Toldos – Page 15 – Peninim on the Torah

“And he said (Yitzchak), ‘Your brother came with cleverness and took your blessing.'” (27:35)

Probably one of the most difficult narratives in the Torah to understand, is the one which depicts Yaakov as “taking” the blessings from Yitzchak, through a manner uncharacteristic of someone who is considered to be the epitome of veracity. We do not understand the ways of Hashem. Why did He choose that Yitzchak be unaware that he was actually blessing Yaakov — and that Eisav was actually not fit for blessing altogether. The Zohar Ha’Kadosh comments that this scenario was essential so that the blessing would come directly from Hashem to Yaakov via the medium of the unsuspecting Yitzchak. The…

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Sruly Schnair In Toldos, 5756

“These are the generations of Yitzchak, the son of Avraham, Avraham begat Yitzchak.” (25:19)

The commentators address the apparent redundancy of the pasuk. Obviously, if Yitzchak was the son of Avraham, then Avraham begat Yitzchak. In his commentary on Chumash, the Tzemach Tzedek offers an explanation rooted in Chasidus. Avraham Avinu is a figure who serves as a paradigm for avodas Hashem, service of Hashem, through love and chesed. In contrast, Yitzchak is the model of fear and stringency. These two divergent approaches to serving the Divine have two levels. The lower level of fear is represented by yiraas ha’onesh, fear of punishment. The higher, more sublime sense of fear, yiraas ha’rommemus, is described…

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Sruly Schnair In Toldos, 5756

“The children agitated within her.” (25:22)

Rashi cites Chazal, who explain that the word ummr,hu is derived from the root .r, which means, “to run.” Hence, Rashi interprets the pasuk to suggest that when Rivkah walked by the yeshivah of Shem and Ever, Yaakov would “run” in an attempt to come forth. In a similar manner, when she walked by a temple of idol worship, Eisav would “run” and struggle to escape. Horav Yerucham Levovitz, z.l., questions Yaakov’s “ability” to perceive the presence of the Bais Ha’Midrash and Eisav’s tendency to sense the tumah, impurity, of the temple of idol worship. He explains that we, regrettably,…

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Sruly Schnair In Toldos, 5756

“The voice is the voice of Yaakov, but the hands are the hands of Eisav.” (27:22)

Chazal imply that when the voice of Yaakov, the sound of Torah and tefillah, is strong and dominant the evil “hands” of Eisav are rendered powerless. Eisav’s strength is reinforced when we are weak in our commitment to Torah. This interpretation does not seem consistent with the text of the pasuk. The pasuk seems to suggest that it is possible for both the “voice of Yaakov” and the “hands of Eisav” to reign simultaneously. How are we to reconcile this apparent inconsistency? Horav E.M. Shach, Shlita, offers a novel interpretation. Hashem has established individual “borders” for Yaakov and Eisav. Yaakov’s…

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Sruly Schnair In Toldos, 5756

“And Yitzchak trembled a very great trembling.” (27:33)

That Yitzchak “trembled a very great trembling” is a powerful statement. The phrase implies an exceptional incident taking place which serves as a foreshadowing of the future. Pesikta D’Rav Kahana states that Yitzchak suddenly became aware of Eisav’s deception. The presence of Gehinnom — which Yitzchak felt when Eisav entered the room — caused Yitzchak to realize that he had erred terribly all these years. Had Rivkah not manipulated the course of events, maneuvering Yaakov to enter before Eisav, who knows what the disastrous outcome might have been? Indeed, the entire history of Klal Yisrael would have been severely altered….

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Sruly Schnair In Toldos, 5756

“And he (Eisav) let out a most loud and bitter cry, ‘Bless me too, Father,’ he pleaded.” (27:34)

In the Midrash, Chazal teach us that the bitter tears which Eisav shed merited him the blessings for which he yearned. Horav Shmelke M’Nikolsburg, z.l., made an interesting observation based upon this Midrash. It is a wonder that the few tears shed by Eisav serve as his source for blessing. We have a halachic rule that if an impermissible food falls into a permissible food, the resultant mixture does not become forbidden if there is sixty times as much permitted food as forbidden food. This is referred to as the rule of “batel b’shishim.” Now, Bnei Yisrael have cried oceans…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Toldos, 5755

“And Yitzchak prayed opposite/for his wife for she was barren.” (25:21)

The cause and effect seem to be presented in the reverse sequence in this pasuk. The Torah should have mentioned Rivkah’s inability to conceive prior to citing Yitzchak’s prayer on her behalf. In response to this analysis, the Torah Temimah suggests that Rivkah actually was an akarah, childless, because Hashem desired to hear the tefillos of Yitzchak and Rivkah. The cause was the need for supplication, while the effect was Rivkah’s barren state. What really is a tefillah, prayer? Tefillah is an expression of extreme devotion in which man negates his entire being in deference to Hashem. His individual essence…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Toldos, 5755

“And Yitzchak loved Eisav because (of) the venison (which he put) in his mouth.” (25:28)

Essentially, the central theme of this parsha is the quest of Yaakov and Eisav for their father’s blessing. A superficial reading of the parsha suggests that Yitzchak and Rivkah each had personal reasons for favoring one twin over the other and that there was a communication problem in their home. After studying the various commentaries, one learns that this was clearly not the case. In response to the obvious question, why was Yitzchak so insistent on blessing Eisav, the Radak explains that Yitzchak was acutely aware of Eisav’s character traits. His evil behavior and rebellious, antagonistic attitude had not escaped…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Toldos, 5755

“And Rivkah took the garments of Eisav, her older son, the choicest which were with her in the house.” (27:15)

Chazal explain that these precious clothes had previously belonged to Nimrod before Eisav slew him. These clothes had the remarkable power to attract animals which Eisav immediately killed. It was specifically these extraordinary garments that Eisav would don before he served his father. Indeed, Chazal emphasize Eisav’s special devotion to the mitzvah of kibud av, honoring his father. He dressed up as if it was a holiday when he came to greet his father! A perusal of the various Midrashim indicates that Eisav was either an enigma or the archetype of hypocrisy. On the one hand, he served his father…

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Moshe Marcovich In Toldos, 5754

And the children struggled together within her. And she said if (it be) so why am I like this . And Hashem said to her two nations are in your womb. (25:22,23)

Rivkah, struggling through unusual pains of pregnancy, became so distraught that she went to seek guidance at the Bais Ha’Midrash of Shem and Ever. She was told that she was carrying twins who were disparate in belief and temperament. They would eventually go their own separate ways, one to do good and the other inclined to the path of evil. This seems puzzling. How was Rivkah comforted by the knowledge that two nations existed within her womb? Did the news of the imminent birth of an evil son make her pregnancy any easier? Indeed, the grim news that awaited Rivkah,…

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“And he said (Yitzchak), ‘Your brother came with cleverness and took your blessing.'” (27:35)

“These are the generations of Yitzchak, the son of Avraham, Avraham begat Yitzchak.” (25:19)

“The children agitated within her.” (25:22)

“The voice is the voice of Yaakov, but the hands are the hands of Eisav.” (27:22)

“And Yitzchak trembled a very great trembling.” (27:33)

“And he (Eisav) let out a most loud and bitter cry, ‘Bless me too, Father,’ he pleaded.” (27:34)

“And Yitzchak prayed opposite/for his wife for she was barren.” (25:21)

“And Yitzchak loved Eisav because (of) the venison (which he put) in his mouth.” (25:28)

“And Rivkah took the garments of Eisav, her older son, the choicest which were with her in the house.” (27:15)

And the children struggled together within her. And she said if (it be) so why am I like this . And Hashem said to her two nations are in your womb. (25:22,23)

YEARS

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