In Genesis, Chapter 22, God tests Abraham’s faith and loyalty in the most ungodly way imaginable. He tells Abraham to sacrifice his only son Isaac as a burnt offering, as if he were an animal.
In Hebrew, this story is called Akedat Yitzchak, “The Binding of Isaac.” Jews read it from the Torah every year on the Jewish New Year, so they must think the story is mighty important. Rosh Hashonah (New Year), which comes in September, is one of the two most important holidays in the Jewish calendar.
Rabbis usually interpret the story as absolute proof that the God of Abraham never requires or condones human sacrifice, which was practiced regularly by many of the pagan nations in the Middle East in Biblical times. It also shows Abraham's complete faith and devotion to God, enough to make this horrible sacrifice without argument or question.
The Hebrew word Hineini ("Here I Am"), which is Abraham's answer to God before he even knows what God wants, is an ideal of faith and obedience to God that is the subject of countless sermons by countless rabbis on Roeysh Hashonah.
The Chabad Chasidim tell a story of three boys who sweep floors in a Jewish academy talking about the binding of Isaac. In a discussion of Hineini, cach tries to top the others explaining how devoted and obedient Abraham and Isaac were in Genesis 22. Chabad is a charismatic, ultra-orthodox Jewish sect with a long tradition of telling little stories (midrashim) to highlight ethical elements of Bible stories.
But the story also raises the question, what kind of God would put anyone to such a test, and let it continue until the altar and fire are built, the child is tied up, and Abraham is standing over Isaac holding the knife?
Leonard Cohen addresses that in his haunting, enigmatic song "The Story of Isaac," that Judy Collins recorded. leonard cohen/story of isaac
A small number of people say the test might have been the work of an impostor, not the real God of Abraham.
Looking at a dozen English translations of the story -- Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish, from the King James to Revised Standard to the most modern plain English versions -- not one of them recognizes that interpretation, said Joseph Baumgarten, Ph.D., professor emeritus of Biblical archaeolo. He pointed out that all translations of the Bible are interpretations.
But the original Hebrew version of the story can be read “the gods” tested Abraham, Dr. Baumgarten said.
Elohim is one of the names the Bible uses for God. But it’s an irregular noun. Normally, the suffix im makes masculine Hebrew nouns plural, as in the expression elohim achairim, which means other gods. We know that because achairim is a plural form of the adjective other, which is only used with plural nouns.
When Elohim refers to the one God, it takes singular adjectives and verbs, Dr. Baumgarten said..
In the original Hebrew "Binding of Isaac" story , Elohim is used with singular nouns and verbs, except in Verse 1. There, the Bible uses ha-elohim. The Hebrew prefix ha- means the. So the word can be interpreted as the gods.
After that, there is no question that Elohim refers to the One God of Abraham, who stops the child sacrifice at the last minute. That is much more appropriate behavior for the just, merciful God of the Old Testament.
Sources
Joseph Baumgarten, Baltimore Hebrew University, public presentation, 1989
Rabbi Scheur Zalman, Lubuvitscher Rebbe
chabad.org/parshah/article_cdo/aid/2538/jewish/The-Binding-of-Isaac
Braiterman, Ken, "In the Bible, God is a 4-Letter Word," http://kenbraiterman.com/god-is-a-four-letter-word/
Ken Braiterman - Ken Braiterman writes columns for the Concord (NH) Monitor print and online editions. He also writes and lectures on recovery from ...
