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Binding of Isaac Heritage |
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Marc Chagall - The Binding of Isaac
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The ram came last of all. And Abraham did not know that it came to answer the boy's question* ‑ first of his strength when his day was on the wane.
The old man raised his head. Seeing that it was no dream and that the angel stood there ‑ the knife slipped from his hand.
The boy, released from his bonds, saw his father's back.
Isaac, as the story goes, was not sacrificed. He lived for many years, saw what pleasure had to offer, until his eyesight dimmed.
But he bequeathed that hour to his offspring. They are born with a knife in their hearts. Hayim Gouri ________ * In Genesis 22:7 Isaac says, 'Here are the fire and the wood, but where is the young beast for the sacrifice?' Holocaust Poetry: Compiled and Introduced by Hilda Schiff Page 5 |
