Abraham sacrificing Isaac. The intense and powerful image of Abraham Avenu, our father, devoted and faithful to He who commands both the heavens and the earth. Abraham’s obedience, fortitude, and absolute trust, hint at his future accomplishments. In this event, Abraham’s relationship with God transitioned into a very close, unique, and personal one. Throughout his life, his dialogues and debates with God never resulted in a victory. But that is not to say that he was not a winner, nonetheless. He was able to make many an alliance, as is noted in the circumcisions and with God’s help, Abraham used those partnerships to come to a unique level of opulence, not only monetarily, but spiritually as well. That was necessary to create the Jewish nation that flowed forth.