The name Yitzchak does not mean, “he who laughs,” or “he who rejoices”, it means “he who causes laughter,” who brings a smile to the lips of his parents. Also, the word generally denotes an ironic form of laughter, brought about by something utterly ridiculous or inconceivable. Indeed, the fact that Yitzchak is given his name simply to “commemorate” the laughter his forthcoming birth provoked, is especially significant. Horav S.R. Hirsch, z.l., in raising these issues, comes to the following conclusion. To expect a 100-year-old man and a 90-year-old woman, who had never before had children, to give birth to…
