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By Dr. Akiva Gamliel Belk
Bereisheit 27 Yitzchok Could Not See... Can any of us see?
Our study is in the loving memory of the Horvat Mishpacha that died in the Holocaust. May they rest in peace.
Ha Torah begins Bereisheit {Genesis} Chapter 27 with a statement. And it happened Yitzchok became an elder. His eyesight faded and he could not see... Yitzchok was the holy child who at the age of 37 willingly lay on the Mizbayach {altar} offering himself as a sacrifice. Now 86 years later, at the age of 123 Ha Torah States, Yitzchok is an elder. His physical eyesight faded. It also impacted his Spiritual insight.
Ha Torah Informs us in Bereisheit 24 that Avraham, Yitzchok's father, became an elder at the age of 137. Ha Torah Tells us the Creator Had Blessed Avraham in all things. His eyes were not faded. Avraham would live another 38 years. He would father at least nine more children through Keturah, {Bereisheit 25.2}.
Neither we nor our father nor our grandfather will live to the age of Avraham {175} or Yitzchok {180}. We are not on their level of righteousness. We do not experience their visions. We do not have the closeness to the Creator that they had. We are not elders in the sense they were elders. We are generations away from Har Sinai. Our lives are cluttered with interferences that impede our Spirituality. How many hours did Avraham and Yitzchok spend on the internet? What about notebooks, ipods, satellite radio, DVDs, TV, cell phones, phones, faxes, etc.? How do these things impact our Spirituality? There are so many distractions that take us away from focusing on Spirituality.
In light of these points we should consider what the length and depth of our Spiritual vision is. What are our limitations? What can we do about all these devices that are part of world communication?
Our father Yitzchok did not have these distractions yet his eyes faded. Why did his eyes fade? Our Sages say it was from the incense offered to idols by his daughters-in-law, Yehudit and Bawsmat, Eisov's wives.[1] This teaches us an important lesson. Yitzchok and Rivkah lived so close to Eisov and his idolatrous wives that the incense caused him to lose his vision. It also clouded his Spiritual vision. How do we know this? Why else would he call for his evil son Eisov to bless him? Why would he bless a son who murdered, committed rape and adultery and married idolatrous women? We learn a similar lesson from another great Tzaddik, Lot. He lived among the Sedomites. Why? He was a cattle baron. He felt that his cattle would flourish in the plush land of Sedom. That may have been true but he was too close to evil! It impacted him. His vision was impacted! This is the point. Day in and day out being too close to anything that interferes with our Spirituality can harm our vision and the lives of those we love.
Evil impacted Noach! Evil impacted Lot. Evil impacted Yitzchok. Do we feel we can withstand such great evil? I do not think so! So for us to have clarity of vision and keen focus, the real issue is identifying evil and keeping it at the greatest distance away from us that we can.
[1] Rabbi Meir Zlotowitz and Rabbi Nosson Scherman, The Artscroll Tanach Series - Bereishis Vol. I(a) (Brooklyn, New York: Mesorah Publications, Ltd. 3rd Impression, 1989), p 1114
