Adath Israel San Francisco | Modern Orthodox Synagogue in San Francisco | A Welcoming Shul and Jewish Community

Climbing Higher and Higher

Although our Parasha begins with the image of both Yitzchak and Rivka praying for children, it surprisingly implies that specifically “his” – Yitzchak’s – prayers were answered. Rashi quotes the Gemara’s famous explanation that Yitzchak’s prayers were more easily accepted because the prayers of a tzadik ben rasha, Rivka, are not comparable to those of a tzadik ben tzadik, Yitzchak (25:21).  Therefore, the prayers of Yitzchak, son of the righteous Avraham, were more readily acceptable than those of Rivka, the daughter of the wicked Betuel.

Most people are surprised when they read this Rashi. We are naturally more impressed with the “self-made man” who had the determination and gumption to grow beyond the limitations of his youth to transform his life into one of his own making. Shouldn’t the tzadik who was given no support and no positive role models be considered superior to the tzadik who was blessed with the “silver spoon” of parental inspiration and devoted moral education? 

Rav. Eliyahu Dessler (1892-1953) explains that we need to reevaluate what it really takes to be a tzadik ben tzadik. True, the tzadik who grew from challenging surroundings accomplished a great deal. But for a moment, let’s imagine the course of the tzadik ben tzadik. What is it like to be born the son of a Rabbi, taught to do mitzvot from a young age, the behavior reinforced by your “righteous” environment year after year as you grow into adulthood? As we find ourselves still performing the same actions and mitzvot we did as a child, have those behaviors become any more meaningful? Any less childish? Have we overcome our unfortunate human tendency to turn even the most important and significant behaviors into mechanical, uninspired, and rote tasks?

We’re reminded here that whoever we are, however we were raised, and wherever we began our Jewish journey – whether at birth or at a later date – we are always challenged to “up our game” and elevate our observance and our intentionality when doing mitzvot.

Whether we were born as the tzadik ben tzadik or became the tzadik yourself, the difference between these people is not that they are choosing, but what they are choosing. One person might be choosing to start to daven while the other is choosing to start to daven with deeper concentration. One might be choosing to begin keeping Shabbat while the other is struggling to upgrade their observance by focusing on the study of Shabbat’s detailed laws. One is pushing themselves to learn the basics of the story of Chumash while the other is challenging themselves to push their learning to the next subject, and the next sefer. Both are busy choosing, both are making moves.

There’s an often repeated quote: “Life is a ladder. It’s not about how high you get, it’s about how many rungs you climb.” That is the great test of the tzadik ben tzadik. To take what one has learned and make it his or her own. To renew one’s self and find our own unique sort of righteousness. To not be religiously smug, superior, and self-satisfied by thinking that we are in good standing compared to others. To be constantly climbing, irrespective of our starting point.

Yitzchak’s prayers are accepted to remind us that even if we are the son of Avraham, we also need to grow beyond learned behavior, complacency, and mechanical mitzvah performance to truly become the tzadik that only we can become. May we climb the ladder as high as we can, and like Yitzchak, may our prayers be answered as well.