Parashat Toledot tells of Yitzchak's experiences living among the Pelishtim. Having settled in Gerar among the Pelishtim to escape the famine that ravaged most of the region, Yitzchak, much to the local population's astonishment, engages in highly successful agricultural pursuits: "Yitzchak sowed in that land and reaped a hundredfold the same year" (26:12).
The Torah tells that even after that successful crop, Yitzchak continued increasing his wealth: "The man grew richer and richer until he was very wealthy" (26, 13). Interestingly, in this verse, the Torah suddenly changes its manner of referring to Yitzchak. Throughout this entire narrative, it mentions Yitzchak by name. In this verse, however, the Torah refers to him as "the man" ("ha-ish").
Elsewhere in Chumash we find this pattern repeated. In next week's parasha, Parashat Vayeitzei, we read of Yaakov's accumulation of wealth while working for his father-in-law, Lavan. Here, too, the Torah consistently refers to Yaakov by name, until it describes his success and fortune: "The man grew exceedingly prosperous, and came to own large flocks, maidservants… " (30:43). Suddenly, the Torah chooses to omit Yaakov's name and refer to him instead as "the man."
A third instance occurs in Parashat Bo, amidst the story of the Exodus, where we are told, "also Moshe the man ['ha-ish Moshe'] was much esteemed in the land of Egypt, among Pharaoh's courtiers and among the people" (Shemot 11:3). In all these three verses, a Biblical character who until now had been always mentioned by name is suddenly called simply, "the man." True, in the third instance Moshe is called "the man Moshe," but that is because the immediately preceding verse does not speak about Moshe. Therefore, this verse could not say merely, "the man," and had to specify, "the man Moshe." How are we to understand this phenomenon?
Rav Yaakov Yisrael Luria (rabbi of the Slonim community in Beitar), in his work, "Netivei Yeshurun," suggests a very simple explanation. The Torah seeks to emphasize that in all three instances, the power, wealth and prestige achieved by the individual in question did not affect his "ish" – the simple man within him. Often, people who rise to new heights of honor and greatness undergo a drastic change of character, to the point where they neglect basic, simple rules of conduct. In describing the ascent to greatness of Yitzchak, Yaakov and Moshe, the Torah underscores the fact that the "menstch" within them remained fully intact despite their newfound prestige and stature. Even as they achieve fame and notoriety, these great men never lost sight of the "simple things," and each remained an "ish" throughout his entire life.