In Parshas Vayera we find the akeidas Yitzchak. This was the most difficult nisayon that Hashem gave to Avraham, and Avraham passed the test. The meforshim point out that Yitzchak was 37 years old at the time of the akeidah; therefore, the akeidas Yitzchak was obviously also a nisayon for Yitzchak as well. Several meforshim[i] point out that there is one angle on this nisayon which made it a greater test for Yitzchak than for Avraham.

Rav Hirsch points out something quite simple, but once we hear it, it really affects our whole picture of the akeidas Yitzchak. Rav Hirsch says as follows

Isaac was no longer a child; he was an independent man of thirty-seven years of age so that the greatness of his soul in this whole affair ranks equally with that of Avraham. Yitzchak had not received the behest himself, he only knew it through the mouth of his father as Torah SheBa'al Peh.

In other words, Avraham heard the command directly from Hashem;;Yitzchak, however, heard it from Avraham. For Avraham this command was like Torah Shebichsav and for Yitzchak it was like Torah SheBa'al Peh

This is incredible. Yitzchak was relying completely on his father, on his rebbe. Yitzchak was literally giving up his life based on his trust in his father, his rebbe. Rav Hirsch continues

So here the first Jewish son is ready to sacrifice himself for a tradition which he only knew through his father. Here the seed was sown for the devotion of the later generations to the traditions of their forbears. Thus, our sages ask, 'how could Yitzchak believe in such a hora'as sha'ah, how dare he do so?' The answer they give is [that it was based] on his firm conviction of the proven character of his father. Our devotion to the traditions of our forbears also rest on their characters.

Rav Hirsch here is pointing out that Am Yisroel throughout history has guarded our mesorah tenaciously. We have held onto our traditions and the teachings of our ancestors, parents, and rabbanim. Where did we get this ko’ach from? Where does this spiritual strength come from? Rav Hirsch is pointing out that it comes from Yitzchak

We believe that our Avos have provided us with certain spiritual genes which have been passed down to the Jewish people. This is a concept which is developed in different safarim.[ii] Rav Hirsch is saying that our ability to maintain our traditions even against difficult circumstances comes from Yitzchak. Yitzchak was willing to literally give up his life based on his tradition and based on his mesorah from his father, his rebbe. That heroic strength of Yitzchak has been passed on to the future generations.

In short, one lesson of this week's parsha is mesorah. Am Yisroel's commitment to the mesorah. Rav Hisrch explains that the strength of our commitment to our mesorah, the strength of our commitment to our traditions, we received from Yitzchak Avinu.[iii]

[i]Rav Hirsch (Breishis 22,3), and Rav Nevenzahl (Sichos l’Rosh Hashana p.305-306.)

[ii]Rav Dessler develops this idea in Michtav Me'Eliyahu (Vol. 2, 260-265), and Rav Nevenzahl refers to it as well in the Sichos l’Rosh Hashana p.323-324.

[iii]The flip side of our commitment to the mesorah is the hesitation to embrace innovations in our tradition. It is true that sometimes there are innovations. However, in general, we are not so quick to change things. A good rule of thumb to differentiate between for which innovations are accepted and which ones are not is as follows. Historically, the innovations that have succeeded and have been productive are those that were sanctioned by gedolei yisroel and the leading rabbonim of the generations. Those innovations that were raised, but rejected by the gedolim did not succeed. Maybe the greatest example of an innovation in the last century is the Beis Yaakov movement. Most Orthodox women are being educated very differently than their great-great -grandmothers. This is a revolution. This is a tremendous innovation. Sara Schnerer took the right approach. She approached various gedolim (the Chofetz Chaim, the Gerrer Rebbe, and others) to receive agreement for the correctness of her innovation and a bracha for its success. That is a classic example of successful, productive innovations. However, as mentioned above, the general tendency to be wary of changes is an expression of our commitment to the mesorah