The
Torah reading for the second day of Rosh haShana is the akeda, the
binding of Isaac. The reason this
portion is read is stated in the liturgy. Musaf (the additional holiday
prayer) contains three sections related to the shofar. The blessing
which ends the middle section (zichronot, “remembrances”) concludes with
the words “and remember the binding of Isaac for his descendants today”. In
essence, reading the akeda is a request of God to remember the virtue of
Abraham in his readiness to do fulfill God’s request, even at the cost of his
son’s life and even though God’s request was incomprehensible to Abraham. (The
concept of child sacrifice was totally inconsistent with Abraham’s
understanding of God as the God of mercy.) As well, we appeal to God to remember
Isaac’s virtue in being ready to be sacrificed to God. (Rabbinic tradition is
that Isaac was an adult, thirty seven years old, at the akeda.)
By
reading the akeda, in effect we are saying to God, “though we ourselves
may have deviated from the proper path and not fulfilled Your commandments,
nevertheless be kind and generous to us because of the greatness of our
ancestors”.
The Midrash explains the name Yerushalayim
as being composed of two names: yireh and shalem. At the
completion of the akeda, the verse tells us that Abraham called the
place “haShem yireh” (“may God see”, a request by Abraham that the merit
of the akeda be remembered for his descendants’ benefit). The earlier
name of Jerusalem was “Shalem”, as we read when Abraham met Melchizedek,
King of Shalem (Genesis 14, 18). Rabbinic tradition is that Shalem
is Jerusalem, as we read in Psalms (76, 3). The Midrash tells us that
God, as it were, had a quandary. God said “if I call the city Shalem,
Abraham, who is a righteous person will be offended, and if I call the city yireh,
Melchizedek, a righteous person, will be offended, therefore I shall call the
city by both names yireh - Shalem, Yerushalayim.
This
Midrash conveys a deep significance to the name Yerushalayim. Our Sages
did not intend that God was shaking his anthropomorphic head, wondering how to
avoid offending Melchizedek and Abraham. Rather, the Sages wish to teach us
that the name Yerushalayim contains aspects of both Abraham’s name for the city
and that of Melchizedek.
As
noted above, yireh is Abraham’s prayer that the merit of the akeda be remembered for the benefit of his
descendants, and this is the reason the akeda is read on Rosh haShana.
However, it would be inconceivable chutzpah for us to make this request of God
if we ourselves have absolutely no merit.
Shalem (related to shalom), on the simplest
level refers to inter-personal relations, the mitzvot between man and fellow
man. In fact, Nachmanides comments on the significance of the fact that the
name of the king of Jerusalem includes the word zedek (righteousness),
which implies relations between man and fellow man.
I
believe that what the Midrash teaches is that for us to be able to
invoke the merit of the akeda, we must at least be striving in the area
of interpersonal relations. Then, and only then, can we say to God, “even
though we are far from perfect, we are trying, and please remember the merit of
our wonderful ancestor, Abraham”.
My
brother added the following comment: "Shalem" also means
"complete." Thus, it takes the combination of Avraham and
Melchizedek to establish a complete or
perfect home where the synthesis of bein adam l’ḥavero and bein
adam laMakom can flourish.
May God redeem us through the merit of our
ancestors.
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