It was in the early morning. All was ready for the journey in
the house of Abraham. He bade farewell to Sarah; and Eliezer,
his faithful servant, accompanied him along the way for a little
while. They rode together in peace, Abraham and Isaac, until
they came to Mount Moriah. And Abraham prepared everything for
the sacrifice, calmly and mildly; but when his father turned
aside in order to unsheathe his knife, Isaac saw that Abraham's
left hand was knit in despair and that a trembling shook his
frame--but Abraham drew forth the knife.
Then they returned home again, and Sarah hastened to meet them;
but Isaac had lost his faith. No one in all the world ever said
a word about this, nor did Isaac speak to any man concerning
what he had seen, and Abraham suspected not that any one had seen it.
When the child is to be weaned, his mother has the stronger food
ready lest the child perish. Happy he who has in readiness this
stronger food!
Thus, and in many similar ways, thought the man whom I have mentioned
about this event. And every time he returned, after a pilgrimage to
Mount Moriah, he sank down in weariness, folding his hands and saying:
"No one, in truth, was great as was Abraham, and who can understand
him?"