Akeidah conjures up the binding of Isaac on Mount Moriah – one of the most defining moments of the Jewish people.
Two things are clear based on the Zichronot prayers on Rosh Hashana: (1) “Zevach kodesh ke-huchshar az be-einav,” based on this phrase Isaac was a fitting offering in G-d’s eyes; (2) we entreat G-d to remember the Akeidat Yitzchak on this day – see the words in the Machzor immediately before the blessing “Zocher ha-Brit,” referring to G-d who remembers the covenant. More than that, every day many Jews recite the entire passage of the Binding of Isaac.
While there is a growing surge to read the Akeidah as a “misunderstood test” (an interpretation that has prima facie appeal), it is difficult to accept this conclusion when the Akeidah possesses a central place in our prayers and the Bible itself. Why would the Torah devote an entire pericope to Abraham’s “confusion” and then not reveal the punchline? How can someone believe it’s a “misunderstood test” and then entreat G-d to remember him on behalf of the Akeidah?
Rather, the lesson is that as a result of the Akeidah, we have become kadosh, a korban, bidden to live a consecrated, covenantal, and sacrificial life. Which does not mean we should live a life of deprivation, asceticism, or flagellation. But it does mean that our mission in life has been fundamentally transformed.
