“You Shall Not Murder”
The Hair That Binds Isaac, Esau, and Samson: What Strength Really Means in the Torah
When my daughter asked me, “Dad, what did Great-Great-Great-Grandpa Isaac actually do?” I opened the Torah and… almost nothing. No wars. No speeches. No miracles. Just wells. He digs, and digs, and digs. Then the Philistines fill them in. He digs again. No anger. No revenge. Just quiet, relentless strength.
Rabbi David Fohrman (Aleph Beta, “Samson: The Man Who Was Too Strong”) asks the question that changed everything for me:
Why does the Torah leave Isaac’s biography so empty… unless Samson is the missing chapter?
Samson is the only other man in Tanakh with his entire identity built on raw, superhuman strength. The Torah is emphasizing: Look at them together — and you will finally understand what real strength is.
The Chiastic Mirror – 40-Year Cycle, Hair, and Water
| Level | Isaac (Genesis 26) | Hair / Strength Motif | Samson (Judges 13–16) | Hair / Strength Motif |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A – 40-Year Subjugation | Philistines stop up Isaac’s wells for generations (26:15,18) – water = life denied | Strength used to withhold | Philistines rule Israel 40 years (13:1) – strength used to dominate | Strength used to oppress |
| B – Barren Mother | Rebekah barren → Isaac prays → twins | Strength begins in prayer | Manoah’s wife barren → angel → Samson | Strength begins in vow |
| C – Marked at Birth | Esau born red, all over like a hairy cloak (25:25) | Hair = wild, murderous strength | Samson born under Nazirite vow – hair never cut | Hair = consecrated strength |
| D – Seeing Water Where Others See None | Isaac re-digs Abraham’s wells, then digs new ones in desert where Philistines say “there is no water” (26:19–22) | Strength = faith to see hidden life | Samson’s hair regrows in darkness (16:22) → water of life returns | Strength = faith to believe life can return |
| E – Binding & Betrayal | Esau’s blessing stolen while he is out hunting (27:30–40) – identity murdered | Hair (Esau’s mark) tied to stolen destiny | Delilah binds Samson, weaves his seven locks into loom, cuts hair (16:13–19) | Hair literally bound and cut |
| D’ – Strength Restored | Isaac digs again at Beer-Sheva → God appears → “I am with you” (26:24–25) | Strength = covenant renewal | Hair begins to grow again → Samson prays → pillars fall (16:22–30) | Strength = covenant renewal |
| C’ – Legacy of the Hair | Esau’s hairy/red line becomes Edom – eternal enemy | Hair = curse of rage | Samson’s hair regrows → judges Israel, ends 40-year oppression | Hair = blessing of redemption |
| A’ – End of 40-Year Cycle | Philistines make peace treaty with Isaac (26:28–31) – water flows again | Strength ends oppression | Samson’s death crushes Philistine rulers – 40-year yoke broken | Strength ends oppression |
What Strength Really Means
Isaac digs wells in a desert where everyone else says, “There is no water.” That is not a weakness. That is Samson-level strength — but turned outward to give life instead of taking it.
Samson uses his strength to tear lions, carry gates, and kill thousands. Isaac uses his to tear open the earth and give water to the very people who hate him.
Both men are bound:
- Esau’s hair is his identity — stolen by deception.
- Samson’s hair is his identity — stolen by betrayal.
Both men are blind:
- Isaac is literally blind when he blesses Jacob.
- Samson was literally blinded in Gaza.
Both men die (symbolically) and are reborn:
- Isaac “dies” on the altar, resurrected by the ram.
- Samson “dies” when his hair is cut, resurrected when it regrows.
The Sixth Commandment is not just “don’t kill the body.” It is not to murder a soul’s purpose.
Esau wanted to murder Jacob’s body. Jacob murdered Esau’s destiny. Delilah murdered Samson’s calling.
Isaac and Samson show the only cure: Use your strength from above, Samson-level strength. Do not dominate. Instead, dig wells for your enemies.
Because real strength is not how many Philistines you can crush. It is how many times you can be filled in… and still dig again.
That is the missing biography of Isaac. That is the secret of Samson. That is the Sixth Commandment hidden in Toldot.
Next in series: Essay 7 – The Seventh Commandment in Toldot: “Do Not Commit Adultery” – Esau’s Wives, Samson’s Women, and the Battle for Covenant Seed
Shabbat Shalom, [Chazzan Gavriel] Kohen – descendant of Aaron through the Diaz Ramirez line Beit HaShoavah – https://beithashoavah.org