וַיְהִ֗י אַחֲרֵי֙ הַדְּבָרִ֣ים הָאֵ֔לֶּה וַיֻּגַּ֥ד לְאַבְרָהָ֖ם לֵאמֹ֑ר הִ֠נֵּ֠ה יָלְדָ֨ה מִלְכָּ֥ה גַם־הִ֛וא בָּנִ֖ים לְנָח֥וֹר אָחִֽיךָ׃
Abraham came down alone. What happened to Isaac?
Perhaps he left Abraham at that point and went to seek a way to heal. We might call that treating mental health. So where did he go?
#1 Maybe he went to Sarah. See the Malbim.
וישב אברהם. לפי הפשט ישב אברהם בעת ההיא בבאר שבע שהיתה שייכה אז לארץ פלשתים כדעת רש"י, והגם שאח"כ היתה בנחלת שמעון, אז משלו פלשתים שם כי הוא קרוב לארץ פלשתים, ושרה ישבה בעת ההיא בחברון, ובשוב אברהם מן העקדה שלח את יצחק לחברון לבשר לאמו כי חי הוא ועמד בנסיון, וע"כ כתיב וישב אברהם לבדו, והם הלכו לבאר שבע ויצחק הלך לחברון, וע"כ לא נזכר שיצחק בא לספוד לשרה כי היה שם בחברון:
#2 Maybe he went to Gan Eden to heal. See Midrash HaGadol.
מדרש הגדול כ"ב י"ט:
ויצחק היכן הוא? אלא שאמר ר' אליעזר בן פרת, אף על פי שלא מת יצחק, מעלה עליו הכתוב כאילו מת ואפרו מוטל על גבי המזבח, לכך נאמר "וישב אברהם אל נעריו". דבר אחר: שהכניסו הקדוש ברוך הוא לגן-עדן וישב בה שלוש שנים... ויש אומרים: הלך לו אצל שם בן נח ללמוד תורה.
Midrash HaGadol 22:19:
But where was Issac? Rather, R. Eliezer ben Padat said, "Even though he did not die, the verse counts it as if he died and his ashes placed on top of the altar. Hence it is stated, 'And Abraham returned to his lads.'" Another explanation: The Holy One, blessed be He, brought him into the Garden of Eden, and he dwelt in it for three years... And some say, "He went to Shem the son of Noah to study Torah [from him].
#3 Maybe he went to study Torah. See Beresheet Rabbah
וַיָּשָׁב אַבְרָהָם אֶל נְעָרָיו, וְיִצְחָק הֵיכָן הוּא, רַבִּי בֶּרֶכְיָה בְּשֵׁם רַבָּנָן דְּתַמָּן, שְׁלָחוֹ אֵצֶל שֵׁם לִלְמֹד מִמֶּנּוּ תּוֹרָה, מָשָׁל לְאִשָּׁה שֶׁנִּתְעַשְּׁרָה מִפִּלְכָּהּ, אָמְרָה הוֹאִיל וּמִן הַפֶּלֶךְ הַזֶּה הִתְעַשַּׁרְתִּי, עוֹד אֵינוֹ זָז מִתַּחַת יָדִי לְעוֹלָם. כָּךְ אָמַר אַבְרָהָם, כָּל שֶׁבָּא לְיָדִי אֵינוֹ אֶלָּא בִּשְׁבִיל שֶׁעָסַקְתִּי בַּתּוֹרָה וּבַמִּצְווֹת, לְפִיכָךְ אֵינִי רוֹצֶה שֶׁתָּזוּז מִזַּרְעִי לְעוֹלָם. רַבִּי חֲנִינָא אָמַר שְׁלָחוֹ בַּלַּיְלָה מִפְּנֵי הָעַיִן, שֶׁמִּשָּׁעָה שֶׁעָלוּ חֲנַנְיָה מִישָׁאֵל וַעֲזַרְיָה מִכִּבְשַׁן הָאֵשׁ עוֹד לֹא נִזְכְּרוּ שְׁמוֹתָן, וּלְהֵיכָן הָלְכוּ רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר אָמַר מֵתוּ בְּרֹק. רַבִּי יוֹסֵי אָמַר מֵתוּ בְּעַיִן. רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן לֵוִי אָמַר שִׁנּוּ אֶת מְקוֹמָם וְהָלְכוּ לָהֶם אֵצֶל יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן יְהוֹצָדָק לִלְמֹד מִמֶּנּוּ תּוֹרָה, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב (זכריה ג, ח): שְׁמַע נָא יְהוֹשֻׁעַ הַכֹּהֵן הַגָּדוֹל אַתָּה וְרֵעֶיךָ הַיּשְׁבִים לְפָנֶיךָ, רַבִּי חֲנִינָא אָמַר עַל מְנָת כֵּן יָרְדוּ חֲנַנְיָה מִישָׁאֵל וַעֲזַרְיָה לְכִבְשַׁן הָאֵשׁ, עַל מְנָת שֶׁיֵּעָשֶׂה בָּהֶן מוֹפֵת.
" "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. This is similar to a woman who became wealthy through her spindle, she said: ‘Since I have become wealthy through this spindle, it will never leave my hand.’ So too Avraham said: ‘All that has happened to me is only because I engaged in Torah and mitzvot; so I do not want it to ever depart from my seed.’ Rabbi Chanina said: He sent him [home] at night, for fear of the [evil] eye, because from the moment that Chananiah, Mishael, and Azariah came out unscathed from the fiery furnace they aren't mentioned anymore, and where did they go? Rabbi Eleazar said: They died through the spittle. Rabbi Yosei said: They died through an [evil] eye. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: They changed their place and went to Yehoshua ben Yehotzadak to study Torah, since it is written "Hear now, Yehoshua the high priest, you, and your companions that sit before you [for they are men that are a sign] (Zech. 3:8). Rabbi Chanina said: For this Chananiah, Mishael, and Azariah went down to the fiery furnace, that a sign should be done through them.
| ה. היכן יצחק? |
| E. Where is Issac? |
S.v. And Abraham returned: And it does not mention Issac, as he was under [Abraham's] purview. And the one that says that he slaughtered him and left him and he came back to life later has said the opposite of the verse.
וישב אברהם, there was no need to mention that Yitzchok accompanied him. Rather it mentioned Avraham because he was the principal.
אחרי כל ההתרוממות הנשגבה אשר עברה על נפשו לא פעל עליו שום דבר להיפרד מאותה מידה גדולה של השפעה על העולם, על הסביבה עם כל חמריותה. הוא שב אל נעריו, על פי מצבם, אותם הנערים אשר הניחם "עם החמור", שב אליהם להידרש להם, 'להעלותם' ולשכללם.
(Rav Kook) After all of the sublime elevation that occurred to his soul, it did not have the impact of separating him at all from that great trait of influencing the world - his surroundings with all of their physicality. [Hence] he returned to his lads according to their station - he returned to those same lads that he left "with the donkey," to be available for them, to raise them up and improve them.
1. What is the main difference between the midrashic statements and the three commentators in resolving the difficulty, "but where was Issac?"
2. הסבר מהו ההבדל בין שלוש התשובות הניתנות במדרש.
2. Explain what the difference is between the three answers given in the midrash.
3. What is the question which Rav Kook's words address (which is not at all the question the others above were addressing)?
4. הרב קוק מוצא (בהמשך דבריו שלא הובאו לעיל) סיוע לדעתו עוד בסוף פסוקנו. כיצד?
4. Rav Kook finds (in the continuation of his words, not cited above) support for his opinion still further in our verse. How so?
אחרי כל ההתרוממות הנשגבה אשר עברה על נפשו לא פעל עליו שום דבר להיפרד מאותה מידה גדולה של השפעה על העולם, על הסביבה עם כל חמריותה. הוא שב אל נעריו, על פי מצבם, אותם הנערים אשר הניחם "עם החמור", שב אליהם להידרש להם, 'להעלותם' ולשכללם.
(Rav Kook) After all of the sublime elevation that occurred to his soul, it did not have the impact of separating him at all from that great trait of influencing the world - his surroundings with all of their physicality. [Hence] he returned to his lads according to their station - he returned to those same lads that he left "with the donkey," to be available for them, to raise them up and improve them.
But what does seem clear is that either way, whether Yitzchak was close or far, he was isolated. When we see Yitzhak for the first time in this week’s parasha, he has gone out into the field, by himself. “And Yitzhak went out lasuach in the field” (24:62). There are many different translations of the word lasuach. Rabbi Yaakov Zvi Mecklenburg, a student of Rabbi Akiva Eiger wrote a commentary on the Torah called HaKtav v’HaKabbalah. He wrote that the usage of siach here is to mark that it’s a type of speech which helps the soul.