Isaac is the second of the three patriarchs of the Jewish people, the son of Abraham and Sarah, and the husband of Rebecca. After he was almost sacrificed in a test of his father's faith at the Binding of Isaac, he became heir to the covenant of Abraham, which he eventually passed on to his younger son, Jacob, later renamed Israel.
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The Promise of Isaac
TANAKH
Isaac, born to Abraham and Sarah in their old age, is the heir to Abraham’s covenant with God. In the book of Genesis, God promises Abraham that his wife Sarah will bear him a son whom they will call Isaac, with whom God will maintain an everlasting covenant.
Isaac’s Unchanged Name
TALMUD
Isaac is the only one of the three patriarchs whose name does not change over the course of his life. The Jerusalem Talmud in tractate Berakhot explains the unique status of Isaac’s name as compared to the given names Abram, which God changes to Abraham, and Jacob, whom God renames Israel.
Why were the names of Abraham and Jacob changed but Isaac’s name was not changed? The former were given their names by their fathers; but Isaac was called Isaac by the Holy One, Praise to His Name, as it is said (Gen. 17:19) “You shall call his name Isaac”. Four were given names before they were born, and they are Isaac, Ismael, Josiah, and Solomon. Isaac, (Gen. 17:19) “You shall call his name Isaac”…
The Ashes of Isaac
TALMUD
Jewish prayer and ritual is full of references to the story of Abraham’s near sacrifice of his son Isaac. The Babylonian Talmud in tractate Ta’anit suggests that parts of the ritual observance of fast day rituals harken back to this climactic moment in the biblical narrative.
A Holy Love Story
CHASIDUT
The Torah notes that Isaac loved his wife Rebecca, but unlike with the other patriarchs, does not specify that he loved her for her physical beauty. In his 18th-century Chasidic commentary, Kedushat Levi, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev argues that there is specifical significance to be found in Isaac’s love for Rebecca.
Lessons from Isaac’s Transient Love
MUSAR
Isaac and Rebecca each had their own favorite son; Isaac preferred Esau, and Rebecca preferred Jacob. Rabbi Isaiah HaLevi Horowitz, in his 17th-century Shenei Luchot HaBerit, closely reads the Torah’s description of these parents’ love for their children.
Isaac, the Unblemished Sacrifice
COMMENTARY
Isaac is the only patriarch who never leaves the land of Israel over the course of his life, and he refrains from doing so only due to God’s command. Rashi, in his renowned 11th-century commentary on the Torah, connects this feature of Isaac’s life with the story of his near sacrifice at the hands of his father Abraham.
Isaac’s Willing Sacrifice
MIDRASH
The book of Genesis, in its narrative account of the binding of Isaac, describes Isaac as a youth at the time of his near sacrifice. But the ancient midrash from the land of Israel on the book of Genesis, Bereshit Rabbah, suggests that Isaac was an adult and willing participant in his own binding.
Isaac’s Silent Journey
JEWISH THOUGHT
Throughout the journey toward the place of the binding of Isaac narrative, barely a word is spoken. Dr. Erica Brown, in her contemporary book Return: Daily Inspiration for the Days of Awe, pays close attention to the emotional weight of the few words Isaac and Abraham exchange.
Father of the Mincha Prayer
MIDRASH
According to the rabbinic sages, Isaac established the mincha prayer, recited each afternoon. Bamidbar Rabbah, a midrashic commentary on the book of Numbers, attributes each of the daily prayers to a different patriarch, finding biblical sources for each one.
God, The Fear of Isaac
COMMENTARY
Isaac’s son Jacob refers to God as the “fear of Isaac,” and later commentators wonder about the significance of this specific epithet. Radak, in his 12th-century biblical commentary, connects the epithet to the binding of Isaac and to Isaac’s relationship with his son.
Isaac’s Binding and his Blindness
MIDRASH
The book of Genesis notes that toward the end of his life, Isaac became blind. Bereshit Rabbah, the ancient midrash from the land of Israel on the book of Genesis, draws a connection between Isaac’s blindness and the story of his binding.
Isaac and Ishmael
HALAKHAH
From the very beginning of his life, Isaac is set in opposition to his older brother Ishmael, Abraham’s oldest son but not the heir to God’s covenant. Ibn Ezra, a 12th-century Spanish Torah commentator, juxtaposes Isaac and Ishmael, comparing them to light and darkness.
Looking Upon Isaac’s Sacrifice
JEWISH THOUGHT
The story of the binding of Isaac is cited often throughout the High Holiday liturgy, and it is often framed as a request that God look upon the sacrifice that Abraham and Isaac were willing to make. Rav Shagar, a late 20th-century religious Zionist postmodern thinker, in his book of High Holiday sermons, argues that God relates to Isaac differently than to the other patriarchs, Abraham and Jacob.
When Was Isaac Born?
TALMUD
The biblical account of Isaac’s birth pays close attention to time — the angels who bring a prophecy of his birth predict that he will arrive in exactly a year from their prophecy — but does not recount the date of his birth. The Babylonian Talmud in tractate Rosh Hashanah fills in this gap, offering an account of when each of the patriarchs were conceived and born.
Jacob and Esau (Isaac's blessings), Image taken from f. 4v of Haggadah for Passover (the 'Sister Haggadah'). British Library
Jacob and Esau (Isaac's blessings), Image taken from f. 4v of Haggadah for Passover (the 'Sister Haggadah'). British Library
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