“Like father, like son,” we often say. With Avraham and Yitzchak, we might expect that resemblance to be especially strong. Surrounded by idolatry, both believed in one G-d and devoted their lives to serving Him. Surely their paths would look much the same.
Yet the Torah reveals two very different personalities, and two distinct approaches to bringing G-dliness into the world.
Avraham was the consummate host. He sought out travelers, welcomed them into his tent, and provided food and shelter. Through his extraordinary kindness, he introduced people to their Creator, encouraging them to thank G-d and turn away from idolatry. Avraham reached outward, bringing faith and goodness to everyone he encountered. Yitzchak’s story has a different focus. In this week’s parsha, we read about his involvement in digging wells. He reopened the wells his father had dug, which the Philistines had blocked, and dug new ones as well. What is the deeper significance of digging a well? A well digger does not create water or bring it from somewhere else. He removes the layers of earth concealing what is already there. The surface may appear dry and barren, yet beneath it lies a hidden source of life, waiting to be uncovered. This was Yitzchak’s approach: revealing the G-dliness and goodness already present within the world. This week, while traveling home from the International Conference of Shluchim in New York, I experienced a small example of this at DFW Airport. As I stood minding my own business, a Jewish man approached and introduced himself. Within a couple of minutes, I casually asked whether he had put on tefillin that day. He enthusiastically agreed to do the mitzvah and proudly shared that he had put on tefillin in airports around the world, even in Dubai! I thought of Yitzchak’s wells. Here was a connection to G-d already alive within this man. All that was needed was an opportunity for it to find expression. We need both approaches. Like Avraham, we must reach out, share, teach, and inspire. Like Yitzchak, we must recognize that we are not starting with an empty landscape. Within every person is a Divine spark, a reservoir of goodness and a connection to G-d. Sometimes our task is simply to believe it is there, remove a little of what conceals it, and offer an opening. Because the living waters are already waiting beneath the surface.