The Akedah with all its Issues

Perhaps the most perplexing of all the biblical stories is the Akedah, the binding of Isaac as a sacrificial offering.  God’s testing of Isaac's  father Abraham, with the subsequent promised rewards, raises serious concerns about a God who requires such a sacrifice and a father whose faith would encompass it.

Was it placed in the Torah to celebrate Judaism’s disavowal of human sacrifice? Or is it meant to have us examine our own lives and circumstances? 

Decisions we made in the past, and decisions we will make in the future, have consequences. ‘Could have’, ‘would have’, or ‘should have’ are considerations that we often describe as sacrifices made for the sake of achieving, obtaining, certain goals.

Careers demand sacrificial dedication of time, finances, a spouse's active support, or uprooting of family ties. The challenges of health and aging demand sacrifice of cherished hopes and comforts. The death of a loved one is an imposed sacrifice, depriving us of their love and affection.. These circumstances test our human capacities in ways similar to the ways Abraham, Isaac, and Sarah were tested with the Akedah.

The Akedah has been the inspiration of artists over the centuries.  The Sacrifice of Abraham by Rembrandt is but one example of attempts to capture the anguish of Father Abraham. 

 A contemporary example of an artist's interpretation is the statue Abraham and Isaac In Memory of May 4, 1970, Kent State University,  on that  university campus, commemorating the tragic shooting of students by National Guardsmen.