This phrase occurs in the very first blessing of the Amidah, the eighteen blessings commonly referred to as Shemoneh Esreh, the centerpiece of the prayer service recited in the synagogue at least three times every day. The blessing praises the Patriarchs, Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov, and calls upon the Almighty to take account of their benevolent deeds and to bring us the redemption that we seek as the descendants of the men whose entire lives were models of exemplary loving-kindness.

The blessing is based upon the concept of zechut avot, “the merit of the fathers.” Children benefit from the good deeds of their parents, and it is legitimate to beseech the Almighty to take note, as it were, of the mitzvot and maasim tovim of one’s parents, of their adherence to His commandments and their performance of good deeds.

Calling upon zechut avot is especially warranted when one is in an et tzarah, extremely dire straits. It is then that one feels utterly helpless and dares not seek divine intervention based on his or her own good deeds. Praying for the merit of the good deeds of our ancestors is then justified and helps assure rescue and salvation.

We find an example of a prayer relying upon zechut avot in this week’s Torah portion, Vayishlach (Genesis 32:3-36:43). The person in the parsha who offers this prayer is Yaakov himself, who depends upon the merits of his father and grandfather, Yitzchak and Avraham. It is a powerful prayer, motivated by Yaakov’s confrontation with his brother Esav, who, years earlier, threatened to murder him, and who now has his opportunity to execute his dastardly plan. Here are Yaakov’s words, and note how the prayer conveys Yaakov’s desperation:

…God of my father Avraham and God of my father Yitzchak, LORD, You who said to me, “Go back to the land where you were born and I will deal well with you.” I am unworthy of all the kindnesses and the faithfulness that You have bestowed upon Your servant… Rescue me, I pray, from my brother’s hand, from the hand of Esav. I am afraid that he will come and kill us all, mothers and children alike. (Genesis 32:9-11)

Yaakov’s intent is apparent. He is petitioning the Almighty to defend him against his murderous brother. In doing so, he hopes that the fact that he is a son and a grandson of Yitzchak and Avraham will stand him in good stead. He seems confident that the merits of his ancestors will accrue to his cause, and he will survive, and perhaps even overcome, Esav.

It is here that I have the privilege of sharing with you a question posed by a Chassidic master of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. His name was Rabbi Avraham Bornstein, and he was the rabbi of a town called Sochachov, Poland. He authored several works, including one called Avnei Nezer, a collection of his halachic responsa which also contains much of his ideology and personal anecdotes. He is generally referred to as “the” Avnei Nezer or as the Sochachover Rebbe.

He is troubled by Yaakov’s prayer, the one referenced above. After all, Yaakov seems sure that he has Avraham and Yitzchak on his side, whereas Esav is denied that access to his ancestors even through his prayers. But, as the Sochachover Rabbe insists, is Esav not also a son of Avraham and Yitzchak? Is he not entitled to call upon the zechut avot of his father and grandfather? Does he not enjoy the exact same ancestral rewards of which Yaakov is so certain?

As is often the custom of rabbinic commentators, the Rebbe prefaces his answer with another question. “Why,” he asks, “was Yaakov so frightened by his encounter with Esav? Did Yaakov not have the Almighty’s own promise that He would keep Yaakov safe?”

To that, the Rebbe responds in a most interesting fashion. He suggests that Yaakov feared Esav because of Esav’s two great merits. For one thing, Esav dwelled in Eretz Yisrael, in the Land of Israel. Just residing in the Holy Land is in and of itself a mitzvah. Yaakov had been absent from Eretz Yisrael for quite a few years and had just returned there at that point.

Secondly, Esav had cared for his father Yitzchak in a manner far more impressive than did Yaakov. Esav thus had the additional merit of kibud av, of honoring one’s father, one of the Ten Commandments and a very special mitzvah indeed.

The Rebbe continues his line of thought by pointing out that the holy Land of Israel does not tolerate residents who commit idolatry, adultery, and cause bloodshed. Perhaps Esav, who committed all three cardinal sins, was denied the merit of dwelling in Eretz Yisrael. The Torah itself emphasizes that the Holy Land “spits out” its evil inhabitants.

The Rebbe resolves this difficulty by magnifying the mitzvah of kibud av. Honoring one’s father who himself resides in the Land of Israel, as Yitzchak did, allows even sinners of the worst kind to remain in the Holy Land and not be dispelled therefrom.

Why, then, did Yaakov not consider Esav to be entitled to zechut avot? It is here that the Rebbe resorts to an answer he heard from his father-in law, who was the famous “Kotzker,” Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Kotzk. The Kotzker provides us with a basic definition of the limits of zechut avot. “Zechut avot only applies to those who follow the path of their ancestors.” Despite dwelling in Eretz Yisrael, and despite all the respect he showed his father, Esav most decidedly did not follow Yitzchak’s path of righteousness and piety. He could not access his father’s and grandfather’s merits because he failed to emulate their ways of life.

Yaakov did model himself after his father and grandfather to the best of his ability. That entitled him to call upon the God of Yitzchak and the God of Avraham in his prayers. 

This is a lesson for us all, especially at the current juncture of our history. We must strive to emulate our Patriarchs and Matriarchs and thereby qualify to vie for their zechut avot v’imahot.

I conclude with the poetic translation of one of the blessings subsequent to the morning recitation of the Shema. It was composed by the late, and sorely lamented, Rabbi Jonathan Sacks:

“His words live and persist,

“faithful and desirable

“for ever and all time.

“So they were for our ancestors,

“as they are for us,

“and as they will be for our children

“and all our generations

“and for all future generations

“of the seed of Israel, Your servants.”