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Vayeira
The Everlasting Z'chus of Akeidas Yitzchak
A. The Background of Akeidas Yitzchak
The story of Akeidas Yitzchak begins with an introduction. After these things, Hashem tested
Avraham. Hashem commanded Avraham, saying, 'Take your son, your only son, whom you love, go to
the land of Moriah and bring him as a sacrifice on one of the mountains that I will show you.'
This dramatic story is one of the central stories of the whole Torah. It is so central that we read it every
year on Rosh Hashana and ask Hashem to remember the shofar of Yitzchak. What was the unique
significance of this event?
What are the preceding events that the Torah refers to, and what is their relationship to the akeida?
Shem Mishmuel cites a midrash from Parshas Lech Lecha. The midrash asks, why is a korban olah
normally brought? It is brought to atone for inappropriate thoughts. The midrash draws a comparison
between this korban and the Akeida. The midrash then states that Avraham had had inappropriate
thoughts.
The midrash is based on the words of the opening pasuk on the Akeida, Vayehi acharei chain. After
these things. According to the gemara this phrase implies that something bad had happened
previously. It seems that Avraham had done something wrong. Even though some meforshim do blame
Avraham for inappropriate actions, we don't see clearly in the Torah that he did anything wrong. The
midrash says it must be that he had some bad thoughts. What inappropriate thoughts did Avraham
entertain?
The midrash states that Avraham thought that he had already received all of his rewards for his good
deeds in this world. When I was young, fighting Nimrod, thought Avraham, I was saved when they
threw me into the fire. In the war against the four kings, I conquered the invading armies, and Hashem
saved me in a miraculous way. And now I have received the gift of the holy land and have a wonderful
son, Yitzchak. I am wealthy and kings honor me and seek my alliance. I have received so much from
Hashem in this world for all the good deeds that I have done. I probably deserve no more reward for
them in the heavenly, next world. In his humble modesty, Avraham thought that Hashem had already
rewarded him in this world for his good deeds, and that there would be no more reward awaiting him in
the world to come. According to this midrash, since Avraham thought this, he was obligated to bring his
son Yitzchak as an olah, to atone for his improper thoughts about Hashem.
What was wrong with Avraham's thinking? Don't tzadikim often think that they are unworthy of
Hashem's blessings?

B. Undeserved Reward
L'cha Hashem chesed ki ata meshalem l'ish kmaasehu. You Hashem are merciful because You pay
people according to their actions (Tehilim 62). This pasuk is hard to understand. When someone
receives a free gift, we would refer to the gift as a chesed, kindness. However, if someone does a job
and is paid by his employer, the payment for his work is not chesed. If we listen to Hashem's command,
and He rewards us, then seemingly our reward is not chesed. Rather, it is din, justly earned and
deserved. Where is the chesed in reward for mitzvos?
Shem Mishmuel answers this question by explaining a fundamental difference between a Jew who does
mitzvos and a worker who does his job. We Jews are avadim, slaves of Hashem. Moshe, speaking in the
name of Hashem, told Paroh, avadai hem, The Jews are my slaves. In this sense, Hashem replaced
Paro as master of the Jewish people. Paro, as slave-master, had no obligation to pay his slaves. There
was no agreement between them for him to compensate them. Once we left Mitzrayim, Hashem
became our new Master and we are now His slaves. He thus has no obligation to give us any payment.
If Hashem does reward us, it is not due to an obligation to recompense us for our work. Rather, it is an
act of chesed, kindness on His part.
In fact, every human being is God's slave, since He created all people. He gives us every moment of
our lives. He makes our bodies work and gives us the ability to think. Hashem gives and takes away as
He wills. We are completely His. Every moment of a person's life is indeed a gift of His blessing.
The Halacha states that when someone creates something, he legally owns it. Reb Chaim Brisker taught
that this is the most fundamental kinyan, act of possession. The acquisition of something through
creating it is more fundamental than buying something or receiving a gift. God created the whole
world. From stars to planets to the air that we breathe, the food that we eat, to the very earth that we
walk on, everything is His. It is ludicrous to think that we have any claims on Him. He completely
owns us and the world we live in.
Our sages stated: Schar mitzva b'hai alma leka.There is no reward for mitzvos in this world. This is
because we have no claim on it. We do not have a right to receive reward for mitzvos, which are God's
commands to us. As His servants, we must obey Him. We are absolutely His, and have no claim upon
Him.
C. Hashem Chooses to Reward Us
Thus, Hashem could simply force us to listen to him, like He did to Paro, when He forced him to listen
to His commands. Generally, though, Hashem does not force people to do His will. Din, justice
demands that we follow God's will, even to the point of being forced. Chesed, though, allows us to
agree to choose to do it. It is as if Hashem says to us, Even though you are my avadim, I want you to

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choose freely. I give you the choice to say 'no.' When you do a mitzva, I will give you reward as if
you volunteered. If you do what I want, then I will grant your wishes. Part of Hashem's chesed
kindness is that He deals with us as equals and pays us a reward for our services.
Legally, though, He is our master and we are His servants. But in His infinite goodness He decided to
deal with us with kindness and generosity as free agents. The name Yud Kei Vav Kei and the name
Elokim respectively signify different levels of Hashem's interaction with the world. Yud Kei Vav Kei
refers to Hashem's chesed. Elokim refers to Hashem's midas hadin.
Using the Yud Kei Vav Kei name, Hashem assures us of our reward. When we do good, Hashem
responds in kind, as if we are almost equals. Dovid Hamelech wrote in Tehilim, L'cha Hashem
chesed, ki ata me'shalem l'ish k'maasehu. Hashem you are kind because you pay man for his actions.
He does it because of the name Yud Kei Vav Kei . He rewards, not from a position of justice, but from
His position of generous kindness.
We can now explain the puzzling midrash with which we began. Avraham Avinu was thinking,
Hashem has given me so much. Why? Because I did good deeds and He gave me my reward. Now,
though, I have used up my reward. This was because Avraham viewed Hashem's reward as real s'char,
payment, as real justice, din. Avraham knew that Hashem has tremendous chesed. But when it came to
reward for mitzvos, he thought that Hashem operated only under the rules of din, justice.
The truth, though, is that from the perspective of justice, din, we don't deserve any reward at all.
Reward for mitzvos is only chesed. Therefore, in contrast to being paid for a job, where the employee
gets paid only once, Hashem may grant a person reward again and again for the same single mitzva.
Avraham thought that Hashem had confined Himself to the rules of din with regard to reward for
mitzvos. But in truth, Hashem rewards us with chesed and therefore there is no limit for the reward for
even one mitzva. The power of one mitzva is so great that it can save a person numerous times. This
incredible concept is at the root of chassidus, which emphasizes the importance of every single mitzva.
D. The Incredible Effect of a Single Mitzva
The Baal Shem Tov taught that we are limited in our view. We see people who do good things and we
think they have done something nice, but not something so significant. Take for example a person who
says a perek of Tehillim. It is a nice act, but will it save a city, will it bring peace to Israel, will it give
someone a refuah shleimah? Can big things happen from just one perek of Tehillim? The answer,
surprisingly, is yes! This is because the reward for a mitzva comes from Hashem's infinite chesed.
Rambam writes in Hilchos Teshuva: One should think of the world as if it is at a balance point
between good and evil. One good action will tilt the whole world to the side of good, and will bring
infinite good. The opposite can also happen. One bad act can tilt the world to the side of evil, and bring
horrible punishment to the world. The whole world could depend on one person reciting one chapter

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of Psalms. This is incredible! The Baal Shem Tov made this an axiom of chassidus. The Torah doesn't
want us to judge people based on superficial impressions. We shouldn't say, Oh, he only said one
perek of Tehilim. He only gave five dollars to charity. Don't underestimate the value of a small good
deed. A person can be rewarded for this a million times, over and over again. Hashem cherishes even
the smallest deed. He says, This sweet person performed My will. He should be rewarded again and
again forever. Chazal say that if a person does a good deed, zacha lo ul'zaro ad olam, he and his
descendants have everlasting merit and reward.
Who knows how many good deeds were done by our parents and grandparents? They have all added to
the amazing blessings we see today. Look at the blessing of the State of Israel. Look at the blessings of
the economic well-being of Jews in America. Who could have imagined the many Jewish children
being born now, and the numbers of people learning Torah? These blessings are founded on the mitzvos
performed by millions of Jews in the course of thousands of years. The reward for those mitzvos is
indeed infinite.
Year after year on Rosh Hashana we invoke the z'chus of Akeidas Yitzchak. Its reward never runs dry.
Since then Hashem remembers the dedication of Avraham. Chazal say that even if one could imagine
that the merits of the avos have run dry, Akeidas Yitzchak still lasts forever. Its merit will never be used
up nor expire. Hashem told us that Akeidas Yitzchak will be the symbol of reward for all mitzvos. The
Akeida was a lesson to Avraham and to all Jews after him that s'char mitzva is never used up. Hashem's
chesed is limitless, and His reward is potentially infinite.
E. Lessons for Today
We, baruch Hashem, merit to live in a generation with so much Torah learning. This a limitless source
of blessing. However, we should appreciate even the small things too. When a person asks for charity
and you can only give a quarter, give the quarter. Who knows how much reward will come to you for
that one quarter? Every action counts. Little mitzvos are not as little as you might think.
With this understanding, Chazal instruct us to be careful with large and small mitzvos, because we
don't know the actual reward of mitzvos. We should do small mitzvos with the same intensity and
commitment as the large ones. We can't know for which mitzva Hashem will give us great reward. He
could very well do it for an easy, small mitzva as much as for a hard, big mitzva.
At the end of the Akeida, Hashem told Avraham, I bless you and your children. Your Children will
bring blessings to the world, because you listened to my voice. Avraham learned then that in Hashem's
plan there is a combination of chesed and din . Sometimes justice prevails. At other times kindness
prevails. Sometimes the din itself is chesed, and sometimes the chesed is din. Avraham first felt as if
Hashem was going to kill Yiztchak, din. But it was really chesed, with reward for all generations to
come.

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F. The Combination of Chesed and Din
Hashem's chesed is fundamental to everything. Nothing exists without His chesed. We, therefore,
always have access to rewards for any mitzva, even a small one. We should trust Hashem and His
kindness, which will never expire.
We can use this idea and have faith to endure difficult situations of din. We too can be like Avraham,
who learned that God's kindness is the foundation of everything that happens in this world, even in the
most difficult situations.
May Hashem bless us to have faith to perform even small mitzvos with enthusiasm and dedication.
Questions:
1) What thoughts did Avraham have prior to being commanded about the Akeida?
2) Why do we read and invoke the memory of the Akeida every year on Rosh Hashana?
3) Why do Chazal teach us that s'char mitzva b'hai alma leka there is no reward for a mitzva in
this world?
4) Describe the difference between a salary that a worker receives, and the s'char we receive for
the performance of mitzvos.
5) List two large mitzvos you have done.
6) List two small mitzvos you have done.
7) Do you have the same enthusiasm for small as for large mitzvos?
Exercises:
1) Log for one day your mitzvos, and rate them as large or small.
2) Rate your enthusiasm for each mitzva you did on that day on a scale of 1 to 10.
3) How could you improve your enthusiasm? Try to do it for one day.
4) Do the above one day a week for a month.