This week's portion describes the life of Isaac, who lived a more peaceful life than that of his father Abraham, or his son Jacob. Indeed, Isaac is so quiet that some commentaries wonder if he suffered enduring trauma from his near-sacrifice.
I don't think so: it looks like Isaac is quite happy. He lives a conservative life, occupied with re-establishing and protecting his father's wells, rather than digging new ones. This is a valid, and valuable, orientation to the world: not everyone has to be an innovator or a disrupter. Sometimes it it more important to preserve what previous generations have left to us.
The most remarkable aspect of Isaac's life is his marriage to Rebecca. It is the happiest pairing in the Bible. We are even given some insight into the joy and happiness they enjoy in their sexual relations, when the Bible says that Isaac was delighting his wife (Genesis 26:8), which implies he was doing so in an intimate way.
And yet, Rebecca intervenes to make sure that Isaac blesses Jacob, and not Esau, tricking her husband by stimulating his physical senses -- his love of meat, for example -- rather than making the case to Isaac directly herself.
Is that a sign of a healthy marriage, or an unhealthy one? Ultimately, Rebecca is right -- but perhaps insisting to her husband that she knew what was best for the family might have led to tensions. So she fooled him, with Jacob's help.
Notably, Isaac is distraught when he discovers the ruse, but does not blame his wife, or even think to suspect her. The lesson here is not that one should try to deceive one's spouse, but rather that a happy marriage is one in which partners understand each other's motivations in a way that is beyond the need for words.
The additional reading, from I Samuel, talks about the tragic parting of David and Jonathan, the two best friends in the Bible. There is a thematic link to this week's portion, in that Jacob must also part from his family. But the other, perhaps deeper, link, is the story about the bond between these two souls -- one so close that it did not even need physical closeness to endure. The story of Isaac thus evokes themes of love and friendship that recur throughout the Bible.
This is the portion that all journalists should love: the Torah tells the story of the 12 spies, only two of whom tell the truth when the other ten shade it in a negative away (perhaps to suit a political agenda that is opposed to Moses).
It's not that the ten "lying" spies misconstrue the facts about the Land of Israel; rather, they interject their opinions that the land is impossible to conquer, which strikes unnecessary terror into the hearts of the people.
We have many examples of such fake news today -- from the Iranian propaganda outlets spreading false claims that they are winning the war, to California politicians spreading false horror stories about ICE raids in L.A.
The people realize, too late, that they have been fooled, and once they are condemned to die in the desert, they try to rush into Israel -- only to be defeated by the inhabitants, as the spies predicted that they would be.
But as consolation, God gives the people new commandments -- focused on things they must ...
This week's portion discusses the procedure for lighting the menorah, the holy seven-branched lamp, in the Tabernacle (and later the Temple). It also describes an episode where the people crave meat, and God punishes them by giving it to them in excess. We also read the story of Miriam, Moses's sister, who is punished with the spiritual skin blemish of tzara'at for speaking about her brother, thus violating the prohibition against lashon hara (evil tongue).
I heard a fantastic sermon this week about the lighting of the menorah: that while only the priests were qualified to clean and purify the menorah, anyone could light it. A reminder that each of us can inspire others along the way.
This week we study the vow of the Nazirite; a reminder that sometimes trying to be too holy is excessive, and the best we can do is to be the best that we are.
https://www.chabad.org/parshah/torahreading_cdo/aid/2495720/p/complete/jewish/Naso-Torah-Reading.htm
