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This week we read of possibly the most important occurrence in history of man: the ‘Akaida (tying up) of Yitzchak’.

It is the founding stone of Judaism; but it is very hard to understand why.

Imagine yourself taking a hike in the woods and as you are climbing a steep hill you notice in the distance a horrifying sight: a man with a knife tying up his son on what looks like… an altar with a small fire burning nearby! You can’t believe your eyes!

You take out your cellular phone, call the police and begin shouting and making noise to interrupt the ritual. The police arrive and begin approaching the man while announcing through their megaphones “Put down the knife, let the boy loose and nothing will happen to you”. He complies, and minutes later he is sitting on the altar calmly explaining “G-d spoke to me three days ago and told me to sacrifice him.”
If this man were your relative, would you be proud of him? Would you try to emulate him? Would you teach your children to follow his example? Would you base a religion on him?
This is basically what happened at the Akaida that we read this Shabbat in Synagogue and is printed at the beginning of every prayer book. Why? What is it supposed to make us think? Why is it the foundation of Judaism?
I want to answer this with a parable told to me years ago by a dear teacher of mine Rabbi Abba Pliskin OB’M.

Once there was a King who loved to hunt on horseback. On one cold winter afternoon after several hours of hunting with his royal entourage, he spotted a large boar, shot an arrow and set off to the chase. Several times he almost caught his game but after an hour he suddenly realized that he had become separated from his company and it was getting dark. He sounded his horn a few times so they could know where he was but when there was no response, he began to worry.
He turned his royal coat inside out so as not to appear noble, for if his enemies noticed him he was finished. And, in almost pitch darkness, he began wandering aimlessly in the freezing, snow-covered forest.
The wolf’s howls were nearer and the night wind had already numbed his hands and feet when suddenly he saw a small hut with light shining from the window. He dismounted, quietly approached and looked in the window. There he saw an old Jew, probably a woodcutter, sitting by the stove studying from a large book while his wife was sitting in a corner knitting. The king, weak and shivering from the cold, walked around to the door and knocked. The woodcutter cautiously opened up and said, ” If you are a robber, I have nothing to steal, but please come in, you must be freezing!”
He sat his guest by the stove, gave him a drink of vodka, a hot meal, and finally a warm place to sleep. Late next morning the king woke up, thanked the Jew for saving his life and convinced him with difficulty, almost forced him, to accept a gold coin and left. The Jew was totally unaware who he had saved.
Early the next morning the old Jew heard a knock on his door, opened it and was shocked! There stood two royal guards in full uniform and behind them a magnificent coach harnessed to four huge white steeds surrounded by several soldiers on horseback “Our orders are to bring you to the palace” said the guard, “Please put on your best garments, the king wants to speak to you”.
“Palace?” Said the Jew shrugging his shoulders. “King? Me? Must be a mistake. Maybe you have the wrong address?”
Two hours later the astonished woodcutter found himself standing before the king seated on his magnificent throne in his immense palatial hall surrounded by royal pomp and glory and tens of guards and ministers.
“My friend” said the king to the bewildered old Jew, “What is your name?”
“My name is Zalman your majesty … but why…. Err… maybe there’s some error?”
“I have been watching you. Mister Zalman” the king replied. “My scouts have singled you out as one of the most honest men in the kingdom and I want you to be one of my advisors. Your hours will be from one to two o’clock daily, your wages are 1,000 dollars a day beginning today. In addition, you will receive free housing on the palace grounds, all the servants you need and special privileges for you all your family forever.

“But,” continued the king, “one small very minor detail. You will have to change your religion. I’ll not have a Jew on my royal court. That is all. Congratulations!” He said as he stood with a smile and everyone in the massive room, all the royal servants, guards, soldiers and quests clapped and cheered. When the noise died down and the room was quiet, waiting for Zalman’s acceptance Zalman quietly said.
“Your majesty, I am truly and eternally grateful for your kindness and praise. Thank you! But please forgive me. Because, your majesty, please understand, I am a Jew, I was born a Jew and will die a Jew and I cannot change who I am.  Your majesty, I cannot accept your offer. I am sorry. But now, I must to go. I’ll make it back home on my own. Again, thank you!”
Suddenly everyone became even more silent. The royal musicians sensed something was wrong and they stopped playing, all eyes were on the king as his smile slowly faded and his eyes narrowed in fury. He leaned forward on his throne and screamed
“Cannot Accept? CANNOT ACCEPT!!? What do think, that I am one of your friends that you can say yes or no??! I am your king!! You are NOTHING! Either you take the offer and receive everlasting comfort for you and your family, or…”
The king clapped his hands three times and a gasp went up from the crowd as three immense executioners dressed totally in black with black hoods over their heads appeared as if from nowhere and grabbed poor Zalman.
One forced him down onto the floor onto his knees. The other, carrying a large chopping block, set it before him. grabbed poor Zalman by the hair and stretched his neck over the block and the third raised a huge glistening sword and poised it in the air, ready to chop the poor Jew’s head off.

“Perhaps now, you want to retract your words?” hissed the angry king as the guard briefly pulled Zalman’s head upright. Zalman stared up at the king… and suddenly, as though transformed into a completely different being, stood to his feet, closed his eyes and defiantly shouted: “SHMA YISROEL HASHEM ELOKENU HASHEM ECAUUUD! I am a JEW!!!
The king gave the sign, Zalman was again pushed to his knees and pulled by the hair on the block, the executioner gave a yell and brought the sword down. But at the last moment turned the sword sideways striking Zalman’s neck lightly with the broad side and Zalman fainted.
The next thing he heard was the king saying “Zalman, please stand up, please stand up my friend.” He opened first one eye and then the other and he felt the strong hands of one of the executioners helping him to his feet.
“Zalman, do you recognize me?” Said the king as he removed his royal cape and his crown and descended from his throne. The crowd again gasped in amazement; the king removed his crown!!!?
“Why yes” Said the bewildered Zalman as he was being helped to his feet.… “I remember! You were the wanderer that came to my house yesterday! But why ….. Why are you doing this?”
“Let me explain” Answered the king, “You saved my life, if it wasn’t for you, I would have frozen to death that night. I wanted to reward you, but I didn’t know how. I saw that you didn’t want money and were happy living your modest life. But today when I woke up, I remembered something.
“I remembered that when I was a young child my father, who was then the king, used to encourage me to wander around the palace grounds and see how the simple workers lived. I went from house to house but I especially loved to watch the Jewish tailor and his family.
“He was completely different than all the others, especially in the way that he treated his children. Every day he would sit and talk with them, teach them Bible and other things and tell them stories. But one story really impressed me.
“He told how Abraham, the first Jew, almost sacrificed his son Isaac. And Isaac, who was 37-years-old happily agreed! Which meant that they would lose everything, even their place in heaven, because they were happy to serve G-d.”
“I remember thinking to myself” the king continued, “these Jews are really strange. Everything we do is for a reward, for ourselves, and these Jews are thinking of giving everything to G-d without receiving anything back, that is really unusual!”
“So,” concluded the king, “I decided that the greatest reward that I could give you was to allow you to sacrifice your life to your G-d, but I couldn’t bear to see you killed, so I arranged this whole scene”

This, then, answers our questions about the Akaida.

The binding of Isaac is the essence of Judaism. It teaches us that in order to perfect this world we must do what the Creator wants from love and unquestioning joy. Like Zalman did in our story. Like Abraham did thousands of years earlier.

But unlike the madman in the scenario at the beginning of this essay, Abraham had purified himself and devoted all his life to searching for and embodying the truth. So he knew the voice of Hashem when he heard it.

And since G-d gave the Torah on Sinai that voice is available to all of us.
This was the inheritance that Abraham gave to all the Jewish people; total, joyous, selfless devotion to carry out the Creator’s plan, perfect the creation and reveal all the potential good in the world and in all humanity according to the Torah.

That will be finalized by Moshiach who we are all awaiting. Moshiach will arouse each and every Jew to be an example to all mankind of G-d’s love.
It all depends on us to bring Moshiach even one moment sooner. And not much is lacking to make it happen. We are standing on the merits of thousands of years of Jewish suffering, hopes and prayers. Now it could be that just one more good deed, word or even thought can tilt the scales and reveal …….

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