Toldot - The power of stability and repetition
Genesis 25:19 - 28:9 | Malachi 1:1 - 2:7
Summary: Yitzhak isn’t an innovator. He is willing to use the resources and methods his father developed. And he teaches us that we don’t always have to reinvent the wheel.
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At long last, after observation, hypothesis, experimentation, analysis of results, modification of the original hypothesis, implementation of the modified experiment, and analysis of subsequent data, it seems that some things have gone well. Effective approaches and systems have been put into place with pleasing results that farexceeded expectations. A whole slew of situations have been improved to the point of being quite satisfactory, and, frankly, I’m disoriented.
For certain kinds of people - and I might be president of this particular fan club - everything has to be an adventure. The drama and intensity surrounding a moment brings it to life. The challenge of figuring this particular moment out, of getting this unique situation right, of tapping into something secretly hoped-for against all odds is just so alluring that it causes members of this club to remain fixated on the possibility and excitement of solving a problem rather than, well, solving the problem.
And then, somehow, despite this great thirst for adventure and excitement, an ongoing situation is wrestled into functionality. It works. Some system or pattern or approach of formula has been discovered or developed that makes conversations or classes or workouts or meal-hunting or prayer-uttering or band rehearsals or meetings go well. Could it be so? May I stop striving the way I’ve been striving, hunting, seeking, exploring, turning over stones and knocking on doors, and finally just get to work? What would I do with all that extra time and energy?
Make no mistake. I am incredibly suspicious of complacency. I fully identify with the rabbi who said something like “if I say the shema today the way I said it yesterday, please tickle me until I can no longer take it.” But, because of my deep concern for complacency, I have identified stability with stuckness, mistaken good-enough-ness for mediocrity, and assumed that all healthy patterns are in fact ruts. This allergy to repetition has left me scrambling every time I have to plan a class or approach a parent-teacher conference, seeking excitement, discovery, novelty and catharsis where clarity and honesty will do just fine. And, not surprisingly, I’m exhausted. Not only that, my virtual waste basket is filled with good ideas that still have plenty life in them.
All my successes this week were in those areas where cooler heads prevailed, good ideas were recycled, reliable approaches were used, and stability was emphasized. But because I have so deeply identified as one who could (and must) bring zing to the thing, those moments felt like failures and let-downs. It felt like giving in. It was actually letting go.
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It certainly is an option, if one is looking to dig wells, to start from scratch. One could use a combination of prayer, intuition, divining rods and magic to find places where water might be and then get to work. Or one could repair up the old wells that certainly used to yield water but have become clogged up or fallen into disuse for one reason or another.
Of course it is far more thrilling and glorious to discover a new source of water. It’s exciting and dramatic. So, if your goal is excitement and discovery, that’s the way to go. If you’re thirsty, consider the nearby wells that will provide the elixir of life with a bit of work and attention.
Thankfully, Yitzhak is content with digging up his father Avraham’s wells - and even retains their names. They work. He is also willing to use his father’s ethically-questionable but possibly necessary and certainly effective means of diverting the attention of local kings by claiming that his wife is actually his sister. More basically, he is willing to live in the land of Canaan and does not await a new “lech l’cha” moment. This place is what is needed. There are established patterns in place and he is willing to use them. A relationship with God has been opened up and needs to be developed. It is good and fruitful and positive and encouraging. A nation in its infancy needs safety and consistency in order to grow. Yitzhak’s goal is not excitement and innovation - it is stability and sustainability. He shows no concern for becoming stuck.
Yitzhak is our teacher like Avraham is our teacher. Frankly, he is the teacher I need right now as I struggle to get over my fascination with innovation and settle into a good groove.