וַיִּזְרַ֤ע יִצְחָק֙ בָּאָ֣רֶץ הַהִ֔וא וַיִּמְצָ֛א בַּשָּׁנָ֥ה הַהִ֖וא מֵאָ֣ה שְׁעָרִ֑ים וַֽיְבָרְכֵ֖הוּ ה’׃
Isaac planted seeds in that land, and in that year, he reaped a hundredfold and God blessed him (Genesis 26:12).
How does one attain a true brachah, a true blessing? There is in this parsha a lot of grasping, manipulating and chasing after blessing. But there also is another model, the model of Yitzhak, the contemplative, who plants seeds and receives the blessing of a hundredfold return. This way of receiving blessing involves trust and patience, release and waiting. And the blessing that comes is beyond our imagination. In this meditation, we explore this other way of being and opening to divine gifts.
Sources:
Genesis 26:12
Talmud Taanit 8b
Psalm 126:5
Genesis 28:17
Netivot Shalom on malah ha’aretz kinyanekha, phrase from daily morning prayers (Birkhot Shma)
Photo by Gelgas Airlangga at Pexels
