In this week’s Torah portion, Parashat Vayeira, we encounter one of the most controversial, inspiring, and troubling episodes in our story: The Akedah—The Binding of Isaac. It is a trial of faith in God, God’s value-laden message, and in humanity that warrants its reading on Rosh Hashanah morning. Abraham faces multiple challenges, not least of which is the prospect of becoming the agent of the annihilation of his future through Isaac—a key element of God’s promised covenant with him. Perhaps the most dramatic moment emerges in Abraham’s one-word response to God’s call: Hineni—Here I am. It is an indication of far more than location, expressing an existential “present-ness” to the situation and its implications for Abraham as both a leader and a father. In our own lives, with so much at stake in such fraught times, may all of us possess the presence of mind and vision to fully immerse in such moments of crucial decision-taking with such far-reaching consequences for our future.
