Talmud Bavli
Talmud Bavli

Responsa for Shabbat 178:3

ויאמרו לפניו רבש"ע אצל מי נלך אצל אברהם שאמרת לו (בראשית טו, יג) ידוע תדע ולא בקש רחמים עלינו אצל יצחק שבירך את עשו (שם כז, מ) והיה כאשר תריד ולא בקש רחמים עלינו אצל יעקב שאמרת לו (שם מו, ד) אנכי ארד עמך מצרימה ולא בקש רחמים עלינו אצל מי נלך עכשיו יאמר ה' אמר להן הקב"ה הואיל ותליתם עצמכם בי אם יהיו חטאיכם כשנים כשלג ילבינו:

in the time to come the Holy One, blessed be He, shall say unto Israel, 'Go now to your forefathers, and they will reprove you.'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Or, convince you — of your wrong-doing. ');"><sup>6</sup></span> And they shall say before Him, 'Sovereign of the Universe! To whom shall we go? To Abraham, to whom Thou didst say, Know of a surety [that thy seed shall be a stranger … and they shall afflict them …],<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Gen. XV, 13. ');"><sup>7</sup></span> yet he did not entreat mercy for us? To Isaac, who blessed Esau, And it shall come to pass, when thou shalt have dominion,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ibid. XXVII, 40. ');"><sup>8</sup></span>

Shut min haShamayim

They answered:"Reason is not with the aged, and counsel is not with the young." (Shabbat 89b:4) "For Abraham knows us not, Israel does not recognise us" (Isaiah 63:16), rather "my covenant will be made with Isaac." (Genesis 17:21), "I have singled him out," (Isaiah 51:2) "and will give him the birthright," (Psalms 89:28) "and he shall be blessed." (Genesis 27:33)*These verses seem to support Isaac, i.e, R. Isaac Alfasi, over the Abraham and Jacob, perhaps referring to Rabbeinu Tam.
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