Parashat Toldot

This week's parashah, this week's Torah Portion, is Toldot. This parashah includes one of God's most profound commandments. God appears to Isaac and says: "Do not go down to Egypt; continue to dwell in the land that I tell you of, sojourn in this land, and I will be with you and will give you blessing" (Genesis 25:2-3). Essentially, God tells Isaac: Don't move, stay put, and I will be with you.

What a surprising statement from the Divine! God is the master of telling people to move. God tells Isaac's father Abraham: "Go forth from your land, from your kindred, from our father's house, to the land that I will show you" (Genesis 12:2). And God tells Isaac's son Jacob: "Return to the land of your fathers, to your kindred! I will be with you."

But, to Isaac, God simply says "stay where you are."

Isaac is the biblical character best known for what is done to him. Isaac's father Abraham takes him onto a mountain to sacrifice him. Isaac's son Jacob tricks Isaac into giving him his older brother's birthright. So, what can we learn from Isaac, the classic middle-man, who God orders to stay put?

We learn that sometimes the best course of action is not to move. That there is a value in just "hanging out." That life does not always have to be so busy and so forward focused. Sometimes life is just about the here, the now, and the present.

On this Shabbat, may you and your family find moments of rest. May you cherish staying put and delight in not-moving.