The Meaning of the Akedah in Israeli Culture and Jewish Tradition

BIBLICAL MYTHS ARE A RECURRING motif in the self-interpretation of Israeli culture, reflecting this culture's perception of its unique plight. A process of self-interpretation through myths, however, implies a particular reading, whether conscious or unconscious, of the myths themselves. Israeli culture thus adds a layer to traditional interpretations.

A myth that is central to this process of self-reflection is that of the Akedah [the binding of Isaac]. The purpose of this paper is two-fold: to consider the interpretation of this myth within Israeli culture, and to examine whether this interpretation represents a continuity or a break with traditional Jewish perceptions of the Akedah.

The Akedah myth features as a code word used by Israeli society to talk with itself about itself and its troubled fate. Moshe Shamir, a leading writer from the founders' generation, excelled in formulating its meaning in Israeli culture: "The story of the Akedah is the greatest, most magnificent, and most deeply meaningful of all. It is the story of our generation." ¹ Changes in attitudes toward the Akedah point to shifts in the ways Israeli society approaches the meaning of its existence.

Two basic attitudes can be discerned in relation to the myth. Whereas the first views the Akedah as the deepest symbol of modern Israeli existence, epitomizing the Zionist revolution and the sacrifices it exacted, the second rejects both the myth and its implications. Historically, the first precedes the second. A complex picture develops, however, since the rejection of the myth is a process rather than a single, specific event. The two views have been involved in a prolonged contest that also mirrors cultural changes.

Let us begin with the first. The Akedah myth has been sanctified by many writers. Thus, for instance, Uri Zevi Greenberg writes: "Let that day come . . . / when my father will rise from his grave with the resurrection of the dead/ and God will command him as the people commanded Abraham./ To bind his only son: to be an offering—/. . . let that day come in my life! I believe it will." ² When speaking of the Zionist experience, Abraham Shlonsky writes: "Father/ take off your tallit and te fi llin today/ . . . and take your son on a distant lane/ to mount Moriah." ³ In a poem by Hayim Gouri, the traditional notion of abiding by God's judgment becomes compliance with the bidding of history. Fathers bequeath the Akedah to their sons: "Isaac, as the story goes, was not sacrificed./ He lived for many years,/ saw what pleasure had to offer,/ until his eyesight dimmed.// But he bequeathed that hour to his offspring.// They are born with a knife in their hearts." ⁴

The contrasts between the biblical description of the relationship between Abraham and Isaac and that suggested in modern Hebrew literature are worth noting. First, contrary to the passive figure of the biblical story, the Isaac of modern literature is an active hero who initiates the Akedah. Second, modern literature lays greater emphasis than the biblical text on intergenerational cooperation, as if no rift divided the fathers offering the sacrifice from their sons. Third, rather than a single, lonely hero, Isaac is the paradigmatic Zionist pioneer. The first two dimensions, which, as noted, are missing from the biblical text, are developed extensively in the Midrash. I cannot develop this issue here, but it is worth noting that the Midrash "corrected" the biblical text in light of religious or literary considerations, while the "corrections" of modern literature reflect the essence of the Zionist revolution. The Zionist Isaac tells the story of an entire generation: rather than being passive victims, the Isaacs assume responsibility for their destiny and sacrifice themselves on the altar of national renaissance.

When was this ideal picture undermined? When did Israeli culture begin to feel uncomfortable with the myth of the Akedah? ⁵ Contrary to appearances, the shattering of this myth is not one more declaration of a...