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<h1>Akeidat Yitzchak and the Covenant at Sinai</h1>
<div><b><center><span class="highlighted-notice">This topic has not yet undergone editorial review</span></center></b></div>
<h2>Introduction</h2>
As noted by Yonatan Grossman,<fn>See Y. Grossman, <a href="http://www.herzog.ac.il/tvunot/fulltext/mega25_grossman.pdf">"וירא את המקום מרחוק – עקדת יצחק כסיפור רקע לברית האגנות ולסיפורים נוספים"</a>, Megadim 25 (5756): 79-90.</fn> there are several similarities between the Sinaitic Covenant described in Shemot 24, and the story of Akeidat Yitzchak.&#160; The analysis below will attempt to analyze whether these are intentional allusions and what significance they may have.

<h2>Content Parallels</h2>
The two stories have a number of content similarities. In both, Hashem's representative (Avraham or Moshe) is ordered to go to a heavenly mountain (Mt. Moriah or Mt. Sinai) for a Divine revelation and sacrifice. They are joined by a companion (Yitzchak or Yehoshua) and a group of followers (Avraham's servants or the priests and elders), although the latter are left behind and do not actually climb the mountain. At the mountain there is a ritual sacrifice involving youths (Yitzchak and נערי בני ישראל), followed by a revelation where they encounter God but are not harmed.

<h2>Literary Allusions</h2>
<ul>
<li><b>Waiting until the return ("שְׁבוּ לָכֶם... וְנָשׁוּבָה אֲלֵיכֶם", "שְׁבוּ לָנוּ... נָשׁוּב אֲלֵיכֶם")</b> – Avraham (Bereshit 22:5) tells his servants to "sit here" ("שְׁבוּ לָכֶם פֹּה") until he and Yitzchak return ("וְנָשׁוּבָה אֲלֵיכֶם"), just as Moshe (Shemot 24:14) tells the elders to "sit here" ("שְׁבוּ לָנוּ בָזֶה") until he and Yehoshua return ("נָשׁוּב אֲלֵיכֶם").</li>
<li><b>Bowing ("וְנִשְׁתַּחֲוֶה", "וְהִשְׁתַּחֲוִיתֶם")</b> – Avraham describes his actions at the mountain as simple bowing (Bereshit 22:5), just as Hashem commands Moshe to go up to Him and bow (Shemot 24:1).&#160; In reality, the process in both cases was much more complicated.</li>
<li><b>From afar ("מֵרָחֹק")</b> – In both stories (Bereshit 22:4, Shemot 24:1), the term "מֵרָחֹק" is used with regard to the mountain.</li>
<li><b>Morning awakening ("וַיַּשְׁכֵּם... בַּבֹּקֶר")</b> – Both Avraham (Bereshit 22:3) and Moshe (Bereshit 24:4) awaken early in the morning to prepare for the rite.</li>
<li><b>Building of altar ("וַיִּבֶן... מִזְבֵּחַ")</b> – Both Avraham (Bereshit 22:9) and Moshe (Bereshit 24:4) build altars in preparation for the sacrifice.</li>
<li><b>Youths ("נְעָרָיו", "הַנַּעַר", "נַעֲרֵי")</b> – In both stories, there are characters referred to as youths. Avraham's servants are called "נְעָרָיו" (Bereshit 22:3,5,19), and Yitzchak is called "הַנַּעַר" (Bereshit 22:5,12). Similarly, the Israelite representatives who offer the sacrifice are referred to as "נַעֲרֵי בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל" (Shemot 24:5).</li>
<li><b>Offering burnt-offerings ("וַיַּעֲלֵהוּ לְעֹלָה", "וַיַּעֲלוּ עֹלֹת")</b> – In both cases (Bereshit 22:13, Shemot 24:5) burnt-offerings are sacrificed.</li>
<li><b>Seeing God ("י"י יִרְאֶה", "י"י יֵרָאֶה", "וַיִּרְאוּ אֵת אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל")</b> – In both cases (Bereshit 22:14, Shemot 22:10), seeing God is part of the revelation.</li>
<li><b>Sending a hand ("אַל תִּשְׁלַח יָדְךָ", "לֹא שָׁלַח יָדוֹ")</b> – Avraham is commanded by the angel to not harm Yitzchak, using the term "אַל תִּשְׁלַח יָדְךָ" (Bereshit 22:12), while God is said to not have harmed certain Israelite representatives with the language "לֹא שָׁלַח יָדוֹ" (Shemot 24:11).</li>
<li><b>Heavenly mountain ("הַר י"י", "הַר הָאֱלֹהִים")</b> – Avraham (Bereshit 22:14) refers to the mountain as Hashem's mountain, just like the Shemot (Shemot 24:13) speaks of Moshe ascending God's mountain.</li>
<li><b>Consuming and fire ("הָאֵשׁ וְאֶת הַמַּאֲכֶלֶת", "כְּאֵשׁ אֹכֶלֶת")</b> – In both cases, the word fire appears next to a term connected to consuming:&#160; Avraham carries with him the fire and the מַּאֲכֶלֶת (Bereshit 22:6), while Hashem's glory is described as a consuming (אֹכֶלֶת) fire (Shemot 24:17).</li>
</ul>

<h2>Analysis</h2>
<ul>
<li><b>Non-uniqueness of similarities</b> – Most of the words of the linguistic parallels between the stories are not unique or even rare: the verb "bow" (שׁחה) appears&#160;<a href="http://mg.alhatorah.org/Concordance/7812">175 times</a> in Tanakh; the term "from afar", even in the exact form "מֵרָחֹק" appears <a href="http://mg.alhatorah.org/Concordance/7350">12 times</a>; the combination "וַיַּשְׁכֵּם... בַּבֹּקֶר", even in that exact form, appears 13 times; building an altar can be found 48 times; the noun "youth" (נער) appears <a href="http://mg.alhatorah.org/Concordance/5288">239 times</a>; offering (עלה) a burnt-offering appears 63 times; the use of the verb see (ראה) in connection to a Divine revelation is extremely common; a refusal to send a hand can be found 12 times; Hashem's (or God's) mountain appears 14 times; and the combination of consuming with fire can be found in at least 43 places.</li>
<li><b>Distinctive phrases</b> – The phrase "שְׁבוּ לָכֶם/לָנוּ" is unique,<fn>With other forms besides "שְׁבוּ", it appears six times: "וַתֵּשֶׁב לָהּ" in Bereshit 21:16, "יֹשֵׁב לָהּ" in Shofetim 16:9, "יֵשְׁבוּ לְךָ" in Melakhim II 10:30, 15:12, "יָשַׁבְתְּ לָהֶם" in Yirmeyahu 3:2, and "תֵּשְׁבִי לִי" in Hoshea 3:3.</fn> as is "וְנָשׁוּבָה/נָשׁוּב אֲלֵיכֶם&#8206;".<fn>However, four similar verses can be found: "נָשׁוּב אֶל" in Bemidbar 32:18, "וְנָשׁוּבָה אֶל" in Hoshea 6:1, "וְאָשׁוּב אֲלֵיכֶם" in Zekharyah 1:3, and "וְאָשׁוּבָה אֲלֵיכֶם" in Malakhi 3:7.</fn></li>
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<h2>Points of Contrast</h2>

<h2>Conclusions</h2>
While at first glance, the parallels between Akeidat Yitzchak and the Covenant at Sinai seem to be plentiful, a closer analysis shows that many of them are superficial and not particular to these stories. It is thus questionable whether there is enough evidence to support the claim of a fundamental relationship between the stories.

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