בראשית

ויבן שם אברהם את המזבח. בה"א הידיעה. על דרך הפשט המזבח הידוע במצות התורה שלא יהיו אבניו גזית. וכן מקומו הידוע בהר המוריה.

ויבן שם אברהם את המזבח , “Avraham built the altar there.” The letter ה at the beginning of the word המזבח, shows that a specific altar was meant, i.e. the altar. According to the plain meaning of the text it means that the altar corresponded halachically to the rules governing such altars in Jewish law, i.e. that they must not be constructed from stones which had been treated with iron tools (compare Exodus 20,22).

וע"ד המדרש המזבח מזבח אין כתיב כאן אלא המזבח הוא המזבח שהקריב בו אדם הראשון. הוא המזבח שהקריבו בו קין והבל. הוא המזבח שהקריב בו נח ובניו. הוא המזבח שהקריבו בו הראשונים.

A Midrashic approach: (Pirke d'Rabbi Eliezer 31) sees in the letter ה which is a definite article an allusion to the altar which Adam had built and on which also Cain and Hevel had offered their respective sacrifices. The site of this altar had been known to be at Mount Moriah. This was also reputed to be the altar on which Noach had offered his thanksgiving to G’d after the deluge.[The latter detail is difficult to reconcile with the distance Noach would have had to travel from Mount Ararat in North Eastern Turkey to offer his thanks to G’d. Ed.]

ועל דרך הקבלה באור המדרש הזה ידוע מי הוא הנקרא מזבח הוא המקבל תחלה והוא סוף הבנין. וזהו שאמר ויבן ובודאי הוא המזבח שהקריבו בו למעלה ולמטה.ובפרשת ויקרא ארמוז זה בעה"י

A kabbalistic approach: The meaning of the Midrash we quoted is that the original “recipient” is the final product of the “structure.” In other words, there is a causal relationship between the words ויבן, “he built,” and the word מזבח, “altar.” [I believe a good way of phrasing this may be this. As soon as G’d had completed “building” the universe with the creation of man, the time had come for man to reciprocate in some form by offering gifts to the Creator by means of the altar. Ed.] Kabbalists view this altar as one on which both terrestrial beings and celestial beings offered sacrifices. I will have more to say on the subject in my commentary on Parshat Vayikra 1,9. [The altar is viewed as a place where benevolent celestial input to the terrestrial world evokes input by terrestrial man addressed to the celestial spheres. Ed.]

ויערוך את העצים. הידועים אותן שבקע בביתו, שעליהן הזכיר למעלה ויבקע עצי עולה. או קראם בשם הידיעה לפי שאין כל העצים כשרים לקרבן.

ויערך את העצים, “and he arranged the fire-wood.” The letter ה at the beginning of the word העצים is a reference to the wood which Avraham had taken with him from home with which we are already familiar. On the other hand, the letter ה may simply teach that not all kinds of wood are acceptable as the kindling for an offering on the altar.

ויעקוד את יצחק בנו וישם אותו על המזבח. אמרו במדרש כשבא לשחוט אמר יצחק, אבי אסור את ידי ורגלי שלא אראה את המאכלת ואזדעזע ויפסל הקרבן, בבקשה ממך אל תעש בי מום.

ויעקד את יצחק בנו וישם אותו על המזבח, “he bound his son Yitzchak and placed him on top of the altar.” We are told in Tanchuma Vayera 23 that when Avraham was about to slaughter his son, that Yitzchak asked to be bound hand and foot in order that he should not invalidate the offering if he were to move at the moment his father would cut his throat.

ממעל לעצים. א"ר חנינא מלמד שעשה אברהם את המזבח מכוון כנגד כסא הכבוד, כתיב הכא ממעל לעצים, וכתיב התם (ישעיה ו ב) שרפים עומדים ממעל לו.

ממעל לעצים, “above the wood.” Rabbi Chanina is reported to have said that Avraham built the altar facing the throne of G’d’s glory in the heavens. He derived this from the wording here i.e. ממעל לעצים, and Isaiah 6,2 שרפים עומדים ממעל לו.