כי עתה ידעתי כי ירא אלקים אתה
This was the tenth test, following after nine tests which all had successful outcomes. Yet, only now, after the Akeidas Yitzchak, did Hashem ratify Avraham Avinu’s commitment as a yarei Shomayim, G-d-fearing. If this is the case, what is the meaning of yerei Elokim, G-d-fearing? Does committing to the Akeidah manifest a greater sense of fearing G-d than walking into a fiery cauldron? Horav Nachum Breslover, zl, teaches that one who does not possess an azus d’kedushah, a sense of resolute holiness, who is undaunted by those who stand in the way of his observance, who can transcend the taunts…
