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האהלה שרה אמו INTO HIS MOTHER SARAH’S TENT — He brought her into the tent and she became exactly like his mother Sarah — that is to say, the words signify as much as, [And he brought her into the tent] and, behold, she was Sarah, his mother). For whilst Sarah was living, a light had been burning in the tent from one Sabbath eve to the next, there was always a blessing in the dough (a miraculous increase) and a cloud was always hanging over the tent (as a divine protection), but since her death all these had stopped. However, when Rebecca came, they reappeared” (Genesis Rabbah 60:16).

AND ISAAC BROUGHT HER INTO HIS MOTHER SARAH’s TENT. The construct is missing here [for the noun ohel (tent) appears with the definite article, and in this form it cannot be used in construct with “his mother Sarah.” The verse then should be understood as if it were written, “and Isaac brought her into the tent which was the tent of his mother Sarah.”] There are many cases like this.
The purport of the verse is to tell of the honor that Isaac bestowed upon his mother for from the time that Sarah died they did not take down her tent because they said, “Let not another woman come into the tent of the honorable mistress.” But when he saw Rebekah he brought her into that tent in her honor and there he took her as his wife. This is the meaning of the words, and he loved her, and he was comforted, indicating that he was deeply grieved for his mother, finding no comforter until he was comforted by his wife through his love for her. Otherwise, what reason is there for Scripture to mention a man’s love for his wife?
But Onkelos explained: And Isaac brought her into the tent and, behold, she was like Sarah his mother. It is for this reason that Scripture mentions the love he had for her because it was on account of her righteousness and the aptness of her deeds that he loved her and was comforted by her. And so the Rabbis mentioned in Bereshith Rabbah,¹⁴⁹60:15. “Before Sarah died there was a blessing of miraculous increase in the dough. [After her death it stopped, and when Rebekah came the blessing reappeared.”]

וינחם יצחק אחרי אמו, until this time he had refused to accept consolation for the death of his mother, seeing that she had been such an outstanding person.

ויביאה, when they arrived in Chevron he brought her to the tent of his mother Sarah. It was customary in those times for the man and his wife to have totally separate living quarters. When they would sleep together the man would go to his wife’s tent, as for instance when Leah said to Yaakov אלי תבא, “come to me,” i.e. “come to my tent” (Genesis 30,16) We also find that when Lavan searched for his teraphim that he is reported as conducting separate searches in Yaakov’s, tent as well as in Rachel’s tent and in Leah’s tent. (Genesis 31,33).

ותהי לו לאשה ויאהביה, “she became his wife and he loved her.” Onkelos supplies the reason why the Torah felt the need to write this line saying that when Yitzchok observed that Rivkah was a righteous woman like his mother Sarah he fell in love with her. Nachmanides writes that the reason that the Torah mentions Yitzchok’s loving Rivkah in one and the same breath as his finally comforting himself over the loss of his mother, was because Rivkah represented a replacement of all the virtues Sarah had possessed.

That is, she became the image of his mother Sarah. [Rashi knows this] because it should have said ויביאה לאהל שרה אמו, in which case אהל would be connected to שרה, [meaning “Sarah’s tent.”] But האהלה is an independent phrase.

Wiederum ein Grundzug, der sich gottlob bei den Nachkommen Abrahams und Saras, Isaaks und Rebekkas nicht verwischt hat! Je mehr sie sein Weib wurde, desto mehr liebte er sie! Wie diese Ehe des ersten jüdischen Sohnes, werden die jüdischen Ehen, die meisten jüdischen Ehen, nicht durch die Leidenschaft, sondern durch die Vernunft geschlossen. Eltern und Verwandte überlegen, ob die jungen Leute zu einander passen; und darum steigt die Liebe, je mehr sie sich kennen lernen. Die meisten nichtjüdischen Ehen werden jedoch nach dem geschlossen, was sie "Liebe" nennen, und da braucht man nur in die nach dem Leben gezeichneten Novellen-Schilderungen zu blicken, um zu gewahren, welche Kluft da zwischen der "Liebe" vor der Ehe und nach derselben gähnt, wie schal und fade alles nachher, wie man sich alles ganz anders vorgestellt usw. Diese "Liebe" war blind, jeder Schritt in die Zukunft hinein bringt Enttäuschung; von der jüdischen Ehe aber heißt e5: ויקח את רבקה ותהי לו לאשה ויאהבה! Da ist die Hochzeit nicht Blütengipfel, sondern Wurzelkeim der Liebe!

ויביאה האהלה שרה אמו, “he brought her to the tent of Sarah, his mother” Every word which normally requires the letter ל as a prefix, can instead be spelled with the letter ה as suffix. In other words: the word האהלה in our verse means: “to her tent, i.e. the tent that used to be Sarah’s tent.”

אחרי אמו [AND ISAAC WAS COMFORTED] AFTER HIS MOTHER’S DEATH — It is natural that whilst a man’s mother is living he is wrapped up in her, but when she dies he finds comfort in his wife (Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer 32).

האהלה שרה, a construction similar to Numbers 34,2 הארץ כנען, or in Joshua 3,14 הארון הברית.

For, as long as Sarah was alive a candle burned... They correspond to the three mitzvos which women are commanded (Shabbos 2:6). Corresponding to challah, there was a constant blessing. Corresponding to Shabbos candles, a lamp burned. And the cloud which hung [over the tent] represented the Shechinah. It was there due to the holiness of purity: she carefully observed [the laws of] nidah and would purify herself. And purity brings ruach hakodesh (Avodah Zarah 20b). (Gur Aryeh)

Und nun noch drei Worte, die, seitdem Gott dem Adam die Eva zugeführt, bis ans Ende der Tage nicht herrlicher gezeichnet werden! — וינחם יצחק אחרי אמו —: Ein vierzigjähriger Mann, der untröstlich ist über den Tod seiner alten Mutter — und er findet sich getröstet in seinem Weibe! Das ist die Stellung des jüdischen Weibes! Und zu welchem elenden Gewäsche schrumpft da alles zusammen, was man von orientalischer Sinnlichkeit und Haremwirtschaft auch dem jüdischen Eheleben hat aufbürden wollen! Mit Saras Scheiden war der ganze weibliche Sinn, das weibliche Gemüt aus dem Hause gewichen. Jizchak fand die Mutter in dem Weibe wieder; (daher auch: "es war ihm, als ob ihm die Mutter wieder ins Zelt trat, da er Rebekka einführte"), es ist dies das Höchste, das je über den Adel, über die Würde des Weibes geschrieben worden — und auf einem Blatte der urältesten jüdischen Geschichte stehts geschrieben.

שרה אמו, Rashi presumably because we all know that Sarah had been Yitzchok’s mother explains here that as long as Sarah had been alive, a light was burning in her tent on a 24/7 basis, and her doughs were always blessed, and a cloud was overhead at the entrance to her tent. These phenomena had stopped with her death. As soon as Rivkah entered the tent the light began to burn again. This was taken by Yitzchok as a sign that Rivkah would replace the mother had held dear in his heart as long as she had been alive. (Rashi’s source is B’reshit Rabbah 60,16)

ויקח את רבקה, he took her to complete the marriage ceremonies as people do, i.e. they get married under a wedding canopy, a ceremony followed by a banquet.

As long as one’s mother is alive... Otherwise, why does it say אחרי אמו?

וינחם יצחק אחרי אמו, Now Yitzchok became comforted, (came to terms with) the death of his mother when he saw that his wife possessed the virtues his mother had been famous for.

ותהי לו לאשה ויאהבה, he discovered her many virtuous qualities including her chastity, qualities he had admired in his mother Sarah. Seeing that most husbands love their wives, the statement “he loved her,” here, must have an additional significance. The Torah writes this to tell us that Yitzchok loved the outstanding qualities of Rivkah. This is why the statement is followed by the line

וינחם יצחק אחרי אמו, after having mourned his mother for a suitable period. He was still mourning his mother after 3 years had elapsed since her death. Now that he recognised his mother’s qualities personified in his wife he was able to console himself over his mother’s death.