Vayeira 22:8 · unit 1

Parashas Vayeira · Passuk 22:8

The Complete Passuk

וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ אַבְרָהָ֔ם אֱלֹהִ֞ים יִרְאֶה־לּ֥וֹ הַשֶּׂ֛ה לְעֹלָ֖ה בְּנִ֑י וַיֵּלְכ֥וּ שְׁנֵיהֶ֖ם יַחְדָּֽו׃

And Avraham said, “God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt-offering, my son.” And the two of them went together.

Chabad / Judaica Press

Source Citation

Torah Temimah points to Sanhedrin 89b.

TT lemma: השה לעולה.

Sefaria — Sanhedrin 89b

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text
הַשֶּׂה לְעֹלָה. קִדְּמוֹ שָׂטָן לְאַבְרָהָם בַּדֶּרֶךְ, אָמַר לוֹ הֲנִסָּה דָּבָר אֵלֶיךָ תִּלְאֶה… כִּי עַתָּה הֵבֵאתָ אֵלֶיךָ וַתֵּלֶא; אָמַר לוֹ, אֲנִי בְּתֻמִּי אֵלֵךְ; כֵּיוָן דְּחָזָא דְּלָא שָׁמֵיעַ לֵיהּ, אָמַר לֵיהּ, וְאֵלַי דָּבָר יְגֻנָּב, כָּךְ שָׁמַעְתִּי מֵאֲחוֹרֵי הַפַּרְגּוֹד הַשֶּׂה לְעֹלָה וְאֵין יִצְחָק לְעֹלָה; אָמַר לֵיהּ, כָּךְ עָנְשׁוֹ שֶׁל בַּדַּאי, שֶׁאֲפִלּוּ אוֹמֵר אֱמֶת אֵין שׁוֹמְעִין לוֹ.

English: “The lamb for a burnt-offering.” The Satan went ahead of Avraham on the way and said to him, “Is not your fear of God your confidence…? But now it is come upon you and you are weary.” Avraham answered, “I will walk in my integrity.” When he saw that he was not heeded, he said, “A word was secretly brought to me: thus I heard from behind the curtain—‘the lamb for a burnt-offering, and not Yitzchak for a burnt-offering.’” Avraham said to him, “Such is the punishment of a liar: even when he speaks truth, no one listens to him.”

On the daf / in context: The Satan attempts to dissuade Avraham first by weariness and then by a true prediction that is rejected because of the speaker’s established falsehood.

Type of Learning

Derash on the verse (Bavli sugya) — not a formal named middah of the 13. Narrative dialogue illustrates the principle that a known liar is not believed even when truthful.

What Is Learned

Even when the Satan reported the true outcome (“the lamb, not Yitzchak”), Avraham refused to listen, because a liar is not believed even when he speaks truth.