Sedra Vayera, 120 Words – Madly in Love
The day Avraham embarks on his mission to slaughter his son Yitzchak, he arises early … and he chops timber for the fire with which he plans to incinerate the body of his slaughtered son Yitzchak. [Bereishis 22:3]
Abraham could have prepared the timber before he went to sleep, why did he not? He arose early in order to proceed with alacrity, he would have had an earlier start had he prepared the timber earlier.
And why does the Torah bother telling us anyway? Do we need to know precisely when the timber was cut? And that Avraham cut it?
And did he really need to chop timber? Was there none already prepared in the wood-shed?
Is it perhaps because Avraham wants to perform Gd’s command with utmost devotion? Avraham will not consider using ANY timber just as he did not use any old knife but THE knife, a knife described not as a Sakin but as HaMaAcheLes – which means, the device that eats up its victim.
Avraham approaches this deed as a lover approaches his beloved, he is madly in love.