Kabbalah Library

96) “The people of the place asked him about his wife, and he said, ‘She is my sister.’” As Abraham said, “My sister” about the Shechina because the Shechina was with Isaac and with his wife, Isaac strengthened himself with the Shechina and said, “She is my sister,” as it is written, “Say unto wisdom: ‘You are my sister.’” It was befitting for Abraham and Isaac to say, “My sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled,” since Abraham and Isaac were a chariot for ZA, and for that, the righteous were strengthened in the Creator, for they became a chariot to Him.

97) “When he had been there a long time, Abimelech, king of the Philistines, looked out the window and saw Isaac laughing with Rebekah his wife.” Et [“of,” exists only in the original Hebrew] implies the Shechina, that she was with Rebecca, since Et is the name of the Shechina. We learned that holy Israel do not have intercourse during the day. Thus, how is it possible that Isaac, who was holy, was having intercourse during the day?

98) Abimelech was wise and observed in his astrology, which is called “a window,” and he saw there that it was not as Isaac had said, but that he must be sporting with her and she is his wife. Then, as it is written, “And Abimelech called Isaac and said, ‘But she is clearly your wife! Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’?’”

Abimelech was worthy of taking his wife, as he did with Abraham, if the Creator had not rebuked him before in the event with Abraham, when He told him, “You shall die because of the woman.”

99) This is why Isaac said, “She is my sister,” to cling to the Shechina. Because there was no faith in them, he said, “She is my sister.” And for this reason, Abraham said, “Because I thought, surely there is no fear of God in this place.” No fear of God is faith.

100) Because the Shechina is not present outside the holy land, “There is no fear of God in this place.” And Isaac was strengthened by faith, which is the Shechina, since he saw that the Shechina was in his wife.