And he said, “Do not stretch forth your hand against the lad, nor do anything to him, for now I know that you are a God-fearing man, for you have not withheld your son, your only one, from Me.”
English: “A God-fearing man.” It was taught: Rabbi Meir says, The fear of God in Avraham was fear that stems from love, as it is said, “the seed of Avraham who loved Me.”
On the daf / in context: The designation “yerei Elohim” is refined by the parallel description of Avraham as God’s “lover,” showing that his fear was rooted in love.
Type of Learning
Derash on the verse (Bavli sugya) — not a formal named middah of the 13. Two biblical epithets are harmonized to define the quality of Avraham’s fear.
What Is Learned
Avraham’s fear of God was a fear that proceeds from love; he is called both “God-fearing” and “who loved Me.”