Isaac’s (Shabbat?) Afternoon- Hayyei Sarah 5785

One of my most cherished activities on Shabbat (or any day) is that of menucha– literally, “rest”. In many ways, it’s the essence of what Shabbat is supposed to be- a refreshing break from our mundane, workaday routines. On Shabbat I don’t do chores, I don’t run errands, and when the proverbial stars really align, I even get to partake of that most sacred experience: a Shabbas Schluf, or Shabbat nap.

Shabbat is truly a time set apart from other times, distinct and holy. Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel refers to Shabbat in his seminal book, The Sabbath, as “a palace in time”. He writes:

“The Sabbath is not for the sake of the weekdays; the weekdays are for the sake of Sabbath. It is not an interlude but the climax of living…Labor is a craft, but perfect rest is an art. It is the result of an accord of body, mind and imagination. To attain a degree of excellence in art, one must accept its discipline, one must adjure slothfulness. The seventh day is a palace in time which we build. It is made of soul, of joy and reticence…The seventh day is like a palace in time with a kingdom for all. It is not a date but an atmosphere.”

Kabbalah, the Jewish mystical tradition, teaches that the shechinah, the indwelling presence of G-d, is closest to us on Shabbat. Moreover, Shabbat afternoon specifically is when the shechinah is most proximate and when our supplications are paid special attention. As such, Shabbat afternoon became a time of Torah study, of joyous gathering, and a time to have a nosh as part of seudah shlishit (or shalosheudes, in Yiddish), the symbolic “third meal” that is only eaten on Shabbat. In many communities, this is also a time to sing special zmirot, those wonderful Shabbat songs that often have a tinge of sadness in their words or their melodies due to the fact that Shabbat will soon be leaving us. 

It’s in the late afternoon, appropriately, when Isaac appears in our parsha. He is a passive character after the akedah– not having his own voice, not appearing in the text until later, and having a wife chosen for him by his father’s servant Eliezer instead of choosing himself. But it really is a magic moment when Rebekah and Isaac meet. We read in chapter 24 verse 63:

וַיֵּצֵ֥א יִצְחָ֛ק לָשׂ֥וּחַ בַּשָּׂדֶ֖ה לִפְנ֣וֹת עָ֑רֶב וַיִּשָּׂ֤א עֵינָיו֙ וַיַּ֔רְא וְהִנֵּ֥ה גְמַלִּ֖ים בָּאִֽים׃

“And Isaac went out walking in the field toward evening and, looking up, he saw camels approaching.”

We can picture the scene: Isaac is having a moment to himself towards twilight. There is no one with him: he’s withdrawn into himself, and is in fact, as we read in the previous verse, coming back from the vicinity of Be’er Lehai Roi- the very place where Ishmael, his step brother, and his mother Hagar were saved, just as Yitzhak himself was saved on Mount Moriah. 

The Torah teaches that upon seeing Isaac, Rivka “alighted” from her camel- וַתִּפֹּ֖ל מֵעַ֥ל הַגָּמָֽל. This same verb, however, can be translated as “falling”. I like to think that perhaps Rivka literally fell off her camel, being smitten upon recognizing Isaac, and falling in love with him. 

What is Isaac actually doing, though? The word la’suach in our text is translated as “walking”, but if we probe the meaning a little deeper we can gain a clearer picture. If you look up this word in a dictionary, the definition given is actually to “rove about”, or wander without a clear destination. Perhaps, then, Isaac is trying to simply clear his head, going for a walk to get some fresh air?

Nahum Sarna, in his JPS Torah Commentary on the book of Genesis, concurs with this interpretation and writes that the word as it’s rendered “is based on the Arabic [word] saha, ‘to take a stroll’. 

But Sarna posits other meanings of this word as well. He writes: 

“Another tradition has Isaac ‘chatting’ with his friends, a translation derived from the word siah, ‘to talk’…[Sarna continues] The most popular rabbinic understanding has Isaac ‘praying’.

These three possibilities of what Isaac could be doing- strolling, chatting, or praying- are all commonly done as part of Shabbat afternoon. When the weather’s conducive, I enjoy taking a leisurely stroll on Saturday afternoon, sometimes with Sam and the kids who like to take their bikes or scooters. The street we live on is a circular half mile, so to go once around the circle provides a few minutes of moving our bodies and fresh air. Especially in the summer months, a leisurely stroll is just the thing to give some oneg– enjoyment- to our Shabbat experience on a long afternoon. 

Shabbat afternoon is also a time of chatting- of catching up, of having true “face time”. In our house it’s when we have our phones away, the TV stays off, and we simply talk with each other while engaging in some low-impact family bonding, such as playing a game together or visiting with friends. Here at shul, this is a time during kiddush where we bond with each other through conversation- asking each other about our weeks and catch up on what’s been going on. 

This time is also a time of Torah study. The word siach– conversation- can also mean an opportunity for a D’var Torah or, in the hasidic community, a farbrengen (table gathering) where words of Torah are discussed and people gather simply to be together, singing songs and enjoying each other’s company.

Late on Shabbat afternoon it’s customary to daven the special mincha service for Shabbat, with its distinct melodies and Torah reading consisting of the opening of the parsha for the coming week. This, also, is connected with Yitzhak. The Talmud, in tractate Berachot, teaches that Abraham instituted the morning shacharit service, Yitzhak instituted the afternoon mincha service, and Yaakov was the first to pray the evening ma’ariv service. The meditative quality of the Shabbat afternoon service, I think, mirrors Isaac’s own frame of mind when he meets Rivka. 

Isaac, when Rivka arrives with her retinue, is wandering in a field. My teacher Rabbi Jordan Schuster teaches that biblical typography- the landscape where events take place- plays a symbolic role in the Torah. It’s easy to get lost in a large field; there are unknown things lurking in the grass, and there may not be any landmarks to use as a guide. After the trauma of the akedah, Isaac is metaphorically lost- he disappears for a time from the biblical text, there is no further dialogue between him and Abraham, and he is by himself when Rivka meets him. That initial meeting, however, is truly transformative for Isaac. 

In one of my favorite verses of the Torah, we read in 24:67:

וַיְבִאֶ֣הָ יִצְחָ֗ק הָאֹ֙הֱלָה֙ שָׂרָ֣ה אִמּ֔וֹ וַיִּקַּ֧ח אֶת־רִבְקָ֛ה וַתְּהִי־ל֥וֹ לְאִשָּׁ֖ה וַיֶּאֱהָבֶ֑הָ וַיִּנָּחֵ֥ם יִצְחָ֖ק אַחֲרֵ֥י אִמּֽוֹ׃ {פ}

“Isaac then brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah, and he took Rebekah as his wife. Isaac loved her, and thus found comfort after his mother’s death.”

Sarah dies at the start of our parsha, and here towards the end of it her tent is still standing. A mother’s love, which was so absent from the episode of the akedah, is reflected in the love that Isaac has for Rebekah, with Sarah’s tent symbolically serving as a monument to her memory and a blessing to her son’s loving union. Most touchingly, regarding Rivka, the same verse teaches, “va’ye’eh’haveha”- “he loved her”. This is the first time that there is love between spouses mentioned in the Torah- we never learn that Adam loves Eve, or even that Abraham loves Sarah. We do learn in Genesis 22 that Abraham loves Isaac, but that love is hard to reconcile with what Abraham and Isaac go through together.

After Sarah dies, with Isaac in mourning, Rebecca is the one who lifts him out of his stupor, and metaphorically finds him. She is the one who truly activates him as a biblical character, and the love he holds for her is apparent not just here but in ensuing events as well.

The love that someone has for us, and our love for them, can be the engine for us living our best lives and being our best selves. On this Shabbat, and every Shabbat, we should take an opportunity to bask in the love of our families and friends, as well as the divine love that is part and parcel of Shabbat. Be it through a kind gesture, sharing a meal together, taking a walk together, or simply being present with someone, let us take the opportunity to demonstrate our care and concern for one another. 

In this season of Thanksgiving, may our love for others and the connection we feel to them not only be part of our Shabbat experience, but also infuse the rest of the week with the care and concern that is integral to our lives. Connections are built through loving care and concern for others- a phone call, an invitation to a meal, and any other number of gestures that build relationships. Isaac, I believe, would surely approve of our efforts towards that noble end.