* TORAH WEEKLY * Highlights of the Weekly Torah Portion Parshas Toldos For the week ending 2 Kislev 5755 4 & 5 November 1994 =========================================================================== Summary After twenty years of marriage without children, Yitzchak's prayers to Hashem are answered and Rivka gives birth to twins: Esav and Yaakov. The birth is extremely painful for Rivka, and Hashem reveals to her that her suffering is a microcosmic prelude to the world-wide conflict that will rage between the two great nations: Edom/Rome and Yisrael, descendents of her twins. Esav is born first, and tries to prevent the birth of Yaakov, but Yaakov holds onto Esav's heel, and emerges into the world. As they grow up, the contrast between the twins becomes apparent: Esav is a hunter, a man of the field, of the physical world; whereas Yaakov sits in the tents of Torah developing his soul. On the day of the funeral of their grandfather Avraham, Yaakov is cooking lentil soup, the traditional mourner's meal. Esav rushes in, ravenous from a hard day's hunting, and sells his birthright (and its concomitant spiritual responsibilities) for a bowl of soup, clearly showing his unworthiness for the position of the firstborn. Yitzchak tries to escape to Egypt when a famine strikes Canaan, but Hashem reminds him that the Akeida -- being offered as a sacrifice -- has sanctified him, and he must remain in the Holy Land. Instead, he relocates to Gerar in the land of the Plishtim, where, to protect Rivka, he must say that she is his sister. He becomes very wealthy, thus arousing jealousy, and Avimelech the king asks him to leave. Yitzchak re-digs three wells dug by his father, prophetically alluding to the three Batei Mikdash (Temples) which will be built. Avimelech seeing the blessings that Hashem has bestowed on Yitzchak, makes a treaty with him. When Yitzchak senses the end of his days approaching, he summons Esav to give him blessings. Rivka, acting on a prophetic command that the blessings must go to Yaakov, arranges for Yaakov to impersonate his brother and receive the blessings. When Esav in a rage of frustration complains to his father that his brother has bought his birthright, Yitzchak realizes that the birthright has been bestowed correctly on Yaakov who has valued its responsibilities rather than its privileges, and confirms the blessings he has given. Esav vows to kill his brother, and so Rivka sends Yaakov to her brother Lavan where he may find a suitable wife. =========================================================================== Commentaries "And these are the offspring of Yitzchak the son of Avraham -- Avraham begot Yitzchak" (25:19). Yitzchak always considered that his only merit was that he was "the son of Avraham," and Avraham thought that his only merit was that he "begot Yitzchak." That is the way of tzadikim -- that they never see themselves as sufficient in their own eyes, rather that their only merit is being the son or the father of a tzadik. (Admor Rabbi Yechiel m'Alexander in Iturei Torah) "And these are the offspring of Yitzchak the son of Avraham..." (25:19). These are the first words of this week's Parsha. Last week's Parsha finishes: "...[Yishmael] dwelt over all of his brethren." The Torah uses a word for "dwelt" which can also mean "fell." The Torah is hinting to us, by the juxtaposition of these two verses, that when Yishmael "falls" in the final chapter of world history, then will shine the sunlight of the Mashiach, the son of David...who is of the "offspring of Yitzchak the son of Avraham." (Ba'al HaTurim) "And Yaakov was a simple man" (25:27). A man needs to be able to control and dominate his character traits -- to exercise the appropriate characteristic in the appropriate situation. For there will be times when he will need to apply a "bad" trait for the right reason, as our Sages teach us "Anyone who is merciful when the situation demands hardness, will end up being hard when he should be merciful" (Koheles Rabba ch. 7). That is why Yaakov is called a simple man. Man -- implying that he was able to control his character, rather than his character controlling him. He could apply his simplicity when appropriate, but when dealing with trickery and deceit, he could be as wily and cunning as he was simple... (HaRebbe HaKodosh m'Lublin in Mayana shel Torah) "So he drew close and kissed him; he smelled the fragrance of his garments and blessed him; he said, `See, the fragrance of my son is like the fragrance of a field which Hashem has blessed'" (27:27). Our Sages teach us that when Yaakov entered the chamber of his father, he was accompanied by the fragrance of Gan Eden (The Garden of Eden). Rav Yerucham Levovitz explains the significance of this fragrance with a story about Eliyahu HaNavi, who was walking along the road with a man. They came across a rotting carcass, and his companion immediately held his nose and said "What a smell this carcass makes!" while Eliyahu merely commented "What white teeth it has!" Later they passed by a man who was guilty of many transgressions. Eliyahu held his nose because of the stench of the sins emanating from this man, and removed himself from his presence immediately. To those who have a "sensitive nose," like Yitzchak Avinu, evil has a smell as palpable as a rotting carcass, but the sweetness of good deeds is as real and as actual as the scent of the most beautiful garden. (Adapted from Lekach Tov) =========================================================================== Haftorah: Malachi 1:1 -- 2:7 When forced to examine the curious history of the Jewish People, historians have always found themselves at a loss, for there is no logical reason why a small tribe from a land at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea should have survived and prospered through two thousand years of oppression and assimilation. No historical theory can explain why the Jewish People have outlived the Persians, the Babylonians, the Greeks and the Romans. As Mark Twain once wrote, "The Jew saw them all, beat them all, and he is today what he was then...Everyone is mortal in this world, except the Jew...What is the secret of his eternity?" The Jewish People can answer this question with the words of this week's Haftorah: "They may build, but I shall tear down...Your eyes shall see and you shall say, `Hashem is great beyond the boundary of Israel.'" However invincible Edom/Rome, and the other spiritual heirs of Esav may seem, they will not prosper eternally. Eventually Esav will fall and Yaakov will take his rightful place -- "I loved you, said Hashem...But I hated Esav and I made his mountains a desolation, and his heritage for the desert serpents." =========================================================================== Ani Ma'amin The Rambam's 13 principles of faith Principle #4: "I believe with complete faith that the Creator, may His Name be blessed, is the very first and the very last." Time itself is a creation. The first lines of the Torah, "In the beginning, G-d created..." can also be understood to mean "G-d created the beginning..." The Rambam's fourth principle of faith is that Hashem created the whole universe ex nihilo, out of nothing, so when he speaks of Hashem being the very first and the very last, he does not mean that there is a possibility that Hashem has a beginning, and necessarily an end, but rather that He is absolutely first and absoutely last -- He precedes creation, is totally "separate" from it, and created everything from a perfect void. He preceded all things that were created, He is first, yet without beginning. Yigdal =========================================================================== Spend this coming Winter Break in Israel for as little as $599 -> JLE Israel Winter Seminar '94/'95 <- 3 weeks of study and touring, optional Ulpan, and structured encounters with Israeli Dignitaries Departure December 22 Optional free week Jan 8-15 For Jewish men between the ages of 19 and 30 with demonstrated academic achievment and a sincere motivation to explore their roots. 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