The Feast with Avimelech: Kings at Peace with Israel
Bereishis 26:30–31
וַיַּעַשׂ לָהֶם מִשְׁתֶּה וַיֹּאכְלוּ וַיִּשְׁתּוּ וַיַּשְׁכִּימוּ בַבֹּקֶר וַיִּשָּׁבְעוּ אִישׁ לְאָחִיו וַיְשַׁלְּחֵם יִצְחָק וַיֵּלְכוּ מֵאִתּוֹ בְּשָׁלוֹם
He made them a feast, and they ate and drank. They rose early in the morning and swore to one another; then Yitzchak sent them off, and they went from him in peace.
15“He made them a feast, and they ate and drank … and they went from him in peace.” All the deeds of the Avos, it would seem, were done for the sake of their children, so that in the time of their exile they would not be rejected or cast off.1 The Ramban and the Baal HaTurim, those holy early commentators, read the story of the wells this way.2 We can now say the same of the peace that Avraham Avinu and Yitzchak Avinu made with Avimelech.3 Even when Israel is subject to nations and kings, kings will make peace with Israel and do its will, just as Avimelech made peace with Avraham and with Yitzchak and did their will. For the deeds of the Avos are a sign for the children.4 Understand this.
וַיַּעַשׂ לָהֶם מִשְׁתֶּה וַיֹּאכְלוּ וַיִּשְׁתּוּ וְכוּ' וַיֵּלְכוּ מֵאִתּוֹ בְּשָׁלוֹם (בראשית כו, ל-לא). נִרְאֶה, כִּי כָּל מַעֲשֵׂה אָבוֹת הִיא בִּשְׁבִיל הַבָּנִים שֶׁבִּזְמַן גָּלוּתָם לֹא יִמָּאֲסוּ וְלֹא יִגְעֲלוּ כַּאֲשֶׁר דָּרְכוּ בָּזֶה הַקַּדְמוֹנִים קִדּוּשֵׁי עֶלְיוֹן הרמב"ן ז"ל וּבַעַל הַטּוּרִים בְּעִנְיַן הַבְּאֵרוֹת עַיֵּין שָׁם. וּמֵעַתָּה אֶפְשָׁר לָנוּ לוֹמַר בָּזֶה מַה שֶׁהִשְׁלִים אַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ עָלָיו הַשָּׁלוֹם וְיִצְחָק אָבִינוּ עָלָיו הַשָּׁלוֹם עִם אֲבִימֶלֶךְ בָּזֶה שֶׁאַף עַל פִּי שֶׁיִּשְׂרָאֵל יִהְיוּ בְּשִׁעְבּוּד אוּמּוֹת וּמְלָכִים יִהְיוּ מְלָכִים מַשְׁלִימִים עִם יִשְׂרָאֵל לַעֲשׂוֹת רְצוֹנָם כְּמוֹ שֶׁהָיָה כָּאן שֶׁהִשְׁלִים אֲבִימֶלֶךְ עִם אַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ עָלָיו הַשָּׁלוֹם וְיִצְחָק לַעֲשׂוֹת רְצוֹנָם וּמַעֲשֵׂה אָבוֹת סִימָן לְבָנִים וְהָבֵן:
- The wording echoes Vayikra 26:44: “I will not reject them, and I will not cast them off.” ↩
- The Ramban on Bereishis 26:20 reads the wells Esek, Sitnah and Rechovos as hints at the three Batei Mikdash. The Baal HaTurim on Bereishis 26:20–22 links them to Bavel, Haman and Yavan. ↩
- Avimelech made a covenant with Avraham in Bereishis 21:22–32, and with Yitzchak here, in Bereishis 26:26–31. ↩
- Ramban on Bereishis 12:6. ↩
In shortAvimelech's peace with Avraham and Yitzchak is a sign that even in exile, kings will make peace with Israel and do its will.
Takeaway
What the Avos did, they did for us, their children, so that in exile we would never be rejected or cast off. When kings make peace with Israel and do its will, we can recognize in it the peace Avimelech made with Avraham and Yitzchak, and know that we have not been cast off.
Learn this in the merit of Rebbe Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev. His yahrzeit and life ›
More on Parshas Toldos
See all ›Lehavas David · Rav Dovid Matisyohu RabinowitzYaakov from Esav: Bringing the Bad into HolinessGood and bad come to us mixed together, and in exile our work is not to make the bad vanish but to draw out the good within it, serving Hashem with the very desire and longing…Lehavas David · Rav Dovid Matisyohu RabinowitzAlways Going, Truly Humble: Yitzchak's GreatnessWe came down to this world not to receive a gift we have not earned, but to perfect ourselves, and for that we need two things together. Like Yehoshua setting out the benches for…Lehavas David · Rav Dovid Matisyohu RabinowitzGrowing Greater through Wealth: Yitzchak's AvodahThe Torah tells of the Avos' wealth to show that they kept walking upward in avodas Hashem even when prosperity made the yetzer hara strong against them. Yitzchak's mesirus nefesh…
English translation, notes and summaries © Zechusam.