Génesis 25:19 Comentario: Tze'enah Ure'enah, Rashi, Chizkuni & Da'at Zekenim

“This is the story of Isaac” [25:19]. These are the births of Isaac. That is to say, the children that will be discussed later in the Torah portion. These are Jacob and Esau.¹Rashi, Genesis, 25:19.

“Isaac, son of Abraham. Abraham begot Isaac” [25:19]. Here one asks a question. Why does it have to say that Isaac was the son of Abraham and that Abraham gave birth to Isaac. It is obvious; if he was his son, then he gave birth to him. The explanation is that the verse tells us that people said that Sarah became pregnant through Abimelech and gave birth to Isaac. Because Sarah became pregnant from Abimelech is why Isaac had one son, Jacob, who was righteous and took after Sarah, who was righteous. Esau took after Abimelech, who was an evildoer. That is why in the Torah portion where Esau and Jacob were born, people said that it must be true that Abimelech had slept with Sarah, since half of Isaac took after Sarah and half after Abimelech. That is why his offspring are also half good and half evil. That is why the Holy One caused that the appearance of Isaac was like the appearance of Abraham. Thus, they testified that Abraham had given birth to Isaac.²Rashi, Genesis, 25:19; Devek Tov, Genesis, 25:19, note 1.

Toldot Yizhak asks a question. The custom is that when one has illicit sexual relations with a woman, she is afraid at the time that her husband should not come, and her thoughts are on her husband. The child that she will have with that adulterer will look like her husband. So what did it help that Isaac looked like Abraham? They would say that Sarah slept with Abimelech and that is why Isaac looks like Abraham. This is the custom among those who engage in adultery.³Toldot Yizhak, Genesis, 25:19–26.

ואלה תולדות יצחק AND THESE ARE THE PROGENY OF ISAAC — viz, Jacob and Esau who are spoken of in this section.