Jewish Temperament

The forefathers are referred to as a merkavah, a chariot for G-d, meaning that every step they took was in complete accordance with G-d’s will. This was possible because their entire self was entirely dedicated to G-d. This, however, didn’t detract from their particular personalities, and it is for this reason that each of the forefathers represent a different spectrum of G-d’s attributes, directly corresponding to their own temperament.

What’s more, the Gemara states that all Jewish people possess three qualities: humility, empathy, and generosity. These qualities are inherited from the forefathers, with each one contributing a different quality. It turns out that each of the forefathers specifically contributed the quality that most represented their own temperament.

Yitzchak is famously cited in Chassidus as representing the left path — meaning the contractive path — of the sefirot, which include binah, gevurah, and hod. It is taught that the fact that Yitzchak resembled his father was miraculous, due to the vast difference in their respective personalities. In this way, Yitzchak was a Guardian, embodying such traits as logistical — organizing — intellect, a need for tradition and aversion to change, respecting and obeying authority unquestioningly, yet being amicable and social. The Torah doesn’t say much about Yitzchak, which is as much a testament to his humility than anything. Nevertheless, let’s see what we can find:

Logistical, organizing intellect: On the road with his father, unknowingly proceeding to his own slaughter, Yitzchak asks the simple question of, “Where is the sacrifice?” But notice his precise word usage and method, signifying his deductive and logistical reasoning: “Here is the fire and the wood, but where is the sheep for slaughter?”
Later in life, Yitzchak is said to have reaped one hundred times what was expected. This may be a simple, or even exaggerated, statement, or it may be a testament to Yitzchak’s innate ability for accounting.
Yitzchak was also known to be careful about his properties and those of his father, so that he would argue over wells dug, and he went out of his way to re-dig his father’s wells that were clogged by the Plishtim.
As well, something that impressed Yitzchak about his son Eisav were his questions about the details of ma’aser, in which a tenth of one’s possessions is given to charity.
Yitzchak also scheduled a meeting with his son Eisav, offering to bless him only after he brought Yitzchak a meal. The timing was significant on the other side as well, as Yitzchak was trying to fit in the blessing before his anticipated passing.

Traditional and change averse: Yitzchak was not allowed to leave his birthplace as his father did, rather he had to stay put in his traditional setting. As with Avraham, although this was instructed to him by G-d, Yitzchak was obviously the one temperamentally suited for such an instruction.
Somewhat inexplicably, Yitzchak claimed about his wife that she was his sister, following directly in the footsteps of his father who had done the same.
Additionally, Yitzchak was only convinced of his wife’s worth when she displayed the same three miraculous abilities as his mother Sarah: her bread was unusually satiating, her lamp lasted for an entire week, and a cloud hovered above her home.

Respect and obedience: The most glaring example of this is when, after being told he was the intended sacrifice for slaughter, Yitzchak walked with his father with the exact same level of cooperation he had before.
In an effort to respect his father’s honor, Yitzchak re-dug wells of Avraham that the Plishtim had plugged.
Yitzchak also clearly valued respect, which easily explains why he loved his son Eisav, even in the face of his great wickedness. Eisav is cited in the Gemara as being the greatest historical model of respecting one’s father. No wonder Yitzchak valued him so.
Yitzchak’s blessing to Ya’akov was filled with a message of being a master over his brother, and demanding his obedience.

Social: We don’t find much in the way of Yitzchak’s social life, however we do see that he made allies with Avimelech in a peace pact. Along the way, Yitzchak displayed his hospitality, giving his guests a meal and a place to stay the night.