they appear as opposites.
By הר סיני the Torah tells us why Moshe was told to go up, Hashem says, ואתנה לך את לחת האבן. Moshe is going up to be given something. But Avraham was going up his mountain for the opposite reason, he was there not to be given something, but rather to give something to God. He wouldn’t receive something made of stone, rather he would give his greatest possession to Hashem on an altar of stone. And I think is why these two stories are compared. Nothing happens in a vacuum and the Jewish people were not able to just leave Egypt and stand at הר סיני 7 weeks later on their own. They were standing on the shoulders of Avraham and Yitzchak before them, and it was their personal sacrifices that gave us the ability and the right to be given the Torah so many years later.
The next connection is the resoluteness in both stories. Avraham responds to Hashem’s calling with one word, הנני, here I am. I don’t know what you will request of me, but I am here, and I will do as you say. When Yitzchak begins to understand what is being asked of him, without it being expressed explicitly the פסוק says וילכו שניהם יחדו, they walked together with the same fervor and passion as before. Yitzchak was prepared to do what was needed even if he hadn’t been explained exactly what that may be. And it was those personal sacrifices that ingrained into their DNA the ability to sacrifice for God, and that got passed down to their children who were able to say נעשה ונשמע. We will do even if we don’t fully know or understand what is being asked. It was that resoluteness that is in our family.
And the final connection which I find the most beautiful, is this: by עקידת יצחק it says that Avraham carried up את האש ואת המאכלת, the torch for the fire and the knife, but what a strange word for a knife. So, you have this fire and this “eating” instrument on top of the mountain. Now look at the description of Hashem’s Glory on הר סיני, ומראה כבוד יהוה כאש אוכלת בראש ההר. There it is again there is a fire which is also described as an eating instrument on top of this mountain as well. And I think that they may be referring to each other. Hashem had the place to come to in this world with His Fiery Glory on top of a mountain since two humans had long ago sacrificed and brought אש and מאכלת to the top of a different mountain.
I think the message is twofold. Number one, our actions are what give way for Hashem’s glory to enter this world. We are responsible for and able to affect the world in such a huge and drastic way. It is no easy feat, but it is one that was embedded into our DNA by our ancestors. Which leads to the second message, nothing happens in a vacuum, we have our ancestors to thank, but also, our descendants are relying on us. When you are struggling or fighting, it is not just yourself that you help when you fight the fight, it affects all your children and their children for hundreds of years and allows them to more easily access the levels that you fought to obtain.