Question: What is the connection (if any) between The Binding of Isaac (Akedat Yitzchak) and the Passover Seder?

Answer: Thank you for your question.

There are some connections between The Binding of Isaac and Passover, although not so directly. The Binding of Isaac most likely took place on Rosh Hashanah, however Isaac was born on Passover. (Rashi, Genesis 18:10)

The Yotzros (special seasonal liturgy) found in many prayer books (readings for Parshas HaChodesh) compares the binding of the Passover lambs to the beds to the binding of Isaac. It also says we were redeemed from Egypt in the merit of the the Binding of Isaac.

I seem to remember a commentator, although I cannot find it now, who noted that before the Binding of Isaac, Isaac asked Abraham “where is the lamb for the burnt offering” to which Abraham answered “God will see for himself a lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” The commentary of Rashi there says that if no lamb is found, Isaac understood at that point that he was going to be the burnt offering, but he still continued together with his father. However, we see that in the end, Abraham offered a ram, not a lamb. The simple answer is that the “ram” and a “lamb” are the same species (at least according to their Hebrew terms), just one is a baby and one is an adult. However, I seem to remember a commentator or perhaps a Midrash saying that the ram was for that time, but in the future there would be the Paschal lambs offered for Passover.

Have a happy Passover!
Rabbi Kolakowski