AND THE ANGEL OF THE LORD CALLED UNTO HIM… ABRAHAM, ABRAHAM. There is in the text a disjunctive mark between the two Abrahams, to show that the latter was not like the former; the latter was the perfected Abraham, while the former was still incomplete. Similarly, in the passage where the name Samuel is repeated with a disjunctive line between (I Sam. 3, 10), the second is the perfected Samuel, whilst the first was not yet so. The second Samuel was a prophet, but not the first. But when we come to “Moses, Moses” (Ex. 3, 4), we do not find any pausal sign between, for the reason that from the day Moses was born the Shekinah never departed from him. R. Hiya said that the angel repeated Abraham’s name in order to animate him with a new spirit, and spur him to a new activity with a new heart.
R. Judah said: ‘Isaac purified himself and in intention offered himself up to God, was at that moment etherealised and, as it were, he ascended to the throne of God like the odour of the incense of spices which the priests offered before Him twice a day; and so the sacrifice was complete. For Abraham felt distressed when the angel said to him, “Lay not thy hand upon the lad”, thinking that his offering was not complete and that his labour, his preparations and the building of the altar had all been in vain. Straightway, however, ABRAHAM LIFTED UP HIS EYES AND LOOKED AND BEHELD BEHIND HIM A RAM, ETC.
We have been taught that that ram was created at twilight (on the sixth day of Creation), and he was of the first year, as it is written, “one he-lamb of the first year” (Num. 7, 63), thus being according to requirement. But if so, how could he have been created at twilight? The truth is that from that time it was pre-ordained that that ram should be at hand at the moment when Abraham should require it. The same applies to all those things said to have come into being “at twilight”, which in reality means that they were then predestined to appear at the requisite moment.
וַיִּקְרָא אֵלָיו מַלְאַךְ יְיָ וְגו', פָּסִיק טַעְמָא בְּגַוַּויְהוּ, דְּלָאו אַבְרָהָם בַּתְרָאָה כְּקַדְמָאָה. בַּתְרָאָה שְׁלִים (נשא קלח א) קַדְמָאָה לָא שְׁלִים. כְּגַוְונָא דָא שְׁמוּאֵל שְׁמוּאֵל, בַּתְרָאָה שְׁלִים, קַדְמָאָה לָא שְׁלִים. בַּתְרָאָה נָבִיא, קַדְמָאָה לָא נָבִיא. אֲבָל משֶׁה משֶׁה, לָא פָּסִיק, בְּגִין דְּמִיּוֹמָא דְּאִתְיְילִיד לָא אַעֲדֵי מִנֵּיהּ שְׁכִינְתָּא. אַבְרָהָם אַבְרָהָם. רַבִּי חִיָּיא אָמַר בְּגִין לְאַתְעָרָא לֵיהּ בְּרוּחָא אָחֳרָא בְּעוֹבָדָא אָחֳרָא בְּלִבָּא אָחֳרָא.
AND THE ANGEL OF THE LORD CALLED UNTO HIM… ABRAHAM, ABRAHAM. There is in the text a disjunctive mark between the two Abrahams, to show that the latter was not like the former; the latter was the perfected Abraham, while the former was still incomplete. Similarly, in the passage where the name Samuel is repeated with a disjunctive line between (I Sam. 3, 10), the second is the perfected Samuel, whilst the first was not yet so. The second Samuel was a prophet, but not the first. But when we come to “Moses, Moses” (Ex. 3, 4), we do not find any pausal sign between, for the reason that from the day Moses was born the Shekinah never departed from him. R. Hiya said that the angel repeated Abraham’s name in order to animate him with a new spirit, and spur him to a new activity with a new heart.
רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אָמַר אִתְבְּרִיר יִצְחָק וְאִסְתַּלִּיק בִּרְעוּתָא קַמֵּי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא כְּרֵיחָא דִקְטוֹרֶת בּוּסְמִין דְּקָרְבִין כָּהֲנַיָּיא קַמֵּיהּ, תְּרֵין זִמְנִין בְּיוֹמָא וְאִשְׁתְּלִים קָרְבָּנָא. דְּהָא צַעֲרָא דְאַבְרָהָם הֲוָה בְּשַׁעֲתָא דְּאִתְּמָר לֵיהּ אַל תִּשְׁלַח יָדְךָ אֶל הַנַּעַר וְאַל תַּעַשׂ לוֹ מְאוּמָה. חָשִׁיב דְּקָרְבָּנֵיהּ לָא אִשְׁתְּלִים וּלְמַגָּנָא עָבַד וְסִדֵּר כֹּלָּא וּבְנָה מִזְבֵּחַ. מִיָּד. וַיִּשָּׂא אַבְרָהָם אֶת עֵינָיו וַיַּרְא וְהִנִּה אַיִל אַחַר וְגו'
R. Judah said: ‘Isaac purified himself and in intention offered himself up to God, was at that moment etherealised and, as it were, he ascended to the throne of God like the odour of the incense of spices which the priests offered before Him twice a day; and so the sacrifice was complete. For Abraham felt distressed when the angel said to him, “Lay not thy hand upon the lad”, thinking that his offering was not complete and that his labour, his preparations and the building of the altar had all been in vain. Straightway, however, ABRAHAM LIFTED UP HIS EYES AND LOOKED AND BEHELD BEHIND HIM A RAM, ETC.
הָא תָּנִינָן הוּא אַיִל דְּאִתְבְּרֵי בֵּין הַשְּׁמָשׁוֹת הֲוָה, וּבֶן שְׁנָתוֹ הָיָה כְּמָא דְאַתְּ אָמֵר, (במדבר ז׳:ט״ו) כֶּבֶשׂ אֶחָד בֶּן שְׁנָתוֹ וְהָכִי אִצְטְרִיךְ (נ"א ואת אמרת בין השמשות. ותו והא יצחק לא הוה בעלמא, אלא אתפקיד וכו') (והא יצחק לא הוה בעלמא) וְאַתְּ אֲמַרְתְּ בֵּין הַשְּׁמָשׁוֹת. אֶלָּא אִתְפַּקַּד חֵילָא לְאִזְדַּמְּנָא הַהוּא אִימְרָא בְּשַׁעֲתָא דְּאִצְטְרִיךְ לֵיהּ לְאַבְרָהָם. כְּמָה דְּכָל אִנּוּן מִלִּין דְּהֲווּ בֵּין הַשְּׁמָשׁוֹת אִתְמַנָּא חֵילָא לְאִזְדַּמְּנָא הַהוּא מִלָּה (לההוא זמנא) בְּשַׁעֲתָא דְּאִצְטְרִיךְ לֵיהּ. הָכִי נָמֵי הַאי אַיִל דְּאִתְקְרִיב תְּחוֹתֵיהּ דְּיִצְחָק.
We have been taught that that ram was created at twilight (on the sixth day of Creation), and he was of the first year, as it is written, “one he-lamb of the first year” (Num. 7, 63), thus being according to requirement. But if so, how could he have been created at twilight? The truth is that from that time it was pre-ordained that that ram should be at hand at the moment when Abraham should require it. The same applies to all those things said to have come into being “at twilight”, which in reality means that they were then predestined to appear at the requisite moment.