Halley Young

8/11/14

A Comparison of Genesis Rabbah and the Zohar's Commentaries on the Akedah

Introduction

Genesis Rabbah, a compilation of midrashim from around the Talmudic period, was

widely cited by Biblical scholars and authors during the middle ages.1 The Zohar, an immense

commentary on the Torah that became one of the most influential Kabbalistic texts, is one of

many Biblical commentaries which follows in the tradition of Genesis Rabbah. In this paper, I

will argue that the Zohar emulates Genesis Rabbah not only by explicitly citing its midrashim,

but also in the themes that it emphasizes – namely, the dualistic relationship between the

patriarchs, the relationship between the Akedah and “natural order,” and the rewards bestowed

upon Israel as a consequence of the Akedah. I will also argue that the Zohar diverges from

Genesis Rabbah in several significant ways (including its portrayal of the purpose and results of

the Akedah, as well as the relationship between the Akedah and cosmic or familial order); these

divergences reflect key theological differences between the Zohar and prior texts, which are seen

throughout the Zohar as well as in this particular narrative.

Purpose of the Akedah: Demonstration or Transformation?

The Zohar diverges from Genesis Rabbah in its portrayal of the primary purpose of the

Akedah. In Genesis Rabbah, Abraham and Isaac are described as perfect and righteous

individuals before G-d commands Abraham to sacrifice his son. The Akedah thus serves not to

make Abraham and Isaac more holy, but to demonstrate the perfect faith that they already

1 Class notes, April 8

possess. On the other hand, the Zohar portrays the Akedah not as a demonstration, but as a

process that actually increases Abraham and Isaac's completeness.

Genesis Rabbah suggests that Abraham and Isaac had attained perfect righteousness

before the Akedah, and indicates that the Akedah serves primarily as a demonstration of this

righteousness. In Genesis Rabbah's retelling of the Akedah, both Abraham and Isaac reveal their

loyalty to G-d before Abraham attempts to carry out the terrible order. One midrash in Genesis

Rabbah states that G-d specifically chooses to test Abraham because he already knows that

Abraham is righteous (Freedman 486). Isaac's righteousness is also established early in the text:

Another midrash claims that before G-d asks Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac has already

proclaimed his willingness to sacrifice for G-d, exclaiming “O that God would appear to me and

bid me cut off one of my limbs! Then I would not refuse” (Freedman 485). These midrashim

suggest that Abraham and Isaac do not need the Akedah to improve their characters or to become

closer to G-d, and thus complement the other midrashim in Genesis Rabbah which suggest that

the Akedah is a vivid demonstration of the loyalty that Abraham and Isaac already possess. The

text presents two slightly varying explanations of the Akedah's purpose: One midrash suggests

that the Akedah shows the world that G-d is being fair in blessing Abraham with material wealth,

while another suggests that the Akedah is designed to comfort Abraham, who felt badly for not

sacrificing to G-d in his recent victories (Freedman 481-484).

While Genesis Rabbah emphasizes the Akedah's role as a demonstration of the patriarchs'

greatness, the Zohar suggests that the Akedah plays an active role in producing that greatness.

Both Abraham and Isaac are fundamentally changed by the entire process, emerging as more

perfect individuals and as more full characters. This reflects the Zohar's preoccupation with
human characters attaining holiness and connection with the divine sefirot. Unlike Genesis

Rabbah, the Zohar does not suggest that the Biblical characters are born righteous and live their

lives with unchanging righteousness. Rather, the Zohar indicates that the journeys and

adventures that Biblical characters embark on are necessary for them to reach the degree of

“perfection” necessary to be joined to a sefirah.2 The transformation of Abraham and Isaac

during the Akedah is but one example in the Zohar of characters performing actions that allow

them to unite with the sefirot.

The Zohar describes Abraham's transformation as a profound elevation in holiness and

ability. Rabbi Shimon presents the question of why Scripture states that Abraham (and not Isaac)

was tested, and answers that the Akedah requires Abraham to embody the sefirah of Judgement,

while previously he had only embodied the sefirah of Compassion (Matt 193). This answer

suggests that, by performing the Akedah, Abraham attains additional divine qualities. The belief

that the Akedah transformed Abraham is brought to light again in Rabbi Shimon's commentary

on verse 22:11, in which the angel of G-d cries “Abraham! Abraham!” as Abraham is about to

sacrifice his son. Rabbi Shimon explains that the two exclamations of the patriarch's name are

separated by a punctuation mark, because during the first moment Abraham is incomplete and

not a prophet, while by the second moment Abraham has become both complete and prophetic

(Matt 198-199).

The Zohar also suggests that Isaac achieves greatness through the Akedah. Prior to the

Akedah, Isaac is described as “dwelling in low power” (Matt 194). This description is supported

by his portrayal as an unobservant and gullible character. The Zohar claims that Abraham is able

2 For example, see Daniel Matt's explanation on Jacob's journey towards achieving union with Tiferet: “When
Jacob marries and engenders children, he will attain the rung of Tiferet... Then he will be able to enhance and
fulfill Shechina” (Matt 340).
to “take Isaac with words” (Matt 195). The statement that Abraham “takes” Isaac suggests that

Isaac is not Abraham's equally capable and righteous partner, as it appears in Genesis Rabbah.

Rather, it appears that Isaac only takes part in the Akedah because he cannot compete with the

wisdom of his father. After the Akedah, however, Isaac is “crowned in his realm [the sefirah of

Judgement] alongside Abraham” (Matt 194). While Isaac is compelled to perform his role in the

Akedah out of relative weakness, once the divine rite is completed he becomes a much stronger

individual who is now connected to the cosmic drama of the sefirot.

The relationship between Abraham and Isaac

Several midrashim from Genesis Rabbah emphasize the relationship between Abraham

and Isaac in carrying out the Akedah, and suggest that the two needed to work together in their

respective roles in order to obtain G-d's rewards. In a commentary on Genesis 22:8, the text

elaborates on the Scripture's statement that “they went both of them to be slaughtered”:

“One to bind and the other to be bound, one to slaughter and the other to be slaughtered.”

(Freedman 493)

This midrash highlights the dualistic relationship between the two patriarchs as they strive to

carry out G-d's command: they are both needed to fulfill their respective roles in the sacrifice,

and no one and nothing else is needed besides their participation. The midrash could also be

interpreted as an indication that Abraham and Isaac are antagonists. However, other midrashim

suggest that they are working together. In one midrash, Isaac asks to be bound, so that he doesn't

tremble and cause his sacrifice to be unfit (Freedman 497). In another midrash, Isaac is tempted

to refuse to participate in the sacrifice by Samael. Isaac responds that he “[accepts] his fate,” and

is only tempted enough to indirectly plea for mercy by referring to Abraham as “my father”
(Freedman 494). Both of these midrashim suggest that, while Isaac may have somewhat limited

courage, he nevertheless ultimately wishes to work with Abraham in carrying out G-d's task.

The Zohar also describes Abraham and Isaac in dualistic terms, but, unlike Genesis

Rabbah, portrays them primarily as antagonists. Rabbi Elazar's commentary on Genesis 22:9

suggests that Abraham and Isaac play the roles of opposing forces in the narrative. He cites the

midrash in which Samael tempts Isaac, but only alludes to the part of the midrash in which Isaac

pleads for his father's compassion (Matt 197). Taken alone, this portion of the midrash suggests

that Isaac does not want to be sacrificed, and thus is in opposition to Abraham's goals.

Furthermore, it suggests that Isaac still hopes that he can convince his father to treat him as a

treasured son who will further Abraham's lineage rather than as someone who stands in the way

of G-d's grace. However, Rabbi Shimon continues by commenting on Abraham's refusal to

accept Isaac's plea, as well as his insistence on playing the role of Isaac's opponent in the divine

drama. Rabbi Shimon explains that Abraham does not answer Isaac because he “has withdrawn

all compassion” (Matt 197). He then explains that the Torah continues “Abraham said” and not

“his father said” in Genesis 22:8 because “did not appear as a father but as an adversary” (Matt

197).

The antagonistic and complementary relationship between Abraham and Isaac in the

Zohar is described not only in terms of human drama, but also in naturalistic terms and in terms

of the sefirot. Rabbi Elazar describes the occurrence of the Akedah:

“So, Elohim tested Abraham... When he did so, fire entered water, becoming complete.

One was judged, the other executed judgement – encompassing one another.”

(Matt 194)
This description outlines Abraham and Isaac's opposing roles - the judged and the judge – and

suggests that those roles are as mutually incompatible and as complementary as fire and water.

At the same time, the statement that the two “encompassed one another” suggests that they are

brought together in a profound way (Matt 194). Later, the Zohar again uses the analogy of fire

and water to describe the relationship between the two patriarchs after the Akedah:

“It [the Akedah] was only so that division would manifest: water versus fire, crowned in

their realms, until Jacob appeared and everything harmonized – triad of patriarchs,

completed, above and below arrayed.”

(Matt 194-195)

The passage suggests that the Akedah creates a symmetry between Abraham and Isaac. While

Isaac dwells in low power before the Akedah, he is now “crowned” in a sefirah that is in some

way equal to Abraham's. At the same time, the passage also suggests that the relationship

between them is volatile and disharmonious.

Ultimately, the Zohar's depiction of the relationship between the two patriarchs reflects

the unbreakable connection and often disrupted balance between sefirot which is seen throughout

the mystical text. The Zohar suggests that “the one G-d” is in fact comprised on ten different

sefirot, or divine aspects. These divine aspects are fundamentally connected to each other;

however, their relationship is one of constant flux, with different sefirot achieving greater

prominence at different moments.3 It is thus unsurprising that the Zohar depicts the relationship

between Abraham and Jacob, who symbolize the sefirot of Chesed and Gevurah or Din

respectively, as both opposed and attached to each other in their roles in the divine drama.

3 Class notes, May 15

The Akedah and “natural order”

The Zohar follows in the tradition of Genesis Rabbah in its portrayal of the Akedah as

both a perversion of natural order and as necessary for the restoration of natural order. In

Genesis Rabbah, several midrashim emphasize the unnaturalness of the situation while offering

different ways to reconcile the Akedah's importance with its unnaturalness. Rabbi Shimon bar

Yochai considers the fact that Abraham prepares his donkey before ascending Mt. Moriah instead

of having a servant do it. The rabbi concludes that Abraham is acting unusually because “love

upsets the natural order” (Freedman 488). This commentary suggests that Abraham's love for

Isaac is what causes him to behave in an “unnatural” way; on the other hand, it does not label

G-d's command to Abraham as unnatural. By saying that Abraham's love rather than G-d's

command is the cause of the perversion of nature, the commentary suggests a more universal

message: Love, which is considered an innate and natural emotion that all humans share, will

also cause individuals to act in an unnatural way. G-d's command may seem harsh and

blame-worthy for the terrible situation, but actually there is no way to escape such inherently

wrong situations, for even a feeling as universal as love can cause perversions of the natural

order. Another midrash recounts that the angels cry, “it is unnatural that he [Abraham] should

slay his son;” their tears dissolve the knife that was to be used for Abraham's sacrifice (Freedman

495-497). This midrash suggests that the unnaturalness of the situation actually helps prevent

the sacrifice from occurring. It thus implies that, although G-d might choose to enact a situation

which seems unnatural, he will never let the most unnatural events occur.

The Zohar deals with the unnaturalness of the story by suggesting that, although the
situation causes a perversion of nature, it is also necessary in order to restore order. Rabbi

Shimon, who is commenting on the narrative, rhetorically asks why such an unnatural event

would occur:

“ 'Who would have created a compassionate father turned cruel? It was only so that

division would manifest: fire versus water, crowned in their realms, until Jacob appeared

and everything harmonized' ”

(Matt 194-195)

This passage suggests that the Akedah represents an unthinkable transformation – a loving father

becoming indifferent to the pain of his favorite son. The phrasing of Rabbi Shimon's question

even implicitly implicates G-d, who is presumably the creator of Abraham and responsible for

his transformation. However, Rabbi Shimon's answer suggests that this disharmonious

transformation is necessary in order to ultimately produce a cosmic sefirotic balance. It is

significant that this sefirotic balance is not effected immediately – until Jacob appears, the sefirot

are apparently even more off-balance. Rabbi Shimon's commentary therefore presents two ideas

about order in the human and cosmic world: Human disorder can be necessary to produce

cosmic order, but it may be difficult to see the relationship between human action and sefirotic

balance, because there may be a lag between human action and the restoration of cosmic order.

The Zohar's suggestion that the Akedah is both unnatural and necessary to restore divine

order is very representative of kabbalistic theology regarding the importance of human action in

the divine realm. Unlike contemporary philosophers, who considered G-d an immovable First

Cause who is remote from the human world, kabbalists suggested that the thoughts and

behaviors of humans could actually influence the divine balance of the sefirot – both for good
and for evil.4 In the Zohar's rendition of the Akedah, Abraham and Isaac represent human beings

who are able to dramatically plunge the sefirot into imbalance and then into order through the

actions that they take in the physical realm.

Consequences of the Akedah for the future of the Jewish people

The Zohar is somewhat similar to Genesis Rabbah in its description of the consequences

of the Akedah for the future of the Jewish people, in that it suggests that the Jews will be

rewarded for the Akedah beyond the rewards that are explicitly mentioned in Scripture. The

Biblical text suggests that Abraham will be rewarded with both descendants and material

success:

“And the angel of HaShem called unto Abraham a second time out of heaven, and said:

'By Myself have I sworn, saith HaShem, because thou hast done this thing, and hast not

withheld thy son, thine only son, that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I

will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the

seashore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; and in thy seed shall all the

nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast hearkened to My voice.' ”

(JPS Gen 22:15-18)

The angel's promise of successful descendants is very similar to the promises that Abraham has

already received from G-d in the Covenant Between the Parts (JPS Gen 15:13-18). The fact that

Abraham is promised a multitude of children also perhaps hints that Isaac was never in any real

danger; G-d doesn't wish to destroy Abraham's offspring, but rather to produce more.

Expounding on the Scriptural promise, several midrashim in Genesis Rabbah suggest that

4 Class notes, May 15

the early rabbis believed in an even greater reward for Abraham and Isaac's faith. There are

many comparisons between parts of the Akedah story and the future rebirth of the Temple and

resurrection of the dead. One midrash points out that just as the Binding of Isaac takes place on

the third day of the Akedah narrative, the resurrection is supposed to occur on the third day after

two days of preparation (Freedman 491; Ezra 8:32). In a commentary on verse 22:5, in which

Abraham states that he and Isaac “will worship, and come back to you [his young men],” the text

suggests that worship is the cause of the giving of the Torah, building of the Temple, and

resurrection of the dead (Freedman 492-493; JPS Gen 22:5).

Like Genesis Rabbah, the Zohar hints that the Jewish people receive even more reward

for the Akedah than the Biblical text itself indicates. The Zohar's rendition of the story ends

with an uplifting verse from Isaiah: “ 'Surely they are My people; children who will not be false.'

So he became their savior “ (Isaiah 63:8). The placement of this verse at the end of the Zohar's

retelling of the Akedah suggests that there is a connection between the Binding of Isaac and

G-d's status as Israel's savior. One could argue that the placement of this verse also suggests that

Akedah is the source of G-d's certainty that the Israelites are “My people” or that they “will not

be false.”

While the Zohar's allusion to Isaiah 63:8 is in line with Genesis Rabbah's portrayal of the

consequences of the Akedah, the Zohar's interpretation of Isaiah 63:9 introduces an implication

of the Akedah story that is not seen in Genesis Rabbah. After describing Abraham's discovery of

the ram, Rabbi Elazar opens with the quotation from Isaiah 63:9:

“He opened, saying, 'In all their affliction, He did not afflict (lo tsar), and the angel of

his presence saved them.' ”

 (Matt 200)

This verse's literal meaning has a clear connection to the story of the Akedah. In Genesis 22, G-d

appears to want Abraham and Isaac to suffer on his behalf, but ultimately an angel of G-d

prevents the ultimate suffering (the carrying out of the sacrifice) from occurring. Isaiah 63:9

suggests that G-d never actually wanted to cause the patriarch suffering, nor does he want to

cause the future generations of Israel to suffer.

While such an interpretation of the verse can easily be reconciled with the story of the

Akedah, Rabbi Elazar continues by offering another interpretation of the verse. He cites the

tradition of writing (lo tsar) with an aleph instead of a vav, so that it reads “In all their affliction,

He was afflicted too” (Matt 200). Rabbi Elazar's interpretation of this emended verse is that

“whenever Israel is in exile, Shechinah accompanies them” (Matt 200). He continues by

explaining that, as the Shechinah has achieved a union with the patriarchs, she will help and

suffer with the Jews for as long as they are in exile. This interpretation introduces a new way of

looking at the entire Akedah story: The Akedah is not only the cause and proof of G-d's blessings

over Israel, but is also both proof and reason that G-d will suffer with Israel. The claim that G-d

is afflicted when Israel is afflicted suggests that G-d suffered along with Abraham and Isaac, a

claim not seen in Genesis Rabbah. At the same time, the claim that the Shechinah's union with

the patriarchs implies her presence during Israel's exile suggests that by performing the Akedah

and restoring sefirotic balance, Abraham and Isaac have earned the Shechinah's comfort during

Israel's darkest hours.

The Zohar's inclusion of this alternative interpretation of Isaiah 63:8 is best understood in

the context of the Zohar's portrayal of the extraordinarily intimate relationship between man and
G-d. Sefirotic kabbalah suggests that G-d isn't only a source of help; the sefirot imbue one's life

with additional meaning beyond their potential as a source of material wealth or happiness,

because with each movement one has the capacity to bring order to the divine world.5

Ultimately, the Zohar's interpretation of the Akedah suggests a reward that is both smaller and

greater than the reward promised in Genesis Rabbah. The Jewish people haven't necessarily

earned the blessings and protection of an omnipotent god; instead, they have earned an extreme

unity with the Shechina, the divine aspect which is closest to humanity.

Conclusion

Many aspects of the Akedah story as it is retold in the Zohar appear to originate in

Genesis Rabbah. In addition to citing several midrashim from Genesis Rabbah, the Zohar

follows the Talmudic compilation of aggadot in the themes that it emphasizes in its retelling of

the Akedah. Like Genesis Rabbah, the Zohar is extremely concerned with the relationship

between the two patriarchs during and after the Akedah;both texts are also very concerned with

the implications of the Akedah for the restoration or disturbance of “natural order.” The Zohar

also follows in the tradition of Genesis Rabbah when it suggests that Israel receives almost

unlimited reward as a consequence for the Akedah. However, the Zohar diverges from Genesis

Rabbah in several significant ways; each of these divergences can best be understood by

considering the broader tenets of Zoharic kabbalah. The Zohar describes a complex and

everchanging web of interactions between Biblical characters and the sefirot; it is thus

unsurprising that, unlike Genesis Rabbah, the Zohar portrays the Akedah as a process which

transforms both the patriarchs and the relationship between the sefirot. The Zohar also portrays

5 Class notes, May 15

the Akedah as a process which throws both the patriarchal family and the cosmic sefirot into a

temporary period of disharmony before Jacob (and his corresponding sefirah, Tiferet) can restore

order; this portrayal reflects the Zohar's preoccupation with the tenuous balance between sefirot.

Finally, unlike Genesis Rabbah, the Zohar describes the Akedah as a process which is somehow

connected to the awesome and comforting claim that the holy Shechina has and will suffer

alongside Israel. Thus, the Akedah serves to strengthen the Zohar's implicit claim that the

relationship between the divine realm and the human world is stronger and more reciprocal than

was indicated by any prior text.

 References

Matt, Daniel. The Zohar, Volume II. Pritzker Edition. Stanford, California: Stanford University

Press, 2004.

Genesis Rabbah. Third Edition. Translated by H Freedman. London: Soncino Press, 1961.