Is the Story of the Binding of Isaac Logical?

Michael asks:

"Hello. One of my friends, who hasn't yet returned to faith, asked me about the logic behind the Binding of Isaac. He told me: If you heard that your neighbor tried to sacrifice his son because he heard a heavenly command, it would undoubtedly shock you. So how is the story of our forefather Abraham different?"

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Hello Michael, and thank you for the question.

I have encountered people in the past who asked this question out of ignorance, often because they had heard inciters who challenged them: What makes Abraham different from a person who suddenly "hears voices in his head" and goes to murder his son on their command...

Even a very logical act, if taken out of its original context, can sound very illogical. For example, if you are told about a mother who screamed at her son loudly and pushed him forcefully, you would probably say she behaved irrationally. But when you hear the full context, you discover that in this situation, a small child suddenly ran into a busy street, his mother ran after him, and of course, yelled to scare him back to the sidewalk, he didn't listen to her, and at the last moment, she pushed him forcefully to the sidewalk to save his life. Suddenly, the case takes on a completely different rational meaning!

Every act exists within a framework story. Without awareness of the framework, one cannot rightly judge whether the case was logical or not.

The story of the Binding of Isaac was preceded by many important details, only after knowing them can one understand correctly and rationally the test of the binding and the important moral contained within it. I will mention some of these framework details so you can understand how different the binding was from your friend's example.

1. First and foremost, we need to recognize who the story revolves around and what his actions have proven about him until today

Our forefather Abraham was not a simple man. By his wisdom, he concluded that there is one God against the beliefs of all his generation. He was commanded to leave his home at the age of 75 to live in a distant and unsettled land, and against all odds, he gained great wealth and prosperity, proving divine providence over him: "And Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold" (Genesis 13:2).

Abraham was a guide to many and led a great army to fight and free his nephew Lot from the hands of four very powerful kings of his time who had conquered a city (Genesis 14), yet he took nothing from the king he saved: "I will not take so much as a thread or a sandal strap" (Genesis 14:23). He had many students: "And Abram took... the souls they had acquired in Haran" (Genesis 12:5). He met with kings and high priests of his time: "And Melchizedek king of Salem... blessed him, saying, 'Blessed be Abram of God Most High'" (Genesis 14:18), influencing many with his wisdom and righteousness. Even Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, recognized Abraham's holiness and did not harm him (Genesis 12:10-19).

In other words, our forefather Abraham proved himself as a wise and great man of his time, a military leader and a righteous guide. He was not a simple person, but a mentor whose life events and position testified to his high righteousness and judgment. Abraham's name attests to his role, "Ab"-"Ram," meaning a great father: "And your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations" (Genesis 17:5).

From this framework, you can understand that there is no resemblance to the neighbor you mentioned (who presumably was not recognized by national leaders, did not fight battles, and did not hold many students). Abraham's story is about someone whose position and life path attest to prophecy, providence, and extraordinary trials.

2. Moreover, it's important not to forget that our forefather Abraham was saved by open miracles, without which he would not have reached the Binding of Isaac

God saved Abraham and Sarah's lives when they went down to Egypt. Pharaoh the king tried to take Sarah as a wife, but couldn't come near her because plagues afflicted him and his household: "But the Lord struck Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram's wife, and Pharaoh summoned Abram and said, 'What is this you have done to me? Why didn't you tell me she was your wife?'" (Genesis 12:17).

Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, recognized the sanctity of our forefather Abraham, and he was not alone. Abimelech, the king of Gerar, also tried to take his wife, but the Lord did not allow him to come near her: "And God came to Abimelech in a dream by night and said to him, 'You are about to die because of the woman you have taken... Now return the man's wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you will live... And Abimelech rose early in the morning and called all his servants and spoke all these words in their ears, and the men were very afraid... And Abimelech took sheep and oxen and male and female servants and gave them to Abraham, and returned Sarah, his wife, to him. And Abimelech said, 'Behold, my land is before you, settle where it pleases you'" (Genesis 20).

Abimelech heard the voice of the Lord in his dream, and only then discovered that Sarah was Abraham's wife. Consequently, he did not harm them and even gave Abraham great wealth.

There is another miracle in the story: the Lord punished all of Abimelech's house, such that no woman in his house could give birth. Only after Abraham prayed for him were they able to conceive children again: "And Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech and his wife and his maidservants, and they bore children, for the Lord had closed fast all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham's wife" (Genesis 20:17).

Without these open miracles, Abraham would not have been saved, Sarah would have been taken from him, and great wealth would not have come into his hands.

3. Besides the story of the war and Abraham's victory over the four kings (Genesis 14), Abraham's prophecy also addressed tremendous miracles on a historical scale

Sodom and Gomorrah were very wealthy and famous cities in ancient times, but due to their wickedness, the Lord destroyed their cities with fire and sulfur from the heavens. Abraham knew through prophecy that Sodom was destined to be destroyed supernaturally, and he even prayed for the salvation of the city and his family, Lot (Genesis 18). Without open miracles, Lot and his daughters would not have been saved from destruction by the three angels sent because of Abraham (Genesis 19).

4. And now we approach the story of the Binding of Isaac, with one of its most significant details: Isaac was not born naturally

Sarah was barren all her life: "And Sarai was barren, she had no child" (Genesis 11:30), and in addition, both Abraham and Sarah were old: "And Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; it had ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. And Sarah laughed within herself, saying, 'After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?'" (Genesis 18:11).

The Lord miraculously granted the son Isaac to Abraham at the age of 100, and to his wife Sarah at the age of 90, despite her barrenness throughout her life. In other words, without a divine miracle, Isaac would not have come into the world.

Let us also not forget that three angels appeared to Abraham and Sarah, and they were the ones to announce the birth of their son Isaac, and as they said, so it was.

5. Another of Abraham's sons was saved by a miracle - Ishmael

After being sent with his mother Hagar into the barren wilderness, an angel appeared to them and provided her with water, and promised the safety and success of her son in the world (Genesis 21). Without these open miracles, Hagar and Ishmael would not have been saved.

6. And now to the story of the Binding, which contains another important detail not everyone is aware of: Isaac was already of understanding age, not a small child

The word "youth" in the language of the Bible can also refer to adults. According to one opinion, Isaac was 37 years old at the Binding (Rashi, Genesis 25:20), and according to the opinion of the Rabeinu Abraham ben Ezra (Ibn Ezra), he was at least a youth of 13: "In order that he might carry the wood for the offering" (Genesis 22:5). In both cases, Isaac was already of understanding age.

The Malbim explains that our forefather Isaac was bound on the altar by his own will: "And both of them went together - meaning to say, even though Abraham knew he was going to slaughter his son, and Isaac thought there would be a lamb for the offering, yet they were equal in the joy of their hearts to fulfill the command of the Lord. And after Abraham revealed to Isaac that he is the lamb to be offered, it said again 'And both of them went together,' to teach that nevertheless Isaac went with joy like Abraham, as it says in the Midrash: One to slaughter and one to be slaughtered" (Genesis 22:6).

The Talmud tells how Isaac accepted the trial of the Binding when he declared he was ready to die for the Lord: "Ishmael said to Isaac, 'I am greater than you in commandments, for you were circumcised at eight days, and I at thirteen years.' Isaac replied, 'And with one limb you incite me? If the Holy One, blessed be He, says to me, "Sacrifice yourself before me," I would sacrifice.' Immediately - "And God tested Abraham" (Sanhedrin 89b).

Just as Abraham came to bind Isaac with complete faith in the righteousness and kindness of the Holy One, blessed be He, we can understand that Isaac was also of understanding age and agreed to sacrifice his life on the altar with complete faith - both in his father Abraham and in his Father in heaven.

7. It is important to remember that the very story of the Binding is based on an open miracle, for who stopped the killing of Isaac if not an angel descending from heaven?

The Torah states: "And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven... and said, 'Lay not thy hand upon the lad, neither do anything to him'" (Genesis 22:12), and miraculously also provided a ram instantly at the place to sacrifice instead of his son. Without the heavenly command to stop, Abraham would have killed Isaac. The whole story of the Binding would have ended differently if not for the prophetic revelation.

As we see, the story of the Binding takes place within a framework of miraculous stories and wonders experienced by Abraham and his household, and even witnessed by kings and leaders. The life of our forefather Abraham is intertwined with stories of visible divine providence, so anyone who witnessed them like Abraham and his contemporaries had no doubt that the Creator of the world truly appeared to him.

Your friend who tried to compare the story of the Binding to a neighbor who "heard voices" demonstrated ignorance of the script that he has not sat down to seriously read. Without the many miracles that were performed in the sight of Abraham - the story of the Binding does not exist. This is besides the significant fact that our forefather Abraham was a wise, righteous, and thoughtful man, and so too was his righteous son Isaac.

Only when we approach the story of our forefather Abraham in its full context, with all the miracles, wonders, and prophecies it contains, can we understand that within this framework, our forefather Abraham acted according to a clear and absolute divine instruction, not on his own accord, Heaven forbid.

The Creator of the world (and not "voices") is the one who saved Abraham and Sarah and elevated them to greatness, who destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, and saved Lot with angels, who renewed Sarah's womb in her old age, and saved Hagar and Ishmael. Therefore, it is the Creator of the world (and not "voices") who commanded Abraham to slaughter his only son, and who stopped Abraham from slaughtering his only son through an angel from heaven.

However, one can respond to this weak question in a much simpler way, through the philosophical understanding that a true divine revelation to a person - cannot be a debatable experience, because it will be a reality stronger and clearer than life itself. Let me explain:

God, as is known, is the true reality, the cause of causes and the true force that operates all materials, standing behind all existing things that conceal His revealed providence. God's existence is too powerful for a person to see it eye to eye, as it is said: "For man shall not see me and live" (Exodus 33:20).

It must be understood that the past, present, and future are the same in the eyes of the Holy One, blessed be He, who is present with the world from its creation until the end of all generations, so even thousands of years are like one moment to Him. This is a dimension beyond time, beyond matter, and beyond the perception of all senses limited to place and time - the infinite.

A prophet who merits a prophetic revelation - actually sees the true reality hidden behind the masks, according to his level of prophecy. Even prophecy at the lowest level will be a vision higher and more tangible than the sensory reality. This means that prophecy will always seem more real than the reality we are experiencing at this moment. Therefore, a prophet who receives a divine illumination from above cannot be uncertain of it! Even if he wanted to.

This is how Maimonides explains the event of Mount Sinai, where the mass prophecy completely dispelled any remaining doubts among the Israelites because, after beholding the divine speech entering their hearts within their souls, they could no longer doubt the One who is above and beyond all human thoughts and senses. See in detail.

To read the Binding of Isaac passage, click here.

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