Yitzchak: The Olah Man

Rashi at the end of Vayera (22:12) says that the entire command of the akedah was not to slaughter Yitzchak, rather just to bring him up to the mountain. כשאמרתי לך קח מוצא שפתי לא אשנה, לא אמרתי לך שחטהו אלא העלהו, אסקתיה אחתיה.  The simple reading of Rash is that the there never was a need to slaughter Yitzchak, merely to bring him up to the mountain.  This is difficult for then the entire akedah, that we mention as a zechut in our prayers all the time is really just a mistake?  And how did Avrohom misunderstand his prophecy?

Rashi (26:2) says אל תרד – שהיה דעתו לרדת מצרים, כמו שירד אביו בימי הרעב מצרימה, שאתה עולה תמימה, ואין חוצה לארץ כדיי לך.  In the Midrash it says that there would be a real pesul of יוצא for Yitzchak to leave Eretz Yisroel.  Why would there be such a pesul that only takes effect after shechita and Yitzchak never was supposed to be slaughtered, only brought up to the mountain?  And what does Rashi mean that Yitzchak is a עולה תמימה, of course, every עולה is תמימה?  Rashi (26:1) says One of the reasons Yitchak was blind was דבר אחר כשנעקד על גבי המזבח והיה אביו רוצה לשחטו, באותה שעה נפתחו השמים וראו מלאכי השרת והיו בוכים וירדו דמעותיהם ונפלו על עיניו, לפיכך כהו עיניו.  Why did the angels cry, if the command was only to bring Yitzchak up to the mountain, then obviously he won't be shechted?

Rab Chayim explained that the command to bring Yitzchak up wasn't just to bring him to the mountain, it was that when he is brought to the mountain, he will have the status of an עולה and as an outgrowth will be obligated in all the עבודות of the עולה.  The direct command wasn't just bring him up to the mountain and then take him down, but that through bringing him up the mountain Yitzchak will become a עולה.  What Hashem came to tell Avrohom was that there was no direct commend to shect Yitzchak for if that was the case it wouldn't have been fulfilled.  Since the command wasn't to shect Yitzchak, rather, just to bring him up and only as an outgrowth he will become an עולה, therefore there can be a פטור אונס on the avodot of the korban and Avrohom did fulfill Hashem's command.  According to Rav Chayim, Yitzhak had the status of an עולה but the dinim of avodah weren't fulfilled.

Now we can understand all the Rashi's in our parsha as well.  For a regular עולה is becomes הקדש when the owner is מקדיש it but the שם עולה only applies after the shechita.  Yitzchak is the only עולה that the שם עולה is on him when he is still תמימה, when he is still alive.  That's why Yitzchak had a פסול יוצא  for he had the status of a korban already in his lifetime. And that's why the angels cried, for with out a command from Hashem to stop then Avrohom would've had to continue to slaughter Yitzchak.