The Akedah

the long version

The story of the Akedah, Abraham's binding and near sacrifice of his son, Isaac, is one of the most enigmatic passages of the Bible. Not only a story of Abraham's devotion to God, this biblical episode reflects the classic tension between generations. Louis A. Berman uses his training as a psychologist and his personal experience as a father to craft this intensive inquiry into the Akedah. Louis A. Berman examines the place of the Akedah story in world mythology, in history, in psychology, in Christian and Islamic thought, in art and music and in the literature of England, America, and Israel.