Vayeira 22:1 · unit 1

Parashas Vayeira · Passuk 22:1

The Complete Passuk

וַיְהִ֗י אַחַר֙ הַדְּבָרִ֣ים הָאֵ֔לֶּה וְהָ֣אֱלֹהִ֔ים נִסָּ֖ה אֶת־אַבְרָהָ֑ם וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֵלָ֔יו אַבְרָהָ֖ם וַיֹּ֥אמֶר הִנֵּֽנִי׃

And it came to pass after these things that God tested Avraham, and said to him, “Avraham,” and he said, “Here I am.”

Chabad / Judaica Press

Source Citation

Torah Temimah points to Sanhedrin 89b.

TT lemma: אחר הדברים.

Sefaria — Sanhedrin 89b

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text
אַחַר הַדְּבָרִים. מַאי אַחַר? אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן מִשּׁוּם רַבִּי יוֹסֵי בֶּן זִמְרָא, אַחַר דְּבָרָיו שֶׁל שָׂטָן, דִּכְתִיב וַיִּגְדַּל הַיֶּלֶד וַיִּגָּמַל וַיַּעַשׂ מִשְׁתֶּה; אָמַר שָׂטָן לִפְנֵי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, זָקֵן זֶה חֲנַנְתּוֹ לְמֵאָה שָׁנָה בִּפְרִי בֶּטֶן, מִכָּל סְעֻדָּה שֶׁעָשָׂה לֹא הָיָה לוֹ תּוֹר אוֹ גּוֹזָל אֶחָד לְהַקְרִיב לְפָנֶיךָ; אָמַר לֵיהּ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, כְּלוּם עָשָׂה אֶלָּא בִּשְׁבִיל בְּנוֹ? אִם אֲנִי אוֹמֵר לוֹ זְבַח אֶת בִּנְךָ לְפָנַי מִיָּד זוֹבְחוֹ; מִיָּד – וְהָאֱלֹהִים נִסָּה אֶת אַבְרָהָם.

English: “After these things.” What is “after”? Rabbi Yochanan said in the name of Rabbi Yosi ben Zimra: After the words of the Satan. As it is written, “And the child grew and was weaned, and Avraham made a feast.” The Satan said before the Holy One, blessed be He, “This old man—You favored him with a child at a hundred years; from all the feast he made he did not have a single turtledove or young pigeon to offer before You.” The Holy One said to him, “Did he do it only for his son? If I say to him, ‘Sacrifice your son before Me,’ he will sacrifice him at once.” Immediately—“And God tested Avraham.”

On the daf / in context: The test is framed as a response to the Satan’s accusation that Avraham’s gratitude was only for the sake of his son.

Type of Learning

Derash on the verse (Bavli sugya) — not a formal named middah of the 13. The phrase “after these things” is filled with a heavenly dialogue that motivates the test.

What Is Learned

The Akeidah was precipitated by the Satan’s claim that Avraham’s feast was only for his son; God demonstrated that Avraham would offer the son himself if commanded.