(יט) וַיָּ֤שָׁב אַבְרָהָם֙ אֶל־נְעָרָ֔יו וַיָּקֻ֛מוּ וַיֵּלְכ֥וּ יַחְדָּ֖ו אֶל־בְּאֵ֣ר שָׁ֑בַע וַיֵּ֥שֶׁב אַבְרָהָ֖ם בִּבְאֵ֥ר שָֽׁבַע׃ (פ)
(19) Abraham then returned to his servants, and they departed together for Beer-sheba; and Abraham stayed in Beer-sheba.
ר' יהודה אומר, כיון שהגיע החרב על צוארו פרחה ויצאה נפשו של יצחק, וכיון שהשמיע קולו מבין הכרובים ואמר לו אל תשלח ידך, נפשו חזרה לגופו וקם ועמד יצחק על רגליו וידע יצחק שכך המתים עתידים להחיות, ופתח ואמ' ברוך אתה ה' מחיה המתים.
Rabbi Jehudah said: When the blade touched his neck, the soul of Isaac fled and departed, (but) when he heard His voice from between the two Cherubim, saying (to Abraham), "Lay not thine hand upon the lad" (Gen. 22:12), his soul returned to his body, and (Abraham) set him free, and Isaac stood upon his feet. And Isaac knew that in this manner the dead in the future will be quickened. He opened (his mouth), and said: Blessed art thou, O Lord, who quickeneth the dead. ||
וַיָּשָׁב אַבְרָהָם אֶל נְעָרָיו, וְיִצְחָק הֵיכָן הוּא, רַבִּי בֶּרֶכְיָה בְּשֵׁם רַבָּנָן דְּתַמָּן, שְׁלָחוֹ אֵצֶל שֵׁם לִלְמֹד מִמֶּנּוּ תּוֹרָה
"And Avraham returned to his young men (Gen. 22:19) And where was Itzchak? Rabbi Berechiah said in the name of the Rabbis from there: he sent him to Shem to study Torah.
וישב אברהם אל נעריו ויצחק היכן הלך, אלא נטמן בגן עדן שלש שנים. ד״א הלך לו לבית עבר ללמוד תורה.
וישב אברהם אל נעריו, “Avraham returned to his lads;” where did Yitzchok go? According to Midrash hagadol, quoted in Torah shleymah item 204 on our verse, he was kept in gan eden for the next three years until he married Rivkah. A different interpretation: he proceeded to study Torah during those three years in the academy of Ever. (B’reshit Rabbah 56,11)
(סג) וַיֵּצֵ֥א יִצְחָ֛ק לָשׂ֥וּחַ בַּשָּׂדֶ֖ה לִפְנ֣וֹת עָ֑רֶב וַיִּשָּׂ֤א עֵינָיו֙ וַיַּ֔רְא וְהִנֵּ֥ה גְמַלִּ֖ים בָּאִֽים׃ (סד) וַתִּשָּׂ֤א רִבְקָה֙ אֶת־עֵינֶ֔יהָ וַתֵּ֖רֶא אֶת־יִצְחָ֑ק וַתִּפֹּ֖ל מֵעַ֥ל הַגָּמָֽל׃ (סה) וַתֹּ֣אמֶר אֶל־הָעֶ֗בֶד מִֽי־הָאִ֤ישׁ הַלָּזֶה֙ הַהֹלֵ֤ךְ בַּשָּׂדֶה֙ לִקְרָאתֵ֔נוּ וַיֹּ֥אמֶר הָעֶ֖בֶד ה֣וּא אֲדֹנִ֑י וַתִּקַּ֥ח הַצָּעִ֖יף וַתִּתְכָּֽס׃ (סו) וַיְסַפֵּ֥ר הָעֶ֖בֶד לְיִצְחָ֑ק אֵ֥ת כָּל־הַדְּבָרִ֖ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר עָשָֽׂה׃ (סז) וַיְבִאֶ֣הָ יִצְחָ֗ק הָאֹ֙הֱלָה֙ שָׂרָ֣ה אִמּ֔וֹ וַיִּקַּ֧ח אֶת־רִבְקָ֛ה וַתְּהִי־ל֥וֹ לְאִשָּׁ֖ה וַיֶּאֱהָבֶ֑הָ וַיִּנָּחֵ֥ם יִצְחָ֖ק אַחֲרֵ֥י אִמּֽוֹ׃ (פ)
(63) And Isaac went out walking in the field toward evening and, looking up, he saw camels approaching. (64) Raising her eyes, Rebekah saw Isaac. She alighted from the camel (65) and said to the servant, “Who is that man walking in the field toward us?” And the servant said, “That is my master.” So she took her veil and covered herself. (66) The servant told Isaac all the things that he had done. (67) Isaac then brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah, and he took Rebekah as his wife. Isaac loved her, and thus found comfort after his mother’s death.
Rabbi Jennifer Gubitz, "Menuchat HaNefesh -- Equanimity: Calming the Soul Amid the Storms of Life," Mussar Torah Commentary (Ed. Barry Block, 2020), p. 29.
This was a place previously known to Isaac, for it was in Be'er-lachai-ro'i , "the well of the living One who sees me," that he settled after the Akeidah (the Binding of Isaac). It was the place, too, where Hagar had gone after she and Ishmael were saved by an angel from a near-fatal thirst in the wilderness. Be'er-lachai-ro'i twice punctuates the peaks and valleys of Isaac's journey.
In tracing Isaac's life throughout Genesis -- from the Akeidah to the moment when Rebekah "alights" from her camel, literally "falling" in love with him, until his dying breath at the end of Genesis 35 -- we wonder: how does Isaac endure a life that vacillates between joy and deep pain, comfort and trauma, loss and love? We might as if and how he is able to maintain "equanimity" (m'nuchat hanefesh) during his soul-stirring journey? What can we moderns learn from his life as we face the highs and lows of being human?
This was a place previously known to Isaac, for it was in Be'er-lachai-ro'i , "the well of the living One who sees me," that he settled after the Akeidah (the Binding of Isaac). It was the place, too, where Hagar had gone after she and Ishmael were saved by an angel from a near-fatal thirst in the wilderness. Be'er-lachai-ro'i twice punctuates the peaks and valleys of Isaac's journey.
In tracing Isaac's life throughout Genesis -- from the Akeidah to the moment when Rebekah "alights" from her camel, literally "falling" in love with him, until his dying breath at the end of Genesis 35 -- we wonder: how does Isaac endure a life that vacillates between joy and deep pain, comfort and trauma, loss and love? We might as if and how he is able to maintain "equanimity" (m'nuchat hanefesh) during his soul-stirring journey? What can we moderns learn from his life as we face the highs and lows of being human?
Rabbeinu Bachya
. לשוח בשדה, “to meditate in the field.” According to both Ibn Ezra and David Kimchi these words mean: “to stroll amongst the shrubs.” Yitzchak had gone for a stroll to enjoy nature.
A Midrashic interpretation based on Bereshit Rabbah 60,14. The word לשוח means “to pray,” as it does in all instances where it occurs. Well known examples are Psalms 102,1 תפלה לעני כי-יעטוף ולפני ה’ ישפוך שיחו, “A prayer of the lowly man when he is faint and pours forth his plea before the Lord.” Our sages in Berachot 26 have derived their view that Yitzchak inaugurated the daily Minchah prayer from this verse.
. לשוח בשדה, “to meditate in the field.” According to both Ibn Ezra and David Kimchi these words mean: “to stroll amongst the shrubs.” Yitzchak had gone for a stroll to enjoy nature.
A Midrashic interpretation based on Bereshit Rabbah 60,14. The word לשוח means “to pray,” as it does in all instances where it occurs. Well known examples are Psalms 102,1 תפלה לעני כי-יעטוף ולפני ה’ ישפוך שיחו, “A prayer of the lowly man when he is faint and pours forth his plea before the Lord.” Our sages in Berachot 26 have derived their view that Yitzchak inaugurated the daily Minchah prayer from this verse.
לשוח. לְשׁוֹן תְּפִלָּה (בראשית רבה), כְּמוֹ יִשְׁפֹּךְ שִׂיחוֹ (תהילים ק"ב):
לשוח TO MEDITATE — this means “to pray” (Genesis Rabbah 60:14), as we find (Psalms 102:1) “[A prayer of the afflicted …] when he poureth forth his plaint.
ויצא יצחק לשוח נטה מן הדרך על דעת לשפוך שיחו לפני ה' בשדה שלא יפסיקוהו עוברי דרכים אף על פי שכבר התפלל בבאר לחי ראי וקודם שהתפלל נענה על דרך מן היום אשר נתת אל לבך להתענות נשמעו דבריך:
ויצא יצחק לשוח, he had detoured from his regular path to the field in order to pour out his heart to G’d in prayer. He did not want to be interrupted in his devotion by passing travelers whom he would have to greet. This was in spite of the fact that he had already prayed in Beer lachay Ro-i. His prayer had been answered already, in accordance with Daniel 10,12 מן היום אשר נתת את לבך להבין ולהענות...נשמעו דבריך, “for from the first day you set your mind to get understanding, practicing abstinence before your G’d, your prayer was heard and I have come because of your prayer.”
לשוח בשדה לשון שיח השדה תחת אחד השיחים כלומר לנטוע אילנות ולראות ענין פועליו. ד״א לשון שיחה לדבר לאיש הצורך לדבר עמו.
לשוח בשדה, “to the shrubs in the field.” The word is familiar to us from Genesis 2,5: שיח השדה, “vegetation of the field,” it is also familiar to us from Genesis 21,15: תחת אחת השיחים, “under one of the bushes” where Hagar abandoned her son Yishmael who was about to die. An alternate exegesis: it is related to the word: שיחה, “conversation;” it then means that Yitzchok went into the field to converse with G-d (pray).
יִצְחָק תִּקֵּן תְּפִלַּת מִנְחָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר ״וַיֵּצֵא יִצְחָק לָשׂוּחַ בַּשָּׂדֶה לִפְנוֹת עָרֶב״, וְאֵין ״שִׂיחָה״ אֶלָּא תְּפִלָּה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר ״תְּפִלָּה לְעָנִי כִי יַעֲטֹף וְלִפְנֵי ה׳ יִשְׁפֹּךְ שִׂיחוֹ״.
Isaac instituted the afternoon prayer, as it is stated: “And Isaac went out to converse [lasuaḥ] in the field toward evening” (Genesis 24:63), and conversation means nothing other than prayer, as it is stated: “A prayer of the afflicted when he is faint and pours out his complaint [siḥo] before the Lord” (Psalms 102:1). Obviously, Isaac was the first to pray as evening approached, at the time of the afternoon prayer.
Rabbi Jennifer Gubitz, "Menuchat HaNefesh -- Equanimity: Calming the Soul Amid the Storms of Life," Mussar Torah Commentary (Ed. Barry Block, 2020), p. 31.
“Isaac,” Hagar asks, “Where have you been? How did you do it? After all those things you faced in your life, how did your soul become whole again?”
“I studied. I prayed,” Isaac answers. “I spent time outside. I spent time alone. I wondered and I wandered. And I searched.”
“Isaac,” Hagar asks, “Where have you been? How did you do it? After all those things you faced in your life, how did your soul become whole again?”
“I studied. I prayed,” Isaac answers. “I spent time outside. I spent time alone. I wondered and I wandered. And I searched.”