Rashi says when Hashem told Avraham to do the akedah he used the terminology of נא, as a request because "[God] said to him, “I beg of you, pass this test for Me, so that people will not say that the first ones [tests] had no substance." Even if Avraham did not pass the test of the akedah, why would that invalidate his passing all of his previous tests? If a person gets a score of 90% on a test, does the 10% that he missed invalidate the fact that he got 90% right? If Avraham did not pass the test of the akedah, maybe he wasn't good enough to pass that test but that doesn't invalidate his passing of the earlier tests?
There are two parshios devoted to Avraham, parshas Lech Lecha and Vayerah. The first parsha, Lech Lecha, is a command to leave his geographical homeland and move to Eretz Yisrael. This command is not a mere command to change locations but to change his entire outlook in life. He leaves behind his idolatrous upbringing and finds his own service of Hashem. This service of Hashem is based upon Avraham's understanding. All the tests Avraham had to pass, although a challenge, were challenges that did not run counter to the entire philosophy of Avraham. He was challenged to run against his comfort zone, but he could justify his actions to his followers.
The test of the akedah however was not something that made sense at all in the worldview of Avraham. How could he, a man who preached understanding, sacrifice his own son. Avraham has no way of justifying his actions to the world. He is forced to do something which runs counter to his logic. This is the test that proves Avraham is really serving Hashem merely for the sake of serving Hashem. The point of the tests is to test the boundaries of Avraham's commitment. The tests prove that Avraham's commitment to Hashem is boundless. However, If he fails the test of the akedah, it is not that his commitment to Hashem goes only 90% of the way and he just missed the last 10%, it means that his service of Hashem only goes so far as his intellect allows it to go. It means that his entire service of Hashem does not stem from complete commitment to Hashem, but is limited and dictated by his own understanding. The failure proves that Avraham's commitment is limited by the boundaries of his own mind which shows that the tests he did pass was also only since it made sense to him but not that they were acts of true commitment to Hashem. It is the akedah that is the litmus test to prove if Avraham is serving Hashem because it fits within Avraham's world or is he serving Hashem purely to serve Hashem (Likutay Sichos volume 20 sicha 3.)
The Midrash recounts an argument between Yitzchak and Yishmael if getting a bris at 13 years old like Yishmael is better or getting one at 8 days like Yitzchak is better. It is understandable the argument of Yishmael since he had to choose to go through the pain but why does Yitzchak claim that an 8 day bris is better? The bris milah is the act of the covenant between Hashem and Klal Yisrael. If one gets a bris milah due to one's choice it means the bris is limited to one's understanding. To demonstrate that there is an innate connection to Hashem, not limited to one's understanding, one gets a bris at the first possibility (Likutay Sichos volume 25 sicha 3.) It is due the bris milah that Avraham gets the ability to have a connection to Hashem beyond his own understanding and can pass the test of the akedah. Pre-milah Avraham is receives prophesy only as a means of communication as a necessary means of communication. Post- milah וירא ה אליו, Hashem came merely to visit Avraham, to "hang out" with Avraham. Avraham's connection to Hashem is not limited to a means to communicate, to do something else, it is an innate connection which in which Hashem comes to visit Avraham purely to experience being with Avraham.
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