[Avodah] akeidah

[Eli Turkel]

<<Now we are told what happened after Avraham and Yitzchak had
met the highest challenge and accomplished the most exalted mission
a person can complete: They returned to their attendants, and all of
them ? Avraham, Yitzchak, and with them the young men ? went
Yachdov, together, to Be?er Sheva.>>

RYL makes several statements that remind me of several questions about
the Akeidah.

The Torah begins the parsha that G-d tested Abraham. In the parsha
Yitzchak seems to
be a passive victim. No explicit mention whether he agreed even an
implication that he
didnt realize what was happening until the last moment.

Some midrashim change the entire story. They explain the akediah began with
a debate between Ishmael and Yitzchak about who was greater. Yishmael argued
that he had a brit milah at age 13 when he could have resisted whil Yitzhak was
only an 8 day baby. Yitzchak replied that even if G-d asked for his
sould he would
be willing to give it up and so that led to the Akediah. i.e. the main
person was
Yitzchak and Abraham was a minor player.

Rashi brings that the 2 "boys" (naarim) were Eliezer and Yishmael.
Interesting that
after being evicted Yishmael is now a servant of Abraham. Chumash itself only
notes that Yishmael came to Abraham's funeral not anything in between.
Accepting the other midrash that Yitzchak was 37 then Yishmael was 37+15=51
not exactly a "naar". Elizer was also obviously not a "naar"

One of the big questions is whether Abraham lived in Hebron or Beer
Sheva at the time
and where was Sarah at that time, seems like she was in Hebron and
Abraham in Beer Sheva.
-- 
Eli Turkel