Concerning “Beating Yishma’el at His Own Game”: Yitzhak's Legacy

Erev Succoth

This post is dedicated l’iluy nishmath Akiva ben Avraham Avinu v’Sarah Imeinu. May his widow and son know no more sorrow, and merit greeting Mashiach with all Am Yisrael.

Read first: Concerning "Beating Yishma'el at His Own Game"

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Yitzhak is represented by the sefirah of gevurah - the essence of judgment, limitation, awe and fire. "It is the restraining might of gevurah which allows one to overcome his enemies, be they from without or from within (his evil inclination)." Wikipedia

Gevurah, the middah of Yitzchak, is about an inner strength. It demands determination and an unwillingness to quit. It takes great strength to get back up again after falling. Tiferet Center

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All Jews know that Yitzhak is the second, middle forefather of the Jewish people, the son of Avraham and Sarah. In fact, most Bible readers know this too, whether Jewish or not. It is also known that, as children, Yishma’el was highly jealous of Yitzhak and tried to kill him, pretending it was a game.

So, let’s start this a little further along. 

Overview

Of the three avot, Yitzchak is the least well-developed in the Torah. His story spans barely one parshah, in which he shares center stage with and is often eclipsed by the activities of others-- Avraham during the akeidah (binding of Yitzchak); Yaakov, Eisav, and Rivkah in the struggle over the birthright and blessings. Moreover, when we do encounter Yitzchak in the Torah, he emerges as a most enigmatic figure. Occasionally, he exudes majesty and charisma. This is exemplified by his willing participation in the akeidah and by his dramatic first meeting with Rivkah, in which she literally falls off her camel in his presence (Bereishit 24:64). In other contexts, however, Yitzchak appears to be at least partially manipulated by events that swirl around him and his role is almost transitional, the bridge between a father who was the celebrated founder of monotheism and a nation, and a son, Yaakov, whose evident achievements qualified him to bear the name and legacy of "Yisrael". Yet, Yitzchak's status and stature in Biblical literature and religious history is unquestioned, even as his contribution needs to be more fully assessed and understood. Who is Yitzchak really and what is his legacy?  Read more...

  

The Significance of the Rehovoth Well

Many teachers and rabbis perceive Yitzhak as restrained and limited to “mundane affairs” and keeping his father Avraham’s flame alive, doing nothing innovative for himself. But they miss the addition of one well – Rehovoth – to the wells he dug, and the struggle with the other two – Esek and Sitnah – that he went through to get there.

If the wicked king Omri (father of Ahab, who was even more wicked) could be praised and merit kingship for the addition of one city to Israel in First Temple times (Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 102b), surely the idealistic and righteous Yitzhak must be lauded for the addition of one well! Cities get built around wells, if there are no rivers, lakes and other surface-level bodies of water (such as in much of Israel) …we have the city of Rehovoth to this day; and so Yitzhak’s legacy of building up the land of Israel is revealed in modern, pre-Mashiach times.

The Part Israel Plays…for Jews Today 

What I find in most commentary on Yitzhak is that it all notes the fact that his life and times take place in Israel, but then appears to shunt it aside, as though it has no meaning at all for the Jewish people today. If, as Rav Frand says, we need to take this progenitor of our nation as our model, then we need to study the aspects of all his actions seriously. Consider whether anything Sarah’s son did would have the same meaning anywhere else in the world, or any meaning at all, for that matter.

What I am about to say relates strongly to R' Frand's advice for beating Yishma'el at his own game. He said,

So, what do we do? How do we defeat this enormously powerful enemy called Yishma’el?...From the time that they were children, Yishmael made it his life’s mission to kill Yitzhak. The Pirkei Eliezer says this...Yishma’el never, ever got over that he was not the chosen son; he never got over that he was not the true heir. He never got over that he was not given any portion, any land. Esav got Har Seir. Klal Yisrael got Eretz Yisrael. Yishma’el was left out in the cold, and he has never gotten over that, and he has never forgiven us, and that is why he wants to wrest Eretz Yisrael from us ad hayom hazeh (until this very day).  This goes back all the way to Yitzhak, and that ancient battle continues till today. This not merely a battle about a piece of land called Israel…this is a spiritual battle, this is a cosmic battle that is going on in Himmel, in Shamayim (heaven)... And for us to vanquish Yishma’el, we must adhere to the legacy of our grandfather Yitzhak Avinu more than the way the Arabs and the Bnei Yishma’el and…the adherents of Islam, adhere to their legacy that they got from Yishma’el. That’s what the battle is about, that’s where it’s going to be won. Who is going to be a better grandson of their grandfather? Who’s going to be more makpid  on the legacy of their grandfather? We or them? The B’nei Yitzhak or the B’nei Yishma’el? And the more successful, and the more passionately, and the more religiously we adhere to that legacy, we will be successful…who is going to be a better adherent to the traditions of their grandfather. (emphasis mine)

Rav Frand goes on to define the essence of Yitzhak, including two components: Av Avodah (Pillar/Father of Prayer) and Moser Nefesh (Sacrifice of Self – putting one’s self in harm’s way to obtain a worthy goal)  – and then points out that Yishma’el is just as good, if not better, than we are at these things. My only question is: As important as proper attire and decorum during prayer are – and of course we should take more care with them than for a job interview! – and as important as standing up to our bosses when it comes to taking off from work when haShem wants us to – where does the legacy of our grandfather regarding Eretz Yisrael fit in? When is each and every Jew, whether we live in Israel or outside – even those who refuse to come home – going to insist on taking back what Yitzhak handed us as an inheritance and a heritage? It might be said that Yishma’el is better than us at this, too. Who controls the Temple Mount, and who moves freely there, doing as they please (certainly not what haShem wants, either from them or from us)? They do. Who allows them to hold that exalted place, while we are not allowed to move our lips, even to drink a glass of water? We do, to our shame.

Yishma’el’s Remorse

Not to mention that Yishma’el, when he matured, repented of his attitude toward Yitzhak: He walked behind his younger brother at their father’s funeral (Bereshith 25:9). As elder brother, he had every right to go first; but because of the written Torah there, we learn that Yishma’el had had a better understanding, and thus a change of heart (Rav Frand teaches us this here, citing Rashi, who bases his commentary on Bava Bathra 16b.). But did his descendants get the message? From our standpoint today, the answer must have been NO; or else, they were as rebellious and lacking proper respect and behavior as Yishma’el had prior to his teshuvah. Therefore, unfortunately for us and for the whole world, in our day we cannot affirm that Yishma’el’s repentance was complete. Therefore, we must not accept his children lording over us, especially in Eretz Yisrael, and most especially, on Har haBayit.

Shame on us if we cannot turn this around because we must take orders from the nations!

WHAT DOES AKEDATH YITZHAK MEAN TO US, IF NOT TO ACTUALIZE HIS PRECIOUS GIFT???

Perhaps haShem’s purpose of deliberately keeping our second Forefather’s story as an adult short and contained in Parashath Toledoth is in some sense prophetic and bears a message for us. We — like Ya’aqov Avinu when he took Esav’s place and the blessing Yitzhak intended for him (the latter having mistaken Esav’s toughness for the strength needed to keep the world going in the correct path, not knowing that his favorite son was a murderer, thief, philanderer, etc…) — need to prove that we have the gevurah, the guts and the emunah to overcome our predicament, to get to the other side of our complete redemption with haShem’s help and oversight.

I propose that we add a new Hebrew phrase to Rav Frand's, to complete the third component of Yitzhak Avinu's legacy discussed here: Our forefather Yitzhak Avinu was Av Bniyath Eretz Yisrael (Pillar of Building Up the Land of Israel) — if for no other reason than because of the Rehovoth well. Let us continue in his path.

Am Yisrael Chai!!!!

May the Jewish nation be blessed during this week of Succoth, and hereafter, forever.

May the Rav’s nephew, Shmuel Aryeh ben Malka Feige, continue to receive a refuah shleimah.