• When Hate Triumphs

    Isaac dug wells for water. The Philistines would try to destroy the wells. The question is why? Didn’t they also benefit from the wells? The answer is that their hatred blinded them to the benefits of the wells.

  • Isaac’s Legacy

    Isaac’s legacy was his sons. Especially Jacob. The fact is that while Isaac and Ishmael could come together to bury Abraham, Esau’s enmity against Jacob was overpowering.

  • Act On Your Loving Kindness

    We are commanded to help each other through loving kindness. Not just to mouth the words. We see this in the action of the Jews of Israel rushing to the aid of their less fortunate brethren.

  • God Wants Prayer With Action

    It is interesting that Abraham did not rely on prayer to acquire a wife for Isaac. He sent his servant to acquire her through negotiations with her family. That is because that God wants us to act, not just to pray.

  • Know With Whom You Speak

    When Eliezer is negotiating with Rebecca’s family, he doesn’t mention that Abraham and Isaac are spiritual leaders. He mentions their wealth. That is because Rebecca’s family were materialist. They had no spiritual side.

  • Make Your Spouse Happy

    The Torah states that Isaac first married Rebecca and then he lived her. This is to teach us that love for a couple should grow. That we should work to make our spouse happy.

  • Act Against Evil

    In this week’s portion we see that Eleazar, Abraham’s servant is looking for a suitable bride for Isaac. He makes a test to see if she would go above and beyond in caring for others. This is a lesson to us in these trying times.

  • Ownership of the Land

    Abraham bought the burial site for Sarah. He did not have to since he knew that the land had been promised to him. The reason is that he did not want that there should be any questions about ownership in the future.

  • Never Give Up Hope

    Lot’s daughters claimed that they committed incest because the they would not otherwise have husbands. They gave up hope. This is to teach us that we should never give up hope but to carry on in the light of the Torah.

  • Don’t Look Back!

    When Lot left Sodom with his wife and two daughters they were told not to look back. Lot’s wife did and became a pillar of salt. Why did she do it? She missed the “good” life that they had in Sodom.