Of the three Patriarchs, Isaac seems to be the least prominent. Several chapters of the Torah deal with Avraham; even more describe Jacob and the development of his family. Virtually throughout, Avraham and Jacob are the prime movers of their respective stories. But to Isaac, few chapters of the Torah are devoted – and even there, he seems generally more passive than active: Isaac is the object of the Akeidah, not the prime player; Eliezer was sent to choose Isaac’s wife, and Isaac played a passive role; Jacob and Rebecca matched wits with Esav to secure Isaac’s blessings, while Isaac responded to their actions. So, it seems that the ‘obvious’ conclusion is that Isaac is less majestic than either his father or his son; that he was merely a bridge between the two major pillars of Israel’s genesis.

However, like many superficially ‘obvious’ assessments of the events and people chronicled in the Torah, this one is far wide of the mark. The three Patriarchs are described by our Sages as all being equal to one another, [Bereishis Rabbah 1:15] and as being the ‘strong steeds’ who galloped before G-d leading the ‘chariot’ upon which G-d’s Presence rested [Sanhedrin 96a]. Nowhere in our vast rabbinic literature is there a suggestion that Isaac is somehow less grand than the other forefathers (and foremothers) who set Judaism and the Jewish people on their epic journey.

Not only this, but there is a famous Gemarah [Shabbos 89b] that suggests that Isaac’s stature was even greater than that of his father and his son; that a time will come when the salvation of his descendants will rest with our forefather Isaac:

Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachmeni said in the name of Rabbi Yochanan: In a time to come, the Holy One, Blessed be He, will say to Avraham, “Your children have sinned against Me” and Avraham will say before Him, “Master of the Universe, let them be wiped out in sanctification of Your Name!”

Unsatisfied with this reply, G-d will say, “I will speak to Jacob, since he experienced pain in raising his children; perhaps he will ask Me to have mercy upon them.” So G-d will say to Jacob, “Your children have sinned against Me” and Jacob will say before Him, “Master of the Universe, let them be wiped out in sanctification of Your Name!”

So, G-d will say to Isaac, “Your children have sinned against Me” and Isaac will answer, saying, “Master of the Universe – my children and not Your children? When they preceded the statement ‘We will do’ to the statement ‘We will hear’ before You [at Sinai], You call them ‘My son, My firstborn’ … and now You say they are my children and not Your children?”

“Furthermore, how much, after all, could they have sinned? How many are a man’s years? Seventy years. Take away the first twenty, since You do not punish a person for them; there are fifty years left. Take away twenty-five, which are the nights. Take away another twelve and a half, which are spent praying, eating or taking care of bodily needs – there are only twelve and a half years of potential sin left! If you will shoulder them all – fine! And if not, then I will split them with You. And if You wish to say that all of them should be on me – behold! I have already sacrificed myself before You [at the Akeidah].”

After hearing Isaac’s defense of them, the Jewish people will open their mouths and say, “You are our true father!” Isaac will tell them, “Do not praise me; instead, praise the Holy One, Blessed is He, for He is your true Father.”

What we can say is that Avraham and Isaac represented two very different approaches to the service of G-d: Avraham’s was that of Chessed/Kindness and Isaac’s was that of Gevurah/Strength. As pointed out in Michtav Me’Eliyahu, it is axiomatic in our perception of the holy Patriarchs that their philosophies of life were not haphazardly based on personal whim or preference, In fact, it would have been eminently logical for Isaac to have followed in the philosophical footsteps of his illustrious father. However, Isaac chose to forge a new path to serving G-d. R’ Sincha Zissel of Kelm sees in this a sign of Isaac’s greatness: his decision not to choose the easy path of imitation.

Without inflicting any harm to the heritage of Avraham, Isaac formulated another indispensable way in which our people can attain spiritual greatness. He thus played an essential role in creating the tripod upon which Judaism eternally rests. In succeeding Avraham – but not becoming his carbon copy – Isaac demonstrated that he was not merely Avraham’s heir, but a Patriarch in his own right. In summarizing the rise of Avraham and his descendants, Rambam shows the sharp contrast between Avraham and Isaac:

“Our forefather Avraham arose and called out in a great voice to the entire world to inform them that there is a single G-d … from city to city he went and from kingdom to kingdom until he arrived in Canaan. There he gathered to his household thousands and tens of thousands. He then set up Isaac to teach and to exhort; and Isaac made this known to Jacob …” [Hilchos Avodah Zarah 1:2-3].

Avraham was the inspirer and the teacher of “tens of thousands”; Isaac was the teacher, the consolidator – the one who controlled and implemented Avraham’s radical new ideas about G-d and how to serve Him. Isaac’s philosophy was not a contradiction of Avraham’s. Sfas Emes notes that our sidra begins with the conjunctive letter vav: “V’eileh toldos Yitzchak ben Avraham … ‘And’ these are the offspring of Isaac, son of Avraham.” The introductory words “v’eileh – and these” follows a Talmudic dictum that states, “the words ‘and these’ indicate a continuation of what has been said earlier” [Berachos 6a]. So, the story of Isaac’s life is a continuation – but, a continuation of what?

The Sfas Emes finds Isaac to be a continuation in cosmic terms:  In Genesis 2:4, the Torah tells us “These are the generations [toldos] of the heavens and the earth when they were created [b’hee’bar’am – containing the Hebrew letters  heh•bais•reish•alef•mem]. The Zohar comments: the word hee’bar’am has the same letters of the name Avraham. We can extrapolate and learn from the Torah that the world was created for the sake of Avraham and his teachings, for his proclamation of Hashem as the only G-d, and for his infinite kindness (chessed) – all these making a foundation for the Creation. By employing love, goodness and hospitality, Avraham was able to raise armies of converts in Charan and Canaan.

But now there had to be a new epoch in achieving G-d’s purpose. Avraham’s work was not to be annulled; the world was created for his sake and it would continue to exist for his sake. But the very foundation which Avraham established would fall apart unless it was tempered and consolidated. Isaac came on the scene as the one who would “continue what had been done earlier” – effecting a continuation of the works of Avraham, his father. What Avraham had created with kindness (chessed), Isaac would firmly establish with strength (gevurah).

Now we see Isaac’s life from a new perspective: “Avraham holid es Yitzchak – Avraham begot Isaac” [Genesis 25:9]. In its many layers of meaning, the Torah is giving us more than a fact of genealogy. The philosophy of Avraham begot the philosophy of Isaac. Kindness and strength – the outstanding middos of Avraham and Isaac, respectively – do not contradict one another; rather, they complement and perfect one another. Not only must the expansiveness of Chessed/Kindness be followed by the consolidation of Gevurah/Strength – but also yir’as Hashem [fear and awe of G-d] must flow from and be a direct consequence of ahavas Hashem [love of G-d]. ‘Avraham’ gave birth to ‘Isaac’ – love of G-d brought in its wake an awareness of G-d’s power and majesty. Intense love of G-d subsequently awakened in His servants an awe and fear of G-d – necessary lest they overstep the bounds of His will in their zeal to serve Him better and spread His Name more widely.

From such a complimentary tension between chessed and gevurah is born tiferes [splendor] and emes [truth] – the final level of perfection represented by Jacob, the third and final ingredient to the powerful forces and teachings instituted by our illustrious forefathers. Isaac, therefore, is the logical and necessary next step in the spiritual process begun by Avraham.