The story of the Akeda, The Binding of Yitzchak (Breisheet 22:1) begins with the following words:
After these events, God tested Avraham…
Rashbam, in a very long commentary, explains how the story of the Akeida came as a result of the peace treaty that Avraham made with Avimelech, King of Grar (the region of the Gaza Strip).
Whenever we find the words “after these events” the story being told is directly connected with what has been reported immediately before.
Some examples:
Breisheet 15:1, after Avraham killed the four kings who had taken Lot captive, God told him not to be afraid of any repercussions.
Breisheet 22:20, Avraham was informed of the birth of Rivka after we heard that Yitzchok had been born.
In the story of the Akeda as well, the words “after these events” mean that what follows occurred after Avraham and Avimelech had concluded their covenant according to which until the fourth generation Avraham’s descendants would not register a claim against lands owned by the Philistines at this time. God became very angry at this high-handed action by Avraham, seeing that he had given away lands which were part of what God had promised to Avraham and his descendants at the “Brit be HaBetarim”,“covenant of the pieces” in chapter 15. We know that a condition of that covenant had been not to allow a single soul of the Canaanites to survive in that land, according to both Dvarim 20:16, as well as according to Yehoshua 13:3 and 15:45-47. Clearly lots had been cast concerning the lands owned by the five Philistine rulers, and who was to settle in those lands after the conquest.
As a result of Avraham’s high-handed action, God subjected Avraham to a painful test, something which was bound to cause him grief. Whenever the root “tested” occurs, the connotation is an unpleasant one for the one being subjected to it. In this instance, God, so to speak, indicated to Avraham that he had been foolish to think that he could guarantee Yitzchak’s and his descendants well being into the future, as he might have to terminate his life before he even had produced any offspring who would be called upon to honor his father’s deal with Avimelech.
We find that the ark of the covenant spent seven months in Philistine captivity as a result of Avraham having made such an unauthorized pact with Avimelech (Shmuel Alef 6:1). The seven months corresponded to the seven sheep Avraham had gratuitously given to Avimelech. God swore that as a result, the Philistines would fight seven wars against the Israelites in which they would be victorious. These wars occurred during the time of Shimshon, Chofni, Pinchos, Shaul, and the three sons of Shaul who were killed.
Rashbam also brings another approach: As a result of Avraham’s high-handed act, seven altars (public altars equivalent of temples) were destroyed by the enemies of the Jewish people after they entered the Holy Land Land: Ohel Moed, Gilgal, Nov, Shiloh, Givon and the two Temples in Jesrusalem.
From Rashbam’s interpretation, it seems that Avraham tried to give away the Gaza strip for the sake of peace and was not successful. The same is true for the Israeli government which gave away the Gaza strip in 2005 thinking that it would bring peace to the region.
May we see true peace in the Gaza strip and throughout the Land of Israel.
