In this paper I would like to explore what the scriptures teach regarding household salvation. This is an important subject that is often taught incorrectly.

In Acts, there is an interesting passage that states:

2 Lukas (Acts) 16:25-33 And at midnight Shaul and Silas (Luqas) prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed. And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled. But Shaul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do yourself no harm: for we are all here. Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Shaul and Silas (Luqas), And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Obey Faithfully the Master Yeshua the Messiah, and you will be saved, and your house. And they spoke unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.

This introduces us to the concept of household salvation. Household salvation is the saving of a whole house through the actions of one individual, the leader of the household. The rest of this article will be used to demonstrate the reality of household salvation and to provide some examples of such salvation taking place. The above passage from Acts is just one of many examples that one can find in this article.

Before we look at some instances of household salvation, we must first understand the full meaning of the word 'house' or 'household'. Household doesn't just mean household. We know that the usage of the word 'house' or 'household' can extend from just the immediate family of one's self from the way it is used for Israel.

Shemot (Exodus) 16:31 And the house of Israel called the name thereof Manna: and it was like coriander seed, white; and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey.

Shemot (Exodus) 40:38 For the cloud of HaShem was upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.

2 Luqas (Acts) 2:36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that HaShem has made that same Yeshua, whom you have crucified, both Master and Messiah.

Hebrews (Bereans) 8:10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them HaShem, and they shall be to me a people.

Clearly the meaning extends to much more extended family. Israel, Jacob, was the father of the people of Israel. The household of Israel is thus the extended family of Jacob.

The concept of Israel as an organic entity consisting of many parts is well known. Israel was another name for Yaakov (Jacob), as well as a name for his collective descendents. A subset of Israel is the community which was centered around the synagogue. Finally, a subset of the community is the family. There was never a smaller subset when it came to salvation, to prayer, or to redemption. These were all communal in nature.

As was said earlier, the concept of household salvation involves the leader of a household doing something which then saves the rest of his household. The actions of one affect the whole family and the community. Many can be saved through one. Therefore, it is important to understand who can be the leader of a household.

The leader of a household is always the father. The leader of a community is also a father to his household. No place in Torah will you find the phrase 'house of Sarah' or 'house of Batshevah'. We can also extend this and say that the leader of the household is also a firstborn, regardless if he was actually the first to come from his mother's womb. Rashi explains this in his commentary for the following passage in Torah:

Shemot (Exodus) 12:29-30 And it came to pass, that at midnight HaShem smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle. And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead.

Rashi: If there was a firstborn there, he died. If there was no firstborn there, the most important one of the household is called “a firstborn,” — as the verse says, “I, too, will make him a firstborn.” [Psalms (Tehillim) 89:28]

Tehillim (Psalms) 89:20-28 Then You spoke in a vision to Your devout [prophets], and said, “I have placed [My] assistance upon the mighty one, I have exalted the one chosen from among the people. I have found David, My servant; with My holy oil I have anointed him; with whom My hand shall be established [to assist him], My arm also shall strengthen him. The enemy shall not exact from him, nor shall the iniquitous person afflict him. And I will smash his tormentors from before him, and smite those who hate him. And My faithfulness and My kindness shall be with him, and through My Name his power shall be exalted. And I will set his hand upon the sea, and his right hand upon the rivers. He will call to Me, 'You are my Father, my God and the Rock of my salvation!' I, too, will make him a firstborn, supreme over the earth's kings.

There are examples of men who were not born as firstborns, but became firstborns by their actions. For instance, Yaakov became the firstborn when he bought the birthright from Esau:

Beresheet (Genesis) 25:30-33 And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage ; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom. And Yaakov said, Sell me this day your birthright. And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me? And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he swore unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.

The birthright is the firstborn's, and when Esau transferred the birthright to Jacob, Jacob became the firstborn.

Judah, according Rashi, was the firstborn of the twelve tribes of Israel (despite Judah being the fourth son of Jacob). He became firstborn through his actions.

Clearly the leader of a household is also the firstborn of the house. Now when someone in the Torah is called a firstborn, we know that it can also have the meaning of leader of his household. We can then restate the concept of household salvation as: The actions of the firstborn can cause him and his entire household to be saved. If the firstborn is saved, his entire household is saved. The implications of this statement are staggering and should not be understated!

If the head of a household is also a firstborn, then one could further state that he is also a Kohen, a priest. Or at least he should have been. Before the sin of the Golden Calf, all firstborns of Israel would be priests. This is called the priesthood of Melchizedek.

Beresheet (Genesis) 14:18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.

Tehillim (Psalms) 110:4 HaShem has sworn, and will not repent, You are a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.

Melchizedek is understood to be Shem, son of Noah. The Rabbis^{^[1]} said that Melchizedek instructed Avraham in the Torah.

Then in the Midrash:

Midrash Rabbah - Numbers IV:8 - TAKE THE LEVITES, etc. (III, 45). Our Rabbis have said: Why did the Holy One, blessed be He, order the firstborn Israelites to be redeemed by means of the Levites? Because originally, before the tribe of Levi arose, the firstborn performed the sacrificial service. As our Rabbis have learned: Before the Tabernacle was erected the high places were permitted and the sacrificial service was performed by the firstborn. From the moment when the Tabernacle was erected the high places were forbidden and the service was confined to the priests. There is proof that the firstborn offered the sacrifices before the tribe of Levi took office. Go back to the beginning of the creation of the world. Adam was the world's firstborn. When he offered his sacrifice, as it says: And it pleased the Lord better than a bullock that hath horns and hoofs (Ps. LXIX, 32) - he donned high priestly garments; as it says: And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins, and clothed them (Gen. III, 21). They were robes of honor which subsequent firstborn used. When Adam died he transmitted them to Seth. Seth transmitted them to Methusaleh. When Methusaleh died he transmitted them to Noah. Noah arose and offered a sacrifice; as it says: And he took of every clean beast... and offered burnt-offerings on the altar (Gen. VIII, 20). Noah died and transmitted them to Shem. But was Shem a firstborn? Japheth, surely, was the firstborn; as it says: Shem... the brother of Japheth the elder1 (Gen. X, 21)! Why then did he hand them on to Shem? Because Noah foresaw that the line of the patriarchs would issue from him. There is proof that Shem offered sacrifices; since it says: And Melchizedek, king of Salem brought forth bread and wine; and he was priest of God the Most High (Gen. XIV, 18). Now was it to him that the priesthood was given? The priesthood, surely, was not given to any man until Aaron arose. What then is the meaning of the statement here, ‘and he was priest’? Because he offered sacrifices like priests. Shem died and handed it on to Abraham. But was Abraham a firstborn? The fact is that because he was a righteous man the birthright was transferred to him, and he offered sacrifices; as it says: And offered him up for a burnt-offering in the stead of his son (Gen. XXII, 13). Abraham died and handed it on to Isaac. Isaac arose and handed it on to Jacob. But was Jacob a firstborn? No; but you find that Jacob prudently took it [the birthright] from Esau. He said to him: Sell me first thy birthright (Gen. XXV, 31). Do you suppose perhaps that it was for no good reason that Jacob asked Esau to sell him the birthright? No! Jacob wished to offer sacrifices and could not, because he was not the firstborn. Said Esau: ‘What can I expect of this birthright? ' As it says: Behold I am at the point to die; and what profit shall the birthright do to me?

We see that Shem may not have been a firstborn, but became a firstborn when his father Noah passed the robes of Adam to him. This is a metaphor for passing the priesthood.

We therefore have found that the head of a household is not only a firstborn, but is also a priest. In fact, being a firstborn is being a priest of the order of Melchizedek. Being the head of one's household is being the priest of that household.

This new understanding requires more explanation. Being a firstborn doesn't seem to come with many responsibilities or duties. One doesn't conjure images in one's mind about a firstborn being much more than the one who helps raise the rest of his siblings and does more household chores. However, one can also see this as training for when the firstborn goes to the house of HaShem to represent his house, to take care of his people and to do the chores of the house of HaShem. Helping to raise siblings instills a sense of responsibility and caring that is hard to acquire any other way.

So now we must explore the duties a priest has to his household. One should be aware that the household of the firstborn is not just his immediate family, but it is the whole community of Israel. The household of Israel is the household the priest is representing, besides his own family.

Returning to the example of Shem, we find a clue as to what the duties of the priest are.

Midrash Rabbah - Genesis XXXVI:6 AND SHEM AND JAPHETH TOOK A GARMENT. R. Johanan said: Shem commenced the good deed, then Japheth came and hearkened to him. Therefore Shem was granted a Tallit and Japheth a pallium. AND LAID IT UPON BOTH THEIR SHOULDERS. Now since it is said, AND WENT BACKWARDS, do we not know that THEY SAW NOT THEIR FATHER'S NAKEDNESS? This, however, teaches that they hid their faces with their hands and walked backward, giving him the respect due from a son to a father. Said the Holy One, blessed be He, to Shem: ‘Thou didst cover thy father's nakedness: By thy life! I will reward thee When these men are bound in their cloaks (be-sarbelehon), ' etc. (Dan. III, 21). (R. Judan and R. Huna [differed as to the meaning of ’ be-sarbelehon ‘]: R. Judan said: It means in their prayer cloaks; R. Huna said: It means in their robes of state.) The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Japheth: ' Thou didst cover thy father's nakedness: By thy life, I will reward thee, for It shall come to pass on that day, that I will give unto Gog a place fit for burial in Israel’ (Ezek. XXXIX, II). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Ham: 'Thou didst bring thy father's nakedness into disgrace: By thy life, I will requite thee: So shall the king of Assyria lead away the captives of Egypt, and the exiles of Ethiopia, young and old, naked and barefoot, and with buttocks uncovered to the shame of Egypt‘ (Isa. XX, 4).

A further substantiation that the firstborn son is considered as the most important member of the household is noted within the letters which give the spelling for son. The Aramaic word for son, BaR, is spelled Bet - Resh. Both of these letters lend meaning to the word "son" through their own meanings.

The essential meaning of Bet is "house" whilst that of Resh is "head" or "chief". This would make the meaning of son "chief of [the] house". Even more, the word for "great" or "master/teacher", RaB, has the same letters for BaR; it being spelled Resh-Bet. Further, this means that every son has the capability to become the "great of the household"; yet, this position is given to the firstborn.

Pidyon HaBen

Bamidbar (Numbers) 8:17-18 "For every firstborn of the Children of Israel became mine, of man and livestock; on the day I struck every firstborn in the land of Egypt I sanctified them for myself. I took the Levites in place of every firstborn among the Children of Israel."

Why do we have the laws of the pidyon HaBen (Redeeming the first born)? We have the laws of Pidyon BaBen because HaShem sanctified them when He struck down the firstborn of the Egyptians. If HaShem takes the firstborn of the Egyptians, representing the whole world, then He also has to take the firstborn of Israel. The firstborn is His.

Why does the firstborn need to be redeemed? The firstborn needs to be redeemed because they became HaShem’s when He struck down the firstborn of the Egyptians.

The Arizal writes that just as children are obligated to respect their parents, so must they respect their firstborn sibling. For the firstborn represents the initial creative act, the essential power of the parents, from which all subsequent births draw their vitality. All things go after the beginning. All beginning starts from beyond. Thus, Yaaqov said about Reuben:

Beresheet (Genesis) 49:3 Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might and the beginning of my strength .

The firstborn represents the whole household that requires redemption. We learn this from the following pasuk:

Shemot (Exodus) 4:22 And you shall say unto Pharaoh, Thus says HaShem, Israel is my son, even my firstborn: 23 And I say unto you, Let my son go, that he may serve Me: and if you refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay your son, even your firstborn.

In this pasuk we see that the firstborn represents his entire household. If the firstborn is redeemed, then his entire household is redeemed. The firstborn represents the whole, for they were potential heads of their families. As such they would serve as priests, representing the whole of Israel.

Thus, when we redeem the firstborn, Pidyon HaBen, we are redeeming the household of the priest, the firstborn.

Born Again

Born again does not fit a pshat. Is this a firstborn or what?

We are “born again” when we immerse in the mikveh. When we are immersed, we are returning to the state he had in Gan Eden before sin. We are Adam HaRishon being created anew. Thus we see that being “born again” is akin to becoming the firstborn of creation.

We can therefore say that those who are “born again” are firstborns whose duty it is to represent their households as priests before HaShem.

Congregation of the First Born

Why are they called the congregation of the firstborn? What is the eschatological aspect of this congregation?

The Tallit

The tallit is a tent to cover one’s family and community. In Sephardic synagogues, all the children of the community gather under the Hakham’s tallit for the Aaronic benediction.

The tallit has many names. Prayer shawl, prayer closet, and even tent. A tallit is a four-cornered garment with fringes, called tzitzith in Hebrew, that are a representation of the 613 commands of Torah. These commands are our link to HaShem, since in the observance of the commands we learn more and become closer with HaShem. Therefore, when the priest dons a tallit he is connecting himself and his household with HaShem. This garment is needed to make that connection to HaShem during prayer.

When we think about the tallit as a prayer closet, we picture a private area for prayer, one-on-one with HaShem. In this way, the priest is given a very personal connection to HaShem.

When we think about the tallit as a tent, we picture a dwelling place for, perhaps, an entire family. In this way, a man is not only representing himself before HaShem, but his entire household.

The Priests

The firstborn used to be the priest of his household. Thus the priest has much to teach us about household salvation. To understand the priest, we need to answer the following questions: What are the duties of this priest? What are the duties of the household to this priest?

We can see that mediating between the people and HaShem is an important task for the priest and we can see that the tallit is an important tool for this task, but the priest has another duty to perform, he also mediates between man and man. We can see why Aaron and his line were chosen to take the place of the priesthood of Melchizedek.

Shemot (Exodus) 28:1 And take unto you Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto Me in the priest' office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron' sons.

Aaron was known for his peace-making.

Mishnah Pirke Abot 1:12 Hillel said: Be a disciple of Aaron, loving peace and pursuing peace, loving people and bringing them close to Torah.

In fact, Aaron embodied the guiding principles of Judaism found in the Tanach:

Micah (Mikha) 6:8 He has showed you, O man, what is good; and what does HaShem require of you, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?

How is this so? What does justice have to do with peace-making? It has everything to do with it!

Jerusalem Talmud, Ta'anit 4:2, 68a Rabbi Shimon ben Gamaliel said, "The world stands on three things: justice, truth and peace." And these three are actually one thing. When justice is served, truth is done and peace is made.

So we can see that choosing Aaron and his lineage was not merely an arbitrary decision by HaShem, but was actually a decision based on the normal behavior of Aaron.

Not only is peace-making between man and man important, but peace-making between HaShem and man is important as well. Aaron and his brother Moses, were known for their ability to do that as well. An example is found in the Torah:

Shemot (Exodus) 16:41-50 But on the morrow [following the destruction of Korah and his followers] all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying, Ye have killed the people of HaShem. And it came to pass, when the congregation was gathered against Moses and against Aaron, that they looked toward the tabernacle of the congregation: and, behold, the cloud covered it, and the glory of HaShem appeared. And Moses and Aaron came before the tabernacle of the congregation. And HaShem spoke unto Moses, saying, Get you up from among this congregation, that I may consume them as in a moment. And they fell upon their faces. And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a censer, and put fire therein from off the altar, and put on incense, and go quickly unto the congregation, and make an atonement for them: for there is wrath gone out from HaShem; the plague is begun. And Aaron took as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the congregation; and, behold, the plague was begun among the people: and he put on incense, and made an atonement for the people. And he stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed. Now they that died in the plague were fourteen thousand and seven hundred, beside them that died about the matter of Korah. And Aaron returned unto Moses unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and the plague was stayed.

Aaron made peace between HaShem and man, staying a plague that would have wiped out all of Israel. Aaron saved the household of Israel by his actions. It is obvious now just how important the leader of a household really is! He can literally save their lives!

Although we related the duties of mediating between HaShem and man as well as man and man to Aaron's behavior and his subsequent appointment to the priesthood, these same responsibilities apply to priests of the line of Melchizedek. We should expect no less of a priest from that line.

This also reveals another qualification to be a priest. To be able to be a peace-maker, or 'to do justly' as it says in Micah, a priest must be an expert in Torah and Halakha. How can a priest mete out justice if he doesn't even know the laws of justice? He can't. Thus we can see that a priest must, in modern terms, also be a Hakham (Rabbi).

In Micah, love of mercy is also highlighted as a guiding principle of Judaism. Mercy is an important quality that priests must be especially diligent to incorporate into their every action and every decision or ruling they make. His Eminence, Hakham Dr. Yosef ben Haggai gives us a concise explanation of the importance mercy has to priests in his commentary for Exodus (Shemot) 12:29-51:

“We read in the Torah Seder for this week about the last plague that killed all the first-born of Egypt, and concluding with the thought that no Gentile is allowed to eat of the Korban shel Pesach (Paschal sacrifice) until he be circumcised. What would these two thoughts have in common?

Simply put, the Egyptians because of their lack of mercy towards the Israelites forfeited the right to be priests of the Most High, and Passover is a meal to celebrate the redemption of the first-born which before Israel participated in the sin of the golden calf were obligated to be priests of their family unit.

Passover is an interesting festival, it celebrates the priesthood of all the first-borns. Also it is a festival that serves to awaken within each Israelite the need to learn and perform their priestly functions. That is why no Gentile is allowed to eat of the Passover sacrifice unless he joins the priestly family by circumcision in accordance to the rites and laws of Moses and of Israel.

This important ingredient of mercy is perfectly outlined in Scripture in Hosea 6:6, where it is stated: “For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of HaShem more than burnt offerings.” Mercy is thus one of the key ingredients of being a priest. Firstborns, because they are often entrusted more responsibilities than the rest of his siblings, tend in general to have more mercy than his siblings. Further, most first-borns have had to take care at some point of his siblings, and by nature is used to taking care of others, thus trained from an early age to have mercy on others. This quality of mercy results also in greater patience and elasticity with other persons. Thus, we do not make priests of persons who do not have mercy, patience, and tolerance to other peoples' points of view.”

Abraham, a priest from the line of Melchizedek, expresses this attribute of mercy by pleading for the lives of those in Sodom and Gomorrah:

Beresheet (Genesis) 18:20-33 And HaShem said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know. And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before HaShem. And Abraham drew near, and said, Will You also destroy the righteous with the wicked? Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: will You also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? That be far from You to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from You: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? And HaShem said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes. And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes: Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt You destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it. And he spoke unto Him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And He said, I will not do it for forty' sake. And he said unto Him , Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And He said, I will not do it , if I find thirty there. And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And He said, I will not destroy it for twenty' sake. And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And He said, I will not destroy it for ten' sake. And HaShem went His way, as soon as He had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.

Abraham was so well known for his kindness and mercy that the attribute of kindness (Heb. Chessed) said, "All the days that Abraham was in the world, I did not have to do my work, for Abraham took my place”.^{^[2]}

So we can see that mercy is an extremely important part of a priest's duty as mediator between man and HaShem, and mediator between man and man.

We have explored the duties a priest has towards his household, but what about the reverse? What about the duties a household has towards its priest? Let us see what the Torah has to say:

Beresheet (Genesis) 18:19 For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of HaShem, to do justice and judgment; that HaShem may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.

Beresheet (Genesis) 35:2-4 Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments: And let us arise, and go up to Bethel; and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went. And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which were in their hand, and all their earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem.

In Genesis 18:19, it says that Abraham will command his household, and that they will obey him. We can then infer that the members of a household must obey the leader of the household. Therefore, the people of the house of Israel must obey the priests. In 35:2-4, we see again that the members of a household obeyed the leader of their household. We can see that there is an emphasis on obedience to the leaders of household.

We must also honor and respect the priests, as we would the leader of a household.

Now that we know what it means to be a leader of a household, we can now find examples of household salvation in the scriptures.

We've already seen some examples in previous paragraphs. Moses and Aaron both saved their household, Israel, multiple times. An excellent example comes from Genesis:

Beresheet (Genesis) 7:1 And HaShem said unto Noah, Come you and all your house into the ark; for you have I seen righteous before Me in this generation.

We all know the story of the flood and Noah's ark, but now we see the salvation of Noah and his family in a new way. Noah's family was saved through his merit. It is because of him that they lived on to repopulate the earth. We can already see just how important it is to have good leaders!

Another example of household salvation:

Beresheet (Genesis) 22:1-13 And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. And He said, Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and get yourself into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell you of. And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him. Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you. And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together. And Isaac spoke unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. And the angel of HaShem called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. And he said, Lay not your hand upon the lad, neither do you any thing unto him: for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son from me. And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: