Sicha, 13 Tammuz 5715,
and Sicha, Shabbos Parshas Vayeishev 5731
A. G-d’s Presence in Our Lives
G-d instructs Isaac not to leave the Land of Israel because he is considered a “perfect offering.” (Source 1)
From this we learn that a Jew should always remain in the spiritual Land of Israel—living with the awareness that G-d observes us at all times: “G-d’s eyes are always upon it.” As the Alter Rebbe writes in Tanya: “Behold, G-d stands over him… and observes… and examines… whether he serves Him appropriately.” Similarly, Rabbi Yochanan, before his passing, instructed his students to feel G-d’s presence as tangibly as they feel the presence of another human being. (Source 2)
For example: when a person reflects on the fact that G-d watches them even as they drink water, their blessing will naturally be said with intention, and their drinking will not merely be for physical pleasure. This was the practice in the home of the Chabad Rebbes, where, in the summer, hot water was served to guests. One reason for this practice was to encourage iskafya (self-restraint).
The reason for the need for iskafya is that a person must control permissible desires and physical impulses. This self-control creates boundaries that prevent them from slipping into forbidden desires. (Source 3)
This was Isaac’s spiritual mission: to remain consistently in the “mode” of the Land of Israel and to always feel G-d’s presence.
B. Self-Sacrifice
The Shulchan Aruch teaches that every morning, we recite the story of the Binding of Isaac, to invoke the merit of the forefathers and to subdue the yetzer hara (negative inclination), just as Isaac gave his entir self over to be sacrificed. (Source 4)
Why are two reasons given?
Just as the Temple service began each day with a question about whether dawn had reached Hebron—to invoke the merit of the forefathers buried there—so too, our prayers, modeled after the offerings, include the story of the Binding of Isaac, the Akeidah, to remind us of the forefathers’ merit. (Source 5)
However, this raises a question: In “Hebron,” the merit of all three patriarchs is invoked. But in the Akeidah, only Abraham and Isaac are mentioned.
This is where the second reason comes in: The Akeidah reminds us of Isaac’s self-sacrifice. Before beginning our prayers, we are called to awaken within ourselves the power of self-sacrifice—not necessarily physical but also emotional and intellectual.
Question: Why didn’t Abraham suffice with the mental experience of self-sacrifice, instead carrying it out in action?
Answer: The forefathers’ actual deeds of self-sacrifice opened the spiritual channels, empowering and easing the path for future generations of Jews to focus on emotional and intellectual forms of self-sacrifice.