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Son of Avraham: How Yitzchak Earned the Name

Name a tzaddik: tap for who he wasTitle a sefer

Bereishis 25:19
וְאֵלֶּה תּוֹלְדֹת יִצְחָק בֶּן־אַבְרָהָם אַבְרָהָם הוֹלִיד אֶת־יִצְחָק
And these are the offspring of Yitzchak son of Avraham: Avraham begot Yitzchak.
1“And these are the offspring of Yitzchak son of Avraham: Avraham begot Yitzchak.” The Torah states the rule: “For through Yitzchak shall offspring be called yours.”1 Yishmael too was born to Avraham, but in the line of the Avos a son was called his father's offspring only if he was a tzaddik. After the Avos it is not so: any son a father begets is his offspring, without having to do anything to earn the name. Among the Avos, then, the son had to do something to be called his father's offspring: he had to be a tzaddik. And the word toldah, “offspring,” carries the sense of an action, something done. This is what the verse hints at with “And these are the toldos of Yitzchak”: Yitzchak did something so that he would be called “son of Avraham,” Avraham's offspring. Understand this.
וְאֵלֶּה תּוֹלְדוֹת יִצְחָק בֶּן אַבְרָהָם אַבְרָהָם הוֹלִיד אֶת יִצְחָק (בראשית כה, יט). הַכְּלָל כְּתִיב בַּתּוֹרָה (בראשית כא, יב) כִּי בְיִצְחָק יִקָּרֵא לְךָ זָרַע אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁגַּם יִשְׁמָעֵאל נוֹלַד מֵאַבְרָהָם אַף עַל פִּי כֵן הִשְׁתַּלְשְׁלוּת הָאָבוֹת הָיָה אִם בְּנוֹ יִהְיֶה צַדִּיק יִהְיֶה נִקְרָא זַרְעוֹ וְאִם לָאו אֵינוֹ נִקְרָא זַרְעוֹ. אַךְ מֵהָאָבוֹת וְאֵילָךְ אֵינוֹ כֵּן, רַק אָב הַמּוֹלִיד בֶּן הַבֵּן הוּא זֶרַע הָאָב וְאֵין צָרִיךְ לַעֲשׂוֹת שׁוּם פְּעוּלָּה שֶׁיִּהְיֶה נִקְרָא זֶרַע הָאָב. אֲבָל אֵצֶל הָאָבוֹת הִשְׁתַּלְשְׁלוּת שֶׁלָּהֶם לֹא הָיָה כֵּן, רַק אִם הָיָה צַדִּיק יִהְיֶה נִקְרָא זֶרַע הָאָב וְאִם לָאו אֵינוֹ נִקְרָא זֶרַע הָאָב. וְנִמְצָא הַבֵּן צָרִיךְ לַעֲשׂוֹת פְּעוּלָּה שֶׁיִּהְיֶה נִקְרָא זֶרַע הָאָב, דְּהַיְינוּ שֶׁיִּהְיֶה צַדִּיק וְתוֹלָדָה הִיא לְשׁוֹן פְּעוּלָּה. וְזֶהוּ הָרֶמֶז בַּפָּסוּק וְאֵלֶּה תּוֹלְדוֹת יִצְחָק, פֵּירוּשׁ יִצְחָק עָשָׂה פְּעוּלָּה שֶׁיִּהְיֶה נִקְרָא בֶּן אַבְרָהָם, זֶרַע אַבְרָהָם וְהָבֵן:
  1. Bereishis 21:12. ↩
In shortAmong the Avos a son counted as his father's offspring only if he was a tzaddik, so Yitzchak earned the name “son of Avraham” by what he did.
2Or it may be explained through 's teaching on “for through Yitzchak.” Yitzchak was from the feminine side, the side that receives, as the verse calls him Sarah's son: “and behold, a son to Sarah your wife.”2 But afterward a soul came to him from Avraham, from the masculine side, the side that gives, and only then did he have life. This is what the Midrash explains when it asks, “From where did he [Avraham] come?”3 One opinion says from Mount Moriah [where Yitzchak was bound], as it is written, “that I will surely bless you and greatly multiply your offspring”;4 the other cites “for through Yitzchak shall offspring be called yours.”5 Either way, Yitzchak is included in Avraham.6 “And these are the offspring of Yitzchak son of Avraham” hints at this: how could Yitzchak come to have offspring, when, as we saw, he had no life? The verse answers, “Avraham begot Yitzchak”: a soul came to him from Avraham, from the masculine side.
אוֹ יְבוֹאַר עַל פִּי מַאֲמַר האר"י ז"ל כִּי בְיִצְחָק, כִּי יִצְחָק הָיָה מִסִּטְרָא דְּנוּקְבָּא כְּמַאֲמַר הַכָּתוּב (בראשית יח, י) וְהִנֵּה בֵן לְשָׂרָה אִשְׁתֶּךָ. אֲבָל אַחַר כָּךְ בָּא אֵלָיו נְשָׁמָה מֵאַבְרָהָם מִסִּטְרָא דִּדְכוּרָא וְאָז הָיָה לוֹ חַיִּים. וְזֶהוּ הַמְּבוֹאָר בַּמִּדְרָשׁ (בראשית רבה נח) מֵהֵיכָן בָּא, חַד אָמַר מֵהַר הַמּוֹרִיָּה כִּי בָרֵךְ אֲבָרֶכְךָ וְהַרְבָּה אַרְבֶּה אֶת זַרְעֲךָ, וְנִמְצָא כָּלוּל אוֹתוֹ בְּאַבְרָהָם. וְחַד אָמַר, כִּי בְיִצְחָק יִקָּרֵא לְךָ זָרַע כּוּ', שֶׁכָּלוּל אוֹתוֹ בְּאַבְרָהָם עַיֵּין שָׁם. וְזֶהוּ הָרֶמֶז וְאֵלֶּה תּוֹלְדוֹת יִצְחָק בֶּן אַבְרָהָם, כְּלוֹמַר מִנַּיִן בָּא זֶה שֶׁיִּהְיֶה לְיִצְחָק תּוֹלָדָה הֲלֹא יִצְחָק לֹא הָיָה לוֹ חַיִּים כנ"ל. וְעַל זֶה אָמַר אַבְרָהָם הוֹלִיד אֶת יִצְחָק, שֶׁהִגִּיעַ לוֹ נְשָׁמָה מֵאַבְרָהָם מִסִּטְרָא דִּדְכוּרָא:
  1. Bereishis 18:10. ↩
  2. In standard editions this is Bereishis Rabbah 58:5, on “Avraham came to eulogize Sarah” (Bereishis 23:2): “From where did he come?” One view says from the burial of Terach, the other from Mount Moriah; the standard text gives these views without the verses brought here. ↩
  3. Bereishis 22:17, said to Avraham on Mount Moriah after the Akeidah. ↩
  4. Bereishis 21:12. ↩
  5. Editor's note: It seems the Berditchever reads the answer “from Mount Moriah” as the key: there, after the Akeidah, Hashem promised Avraham offspring, and so Yitzchak, and the life that came to him, are included in Avraham. ↩
In shortYitzchak, from the feminine side, had no life until a soul came to him from Avraham's masculine side; that soul is how he came to have offspring, and why “Avraham begot Yitzchak.”
3It seems better to say this. In general, Yitzchak is the attribute of fear: every Jew should fear Hashem, the honored and awesome One,7 with the awe of His greatness; and this awe means turning away from evil. Fear is an attribute of contraction.8 But there is a further level, where a person is nullified, as if he did not exist, and gives no thought at all to himself; then he has a burning enthusiasm for the Creator of the world and loves Him. Love is Avraham's attribute, but this, not thinking of oneself at all, is Yitzchak's attribute too. So Yitzchak, through his attribute, completes Avraham's. And then such a person, through his love for the Creator, blessed be He, will find himself cleaving to Hashem. This is what “Yitzchak son of Avraham” alludes to: Yitzchak completed the attribute of his father Avraham. Consider this carefully.
וְנִרְאֶה יוֹתֵר, דְּהַכְּלָל הִיא דְּיִצְחָק הוּא מִדַּת הַיִּרְאָה, דְּהַיְינוּ לִהְיוֹת כָּל אִישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל יָרֵא אֶת ה' הַנִּכְבָּד וְהַנּוֹרָא יִרְאָה הָרוֹמְמוּת שֶׁהוּא סוּר מֵרָע. וְהִנֵּה הַיִּרְאָה הִיא מִדַּת צִמְצוּם. וְהִנֵּה יֵשׁ עוֹד בְּחִינוֹת שֶׁאָדָם הוּא בָּטֵל בִּמְצִיאוּת וְאֵינוֹ חוֹשֵׁב כְּלָל עַל עַצְמוּתוֹ וְאָז יֵשׁ לוֹ הִתְלַהֲבוּת לְהַבּוֹרֵא עוֹלָם וְיֵשׁ לוֹ אַהֲבַת הַבּוֹרֵא בָּרוּךְ הוּא, וְזֶהוּ גַּם כֵּן מִדַּת יִצְחָק מַה שֶׁאֵינוֹ חוֹשֵׁב כְּלָל אֶת עַצְמוֹ. אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁמִּדַּת אַהֲבָה הִיא מִדַּת אַבְרָהָם, אַף עַל פִּי כֵן זֶה שֶׁאֵינוֹ חוֹשֵׁב עַל עַצְמוֹ כְּלָל הִיא מִדַּת יִצְחָק וְנִמְצָא יִצְחָק בְּמִדָּתוֹ מַשְׁלִים מִדַּת אַבְרָהָם כנ"ל, וְאָז עַל יְדֵי אַהֲבָה שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ לְהַבּוֹרֵא בָּרוּךְ הוּא יַחְשׁוֹב שֶׁהוּא דָּבוּק לַה'. וְזֶהוּ הָרֶמֶז בַּפָּסוּק וְאֵלֶּה תּוֹלְדוֹת יִצְחָק בֶּן אַבְרָהָם, שֶׁיִּצְחָק הִשְׁלִים מִדָּתוֹ שֶׁל אַבְרָהָם אָבִיו ודו"ק:
  1. The phrase echoes Devarim 28:58. ↩
  2. Editor's note: In Kabbalistic terms Yitzchak is Gevurah, the attribute that holds back and sets limits, as fear holds a person back from sin; Avraham is Chessed, kindness and love that flow outward. It seems this is why the Berditchever calls fear “contraction” here: Yitzchak's attribute is the counterpart of Avraham's, and so can complete it. ↩
In shortNot thinking of oneself at all is also Yitzchak's attribute, and it completes Avraham's love of Hashem: that is the hint in “Yitzchak son of Avraham.”
4Or it may be explained this way: “And these are the offspring of Yitzchak son of Avraham: Avraham begot Yitzchak.” Notice the wording. The verse could have said yalad es Yitzchak, “fathered Yitzchak.” Why holid, the causative form, which suggests that what Avraham did was to make Yitzchak able to beget? Here, it seems, is the verse's intent. As we know, Avraham Avinu served the Creator, blessed be He, with the attribute of love, Yitzchak served Him with the attribute of fear, and Yaakov Avinu with the attribute of Tiferes, the central pillar, made up of the two attributes Chessed and Gevurah.9 This is what the verse means by “And these are the offspring of Yitzchak son of Avraham.” Yitzchak was the son of Avraham, who served the Creator with the attribute of kindness, and that is what caused offspring to arise for Yitzchak: Yaakov came out uniting both attributes. And this is “Avraham holid Yitzchak”: Avraham caused Yitzchak to bring forth offspring in whom both are joined.
אוֹ יְבוֹאַר, וְאֵלֶּה תּוֹלְדוֹת יִצְחָק בֶּן אַבְרָהָם אַבְרָהָם הוֹלִיד אֶת יִצְחָק. דְּהִנֵּה יֵשׁ לְדַקְדֵּק דַּהֲוָה לֵיהּ לְמִכְתַּב יָלַד אֶת יִצְחָק, וּמַהוּ הוֹלִיד לְשׁוֹן הִפְעִיל שֶׁמַּשְׁמָעוֹ שֶׁפְּעוּלַּת אַבְרָהָם הָיְתָה שֶׁיִּצְחָק יְהֵא יָכוֹל לְהוֹלִיד. אַךְ נִרְאֶה כַּוָּונַת הַכָּתוּב, דְּהִנֵּה יָדוּעַ שֶׁאַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ עָלָיו הַשָּׁלוֹם עָבַד לְהַבּוֹרֵא בָּרוּךְ הוּא בְּמִדַּת אַהֲבָה וְיִצְחָק עָבַד לְהַבּוֹרֵא בָּרוּךְ הוּא בְּמִדַּת הַיִּרְאָה וְיַעֲקֹב אָבִינוּ עָלָיו הַשָּׁלוֹם בְּמִדַּת הַתִּפְאֶרֶת וְהוּא עַמּוּדָא דְּאֶמְצָעִיתָא כָּלוּל מִתְּרֵין מִדּוֹת חֶסֶד וּגְבוּרָה. וְזֶהוּ כַּוָּונַת הַכָּתוּב וְאֵלֶּה תּוֹלְדוֹת יִצְחָק בֶּן אַבְרָהָם, פֵּירוּשׁ מֵחֲמַת שֶׁיִּצְחָק הָיָה בֶּן אַבְרָהָם שֶׁעָבַד לְהַבּוֹרֵא בָּרוּךְ הוּא בְּמִדַּת הַחֶסֶד זֶהוּ גָּרַם לוֹ שֶׁיַּעֲמוֹד לוֹ תּוֹלְדוֹת שֶׁיֵּצֵא יַעֲקֹב כָּלוּל מִתְּרֵי מִדּוֹת. וְזֶהוּ אַבְרָהָם הוֹלִיד אֶת יִצְחָק, אַבְרָהָם גָּרַם שֶׁיִּצְחָק יַעֲמִיד תּוֹלָדוֹת כָּלוּל מִתְּרֵין מִדּוֹת:
  1. In the Kabbalistic order the sefiros stand in three columns. Tiferes is in the center, between Chessed on the right and Gevurah on the left, and joins the two. Chessed, kindness, is the attribute of Avraham's love; Gevurah, strength, is the attribute of Yitzchak's fear. ↩
In shortHolid, “caused to beget,” tells us that Avraham, whose attribute was kindness, caused Yitzchak, whose attribute was fear, to bring forth Yaakov, who unites both.
Takeaway

Yitzchak did not rest on being Avraham's son: he became a tzaddik, and so earned the name. We too can ask not only whose children we are, but what we are doing to be counted as their children. And when we stop thinking about ourselves, our love of Hashem is made complete, and we can find ourselves cleaving to Him.

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