“Yitzchak went out to (suach) meditate in the field towards evening....” (24:63)

What was Yitzchak thinking about that he felt the need to go out into the field to meditate?

Perhaps the answer can be found in another place where the “field” takes on special importance. When Yosef is sent by Yaacov to look for his brothers, the Torah says, “A person (Gavriel) found him (to'eh) wandering in the field....” (37:15)

The Kli Yakar points out that the word to'eh can also mean “making a mistake”. Gavriel told Yosef that he is mistaken if he doesn’t believe that his brothers would hurt him, let alone try to kill him because of something as
Yitzchak may have been thinking about the tragedy of Kayin and Hevel.
insignificant as his robe. Gavriel tells Yosef that Kayin killed Hevel for a lot less, because jealousy has no rhyme nor reason.

Here, too, Yitzchak may have been thinking about the tragedy of Kayin and Hevel as it related to his own sibling, Yishmael, wondering how brothers could harm one another without cause.

Perhaps that is why the gammatria for suach (17), "meditate", is the same as the combination of words, Kayin and Hevel (17).

In Eretz Yisrael there is a special need to be careful of the sin of jealousy. We are brothers and the land cannot broach the pain brothers cause to each other. The punishment for such jealousy is wandering and exile. Now that we are finally on our land, can we afford to be to'eh?
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Rabbi Yaacov Peterseil writes from Jerusalem.

The foregoing commentary was distributed by the Aloh Naaleh organization.