Parashat Vayera concludes with the famous story of akeidat Yitzchak, God’s command that Avraham sacrifice his son Yitzchak upon altar. In describing the events that transpired before an angel of God ordered Avraham to withdraw his sword, the Torah writes, “Avraham cast his hand and took the sword, to slaughter his son” (22:10). How might we explain the phrase, “Avraham cast his hand”? Why didn’t the Torah simply state that Avraham “took the sword”?
Rav Yaakov Mecklenberg, in his Ha-ketav Ve-hakabbala, suggests that this phrase connotes zeal and alacrity. The Torah emphasizes that despite the personal grief and sorrow entailed, Avraham took hold of the sword swiftly and with determination, rather than with slothful ambivalence. In his resolute conviction to fulfill the divine command, he “cast his hand” – he firmly and confidently grabbed the sword. Rav Mecklenberg draws proof for his reading of this phrase from a verse in Sefer Devarim (15:10) which refers to a person’s occupation with the term mishlach yadekha (literally, “the sending of your hand”). People tend to their professions with energy and zeal, out of a desire to earn a proper livelihood. Professional work is therefore called mishlach yad, which signifies energy, resolve and conviction. Similarly, then, the description of Avraham “casting his hand” (“va-yishlach…et yado”) emphasizes Avraham’s alacrity despite the pain involved.
Rav Yehuda Leib Ginsburg, in his Yalkut Yehuda, suggests a different explanation for why the Torah saw fit to make mention of Avraham’s “sending his hand” to grab the knife. He writes:
This is to show the great importance of that action [of akeidat Yitzchak], to the point where every motion that he [Avraham] made while performing this action was deserving of being written for all time – for every motion was regarded by the Almighty as the performance of a great mitzva.
The Torah here teaches the significance of each and every action involved in the performance of a mitzva. When a person engages in an important undertaking, even the seemingly trivial aspects of that task assume significance. God regarded with importance even the motion of Avraham’s extending his arm to take the knife, teaching that every stage in the process of mitzva observance is deemed meaningful and significant.