THE ART OF LOVING WHAT IS
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THE ART OF LOVING WHAT IS
From Chayei Sarah through Toldot, we meet our middle forefather Yitzchak, and yet… we hardly know him. We know Avraham bound him. We know Eliezer found him a wife. We know he had two sons, Yaakov and Esav. But Yitzchak himself, his inner life, his voice, seems so passive.
If we are told to say, “When will my deeds reach those of my fathers — Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov?” — we understand Avraham: kindness, courage, faith. We understand Yaakov: truth, Torah, family. But Yitzchak? What did he do? What can we learn from Yitzchak?
There are two forms of serving G-d. There is the command of G-d — the mitzvot: Torah study, tefillin, Shabbat, charity. These are His direct instructions to us. And then there is the will of G-d — everything else in the world: fire and rain, snow and wind, mountains, trees, animals, people, and circumstances.
As King David said, יְֽ֭הַֽלְלוּ אֶת־שֵׁ֣ם יְקֹוָ֑ק כִּ֤י ה֭וּא צִוָּ֣ה וְנִבְרָֽאוּ: “…Praise Him, fire and hail, mountains and hills,” because all creation fulfills His word. The same G-d Who commanded us to keep mitzvot also commanded gravity, time, and even life’s interruptions. Everything good or painful exists because He willed it. Commands are what He tells us to do. Will is what He places before us. And we serve Him through both.
Here is an example of what I mean: A student learns Torah for an hour and a half straight – that’s fulfilling the command of G-d. Then he’s done. He can’t focus anymore. Maybe he’s always struggled with ADD/ADHD. Now what? …
That’s also G-d’s will!
The same Creator Who commanded him to learn, decided his limits! When he accepts that with calm, not guilt or frustration, he’s still in the process of serving G-d, through accepting His Will! He’s just switching from Command Mode to Will Mode. This doesn’t mean giving up on growth. It means that even when you hit your limits, you haven’t failed — you’ve simply entered a new chapter of service.
Let us approach this from a different angle. R Nachman from Breslov taught something remarkable: “When a person meets his friend and asks how he is doing and he says, ‘Not good,’ Hashem replies, ‘Not good? I’ll show you what not good really is.’ But if he answers with joy, ‘Good, Baruch Hashem,’ even when life is hard, Hashem says, ‘You call this good? I’ll show you what real good is.’” Gratitude doesn’t just reflect faith, it creates blessing. It’s how we connect to G-d’s Will even in difficulty.
This is Yitzchak’s secret: holiness isn’t only in what you do for G-d — it’s in how you receive what G-d does for you. Avraham represents G-d’s commands: “Go forth,” “Circumcise,” “Offer your son.”
His greatness is action and obedience. Yitzchak represents G-d’s will — seeing holiness in life’s given reality. Yitzchak doesn’t wait for new instructions. He opens his eyes and serves G-d through what is. Avraham’s holiness comes from movement : inviting guest, Kiruv, philosophical debates, leaving, building, changing the world. Yitzchak’s holiness comes from stillness — accepting, grounding, discovering G-d in what already exists. Yitzchak’s doesn’t wait for G-d to speak; he reads G-d’s Will in the facts of life. That’s his Avodah. He looks at reality: the people, the needs, the moments… and understands what G-d wants right there. It’s like a mother before Shabbat. You ask her what needs to be done, and she doesn’t list tasks. She just says, “Look around!” The girl who is the Mommy’s Helper sees what must be done without waiting for someone to spell it out. That’s Yitzchak’s way of serving G-d: awareness, sensitivity, presence.
Even at the Akeidah, G-d never speaks to Yitzchak directly. When Avraham reveals to his son what’s happening, he says: “G-d will show us the lamb for the offering, my son.” Meaning: “Yitzchak, we’re going up the mountain. We’ll look around, and we’ll understand what G-d wants when we get there… If there’s a lamb, great. If not, it’s you.” That’s Avraham speaking in Yitzchak’s language: “We’ll go and see.” They walk together, reading G-d’s Will as it unfolds. Yitzchak lives through this lens, to look at reality and ask, “What does G-d want here?” That’s Ratzon Hashem – discovering holiness in what already is.
And that’s why specifically Yitzchak was the one who established Tefillat Mincha, the afternoon prayer. Morning prayer? You’re fresh, inspired. Evening prayer? The day is done; your mind is clear. But Mincha? It’s right in the middle of life: meetings, traffic, phone calls, kids, noise. And that’s exactly the point. Yitzchak teaches us to find G-d not by escaping life, but within it. To pause — not withdraw — and bring the Divine into the heart of our routine. That’s why Mincha feels “stuck.” It isn’t in the way; it is the way. .
It is so interesting when we contrast the two Avot, father and son! Avraham smashes idols of his father Terach. Yitzchak did not act that way, though! When his daughters-in-law practiced idolatry before his eyes, in his very own home, Yitzchak didn’t destroy their idols! Why? How?
Yitzhak represented a different kind of strength. Not rejection, but endurance. He remained connected to G-d even within the pain of disappointment. How could anyone love a son like Esav? But if this is the child G-d gave me, then loving Esav, is loving what is. It is loving the Will of G-d! That’s Mincha! Right in the middle of the storm , and still find Heaven there!
We can serve G-d anywhere — in traffic, at work, while juggling chaos, or feeling spiritually flat.
When life doesn’t go our way, when the day feels off, when we’re simply tired — that’s our Mincha moment. To say, “Baruch Hashem,” not because it’s easy, but because it’s true, that G-d is Blessed, even when life is challenging us with the nearly impossible.
Going in Yitzchak’s way, is to turn frustration into faith. To find G-d not only in what He commands, but in everything He wills.
That’s Yitzchak’s greatness. That’s why he gave us Mincha. And that’s how an ordinary afternoon becomes an encounter with Divine.
