Then will I remember My covenant with Jacob, and also My covenant with Isaac, and also My covenant with Abraham will I remember; and I will remember the land. (Vayikra 26:42)

Rashi asks on this verse, “Why does the Torah use the term “remember” for Avraham and Yacov but not for Yitzchak?” Rashi answers, “Regarding Yitzchak, remembering is not necessary, as his ashes appeared before Me (Hashem), gathered up, and placed on the altar.” This refers to the Akeida, where Yitzchak was bound on the altar as a potential sacrifice. This is very moving and touching, yet quite problematic, for Yitzchak was not actually sacrificed, so how can Hashem see his ashes on the altar?

Often when people give others a gift, they include a card, expressing how much impact the receiver of the gift has had on the life of the giver. Sometimes the gift may seem utterly useless to the recipient, who may even comment “It’s the thought that counts!” While this shows good manners and diplomacy, it raises a question: If it is only the thought that counts, why bother giving a gift!? The answer shows the power of actions. Words alone, no matter how heartfelt, often need a tangible expression to fully express one’s feelings. Similarly, when we hold onto a gift, we are actualizing the words that are written in the card.

When we speak about “mesiras nefesh”, we often think of it as suppressing one’s desires to do what is right. Rav Gedalia Schorr (1910-1979) teaches that mesiras nefesh really means something much deeper: Surrendering one’s own wants and desires to Hashem, so that fulfilling Hashem’s will becomes our only desire.

When Hashem asked Avraham Avinu to sacrifice his son, he demonstrated this selfless devotion without hesitation. So eager was he to do the Will of Hashem that when Hashem then said, “Don’t harm him!”, Avraham asked, “Maybe I can make a small wound?” Rashi tells us that Yitzchak had the same level of excitement as his father, willingly offering himself as a sacrifice since it was Hashem’s will. Both of them displayed true “mesiras nefesh”, completely aligning themselves with the Will of Hashem. Therefore, the physical sacrifice of Yitzchak was not necessary, the ram offered in his place sufficed. But in Hashem’s eyes, Avraham and Yitzchak’s mesiras nefesh, with the ram’s ashes, became “Yitzchak’s ashes” before Hashem’s holy throne.

At this time of year, our goal should not be limited to minor changes in our behavior. Instead, our goal should be to find something that we do or don’t do and change it because it is Hashem’s will. This could mean calling a parent more often, treating our children with greater kindness, or arriving on time for davening. The key is to align ourselves with Hashem’s will, even when it differs from our own desires.

My brocho to us all is that our small acts of mesiras nefesh should invoke the merit of the akeida, bringing forgiveness for all of klal Yisrael.