ויאמר הנה האש והעצים ואיה השה לעולה ויאמר אברהם אלהים יראה לו השה וגו'. קשה למה שאל הנה האש והעצים, עוד קשה מה טעם השיב אלהים יראה לו השה לעולה בני, הוי לו למימר לעולה בני, ויש לומר דבגמרא פסחים פרק אלו דברים (פסחים דף ס"ו ע"א) תנו רבנן הלכה זו נתעלמה מבני בתירא כו' ולא ידעו אם פסח דוחה שבת, קראו להלל כו' למחר מי שפסחו טלה תוחבו בצמדו מי שפסחו גדי תוחבו בין קרניו, ומקשינן והא עביד עבודה בקדשים, ומשני כדהלל דלא מעל אדם בעולתו מימיו, דלא היה מקדישה עד שבא לבית המקדש, וזהו שטען יצחק, שהרי נאמר תחלה ויקח בידו את האש וגו' ויבקע עצי עולה וישם על יצחק בנו, ועל זה הקשה לו יצחק, ויאמר הנה האש שאתה נושא ואי אפשר לומר שאתה בעצמך תהיה העולה, והעצים אני נושא ועולה הוי קדשי קדשים ויש בה מעילה מחיים, אם כן מוכרח לומר שיהיה איזה שה אחר לעולה, ואם כן ואיה השה לעולה, והשיבו ויאמר אברהם אלהים יראה לו השה כו', פירוש דאפשר שהאמת עמך דאלהים יראה לו השה, ואם לאו לעולה בני, פירוש אינני אומר עכשיו עולה בני, דהוה משמע דכבר הקדשתיך להיות עולה, אלא לעולה בני, פירוש כשנבוא שם אקדישך וכדהלל : (ס' כתר שם טוב ח"ב דכ"ג ע"א).
And Abraham took the wood of the burnt-offering, and placed it upon Isaac his son; and he himself took the fire and the slaughter knife; and the two of them went together. And Isaac said to Abraham his father: 'My father.' And he said: 'Here am I, my son.' And he said: ‘Here is the fire and the wood; but where is the lamb for a offering?' And Abraham said: 'G-d will provide Himself with the lamb to be an offering, my son.' So the two of them went on together. (Ibid. 22:6-8) Why did Isaac ask about the fire and the wood? And why did Abraham answer him: “G-d will provide Himself with the lamb to be an offering (l’olah), my son”? He should have said “for an offering, my son.”2The verse could have been written: אֱלֹה-ים יִרְאֶה לּוֹ הַשֶּׂה עֹלָה בְּנִי– “Hashem yireh lo ha’she olah, bnei.” This can be explained by an episode in the Gemara,3Pesachim 66a. that in the days of Bnei Besirah, they forgot the law if the Pesach sacrifice can be performed on Shabbos or not. They asked Hillel the Elder, and he said that it did. However, they also forgot how to allow the people to carry their slaughtering knives to the Holy Temple on the Shabbos. Hillel also forgot the law. “Leave them alone,” Hillel said. “If Israel are not prophets, then they are the children of prophets.”4I.e. they will know what to do by themselves. On the eve of Passover, each one came with his offering. If it was a lamb, he stuck the knife in the wool. If it was a goat, he stuck the knife between the horns. Then the question arose as to whether the people were making desecrating their offerings by using them in a profane way. Hillel explained that the people did not designate their animals as sacrificial offerings until they reached the Temple grounds, and could remove the knives. This was what Isaac had in mind. For at first, it states that Abraham took the fire, etc., split the wood for the offering and put it on Isaac. Thus, Isaac asked: “You are carrying the fire, and it is impossible for you to be the offering. And I am carrying the wood, and a burnt-offering is the ‘holy of holies,’ and becomes … while alive.5In other words, Isaac was saying that his carrying the wood seems to have made him unfit to be offered as a sacrifice. Therefore, there must be some lamb for the offering.’ And so, Abraham replied, “G-d will provide himself with the lamb….” That is: “You may be correct, and G-d will provide an offering for Himself, but if not: ‘to be an offering – my son.’”6Abraham alluded to Isaac that he would offer him as the sacrifice. Thus, the Sages read the verse: “And Abraham said: 'G-d will provide Himself with the lamb for an offering – [you], my son.'” Abraham did not at that moment say: “for an offering – my son,” for that would imply that he already designated Isaac as the offering.7And therefore, it would be forbidden for Isaac to carry the wood. Rather, he said: “to be an offering” – meaning, “When we get there, I will designate you.” This follows Hillel’s opinion. Kesser Shem Tov, part 2, p. 23a
ויאמר הנה האש והעצים ואיה השה לעולה ויאמר אברהם אלהים יראה לו השה וגו'. קשה למה שאל הנה האש והעצים, עוד קשה מה טעם השיב אלהים יראה לו השה לעולה בני, הוי לו למימר לעולה בני, ויש לומר דבגמרא פסחים פרק אלו דברים (פסחים דף ס"ו ע"א) תנו רבנן הלכה זו נתעלמה מבני בתירא כו' ולא ידעו אם פסח דוחה שבת, קראו להלל כו' למחר מי שפסחו טלה תוחבו בצמדו מי שפסחו גדי תוחבו בין קרניו, ומקשינן והא עביד עבודה בקדשים, ומשני כדהלל דלא מעל אדם בעולתו מימיו, דלא היה מקדישה עד שבא לבית המקדש, וזהו שטען יצחק, שהרי נאמר תחלה ויקח בידו את האש וגו' ויבקע עצי עולה וישם על יצחק בנו, ועל זה הקשה לו יצחק, ויאמר הנה האש שאתה נושא ואי אפשר לומר שאתה בעצמך תהיה העולה, והעצים אני נושא ועולה הוי קדשי קדשים ויש בה מעילה מחיים, אם כן מוכרח לומר שיהיה איזה שה אחר לעולה, ואם כן ואיה השה לעולה, והשיבו ויאמר אברהם אלהים יראה לו השה כו', פירוש דאפשר שהאמת עמך דאלהים יראה לו השה, ואם לאו לעולה בני, פירוש אינני אומר עכשיו עולה בני, דהוה משמע דכבר הקדשתיך להיות עולה, אלא לעולה בני, פירוש כשנבוא שם אקדישך וכדהלל :
(ס' כתר שם טוב ח"ב דכ"ג ע"א).
And Abraham took the wood of the burnt-offering, and placed it upon Isaac his son; and he himself took the fire and the slaughter knife; and the two of them went together. And Isaac said to Abraham his father: 'My father.' And he said: 'Here am I, my son.' And he said: ‘Here is the fire and the wood; but where is the lamb for a offering?' And Abraham said: 'G-d will provide Himself with the lamb to be an offering, my son.' So the two of them went on together. (Ibid. 22:6-8)
Why did Isaac ask about the fire and the wood? And why did Abraham answer him: “G-d will provide Himself with the lamb to be an offering (l’olah), my son”? He should have said “for an offering, my son.”2The verse could have been written: אֱלֹה-ים יִרְאֶה לּוֹ הַשֶּׂה עֹלָה בְּנִי– “Hashem yireh lo ha’she olah, bnei.” This can be explained by an episode in the Gemara,3Pesachim 66a. that in the days of Bnei Besirah, they forgot the law if the Pesach sacrifice can be performed on Shabbos or not. They asked Hillel the Elder, and he said that it did. However, they also forgot how to allow the people to carry their slaughtering knives to the Holy Temple on the Shabbos. Hillel also forgot the law. “Leave them alone,” Hillel said. “If Israel are not prophets, then they are the children of prophets.”4I.e. they will know what to do by themselves. On the eve of Passover, each one came with his offering. If it was a lamb, he stuck the knife in the wool. If it was a goat, he stuck the knife between the horns. Then the question arose as to whether the people were making desecrating their offerings by using them in a profane way. Hillel explained that the people did not designate their animals as sacrificial offerings until they reached the Temple grounds, and could remove the knives.
This was what Isaac had in mind. For at first, it states that Abraham took the fire, etc., split the wood for the offering and put it on Isaac. Thus, Isaac asked: “You are carrying the fire, and it is impossible for you to be the offering. And I am carrying the wood, and a burnt-offering is the ‘holy of holies,’ and becomes … while alive.5In other words, Isaac was saying that his carrying the wood seems to have made him unfit to be offered as a sacrifice. Therefore, there must be some lamb for the offering.’ And so, Abraham replied, “G-d will provide himself with the lamb….” That is: “You may be correct, and G-d will provide an offering for Himself, but if not: ‘to be an offering – my son.’”6Abraham alluded to Isaac that he would offer him as the sacrifice. Thus, the Sages read the verse: “And Abraham said: 'G-d will provide Himself with the lamb for an offering – [you], my son.'” Abraham did not at that moment say: “for an offering – my son,” for that would imply that he already designated Isaac as the offering.7And therefore, it would be forbidden for Isaac to carry the wood. Rather, he said: “to be an offering” – meaning, “When we get there, I will designate you.” This follows Hillel’s opinion.
Kesser Shem Tov, part 2, p. 23a