Isaac, the second of the three patriarchs, is primarily a transitional figure. It is his responsibility to maintain and transfer the covenant or blessing given to Abraham to the next generation. As to his character, he is by nature passive in his actions and his life reflects that passivity.
It is his father, Abraham, who acquires a wife for him and it is his wife, Rebecca, who takes over the running of the household. In many respects both the scriptural texts and the Rabbinic commentary indicate that she serves almost as a surrogate mother. When he married Rebecca, "Isaac was consoled over the passing of his mother." In addition, the midrash says that light and sustenance that was present while Sarah lived and that was extinguished with her death now returned to his tent.
The ultimate act which indicates Isaac’s passivity was the Akeida (the Binding of Isaac). In this process he was bound to an altar as a helpless sacrifice, awaiting the blow from his father’s knife.
The Rabbis recognized this difficulty and in one version of the story of the Akeida give Isaac a primary, active part in the process. In this version, during an argument with his half-brother, Ishmael, the latter points to the fact that Isaac’s circumcision at the age of eight days was not as great a sacrifice as Ishmael’s circumcision at the age of thirteen years. Isaac responds that while Ishmael was willing to sacrifice one organ to God if called upon, he, Isaac, would gladly sacrifice his life and body. Thus, immediately after these words (Achar Hadvarim haeleh) God called upon Abraham to sacrifice Isaac primarily to test the latter’s resolve.
The Akeida became the defining moment of Isaacs life and was the basis of the explanation for the totality of Isaac’s life. He had reached the apex of human spiritual experience and thus had to maintain that level. It is for this reason that God did not allow him to leave the land of Israel.
If that was true, how do we then explain the cloudy vision and the poor choices that Isaac made subsequently in life? The Rabbis again utilize the Akeida for the answer. While he was bound, the angels in heaven cried. Their tears fell upon his eyes and he was blinded by them One could say that having risen to the level of the angels he could no longer clearly deal with the mundane world.
He failed to properly judge the nature and values of his own children. It seems that even before their birth, Rebecca senses this fault in Isaac. As the children struggle in her womb and she was in great pain, she went to inquire of God the purpose or nature of her suffering. The Rabbis explain that she went to the school of Shem for an explanation. The entire historical battle between Jacob and Esau was then revealed to her.
One, however, could ask why she did not ask the greatest prophet of the age, her husband Isaac? It seems that Isaac had no knowledge of this titanic clash. If he did, how could he, throughout his life, favor Esau over Jacob?
When the children were born and begin to develop, their separate nature was visible to all. Esau favored the outdoors and loved to hunt while Jacob dwelt in the tents of the community. Isaac favored [loved] Esau, for according to the Targum. “he ate from his catch”, while Rebecca loved Jacob.
We are not told why Rebecca favored Jacob. It could be that he was always close to home or perhaps she remembered the prophecy about their eternal struggle and understood who should ultimately triumph.
What is most perplexing, however, is the reason given for Isaac’s choice. Why does one who attains the highest level of spirituality be so concerned about his diet of meat that he fails to recognize the true greatness of his younger son and the depravity of his younger son? The Torah itself testifies that Esau disgraced his birthright.
The spiritual blindness of Isaac was later accompanied, in old age, by physical blindness. He was ready to transfer God’s covenant and the blessing of Abraham to his most unworthy descendent, Esau. How could that behavior be explained?
One must conclude that it is impossible for human beings to live on the level of angels for any significant duration. As human beings, we have both spiritual and physical needs. Those needs must be balanced to take notice of each part of our existence; that of the soul and that of the body. When that balance is greatly disturbed, we do harm to both aspects of our nature.
It is that basic lesson which the life of Isaac comes to teach us.
Perhaps that is why Yaakov had to leave his father and spend time living with Laban. To learn how to live in a corrupt world and not lose his spiritual values.
The Torah was ultimately given to us to help us strike that proper balance. The Torah teaches us to live in the world, but in a proper and spiritual way.