He went down to Egypt: Compelled by the Divine Word: Rabbi Moshe Alshich⁸⁵ and commentator, lived from 1508 - 1593 explained that our forefather Isaac wished to go to Egypt in order to begin the four hundred years of slavery as foreigners in a strange land which had been predicted to Abraham, but God would not allow him to do so. He said: “Don’t go down to Egypt; dwell in this land and I will be with you.”⁸⁶ Even though Isaac dwelt for some time in the land of the Philistines, this was actually part of the land that was promised to his descendents. Isaac knew that the promise made to Abraham could not be fulfilled until one of Abraham’s descendents went down to Egypt. That is why the verse says My father (Jacob) was a wandering Aramean and he went down to Egypt to dwell there – he went down to become the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham. Isaac was compelled by God’s commandment not to go down but Jacob was compelled by God’s commandment to go down to Egypt!

footnotes: ⁸⁵ Rabbi Moshe Alshich, a well known Kabbalist ⁸⁶ Genesis 26:2