I would like to explain why, and we will try, B’ezrat Hashem, to clarify all our questions. Chazal do not call these people "liars." Nor do Chazal call them "wicked." Chazal call them "scoffers," even though there is not much difference. Why is there no significant difference? Because Chazal say (Sanhedrin 103a): Four groups cannot receive the Shechinah – the group of cynics, the group of liars, the group of flatterers, and the group of those who speak lashon hara. It makes no difference whether they are liars or cynics, but they were intentionally given the title "cynics of the generation." Why is that?
I personally think they are indeed big liars. First of all, if we do the math, it is clear that it could never be that Avimelech impregnated Sarah. Why? It's quite simple. When was Sarah alone with Avimelech? At the Pesach Seder, we recite the piyut וַיְהִי בַּחֲצִי הַלַּיְלָה, which runs through a list of events that happened at midnight. One of the stanzas says:
וַיְהִי בַּחֲצִי הַלַּיְלָה, הִפְחַדְתָּ אֲרַמִּי בְּאֶמֶשׁ לַיְלָה. גְּדַנְתָּ מֶלֶךְ גְּרָר בַּחֲלוֹם הַלַּיְלָה.
You judged the king of Gerar in his dream at night.
Who was this king of Gerar and when did this event occur? It was Avimelech and it – his abduction of Sarah – took place on the night of Pesach! How much time then passed from when Sarah was with Avimelech until Yitzchak’s birth on the 15th of Nisan? More than a full year! Have you ever heard of a woman who gave birth after nearly 13 months of pregnancy?! Never. If so, how does this allegation of the cynics align with the timeline? The answer is that a malicious allegation does not always have to align with logic and facts, and the cynics choose to disregard the evidence and make the irrational allegation anyway. This is why they were big liars, but Chazal do not call them liars but rather cynics. Why?
Hakadosh Baruch Hu shaped the appearance of Yitzchak Avinu in the form of Avraham Avinu. When did this happen – was it when Yitzchak was a day old? Was it at his Brit Milah? At his Pidyon HaBen? At his Bar Mitzvah? At the age of 20? When he met and married Rivkah?
We know that Avraham and Yitzchak looked alike because, as Chazal say, Avraham Avinu came before Hakadosh Baruch Hu and said, "Ribbono Shel Olam, I ask of You, when Yitzchak and I walk down the street, no one knows who the father is and who the son is.” So says the Gemara (Bava Metzia 87a). Until Avraham, there was no old age and no signs of age differential, so, Avraham came before Hakadosh Baruch Hu and prayed for old age, as it says: וְאַבְרָהָם זָקֵן בָּא בַּיָּמִים. At that time, Avraham was 137 years old, meaning that for at least 37 years, he and Yitzchak looked alike. By the time of our Parsha, they no longer look alike, because Avraham has already prayed for old age and received it. So, if old age was introduced and their appearances were differentiated many years earlier, why only mention their earlier similarity now?
Rabbotai, please allow me to ask: Did the fact that Hakadosh Baruch Hu shaped the appearance of Yitzchak to be like that of Avraham help? Did this silence the cynics and scoffers? No! Because it doesn't mean anything!
The Gemara (Berachot 20a) says: Rabbi Yochanan, a very handsome man, would go and sit at the entrance of the mikvah, and when the daughters of Bnei Yisrael would come up from the mikvah, they would glance at him, and their children would then be as beautiful as him. The question arises, why did Hakadosh Baruch Hu shape Yitzchak’s appearance to be like Avraham’s if this would not silence the cynics in any event? To understand the underlying yesod here, I’d like to read from the Midrash (Tanchuma, Toldot 1:4); a section which is frightening to the point that one only understands its intention after deep thought.
בֹּא וּרְאֵה כֹּחַ הַשָּׁלוֹם, שֶׁבְּשָׁעָה שֶׁנִּטַּלְטְלָה שָׂרָה מִיַּד פַּרְעֹה לְיַד אֲבִימֶלֶךְ, וְנִתְעַבְּרָה בְּיִצְחָק, הָיוּ אֻמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם אוֹמְרִים: הַלָּזוֹ בֶּן מֵאָה שָׁנָה יִוָּלֵד, אֶלָּא הִיא מְעֻבֶּרֶת מֵאֲבִימֶלֶךְ אוֹ מִפַּרְעֹה, וְהָיְתָה חֲשָׁד בְּלִבּוֹ שֶׁל אַבְרָהָם עַל הַדְּבָרִים. מֶה עָשָׂה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, אָמַר לַמַּלְאָךְ הַמֻּמָּנֶה עַל יְצִירַת הַוָּלָד, עֲשֵׂה כָּל אִיקוֹנִין שֶׁלּוֹ כִּדְמוּת אָבִיו, כְּדֵי שֶׁיָּעִידוּ הַכֹּל שֶׁהוּא בְּנוֹ שֶׁל אַבְרָהָם.
Come and observe the importance of peace: Between the time that Sarah left the control of Pharaoh and when she came under the authority of Avimelech, Yitzchak was conceived. Whereupon people asserted: “It is hardly likely that this centenarian [Avraham] could father a son, she must have conceived either from Pharaoh or Avimelech.” In fact, Avraham also had some suspicions. What did Hakadosh Baruch Hu do? He ordered the angel responsible for the formation of embryos to fashion this embryo in the exact likeness of his father, so that everyone would be forced to acknowledge that he was Avraham’s son.
How can one believe such an idea? Avraham Avinu was suspicious?! Let’s quickly review the story in question:
וַיָּבֹא אֱלֹהִים אֶל־אֲבִימֶלֶךְ בַּחֲלוֹם הַלָּיְלָה וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ הִנְּךָ מֵת עַל־הָאִשָּׁה אֲשֶׁר־לָקַחְתָּ וְהִוא בְּעֻלַת בַּעַל׃ וַאֲבִימֶלֶךְ לֹא קָרַב אֵלֶיהָ וַיֹּאמֶר אֲדֹנָי הֲגוֹי גַּם־צַדִּיק תַּהֲרֹג׃ הֲלֹא הוּא אָמַר־לִי אֲחֹתִי הִוא וְהִיא־גַם־הִוא אָמְרָה אָחִי הוּא בְּתָם־לְבָבִי וּבְנִקְיֹן כַּפַּי עָשִׂיתִי זֹאת׃ וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו הָאֱלֹהִים בַּחֲלוֹם גַּם־אָנֹכִי יָדַעְתִּי כִּי בְּתָם־לְבָבְךָ עָשִׂיתָ זֹּאת וָאֶחְשֹׂךְ גַּם־אָנֹכִי אוֹתְךָ מֵחֲטוֹ־לִי עַל־כֵּן לֹא־נְתַתִּיךָ אֵלֶיהָ׃ וְעַתָּה הָשֵׁב אֵשֶׁת־הָאִישׁ כִּי־נָבִיא הוּא וְיִתְפַּלֵּל בַּעַדְךָ וֶחְיֵה וְאִם־אֵינְךָ מֵשִׁיב דַּע כִּי־מוֹת תָּמוּת אַתָּה וְכָל־אֲשֶׁר־לָךְ׃
G-d came to Avimelech in a dream at night, and said to him, Behold, you shall die because of the woman you took, for she is a married woman. Avimelech had not come near to her. He said, My Master, will You also kill an innocent nation? Did he not say to me, She is my sister? And she also said, He is my brother. With an innocent heart and clean hands I did this. G-d said to him in a dream, I also know that you did this with an innocent heart. I also prevented you from sinning against Me. That is why I did not give you the chance to touch her. Now return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet. He will pray for you and you will live. If you do not return her, you should know that you will surely die—you and all that is yours.
Hakadosh Baruch Hu closed up every womb in the house of Avimelech, and all the openings in his body were also sealed, ...
