Sources from essay by Rabbi Jennifer A. Gubitz in The Mussar Torah Commentary
In tracing Isaac's life throughout Genesis-from the Akeidah to the moment when Rebekah "alights" from her camel, literally "fall-ing" in love with him, until his dying breath at the end of Genesis — we wonder: how does Isaac endure a life that vacillates between joy and deep pain, comfort and trauma, loss and love? We might ask if and how he is able to maintain "equanimity" (m'nuchat hanefesh) during his soul-stirring life journey? What can we moderns learn from his life as we face the highs and lows of being human? And what are the ways the Mussar value of equanimity can sustain us, as well?
-Rabbi Jennifer A. Gubitz
The Mussar teachers point to anger, jealousy, lust and other strong inner states as the source of the turbulence that destroys the calmness of the soul. They advise us that the way to respond to these internal storms is to develop the capacity for inner distancing.
-Alan Morinis
Rabbinic Sages teach that after the trauma of the Akeidah and then his mother Sarah's death, Isaac took a long leave of absence from his family. In the Torah text, we hear about him, but we barely hear a word from him.
Some commentators actually suggest this silence was a permanent and final departure that the trauma was so painful that he died of fear. Others imagine he was blinded. Other commentaries envision that it was neither death nor illness, but rather that Isaac's departure was a multifaceted journey of resilience and recovery. B'reishit Rabbah teaches that after the Akeidah, Isaac went to study in a beit midrash, a "house of learning." Drowning his sorrows and his past in the books and traditions of our people, he immersed in a community of learners and seekers.
-Rabbi Jennifer A. Gubitz
(1) 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.”
The Jewish approach to life considers the person who has stopped going one who has a feeling of completion, of peace, of a great light from above that has brought him to rest —to be someone who has lost his way. Only one whom the light continues to beckon, for whom the light is as distant as ever, only that one can be considered to have received some sort of response.
-Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz
Isaac's development of equanimity does not smooth over his past experiences or lead him to a future without pain, trial, or suffering. Rather, it is the practice of the middah of equanimity as a constant journey and spiritual exercise that brings understanding and even peace. For Isaac, his return again and again to Beer-lachai-ro'i may be imagined not just as a pilgrimage to a place where God can see him, but a journey to where he can see himself. In that place, he develops clarity as an inner witness to his life experience. When we explore the life of Isaac through the spiritual practices imagined by the Rabbis and enhanced by our own hearts, we see his spiritual growth from silence to prayer, from loss to love. Elie Wiesel might as well have been talking about Isaac when he spoke of his own journey of resilience: "On the verge of despair, [Isaac] does not give up. On the contrary, he strives to find a place among the living." Through study, prayer, relationship, and reflection, m'nuchat hanefesh is the balm for Isaac's soul.
-Rabbi Jennifer A. Gubitz
Questions to Ask
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Consider the unsung female heroes— Hagar, Sarah, and Rebekah—in this parashah's exploration of Isaac's life. How do they embody equanimity (m'nuchat hanefesh): What other middot do they embody that support Isaac's growth?
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What Mussar values does Abraham exhibit as he negotiates a burial site for Sarah and ensures a wife for Isaac?