I read an article that referred to the revival of the Patriarch Isaac from the dead during the Akeida (The Binding of Isaac). The Torah states that the angel of G-d stopped Abraham before he touched Isaac and implored Abraham not to harm Isaac in any way. Why then would the author refer to this as a revival from the dead?
Thank you for your excellent question. The Midrash (Pirkei D’Rabbi Eliezer, chapter 31) states that the Patriarch Isaac actually died. It says the following: Rabbi Yehudah said: “when the knife reached his throat, the soul of Isaac left him. When Isaac heard ‘Do not raise your hand against the lad,’ his soul returned to his body; Because Isaac had experienced “Techiyas HaMeisim,” the Revival of the Dead, he immediately praised G-d, ‘Blessed are you, Who revives the dead!’ ” There is a great deal of discussion on this point among the commentators.
Rabbi Kolakowski