Isaac's life was, in many ways, a mirror image of his father Abraham's. : Abraham had to leave his birthplace. So did Isaac. Abraham faced the risk of losing his wife. Isaac, too. The Philistines envied Abraham, and then they turned their gaze, green with envy, upon Isaac. Abraham waited long for children. So did Isaac. And even the trials mirrored each other – just as a famine struck in Abraham's time, so it did in Isaac's. It's a fascinating parallel, isn't it?
At first, Isaac considered heading to Egypt, just like his father had done. But then, God appeared to him. The message? "Thou art a perfect sacrifice, without a blemish…" God tells him, essentially saying that leaving the Holy Land would somehow defile him. A powerful image! Instead, he was commanded to stay and cultivate the land. "In this land dwells the Shekinah (the Divine Presence)," God says, referring to the divine presence, "and in days to come I will give unto thy children the realms possessed by mighty rulers…"
So, Isaac obeyed and settled in Gerar. But old habits die hard. When he sensed the locals eyeing his beautiful wife Rebekah with less than honorable intentions, he pulled the same trick Abraham had – claiming she was his sister. The report of Rebekah's beauty even reached the king, Abimelech. However, Abimelech, perhaps remembering the trouble it caused him before, left them alone… at first.
But secrets rarely stay buried forever. After three months, Abimelech noticed something was amiss. Isaac's behavior toward Rebekah, living within the royal court, was definitely more husbandly than brotherly. He confronted Isaac, fearing he himself might have been tempted to take her! Isaac, it seems, was even suspected of having illicit relations with Rebekah because people didn’t initially believe she was his wife. Can you imagine the awkwardness?
Finally, Abimelech, taking no chances, sent his officials to dress Isaac and Rebekah in royal garments and parade them through the city, announcing, "These two are man and wife. He that toucheth this man or his wife shall surely be put to death." Talk about making a statement! After that little misunderstanding, the king even invited Isaac to settle in his lands, giving him fields and vineyards – the best the land had to offer.
Now, here's where Isaac really shines. He wasn't selfish. He gave a tithe of everything he owned to the poor of Gerar. He was, according to the text, the first to introduce the law of tithing for the poor, just as his father Abraham had been the first to separate the priests' portion. And what was his reward? Abundant harvests. Even though the soil was poor and the year was unfruitful, his land yielded a hundred times more than expected. He became so rich, the text says, that people wanted "the dung from Isaac's she-mules rather than Abimelech's gold and silver."
But with wealth comes envy. The Philistines, true to form, grew jealous. The text reminds us that it's characteristic of the wicked to begrudge others their good fortune. Envy bred hatred, and they began stopping up the wells that Abraham's servants had dug long ago. By doing this, they broke their covenant with Abraham.
Isaac, ever the dutiful son, didn't give up. He reopened those wells, even restoring the names his father had given them. And, as a reward for his filial respect, the Lord left Isaac's name unchanged, while his father and son had to submit to new names. After four tries, he struck water – the very same well that had followed the Patriarchs. Abraham had found it after three diggings, hence the name Beer-sheba, "the well of seven diggings." This, the text claims, is the same well that will supply water to Jerusalem in the Messianic age.
Of course, Isaac's success only fueled the Philistines' envy. They couldn't believe he'd found water in such a dry place, during a drought! But, as the text reminds us, "the Lord fulfils the desire of them that fear Him."
And Abimelech? He soon realized God was on Isaac's side. As punishment for driving Isaac away, his house was plagued by robbers and he himself was stricken with leprosy. The Philistines' wells dried up, and their trees stopped bearing fruit. They knew it was a divine rebuke.
So, Abimelech, accompanied by his advisors, went to Isaac seeking to renew the covenant Abraham had made. "We have convinced ourselves that the Shekinah is with thee," they said, asking Isaac to promise not to harm them, just as they hadn't harmed him. The text then offers a rather cynical observation: the Philistines took credit for not harming Isaac, implying they would have liked to! It illustrates, the text says, that "the soul of the wicked desireth evil."
The place where they made the covenant was called Shib'ah, meaning "oath," both because an oath was sworn there and as a reminder that even the heathen are bound to observe the "seven" Noachian laws.
The text goes on to say that all the good fortune Isaac enjoyed was due to the merits of his father. His own merits, it says, will be rewarded in the future. According to this tradition, on the Day of Judgment, it will be Isaac who redeems his descendants from Gehenna (hell).
The story goes that God will tell Abraham, "Thy children have sinned," and Abraham, tragically, will say, "Then let them be wiped out, that Thy Name be sanctified." God will then turn to Jacob, but Jacob will give the same answer. Finally, God will turn to Isaac.
"Isaac," God will say, "thy children have sinned." And Isaac will reply, "O Lord of the world, sayest Thou my children, and not THINE?" He’ll then remind God how He called Israel "My first-born" at Sinai, and proceed to break down the math of a human lifespan, deducting the years of childhood, sleep, and basic needs, until only a sliver of potentially sinful time remains. He then offers to take half of that upon himself. "Verily, thou art our true father!" his descendants will cry, but Isaac will deflect praise, directing it to God.
Isn't that a powerful image?
The text also identifies Isaac with Elihu, the son of Barachel, who revealed the mysteries of nature in his arguments with Job. Later, after the famine, God tells Isaac to return to Canaan, which he does, settling in Hebron. He sends Jacob to study at the Bet ha-Midrash (house of study) of Shem and Eber for thirty-two years, while Esau refuses to learn and becomes a hunter. Esau marries Judith, a woman from the family of Ham, which distresses Rebekah. When Jacob returns home at age fifty, Rebekah encourages him to marry a woman from their own family, not a Canaanite. He reassures her that he remembers Abraham's words and intends to marry one of Laban's daughters. Rebekah, relieved, blesses Jacob, asking God to love him as she does.
So, what do we take away from this extended look at Isaac's life? It's a story of inheritance, of repeating patterns, of navigating the complexities of faith and family. It's a reminder that even in the face of envy and adversity, piety and righteousness can lead to unexpected blessings. And perhaps, most importantly, it shows us the enduring power of a parent's love and the lengths they'll go to for their children.
The life of Isaac was a faithful reflex of the life of his father. Abraham had to leave his birthplace; so also Isaac. Abraham was exposed to the risk of losing his wife; so also Isaac. The Philistines were envious of Abraham; so also of Isaac. Abraham long remained childless; so also Isaac. Abraham begot one pious son and one wicked son; so also Isaac. And, finally, as in the time of Abraham, so also in the time of Isaac, a famine came upon the land. At first Isaac intended to follow the example of his father and remove to Egypt, but God appeared unto him, and spake: "Thou art a perfect sacrifice, without a blemish, and as a burnt offering is made unfit if it is taken outside of the sanctuary, so thou wouldst be profaned if thou shouldst happen outside of the Holy Land. Remain in the land, and endeavor to cultivate it. In this land dwells the Shekinah, and in days to come I will give unto thy children the realms possessed by mighty rulers, first a part thereof, and the whole in the Messianic time." Isaac obeyed the command of God, and he settled in Gerar. When he noticed that the inhabitants of the place began to have designs upon his wife, he followed the example of Abraham, and pretended she was his sister. The report of Rebekah's beauty reached the king himself, but he was mindful of the great danger to which he had once exposed himself on a similar occasion, and he left Isaac and his wife unmolested. After they had been in Gerar for three months, Abimelech noticed that the manner of Isaac, who lived in the outer court of the royal palace, was that of a husband toward Rebekah. He called him to account, saying, "It might have happened to the king himself to take the woman thou didst call thy sister." Indeed, Isaac lay under the suspicion of having illicit intercourse with Rebekah, for at first the people of the place would not believe that she was his wife. When Isaac persisted in his statement, Abimelech sent his grandees for them, ordered them to be arrayed in royal vestments, and had it proclaimed before them, as they rode through the city: "These two are man and wife. He that toucheth this man or his wife shall surely be put to death." Thereafter the king invited Isaac to settle in his domains, and he assigned fields and vineyards to him for cultivation, the best the land afforded. But Isaac was not self-interested. The tithe of all he possessed he gave to the poor of Gerar. Thus he was the first to introduce the law of tithing for the poor, as his father Abraham had been the first to separate the priests' portion from his fortune. Isaac was rewarded by abundant harvests; the land yielded a hundred times more than was expected, though the soil was barren and the year unfruitful. He grew so rich that people wished to have "the dung from Isaac's she-mules rather than Abimelech's gold and silver." But his wealth called forth the envy of the Philistines, for it is characteristic of the wicked that they begrudge their fellow-men the good, and rejoice when they see evil descend upon them, and envy brings hatred in its wake, and so the Philistines first envied Isaac, and then hated him. In their enmity toward him, they stopped the wells which Abraham had had his servants dig. Thus they broke their covenant with Abraham and were faithless, and they have only themselves to blame if they were exterminated later on by the Israelites. Isaac departed from Gerar, and began to dig again the wells of water which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father, and which the Philistines had stopped. His reverence for his father was so great that he even restored the names by which Abraham had called the wells. To reward him for his filial respect, the Lord left the name of Isaac unchanged, while his father and his son had to submit to new names. After four attempts to secure water, Isaac was successful; he found the well of water that followed the Patriarchs. Abraham had obtained it after three diggings. Hence the name of the well, Beer-sheba, "the well of seven diggings," the same well that will supply water to Jerusalem and its environs in the Messianic time. Isaac's success with his wells but served to increase the envy of the Philistines, for he had come upon water in a most unlikely spot and, besides, in a year of drouth. But "the Lord fulfils the desire of them that fear Him." As Isaac executed the will of his Creator, so God accomplished his desire. And Abimelech, the king of Gerar, speedily came to see that God was on the side of Isaac, for, to chastise him for having instigated Isaac's removal from Gerar, his house was ravaged by robbers in the night, and he himself was stricken with leprosy. The wells of the Philistines ran dry as soon as Isaac left Gerar, and also the trees failed to yield their fruit. None could be in doubt but that these things were the castigation for their unkindness. Now Abimelech entreated his friends, especially the administrator of his kingdom, to accompany him to Isaac and help him win back his friendship. Abimelech and the Philistines spake thus to Isaac: "We have convinced ourselves that the Shekinah is with thee, and therefore we desire thee to renew the covenant which thy father made with us, that thou wilt do us no hurt, as we also did not touch thee." Isaac consented. It illustrates the character of the Philistines strikingly that they took credit unto themselves for having done him no hurt. It shows that they would have been glad to inflict harm upon him, for "the soul of the wicked desireth evil." The place in which the covenant was made between Isaac and the Philistines was called Shib'ah, for two reasons, because an oath was "sworn" there, and as a memorial of the fact that even the heathen are bound to observe the "seven" Noachian laws. For all the wonders executed by God for Isaac, and all the good he enjoyed throughout his life, he is indebted to the merits of his father. For his own merits he will be rewarded in future. On the great day of judgment it will be Isaac who will redeem his descendants from Gehenna. On that day the Lord will speak to Abraham, "Thy children have sinned," and Abraham will make reply, "Then let them be wiped out, that Thy Name be sanctified." The Lord will turn to Jacob, thinking that he who had suffered so much in bringing his sons to manhood's estate would display more love for his posterity. But Jacob will give the same answer as Abraham. Then God will say: "The old have no understanding, and the young no counsel. I will now go to Isaac. Isaac," God will address him, "thy children have sinned," and Isaac will reply: "O Lord of the world, sayest Thou my children, and not THINE? When they stood at Mount Sinai and declared themselves ready to execute all Thy bidding before even they heard it, Thou didst call Israel 'My first-born,' and now they are MY children, and not THINE! Let us consider. The years of a man are seventy. From these twenty are to be deducted, for Thou inflictest no punishment upon those under twenty. Of the fifty years that are left, one-half are to be deducted for the nights passed in sleep. There remain only twenty-five years, and these are to be diminished by twelve and a half, the time spent in praying, eating, and attending to other needs in life, during which men commit no sins. That leaves only twelve years and a half. If Thou wilt take these upon Thyself, well and good. If not, do Thou take one-half thereof, and I will take the other half." The descendants of Isaac will then say, "Verily, thou art our true father!" But he will point to God, and admonish them, "Nay, give not your praises to me, but to God alone," and Israel, with eyes directed heavenward, will say, "Thou, O Lord, art our Father; our Redeemer from everlasting is Thy name." It was Isaac, or, as he is sometimes called, Elihu the son of Barachel, who revealed the wonderful mysteries of nature in his arguments with Job. At the end of the years of famine, God appeared unto Isaac, and bade him return to Canaan. Isaac did as he was commanded, and he settled in Hebron. At this time he sent his younger son Jacob to the Bet ha-Midrash of Shem and Eber, to study the law of the Lord. Jacob remained there thirty-two years. As for Esau, he refused to learn, and he remained in the house of his father. The chase was his only occupation, and as he pursued beasts, so he pursued men, seeking to capture them with cunning and deceit. On one of his hunting expeditions, Esau came to Mount Seir, where he became acquainted with Judith, of the family of Ham, and he took her unto himself as his wife, and brought her to his father at Hebron. Ten years later, when Shem his teacher died, Jacob returned home, at the age of fifty. Another six years passed, and Rebekah received the joyful news that her sister-in-law 'Adinah, the wife of Laban, who, like all the women of his house, had been childless until then, had given birth to twin daughters, Leah and Rachel. Rebekah, weary of her life on account of the woman chosen by her older son, exhorted Jacob not to marry one of the daughters of Canaan, but a maiden of the family of Abraham. He assured his mother that the words of Abraham, bidding him to marry no woman of the Canaanites, were graven upon his memory, and for this reason he was still unmarried, though he had attained the age of sixty-two, and Esau had been urging him for twenty-two years past to follow his example and wed a daughter of the people of the land in which they lived. He had heard that his uncle Laban had daughters, and he was resolved to choose one of them as his wife. Deeply moved by the words of her son, Rebekah thanked him and gave praise unto God with the words: "Blessed be the Lord God, and may His Holy Name be blessed for ever and ever, who hath given me Jacob as a pure son and a holy seed; for he is Thine, and Thine shall his seed be continually and throughout all the generations for evermore. Bless him, O Lord, and place in my mouth the blessing of righteousness, that I may bless him." And when the spirit of the Lord came over her, she laid her hands upon the head of Jacob and gave him her maternal blessing. It ended with the words, "May the Lord of the world love thee, as the heart of thy affectionate mother rejoices in thee, and may He bless thee."
