Parshat Toledot; Genesis 25:19-28:9 By: Rabbi Denise L. Eger
This week’s portion, Toledot, is the only portion that focuses in on the life of the patriarch, Isaac. We have met Isaac of course, in previous chapters but we learn little about him. They mention his childhood and of course the binding of Isaac is an important story but we hear little if nothing from Isaac himself in that story. In truth the main players are God and Abraham. But now with his father, Abraham buried at Machpela, Isaac’s journey becomes the center of our Torah.
As Isaac leaves Gerar, (where like his father he has a strange encounter with the local king, claming his wife is his sister) and retraces his father’s footsteps. He goes out to open up wells that his father once had dug. In this portion, we see Isaac and his servants engaged in several water finding projects. Isaac searches for water. In the desert environment this is a most important commodity if not rare. And the fact that Isaac is able to find several wells, in a hostile environment speaks to a special blessing and special talent. The first two wells are disputed by the local tribesman. Isaac gives names to these wells of “living water” as if they are alive. The first that had been his father Abraham’s well and had been stopped up by the Philistines. Isaac named it, Esek which means contention. The second well is name Sitnah which means hatred. Thus the hostile geography of the desert and the hostilities inflicted by the local people intersect for Isaac.
But Isaac doesn’t stop digging wells just because he had a difficult time with the first two. He continues his search for living waters and digs two more. The first is named Rehovot and the second he named Shibah. Rehovot means wide, broad space and Shiba is connected with an oath. These two wells of spring water and living water quench more than just thirst in the dusty hills of the desert. These two wells bring peace with the neighboring people.
But here’s the difference between the first two wells and the second two wells. In between digging them, God appears to Isaac and offers a blessing and pledge of loyalty to him. Isaac accepts this extension of the covenant of his father and affirms it by building an altar and there he “invoked Adonai by name (Gen 26:25).”
Prior to his own revelation of God’s covenant everything is filled with hatred and contention in his work of well digging. Following his acceptance of the covenant and the revelation, Isaac finds peace and harmony with the local tribes.
Even though Isaac is literally walking in his father’s footsteps, even re-living situations where he passes off his wife as his sister, encamping near wells dug originally by his father, until Isaac comes to bring God into his life and into his reality, there is nothing but turmoil. When Isaac builds his faith and trust in God then he digs well of peace and tranquility. He embraces an outlook of sacred Presence. Isaac perhaps is able to deal with those around him in a different way—and thus he can deal with them in a different way as well.
These are important lessons for us today. If we too try and build our lives with a sacred Presence, with an attitude that all people are holy, they may still disappoint but we have brought something very precious to the table. We have affirmed the humanity of another person. We have lifted up the individual’s personhood and certainly elevated our own character as well. We bring purifying and refreshing waters when invite the Holy Blessed One into our lives through prayer and meditation. And when we reflect that holiness and attitude of loving kindness back into the world and into the hearts of other people we help quench the thirst for caring and consideration that our world lacks.
This week let us strive to be like our ancestor Isaac who dug wells of living waters and made his own covenantal promise to God.
Posted by Aaron at November 5, 2007 02:47 PM
