This pasuk seems redundant. Obviously, if Yitzchak is Avraham’s son, Avraham must have begotten Yitzchak. The commentators respond with various explanations. Ibn Ezra interprets “Avraham begot Yitzchak” as a reference to the fact that Avraham raised and educated Yitzchak. Educating a child is equivalent to begetting that child, since one “creates” a human being through the process of education. Horav Nissan Alpert, zl, suggests that by using this apparent redundancy the Torah addresses a question that plagues students of the historical narrative of the Patriarchs. How would two brothers, Yaakov and Eisav, who were raised by the same parents, who received an equivalent education, have developed natures so disparate from one another?
Horav Alpert explains that two factors contribute to determining a child’s educational development: his nature and personality, as inherited from his parents; the education he receives from his parents and mentors. These actually represent two forms of birth. A child may be born to wonderful, caring, loving parents who will do anything to provide him with the finest education. If the child reneges and refuses to learn, however, the entire process is futile. This is the reason for the Torah’s redundancy. “These are the offspring of Yitzchak the son of Avraham.” Yitzchak inherits his unique nature from his revered father, Avraham. The virtues required for Yitzchok to become the next Patriarch were in place. “Avraham begot Yitzchak” – Avraham succeeded in nurturing Yitzchak’s unique talents and attributes in response to Yitzchak’s desire to emulate his father’s lifestyle and spiritual perspective. Yitzchak had a burning desire to study with, and be educated by, his father.
We understand how it is possible for Yitzchak to beget twin boys, one who adheres to his way of life and the other who rejects it totally. They were born with similar abilities inherited from the same parents. Yaakov sought to emulate his parens. Eisav, regrettably, was determined to reject the opportunity to learn from paradigmatic role models.
