In the way that it is frequently taught, Parshas Chayei Sarah could, oddly enough, be seen as the foundation of a heartwarming Hallmark special: Widowed father, worried for his introverted son, sends his most trusted confidant to find his son a match. Said confidant worries over his ability to do right by the boy but puts his faith in fate and meets a girl who appears perfect. The catch, of course, is that she comes from the nastiest family in town, a bunch of thieves willing to commit murder. The confidant and the girl work together and overcome her family’s attempts to subvert the match for their own means. They return to the home of the father. They arrive just as the son is stepping outside to pray. The girl sees him, sparks fly, and she knows without a doubt that she has made the right choice.
It's a lovely narrative and, in its own way, quite accurate. But because of how overwhelmingly this story focuses on Rivka, we often miss out on seeing the subtle but important detail that is there to help us understand Yitzchak. This detail – this single pasuk – and the Midrashim that come from it, shift our preconceived notions about the seemingly passive nature of Yitzchak.
The verse is 24:32: “And Yitzchak came from having come to the well [called] L’chai Roee, for he dwelt in the land of the south.” Yitzchak was not, as it so often seems, sitting in his father’s tents waiting for Eliezer to return. So what was Yitzchak doing? What or where was the well called L’chai Roee? According to the Midrash, this was the well from which Hagar drew water to save Yishmael. It’s a strange location to associate Yitzchak travelling to, and on this too there are several commentaries. The most simple of these stating that he had travelled there to find Hagar, Avraham’s ousted concubine, and to bring her back to Avraham (who then remarried her under the name Katurot) – Bereishis Rabba 60:40. As simple as it is, the idea of this act is beautiful. Just as his widowed father wished for him to marry, for him to find his life partner, Yitzchak sought a means to guarantee that his father would not be alone.
Rabbi Shimshon Raphael Hirsch adds a different purpose and, in this, a new layer of understanding human uncertainty and the desire for confident prayer. “Yitzchak, the one who was most concerned in the matter [of Eliezer finding a bride] should feel drawn to the place that could strengthen his confidence that God would act for him…” For here at this well, Hashem had already proven that he hears prayers and answers them hastily.
Beyond the question of where or what was the well of L’chai Roee, the language of the pasuk is strange. It doesn’t just say that Yitzchak had journeyed from L’chai Roee, but rather it says ba mevo, literally that he came from coming. The commentators make much of this, noting how incredibly active this phrase is. Often when a person in Tanach goes some place, the terminology of travelling – linsoa or laleches – is used. Ba mevo disrupts the common image of a sedate Yitzchak. It is a secret gem that gives us the opportunity to look closer and see that Yitzchak was, in fact, a person who actively went places. Interestingly, several commentators write that he was coming from time alone, time of isolated meditation encouraged by his father. This is a good reminder that stillness and activity can both be deliberate actions.
The phrase ba mevo also leads to discussions of how, exactly, Eliezer and Rivka came upon Yitzchak. Rather than perceiving Yitzchak to have been waiting at his father’s encampment or at a designated meeting site, the implication, as some understand it, is that they met along the way, as they were both travelling in the same direction. But as the Radak notes: “Now the Torah tells us that Yitzchak encountered them as if by coincidence. The fact is, of course, that God arranges matters for the benefit of those whom He loves without their even being aware of it at the time.”
Perhaps seeing Yitzchak as a more active persona only makes the story more “Hallmark.” A now motherless boy helping his father, praying for his perfect match, and travelling the dry, lonely roads of the south. It’s a different take than the youth waiting at his father's tents who goes out to pray just at the moment his bride comes… Indeed, several of the commentaries on verse 24:63 believe that he went out to converse with a friend, based on the term lasoo’ach, which some translate as meditate (and thus pray) but which is also associated with the word l’siach, to converse.
There is no direct lesson or message here, just a fascinating delve into the wonders of meaning within the words of the Torah and an exploration to learn more about the least described patriarch. Additionally, gaining insight into Yitzchak helps us better understand the future dynamics of this couple, and, in so doing, hopefully helps us understand ourselves a little more as well.
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