Musar su Isaia 63:16

The angel himself alluded to that kind of life when he said that his return would take place כעת חיה, ולשרה בן, "at a time of eternal life, when Sarah would have a son" (18,10). The news about the birth of Isaac was the message that it was through Isaac that such idyllic times would eventually return. This is also what is meant in Shabbat 89 when Isaiah 63,16 is discussed. The prophet says: "You are our father, for we did not know Abraham, and we were not familiar with Israel (Jacob); You Lord have always been our Father and Redeemer." The Talmud reported a conversation between G–d and Abraham in which G–d accuses the Jewish people as having sinned, and Abraham suggests that they be wiped out for the sake of G–d's Holy Name. Thereupon G–d says: "I shall tell this to Jacob who has understanding for the difficulty of raising children, perhaps he will pray for mercy for them." Jacob's response however, was the same as Abraham's. Finally, G–d spoke to Isaac: "Your children have sinned!" Isaac replied: "Are they only my children and not Yours?! When they volunteered to accept the Torah saying "we shall do and we shall hear" (Exodus 19), You called them "My first born son" (Exodus 4,22); now that they have sinned they suddenly are mine? Isaac continued to argue with G–d in this vein. As can be seen, in that conversation Isaac proves to be the only one of the patriarchs who defends Israel. This is what Isaiah referred to when he has Israel deny the other two patriarchs. Many readers are non-plussed by this Aggadah in the Talmud, seeing that we associate Abraham with the attribute of חסד, love, and Isaac with the attribute גבורה, justice, and we would have expected Isaac to have been rigid in his attitude and Abraham to have made excuses for his children. Jacob, who represents a mixture of these two attributes, should also have found it in his heart to come to the defense of his children in Isaiah's story. How then can we explain that the real good devolved upon the people of Israel through their patriarch Isaac?

After all וימי חייהם הבל לפניך, "the days they sojourned on earth are as nothing before You!" Our sages have stated that "anyone who leaves behind him on this earth a son who is a Torah scholar may consider himself as though he were still alive." Even taking this fact into consideration, what good is it, since when we arrive in the World to Come and have to account for our conduct before You ימי חייהם הבל לפניך "the days of their lives are accounted as nothing?" In Psalms 36,7 man and beast are equated, i.e. אדם ובהמה; on the other hand Isaiah 63,16 states: כי אתה אבינו כי אברהם לא ידענו וישראל לא יכירנו, "You are our father for Abraham did not know us and Israel did not recognise us." The Talmud Shabbat 89b discusses this. It is well known that the word אדם is used when describing the spiritual aspect of man, whereas the exterior part of man is described as בשר אדם. Man is also called בהמה in the context of his body not being basically different from that of the other creatures in the animal world.

ומותר האדם מן הבהמה – When the author of our prayer refers to the advantage man enjoys over the beasts as אין, the equivalent of Hiyuli in the Celestial Regions, he is telling us that in those Regions there is no-one who can help us (except G–d, as indicated by Isaiah 63,16). Hence all the salvations that we experience in this world are ultimately futile. This is what Solomon, in Kohelet 1,2, referred to when he exclaimed: הבל הבלים, הכל הבל, "vanity of vanities, all is vanity." A different approach to this line in the prayer understands it as a reference to Adam's two sons Cain and Abel. Cain has long ago ceased to exist and only Abel, or his גלגול, is still around, only because G–d accepted Abel's sacrifice. We have stated that Moses (after שת) was the re-incarnation of Abel. Since no one ever arose who could compare to Moses, the author of our prayer refers to this as the מותר האדם, the surviving remnant of original אדם.

This is followed by the paragraph reporting Isaac's birth, which alludes to the future when Israel will say to G–d "You are our Father, etc." as we have mentioned. This in turn is followed by the report of the עקדה, a hint of the distant idyllic future when the verse in Isaiah 52,8 will be fulfilled.