Midras Kejadian 26:14: Midrash Tanchuma Buber, Aggadat Bereshit & Bereshit Rabbah

Thus has R. Tanhuma interpreted (Gen. 27:1): NOW IT CAME TO PASS, THAT WHEN ISAAC WAS OLD < AND HIS EYES WERE TOO WEAK TO SEE >. You find that there are twenty generations from Adam to Abraham, and there is no < mention of > old age written about < any of > them except Abraham, as stated (in Gen. 24:1): NOW ABRAHAM WAS OLD.²⁶For parallel accounts, see above, 5:4. Isaac arose, < and > it is also written (in Gen. 27:1): NOW IT CAME TO PASS, THAT WHEN ISAAC WAS OLD. Jacob arose, < and > it is also written (in Gen. 48:10): NOW ISRAEL'S EYES WERE DIM WITH AGE. This text is related (to Ps. 90:16): LET YOUR WORK BE WORTHY FOR YOUR SERVANTS AND YOUR GLORY ON BEHALF OF THEIR CHILDREN. Now GLORY can only be old age and gray hair, as stated (in Prov. 20:29): THE BEAUTY OF THE YOUNG IS THEIR STRENGTH; BUT THE GLORY OF THE OLD IS GRAY HAIR. Ergo (in Ps. 90:16): AND YOUR GLORY ON BEHALF OF THEIR CHILDREN. < These words mean > that Abraham endowed Isaac with five things. Thus have our masters taught (in 'Eduy. 2:9): A FATHER ENDOWS HIS SON WITH FIVE THINGS: WITH BEAUTY, WITH STRENGTH, WITH WEALTH, WITH WISDOM, AND WITH < LENGTH OF > YEARS. How is it shown about BEAUTY? In that Isaac was as handsome as Joseph. It is written of Joseph (in Gen. 39:6): NOW JOSEPH WAS WELL BUILT. Also, when he went to his brothers, they said (in Gen. 37:19): HERE COMES THIS (hallazeh) DREAMER. It is also said of Isaac (in Gen. 24:65): WHO IS THIS (hallazeh) MAN < WALKING IN THE FIELD TO MEET US >? Thus Isaac was as handsome as Joseph. How is it shown that Isaac was mighty in STRENGTH? Look at how many wells he dug! Thus it is stated (in Gen. 26:18-22): THEN ISAAC REDUG < THE WELLS OF WATER >…. AND ISAAC'S SERVANTS DUG…. AND THEY DUG ANOTHER WELL…. THEN HE MOVED FROM THERE AND DUG < ANOTHER WELL >…. Look at the power which he had! Where is it shown about WEALTH? Where it is stated (in Gen. 26:13): AND THE MAN GREW < RICHER AND RICHER >…. It also says (in vs. 14): AND HE POSSESSED FLOCKS < AND HERDS >…. Where is it shown about WISDOM? Where he said to his father (in Gen. 22:7 at the time of his being bound): HERE ARE THE FIRE AND THE WOOD…. [How is it shown] about < LENGTH OF > YEARS? In that he was one hundred and eighty years old < when he died >, while Abraham was < only > one hundred and seventy-five. On account of these five things {through which he had attained merit}, five years more than his father's were added to him. It is therefore stated (in Ps. 90:16): LET YOUR WORK BE WORTHY FOR YOUR SERVANTS…. Anyone who has merit is meritorious in these five things, and anyone who does not have merit is not meritorious and receives five retributions that correspond to them.²⁷See yQid. 1:7 (61a). And who is this anyone? This is Joab, of whom it is stated (in II Sam. 3:29): MAY IT (Abner's blood) FALL UPON THE HEAD OF JOB AND HIS SON;²⁸Masoretic Text: ALL HIS FATHER’S HOUSE. [MAY THE HOUSE OF JOAB NEVER LACK ONE WITH A DISCHARGE, A LEPER, A MALE WHO HANDLES THE SPINDLE, ONE WHO FALLS BY THE SWORD, AND ONE LACKING BREAD]. ONE WITH A DISCHARGE corresponds to STRENGTH. In the case of one who has a discharge, there is no one weaker than he. A LEPER corresponds to BEAUTY. In the case of one who is a leper, even a young < leper >, there is no one more ugly than he. A MALE WHO HANDLES THE SPINDLE corresponds to WEALTH; for he [is one] {like a poor woman is one} who, if not spinning flax, has nothing of which to eat. ONE LACKING BREAD corresponds to WISDOM, as stated (in Prov. 9:5, where Wisdom says): COME AND EAT OF MY BREAD. And ONE WHO FALLS BY THE SWORD corresponds to < LENGTH OF > YEARS. The one who sins is afflicted by them, but the one who is meritorious receives, as did Isaac. David also gave praise (in Ps. 45:17 [16]): INSTEAD OF YOUR PARENTS THERE WILL BE YOUR CHILDREN.

[2] And so all the righteous suffered in their youth and ultimately found comfort. Abraham suffered greatly in his youth, was thrown into a fiery furnace, and was cast out of his father's house. Sixteen kings came against him, and his wife was taken from him by both Pharaoh and Abimelech. He was tested with his only son, Isaac, but in the end found peace, as it says "And Abraham was old, well advanced in age; and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things" (Genesis 24:1). Isaac also suffered greatly in his youth, as Ishmael took an arrow and tried to kill him. It says, "And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, playing with her son Isaac" (Genesis 21:9). "Playing" means he took an arrow and tried to kill him. Furthermore, his father Abraham was going to slaughter him, and then famine came, as it says, "Now there was a famine in the land" (Genesis 26:1). Isaac went to Abimelech and became the target of jealousy, as it says, "And the Philistines envied him" (Genesis 26:14). They told him to leave, and he went and settled in Gerar, where he disputed with the shepherds. But ultimately he found comfort, as it says, "Therefore he called it Rehoboth, for he said, 'For now the Lord has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land'" (Genesis 26:22). Similarly, Jacob suffered greatly, as Esau pursued him, and he was enslaved by his sons. He was pursued by Laban and punished through his daughter. His son was sold, and in the end he found peace, as it says, "And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years" (Genesis 47:28). Joseph was deeply pained when his brothers despised him, threw him into a pit, sold him into slavery, and he was imprisoned. As it is written, "They afflicted his feet with shackles; iron pierced his soul until his word came to pass and God's word proved him true" (Psalms 105:18-19). Joseph remained silent, as it is written, "He sits alone in silence" (Lamentations 3:28). In the end, he was redeemed, as it is written, "He will not abandon forever, for He desires to show kindness" (Lamentations 3:31). And it is written at the end, "Hurry and go up to my father" (Genesis 45:9).

“Avimelekh commanded all the people” – Rabi Aivu said: No person should even cast a rock at them; that is what is written: “They lie in wait in their dwelling places; they watch my footsteps in hopes of taking my life” (Psalms 56:7).
“The man grew wealthy, and continued to grow until he became very wealthy” (Genesis 26:13).
“The man grew wealthy, and continued to grow” – Rabbi Ḥanin said: To the extent that they would say: The manure of Isaac’s mules, and not Avimelekh’s silver and gold.¹⁸The manure from Isaac's mules was worth more than the Avimelekh’s gold and silver.
“He had livestock of flocks, and livestock of cattle, and a great household, and the Philistines envied him” (Genesis 26:14).
“He had livestock of flocks, and livestock of cattle, and a great household [vaavuda].” Daniyel the tailor said: Ve’avda is written – if a person does not render himself like a slave with his slave, he does not acquire it,¹⁹If he does not oversee the work of his slaves and workers, he will not see a benfit from the property he has. as it is stated: “Better to be lightly esteemed with a slave” (Proverbs 12:9).²⁰It is better to work like a slave when you have a slave, otherwise you will only lose from having a slave. The way of the world is that a person must toil and seek the expenditures of his household, and they sit in his home.²¹The slaves sit idly at home.
Avimelekh said to Isaac: Leave us, for you have grown much mightier than we” (Genesis 26:16).
“Avimelekh said to Isaac: Leave us, for you have grown…mightier than we” – he said to him: ‘All that growth that you have grown, did it not come to you from us? In the past you had only one flock and now you have many flocks.’