Two crowns – Tol’dot
The sidra begins with something that looks quite obvious – “These were the generations of Isaac the son of Abraham; Abraham begot Isaac” (Gen.25:19).
Why does the Torah seem to say the same thing twice in one verse? Apart from the idea in the Talmud (BM 87a) that people needed to be assured that Isaac really was the son of Abraham and not a result of adultery by Sarah, a Midrash quoted by Rashi says that Abraham was crowned with Isaac and Isaac was crowned with Abraham.
They were so proud of each other that they brought a special smile, a special quality of dignity to one another.
