In honor of שמואל משה הכהן בן פריידא רחל, Hashem should grant him a complete and speedy recovery
IN THE PARSHA:
The פרשה begins with the words:
ת יִצְחָק בֶּן־אַבְרָהָםוְאֵלֶּה תּוֹלְד – these are the children of יצחק the son of אברהם,
קיִצְחָ אַבְרָהָם הוֹלִיד אֶּת – אברהם was the father of יצחק.
רש"י explains that after calling יצחק the son of אברהם the תורה again says that אברהם was the father of יצחק, because there were those who doubted that יצחק was actually the son of אברהם, so Hashem caused יצחק’s face to look exactly like אברהם’s, and it became obvious to everyone that אברהם was the father of יצחק.
QUESTION:
It is natural and common for a son to resemble his father.
Why did Hashem have to do something special to make יצחק look like אברהם?
ANSWER:
A son’s outward appearance resembles his father’s appearance because his personality resembles that of his father. However, אברהם and יצחק had very different personalities, and their manner in serving Hashem was very different. אברהם reflected חסד, and he served Hashem mainly out of אהבת ד', love for Hashem, and יצחק reflected גבורה, serving Hashem mainly out of יראת ד', reverence of Hashem.
Since they were so different from one another, their outer appearance was also, naturally, very different, and Hashem had to do something special to make יצחק look like אברהם.
LIFE LESSON:
The fact that Hashem made יצחק look like אברהם, rather than make אברהם look like יצחק, teaches us that when we have a choice to accomplish the same thing with either חסד or גבורה, we should choose חסד.
Further discussion:
How does their external similar appearance reflect their differences?
(See אות ה in the Sicha)
