DISCOVERING TORAH

THEY CALL IT SELF-SACRIFICE. Martyrdom. Every time there is an Arab suicide attack on Israel (G-d forbid), I hear in the news the adulatory remarks of the Hezbollah/Hamas, etc. in praise of the attacker.

Yet in reality, such an act bears no resemblance to self-sacrifice, and not merely because it involves the murder of innocent people.

Let's examine the Torah source of the concept of self-sacrifice which appears in this week's parsha, Vayeira.

In Genesis XXII: 1-19, we read the chilling account of the Akedah ("binding" of Isaac). G-d decides to test Abraham for the tenth time. G-d commands him to take his only son Isaac to Jerusalem, bind him on an altar, and sacrifice him to G-d.

Without missing a beat, Abraham gets up early in the morning, ready to fulfill this shocking command with zeal. As they proceed together, Isaac innocently asks his father, "Here is the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" (verse 7).

As the knife approaches Isaac's neck, an angel reveals itself to Abraham, informing him that G-d no longer desires that he sacrifice his son.

In Isaac's stead, Abraham sacrifices a ram caught in the bushes nearby.

This emotional passage has evoked much commentary from the Sages. Amongst the most powerful of the problems posed by the commentators, is that of Rabbi Yosef Albo (Spain c. 1380-1444).

R. Yosef is commonly known after the name of his great religio-philosophical work, the Sefer Halkkarim (Book of Principles), in which he discusses the essentials of faith.

He divides religious belief into three categories: principles, roots and branches. The principles are the bedrock of faith; without believing in them one is deemed a heretic. They are faith in G-d, Torah from Sinai, and reward and punishment.

The roots and branches are derivatives of these principles.

R. Yosef questions why we make such a big deal out of the Akedah. After all, he asserts, Abraham's test was actually relatively easy, given the fact that G-d Himself asked him to do it!

Why is Abraham's test of self-sacrifice any more difficult than that of Rabbi Akiva, or for that matter (as we might ask) of those who perished in the Holocaust without being told directly by G-d to give their lives as Jews?

A powerful question indeed.

R. YOSEF ANSWERS THAT Abraham's test was unique because G-d presented it to him not as an obligation but as an option (as in verse two, "please take," indicating a request, not a command).

In fact, Abraham could have easily pointed out a seeming contradiction in G-d's words.

Abraham had just been commanded to sacrifice his only son, yet earlier, G-d had promised him that his descendants would continue through Isaac! (Gen. XXI: 12).

However, says R. Yosef, the Jews who gave their lives for G-d and Judaism in later generations did so under the framework of the Torah command of sanctifying G-d's name.

This command requires a Jew to give up his life only if he is being coerced to commit one of the three cardinal sins in public -- murder, idolatry, and adultery.

Therefore, Abraham's test was more difficult, because he was not obligated to do it. The holy Jewish martyrs of later years, although revered and deemed on the highest level, do not gain the spot in Judaism that the Akedah has attained.

Yet this explanation seems to leave us with the same question as before. There have been many Jews throughout history who gave their lives for G-d and Judaism, even though not obligated by Jewish law.

AGAIN, WE ASK, WHAT makes the self-sacrifice of the Akedah so special, to the point that it is said every day in the morning prayer service?

The explanation is that authentic self-sacrifice means to give one's life for G-d and Judaism without any ulterior motive.

If one gives one's life in order to appear righteous to others, this is not true self-sacrifice, even if there is another higher purpose involved.

If a person yearns for reward in the world to come -- as the suicide bombers do -- then this, too, is not authentic self-sacrifice.

In fact, it can be more appropriately termed self-service.

Authentic self-sacrifice can only occur when a person has no ulterior motive. Even if a person has a totally pure motive, there is always the possibility that beneath the surface, the motive reveals a certain insubordination.

Perhaps, even subconsciously, the person's motivation is not Divine service but simply the idea that making the world a better place is pleasing to him.

The only way we can truly test if a person's self-sacrifice is a result of an unwavering dedication to G-d is when one does something which goes contrary to one's own personal gain.

WITH THIS IN MIND, WE return to the Akedah. Abraham had a career on earth filled with spreading G-d consciousness. All around him were idolators, believing in many gods.

Yet Abraham stood up, declared his belief in one G-d, and began to teach others.

Suddenly, he is commanded to sacrifice the only person in the world who would continue his cause.

This was more than your average family business. There could be no possible self-motivation for him to do such an act.

Specifically at the Akedah - where Abraham was asked to do something which ran contrary to everything he desired, and to do so in private, where no one would know about it - we learn what true self-sacrifice means.

Since Abraham, the first Jew, is our father, he bequeaths to us the spiritual and emotional capability of authentic self-sacrifice.

Yet the ultimate self-sacrifice is not to give one's life for G-d and Judaism but to go on living.

To live a life dedicated to G-d and spirituality in a way of self-sacrifice, or unwavering dedication, is within the grasp of each of us -- thanks to our great ancestor, Abraham.

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