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The laughter at Yitzchak's birth is because of the great joy in all the worlds that he was born in holiness. “And Sarah said: God has made laughter for me.” (21:6) This is the aspect of ‘And these are the generations of Yitzchak son of Avraham,’ for Yitzchak is the first holy birth in the world. For until Yitzchak was born, there had been no person born in such holiness, in the holiness of Israel. For since the sin of the first man there had been no birth in holiness as is proper, until Avraham came, who was the first to begin drawing the holiness of Israel into the world. But our father Avraham himself was not yet born in the holiness of Israel, and the first who was born in the holiness of Israel was our father Yitzchak; this is the first birth in the world in which one was born in the holiness of Israel. And this is the matter of the great joy that there is at a wedding. And therefore there was then great joy in all the worlds, and he was named after the joy, the aspect of ‘God has made laughter for me,’ etc. For in truth, all the celebrations with which people rejoice at a wedding are apparently a wonder, as I heard this explicitly from the mouth of the holy one, who said that the world does not know at all what this joy is, that this one marries that one—for certainly it is not appropriate to rejoice over this matter. Yet in truth the essential joy of a wedding is the joy of Israel. For the essential joy of holiness is because we know and believe that this matter at its root is very, very exalted, as is known, and from this Israel will be born, who will sanctify His name, as above, until great tzaddikim emerge, until the Messiah comes from our offspring and rectifies everything. And this is our essential joy, and in this we certainly have much cause to rejoice at the wedding. And this joy began specifically with Yitzchak, who was the first birth in the world in the holiness of Israel, as above. And therefore Sarah truly said then, ‘God has made laughter for me; all who hear will laugh for me.’ For certainly now that Yitzchak was born, then all saw and heard the wonders of God—that there had never been such a novelty in the world, that from the union of a man and a woman such an offspring would be born, from whom all the seed of Israel would emerge until the Messiah comes. And certainly this is laughter and great joy and delight in all the worlds, the aspect of ‘All who hear will laugh for me,’ for from this holy birth began the chain of Israel's lineage. For our father Avraham himself, although he was the first of the patriarchs, the first who began to reveal His Godliness in the world, nevertheless was not himself born in the holiness of Israel. But he labored and toiled with the force of his service until he merited sanctifying himself so greatly that he merited that the births of Israel's holiness would begin from him, so that from then onward the chain of Israel's lineage would not cease: from him Yitzchak would be born, the first born in such holiness; and from him Yaakov emerged, and from Yaakov emerged all the seed of Israel until the end, until the Messiah comes, who will emerge from their seed and rectify everything and reveal His Godliness before all eyes. This is the aspect of ‘And the threefold cord is not quickly severed,’ for the three patriarchs, Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov, were very holy in the holiness of the covenant, until they merited drawing forth their offspring in such holiness that the bond of Israel's holiness would never cease, so that through every birth among Israel, however it may be, an aspect of rectification of the covenant would be drawn forth. And after that, from this birth the seed of Israel will spring forth, who are the rectification of all the worlds, as above, and therefore he was named after joy and delight, the aspect of ‘God has made laughter for me; all who hear will laugh for me,’ for it is all fitting for them to rejoice over such a birth, as above. (Halachos of Shabbos, Halacha 6, item 23)

76. For the divine emanation of kingship is the first emanation from below, and it is the entrance for ascent to the remaining emanations; it is called an entrance and a gate. As it is written in the holy Zohar, the section Beraishis (folio 51a): One who enters to the King enters only from that holy city; he takes the way to the King, for the way is prepared from here. This is what is written (Tehillim 118:20): ‘This is the gate to the Lord; the righteous shall enter through it.’ Every mission that the King desires goes forth from the house of the Matron. End of quotation. And there is much more.

77. And see also below in Parshas Kee Sisa, on the verse “and his attendant Yehoshua son of Noon, a youth,” etc.

78. In the Gemara, Berachos, folio 26b: Avraham instituted the morning prayer, as it says, “And Avraham arose early in the morning to the place where he had stood”; and standing means nothing other than prayer.

79. In the Gemara, Berachos, folio 26b: Avraham instituted the morning prayer, as it says, “And Avraham arose early in the morning to the place where he had stood”; and standing means nothing other than prayer.

80. And see further below, at the verse ‘And Avraham called the name of that place: God will see.’

81. And likewise the Netziv of Volozhin, of blessed memory, wrote in HaAmek Davar (at the end of Parshas Vayairuh): And through this deed Avraham merited that his children should attain greatness of soul, to give themselves up willingly for the sake of sanctification [of God], blessed be He. And God said that this multiplication would be in two manners: the first, ‘like the stars of the heavens.’ These are the great in understanding, who shine in their generation like the stars of heaven and also bring merit to the multitude through their being surrendered and killed for the sanctification of God's Name. And the second, ‘like the sand upon the shore of the sea.’ These are the masses of the people, who, when faced with the sanctification of God's Name, give themselves up with a good heart. End of quotation.