Vayeira 22:12 · unit 3

Parashas Vayeira · Passuk 22:12

The Complete Passuk

וַיֹּ֗אמֶר אַל־תִּשְׁלַ֤ח יָֽדְךָ֙ אֶל־הַנַּ֔עַר וְאַל־תַּ֥עַשׂ ל֖וֹ מְא֑וּמָה כִּ֣י עַתָּ֣ה יָדַ֗עְתִּי כִּֽי־יְרֵ֤א אֱלֹהִים֙ אַ֔תָּה וְלֹ֥א חָשַׂ֛כְתָּ אֶת־בִּנְךָ֥ אֶת־יְחִידְךָ֖ מִמֶּֽנִּי׃

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.”

Chabad / Judaica Press

Source Citation

Torah Temimah points to Sanhedrin 39b.

TT lemma: ירא אלהים.

Sefaria — Sanhedrin 39b

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text
ירא אלהים. א"ר אבא, גדול מה שנאמר בעובדיהו ממה שנא' באברהם, דאלו באברהם כתיב כי ירא אלהים אתה, ובעובדיהו כתיב ועובדיהו היה ירא את ה' מאד.

English: “A God-fearing man.” Rabbi Abba said: Greater is that which is said of Ovadyahu than that which is said of Avraham. Of Avraham it is written, “for you are a God-fearing man,” while of Ovadyahu it is written, “and Ovadyahu feared Hashem greatly.”

On the daf / in context: The intensifier “greatly” applied to Ovadyahu is noted as a higher degree of praise than the simple attribution given to Avraham.

Type of Learning

Derash on the verse (Bavli sugya) — not a formal named middah of the 13. Comparative intensity of language measures relative fear of Heaven.

What Is Learned

Ovadyahu is described as fearing Hashem “greatly,” a stronger expression than the simple “God-fearing” said of Avraham.