Akeidah unites chesed and gevurah

בפרשת העקידה אשר אהבת.

In the parsha of the Akeidah: "[your only son,] whom you love."

The Sfas Emes opens from Hashem's words to Avraham at the Akeidah — "your son, your only one, whom you love."

פי' אמו"ז ז"ל כי בנקל לאדם להניח אהבת הבן בשביל קונו אבל השי"ת אמר לו כי בעוצם אהבתו אליו יעלנו לעולה ולא יניח האהבה וזה אשר אהבת ודפח"ח.

My grandfather, of blessed memory, explained: it is relatively easy for a person to set aside his love for his son for the sake of his Creator; but Hashem said to him that it is precisely with the full intensity of his love for him that he should bring him up as an offering, and not set aside that love — and this is the meaning of "whom you love." And these are words of the living God.

The Chiddushei HaRim teaches a striking point: it would be easier to overcome one's love and offer the son out of duty; but Hashem demanded that Avraham bring Yitzchak as a korban while fully retaining and feeling his love — that is the force of "whom you love."

ונראה עוד כי עיקר המכוון היה התדבקותם ביחד ולאשר כי מדת אברהם הי' החסד ומדת יצחק הגבורה היה אפשר לחשוב כי היו מתנגדים זה לזה לכן יצונו לשוחטו.

And it further appears that the main intent was their bonding together; and since Avraham's attribute was chesed (lovingkindness) and Yitzchak's attribute was gevurah (severity), one might have thought that they were opposed to one another — therefore He commanded him to slaughter him.

The deeper purpose of the Akeidah was to fuse father and son into one. Since Avraham embodied chesed and Yitzchak embodied gevurah — seemingly opposite forces — Hashem commanded the slaughter precisely to unite these two attributes.

ע"כ נאמר אשר אהבת יישר כחך שאהבת כי שרש האבות הם אחדות אחד הגם כי מדותיהם שונות ובאמת אחדות במדות נפרדים א"א להיות בשלימות ע"פ הטבע לכן ע"י העקידה נעשה למעלה מן הטבע

Therefore it says "whom you love" — "yasher kochacha (well done) that you loved" — for the root of the Avos is a single unity, even though their attributes differ; and in truth, unity among separate attributes cannot exist in completeness according to nature; therefore, through the Akeidah it was made above nature.

Hashem affirms Avraham's love: "well done that you still love." At their root the Avos are one, despite their differing middos. Since opposite traits cannot truly fuse within the natural order, the Akeidah lifted their bond above nature, where chesed and gevurah become genuinely one.

וכמ"ש במדרש נסה כנס זה של ספינה ע"ש נתת ליריאיך נס להתנוסס

And as is written in the Midrash: "He tested him (nisah)" — like the "nes" (banner/mast) of a ship; based on the pasuk "You have given those who fear You a banner (nes) to be raised high (l'hisnoses)."

The Midrash links "nisah" (tested) to "nes" (a banner or mast), connecting the test of the Akeidah to the pasuk that Hashem gives those who fear Him a banner to be raised — the test elevates them on high.

וכמ"ש עושה שלום במרומיו גבריאל של אש ומיכאל של מים נעשה שלום ביניהם ואיתא במרומיו באלו שמרימין אותו.

And as it is written: "He makes peace in His heights" — Gavriel of fire and Michael of water, peace is made between them; and it is brought that "in His heights (bimromav)" refers to those who raise Him up (she'marimin oso).

Just as Hashem makes peace between the angels Gavriel (fire) and Michael (water) — opposites reconciled in the heights — so the Akeidah reconciles chesed and gevurah; and "bimromav" is read as referring to those who "lift up" Hashem's Name through such elevated service.

והאבות בשרש המרכבה הם ממש אחדות אחד וע"י העקידה נעשו גם למטה אחדות אחד.

And the Avos, at the root of the Merkavah, are literally a single unity, and through the Akeidah they became a single unity below as well.

The Avos are the "Merkavah" (chariot) of the Shechinah; at their supernal root they are already perfectly one, and the Akeidah brought that oneness down into this lower world too.

ואיתא אברהם אברהם קדמאה לא שלים בתראה שלים.

And it is brought: "Avraham, Avraham" — the first [mention] is not complete, the second is complete.

The Zohar notes that the doubled call "Avraham, Avraham" at the Akeidah implies the first Avraham was not yet whole, and only the second — after the Akeidah — was complete.

ואיתא עוד אברהם אמר כל צדיק יש לו למעלה ולמטה ע"ש בזוה"ק פ' נח.

And it is further brought that "Avraham said" — every tzaddik has an "above" and a "below" — see there in the Zohar HaKadosh, parshas Noach.

The Zohar in Noach teaches that every tzaddik has two parts: a supernal aspect "above" and a corresponding aspect "below" in this world.

וב' הפירושים אחד דע"י העקידה נתקן חלקו שלמטה להיות ממש כמו למעלה וממילא הי' שלים.

And the two explanations are one: that through the Akeidah his lower portion was perfected to be exactly like his upper portion, and consequently he became complete.

The two teachings merge: the Akeidah perfected Avraham's "lower" part to match his already-complete "upper" part, so the doubled "Avraham, Avraham" now expressed a unified, complete tzaddik.

כי השלימות א"א להיות בעוה"ז רק מהארה שלמעלה כמ"ש במ"א בענין שבת שלום.

For completeness (shleimus) cannot exist in this world except from an illumination from above, as is written elsewhere regarding the matter of "Shabbos shalom."

True wholeness is impossible in olam hazeh on its own; it can come only from a higher illumination drawn down — as explained elsewhere concerning "Shabbos shalom."

ולכן כל דבריו של שבת כפולין כדאיתא במדרש לחם משנה כו'

And therefore all the matters of Shabbos are doubled, as is brought in the Midrash: lechem mishneh (the double portion of mann), etc.

This is why everything connected to Shabbos comes "doubled" — the double bread, the double portion of mann — reflecting the joining of below to above.

פי' שבשבת עולה ומתקשר החלק שלמטה בהשורש וזה השלימות.

Meaning: that on Shabbos the lower portion rises and binds itself to its root, and this is the completeness.

On Shabbos the "lower" part of a thing ascends and reconnects to its supernal root, and that reunion is the meaning of shleimus — hence the doubling.

וכמו שיש בזמן ימים שהם דבקים בשורש כנ"ל.

And just as in time there are days that cleave to the root, as above.

Within the realm of time, certain days (like Shabbos) are bound to their supernal source.

כמו כן בנפשות יש צדיקים שנכפל שמותיהם אברהם אברהם לחם משנה כנ"ל.

So too, among souls, there are tzaddikim whose names are doubled — "Avraham, Avraham," the lechem mishneh, as above.

The same pattern appears in the realm of souls: certain tzaddikim have doubled names, signifying that their lower self has fully bonded to its root, paralleling the lechem mishneh of Shabbos.

ובאברהם לא נגמר זה עד אחר עשרה נסיונות.

And in Avraham this was not completed until after the ten tests (nisyonos).

For Avraham, this perfect joining of below to above was finalized only after all ten of his trials.

הגם שמצינו עוד צדיקים שנכפל שמותיהם נח נח שמואל שמואל כו'.

Even though we find other tzaddikim whose names are doubled — "Noach, Noach," "Shmuel, Shmuel," etc.

Other tzaddikim, like Noach and Shmuel, also have doubled names, indicating a similar above-below completeness.

אבל לאשר שורש האבות גבוה מאוד מאוד אשר הן הן המרכבה לכן דבר גדול מאוד לזכות בעוה"ז להיות שלם עם חלק שלמעלה.

But since the root of the Avos is exceedingly, exceedingly high — for they themselves are the Merkavah — therefore it is an exceedingly great thing to merit in this world to be complete together with one's upper portion.

Because the Avos' root is so extraordinarily lofty — they are the very Merkavah of the Shechinah — bringing that exalted upper part fully into this world was an immense achievement, requiring much more.

וזה הרמז במשנה עשרה נסיונות נתנסה אאע"ה להודיע חבתו פי' שמזה נודע שגבוה עד מאוד שורשו למעלה ע"כ א"א ליתקן כל קומתו עד שנתנסה בעשר נסיונות כנ"ל:

And this is the hint in the Mishnah: "With ten tests was Avraham Avinu, peace be upon him, tested, to make known his love (chibaso)" — meaning that from this it becomes known that his root above is exceedingly high; therefore his full "stature" could not be perfected until he was tested with ten trials, as above.

The Mishnah in Avos says the ten tests reveal Avraham's "chibah." The Sfas Emes reads this as revealing how exalted his supernal root is: precisely because his root was so high, his entire spiritual stature could not be fully completed and joined to its root below until he had passed all ten trials.

Summary: At the Akeidah, Hashem demanded that Avraham offer Yitzchak while fully retaining his love — "whom you love" — and the deeper aim was to fuse Avraham's chesed with Yitzchak's gevurah into a single unity that could only be achieved above nature. The Avos, as the Merkavah, are perfectly one at their supernal root, and the Akeidah brought that oneness down into this world. Like the "doubling" of Shabbos (lechem mishneh) and the doubled names of tzaddikim such as "Avraham, Avraham," true shleimus means binding one's lower self to its lofty root. Because Avraham's root was so exalted, his full stature could be perfected only after all ten nisyonos.