Segulot and the Hidden Meaning of the Prayer “Akedat Yitzchak”

Segulot and the Hidden Meaning of the Prayer “Akedat Yitzchak”

The Holy Zohar calls “Akedat Yitzchak” an atonement for the sin of Hevel (Avraham was partially a gilgul of Adam, while Yitzchak was a gilgul of Hevel). Cain was the first to bring an offering. Hevel watched Cain and imitated him, even though he could have learned the meaning of sacrifices from his father, Adam. Yitzchak was placed upon the altar at the age of 37—37 is the gematria of the name Hevel. Yitzchak’s blindness was also an atonement for the sin of watching. The Midrashim say that he was blinded by the tears of the angels. Hevel is encoded in the verse: בנו הנולד לו - “Beno hanolad lo” (whom Sarah bore to him, his son who was born to him); The word “aked” from the Torah’s account of the Akedah has a gematria of 180, the number of years Yitzchak lived.   Kavanah During the Prayer וַיַּעֲקֹד אֶת-יִצְחָק בְּנוֹ -  This phrase—“vayaakod et-Yitzchak beno” (and he bound his son Yitzchak)—contains the word “aked” (Akedah) and has a gematria of 554. The same gematria belongs to the phrases יִשְׁמָעֵאל בֶּן הָאָמָה – “Yishmael, the son of the maidservant,” and בֶּן בָּשָׂר – “son of flesh”, that is, before circumcision. The Mekubalim reveal that the act of “Akedat Yitzchak” itself atoned for the sins of all subsequent Jewish generations. However, if a person is enduring difficult tzarot (troubles) and issurim (afflictions), he can free himself from them easily by reciting the phrase “vayaakod et-Yitzchak beno” in the prayer of the Akedah with the following kavanah: - “vayaakod”—He bound (Ha-Shem), - “et-Yitzchak”—the Middat HaDin (the attribute of Judgment); according to Kabbalah, Yitzchak represents the attribute of Judgment, - “beno”—his children (the people of Israel). The Sages call the Akedah the root of the Temple service. In the Torah passage about “Akedat Yitzchak,” the Almighty says “Lech lecha” to Avraham for the second time.    

Segulot of “Akedat Yitzchak”

1) Forgiveness of All Sins In Imrei Sasson, Rabbi Sasson Mordechai Moshe of Baghdad (1840) writes that whoever recites “Akedat Yitzchak” with great intention to serve his Creator, as Yitzchak Avinu did, will have all his sins forgiven. 2) Help from Ha-Shem Within Three Days Ben Ish Chai, in his book Nifla'im Maasecha, citing an ancient book, says that each day of the month—a-yom yom—is designated for a particular purpose. The nineteenth day of the month is the day on which the Patriarch Yitzchak married Rivkah. The sign for this day is found in the words בואי כלה—“bo'i kalah” (come, bride)—the gematria of the word בואי, “come,” is 19. This day is designated for prayer, and if one recites Tehillim together with “Akedat Yitzchak”—the chapter about the binding of Yitzchak—the prayer will be accepted, and help from Ha-Shem will come within three days. 3) Reciting “Akedat Yitzchak” Three Times—drawing down blessings Shacharit draws down blessings—the morning is the time when Chesed awakens—while the Mincha prayer, through the Akedah, binds the blessings to our world so that they remain with a person. [Before the Akedah, the gates of prayer were closed. Prayers were not accepted until Avraham severed the knot.] Reciting “Akedat Yitzchak” three times during Shacharit breaks the iron locks of the Gates of Prayer and pierces several firmaments. 4) Reciting “Akedat Yitzchak” Seven Times—a segula for “shinui mazal” (changing one’s mazal for the better) and “ptichat hasimot” (opening what is blocked). The Mekubal Rabbi Avraham Hamui taught in his book Imalet Nafsho that for “shinui mazal” (changing one’s mazal for the better) and “ptichat hasimot” (opening what is blocked), a person should recite “Akedat Yitzchak” seven times with kavanah and tears, together with prayers before and afterward. Then the middat ha-rachamim will prevail over all his decrees. 5) Reciting “Akedat Yitzchak” Eleven Times—for the destruction of the eleven klippot of impurity Reciting “Akedat Yitzchak” eleven times—corresponding to the division into eleven parts of the ram caught in four bushes (the four exiles)—destroys the eleven klippot of impurity. 6) Atonement for Sins Reciting “Akedat Yitzchak” with kavanah is a segula for atoning for one’s sins. The kavanah is to envision the ram caught in the bushes, like a sinner entangled in his sins; 7) Cancelling Death The Torah says: “Do not raise your hand against the lad”—but where was the knife? The Midrash answers: “The tears of the ministering angels flowed and blunted the knife.” (Midrash Rabbah 56:7) 8) Awakening the Merit of the Forefathers Reciting “Akedat Yitzchak” awakens the merit of the forefathers (especially in our generation, when our own merits are lacking); 9) Nullifying the Influence of Accusing Angels  The prayer of “Akedat Yitzchak” binds all the “mekatrוגim” (accusing angels) and the “okdim” (the angels of the nations of the world). Rabbi Chanina said: “Just as Avraham bound his son below, so the Holy One, blessed be He, bound the princes of the nations of the world above.” (Midrash Rabbah 56:5) 10) A Segula for Sustenance “And he took the fire and the knife in his hand”—Rabbi Chanina said: Why is the knife called “ma’akhelet”? Because it makes [the meat] fit to be eaten, “ochlim.” (Bereishit Rabbah 56:3) And the Sages say: “All the food that the Children of Israel eat in this world is on account of that knife.” (Bereishit Rabbah 56:3) 11) A Segula for Nullifying One’s Ego  The word הִנֵּנִי “hineni” (“Here I am”) is repeated three times in the prayer of the Akedah. Avraham (a gilgul of part of Adam’s soul), by answering “hineni” (“Here I am”), rectifies his silence in response to Ha-Shem’s question to Adam: “Ayeka” (“Where are you?”) in the Garden of Eden. (Bereishit 3:9) Adam could not answer this question and hid. Two thousand years later, Avraham was able to answer G-d’s question addressed to humanity. Moreover, the gematria of the word “hineni” is 115. Three times 115 equals 345, which is the gematria of the name Moshe—משה. 12) Reciting It While Bowing “And we will bow and return to you,” Avraham said to the lads. The Sages teach that Avraham returned safely from Mount Moriah in the merit of that bowing. (Bereishit Rabbah 56:2) The root of the word “nishtachaveh” (we will bow) is chav”ah (ח.ו.ה.), a hint to Chavah, “the mother of all living.” The Mekubalim teach that “nishtachaveh” should be read not as “we will bow,” but as “we will return to the source of all life.” 14) Chet La-Chodesh (the eighth day of each month) Rabbi Yeshayahu Pinto conveys the segula of the great Mekubal Rabbi Eliyahu Mani: on special days, when the eighth day of the months of Iyar, Elul, and Tevet falls on Yom Sheni (Monday), that day is “Kadosh, ve-Nora, ve-Adir meod-meod” (holy, radiant, and exceedingly powerful), and Ha-Shem bestows extraordinary holiness and special blessings on that day. On such a day, one should recite “Akedat Yitzchak” seven times before Mincha, followed by Pitum HaKetoret three times. P.S. The Ben Ish Chai’s prayer in Aramaic to be recited before “Akedat Yitzchak,” together with a transliteration of the prayer “Akedat Yitzchak” and “Yehi ratzon,” can be found here:   A Special Segula with the Ben Ish Chai’s Prayer in Aramaic The "Akedat Yitzchak" with the Ben Ish Chai's Prayer in Aramaic Akedat Yitzchak, or How to Avoid a Brachah Levatala  Tehillim 119 – Akedat Yitzchak and Bracha Levatala   (Based on the book “Ben Ish Chai, Bereishit”; the lesson by Alexander Tzvi Sypkov, “The Secrets and Segulot of the Akedah”; the lesson by Rav Yisrael Yakovov; and other sacred Jewish sources)