Toldos – Page 4 – Peninim on the Torah

ויאהב יצחק את עשו

Yitzchak loved Eisav. (25:28)

Yitzchak Avinu loved his son, Eisav, despite his nefarious ways. The Satmar Rav, zl, once commented about this. It happened that a student in Yeshivah Torah V’Yirah of Satmar/Williamsburg went off the derech, left the fold. Everyone in the yeshivah was devastated by this tragedy – especially the Rav. One of the rabbanim connected with the yeshivah suggested to the Rav that the reason that this tragedy occurred (in Satmar) might be the size of the yeshivah. The institution was bursting at the seams, and it was no longer possible for each rebbe to give individual attention to every student….

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ויאהב יצחק את עשו כי ציד בפיו

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Toldos, 5777

Yitzchak love Eisav because game was in his mouth. (25:28)

Horav Chaim, zl, m’Chernowitz, author of the Be’er Mayim Chaim, had a son who had gone off the derech. Nonetheless, Rav Chaim did not turn his back on him, treating him in the same loving manner that he manifest towards his other children. He would say, “I ask of Hashem that He act towards his sons in the same manner that I act towards mine. Thus, when Jews sin and are deserving of censure, Hashem will have mercy on them.” Horav Meir, zl, m’Premishlan was a disciple of Rav Chaim and acutely aware of his revered Rebbe’s love for his…

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ויהי כי זקן יצחק ותכהין עיניו מראות

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Toldos, 5777

And it was when Yitzchak became old, and his eyes dimmed from seeing. (27:1)

Rashi explains that Yitzchak Avinu’s premature vision loss was due to the smoke that Eisav’s wives raised when they burned incense for their idols. Alternatively, when he was bound upon the Altar of the Akeidah, as Avraham Avinu was about to slaughter him, the Heavens opened up and the Ministering Angels saw what was happening to him. They began to cry, their tears descending and falling on Yitzchak’s eyes, causing them to dim later in life. In his hesped, eulogy, for his son, who had died an untimely death, Horav Shmuel Birnbaum, zl, asked why was it necessary for the…

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ויאמר יעקב אל אביו אנכי עשו בכורך

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Toldos, 5777

Yaakov said to his father, “It is I, Eisav your firstborn.” (27: 19)

If one studies Chumash only on a cursory level, merely translating the pesukim, he will leave in a state of ambiguity when confronting the lives of our Patriarchs and Matriarchs. This is especially true upon studying the life of Yitzchak Avinu and his relationship with his twins – Yaakov and Eisav. On the one hand, we are taught that Yitzchak was the olah temimah, perfect sacrifice, the individual who most represented total selflessness to Hashem, the Patriarch who is singular in Fear of Heaven. On the other hand, we find this same holy Patriarch falling for Eisav’s ruse. Did he…

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ויאמר אליו הנה משמני הארץ יהיה מושבך ומטל השמים מעל ויתן לך האלקים מטל השמים ומשמני הארץ

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Toldos, 5777

And may G-d give you of the dew of the heavens and of the fatness of the earth. (27:28) – Behold, of the fatness of the earth shall be your dwelling and of the dew of the heaven above. (27:39)

Two blessings: Yaakov Avinu received the first one from his father, Yitzchak Avinu. Eisav received the second blessing after he discovered that Yaakov had preceded him in blessing. At face value, both blessings are material in nature and quite similar. Both sons were promised blessings from the fat of the land and dew from the Heavens above. Chazal, however, detect what appears on the surface to be a stylistic difference in the syntax of the pasuk. Being that verse (28) begins the text of the blessing, which is a new topic, the conjunction vov – v’yitein, and (may G-d) give,…

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ויאמר ד' לה שני גיים בבטנך ושני לאומים ממעיך יפרדו

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Toldos, 5776

And Hashem said to her: Two nations are in your womb; two regimes from your insides shall be separated. (25:23)

Rashi explains that the two nations which would descend from the twins within Rivkah’s womb would have two great leaders who were friends. Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi, known as Rebbi, was the redactor of the Mishnah. His contemporary was the Roman emperor, Antoninus, a descendant of Eisav. The Chasam Sofer explains that Rivkah was informed that the twins, Yaakov and Eisav, had the potential to complement one another’s service to Hashem, much like Yissacher who studied Torah supported by his brother, Zevullun. We find that Antoninus was subservient to Rebbi to the point that he enabled him to redact the Mishnah….

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ויעתר יצחק לד' לנכח אשתו כי עקרה היא ויעתר לו ד' ותהר רבקה אשתו

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Toldos, 5775

Yitzchak entreated Hashem opposite his wife, because she was barren. Hashem allowed Himself to be entreated by him, and his wife, Rivkah, conceived. (25:21)

Hashem allowed Himself to be entreated by him – by Yitzchak Avinu. Lavan had given Rivkah Imeinu a blessing, Achoseinu, at hayi l’alfei revavah, “Our sister, may you come to be the thousands of myriads” (Bereishis 24:60). It seems like a “reasonable” blessing. The fact that Hashem allowed Himself to be entreated by Yitzchak is a clear indication that Lavan’s blessing was unacceptable. Why? A blessing is a blessing – regardless of its source – or is this not true? The Melitzer Rebbe, Shlita, contends that a bircas rasha einah ela kelalah, “The blessing bestowed by a wicked person is…

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ויעתר יצחק לד' לנוכח אשתו כי עקרה היא

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Toldos, 5775

Yitzchak entreated Hashem opposite his wife, because she was barren. (25:21)

Rashi interprets the word va’yeetar to mean that Yitzchak Avinu prayed abundantly for Rivkah. He never felt “I prayed enough.” He finished one prayer; he immediately began to pray again. The first prayer was not accepted; perhaps the next one would be accepted. The fact that, according to the laws of nature, it was biologically impossible for Rivkah Imeinu to conceive, he, nonetheless, understood that his function was to daven, the rest was up to Hashem to decide. The ratzon HaBorei, will of the Almighty, is that we daven. If we care enough about an issue, then we cannot give…

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ויתרוצצו הבנים בקרבה

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Toldos, 5775

The children agitated within her. (25:22)

Rashi cites Chazal who explain that the word Vayisrotzetzu, “And they (the children) agitated” is derived from the word rotz, to run. When Rivkah Imeinu passed the Yeshivah of Shem and Eivar, Yaakov “ran” and struggled to go forth; and when she passed a house of idol worship, Eisav “ran” to go out. Each child had a certain proclivity representative of the cosmic forces within Creation – forces that are not connected to normal personality development, but transcend it. Yaakov Avinu gravitated towards the bais hamedrash, while Eisav was more comfortable in the house of idol worship. As they grew…

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ויאהב יצחק את עשיו כי ציד בפיו ורבקה אהבת את יעקב

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Toldos, 5775

Yitzchak loved Eisav for game was in his mouth, but Rivkah loved Yaakov. (25:28)

People see what they want to see and are impressed by what they have never seen before. Someone growing up in an all American community, accustomed to the sports hype on Sunday, will be impressed upon walking into a yeshivah bais hamedrash and observing hundreds of students studying Torah, completely oblivious to the excitement and intrigue that grips the secular world. Likewise, one whose lifestyle begins with early morning davening, followed by a seder and then either participating in the workforce or in the bais hamedrash, will have difficulty contemplating the secular culture which encourages one to engage in as…

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ויאהב יצחק את עשו

Yitzchak loved Eisav. (25:28)

ויאהב יצחק את עשו כי ציד בפיו

Yitzchak love Eisav because game was in his mouth. (25:28)

ויהי כי זקן יצחק ותכהין עיניו מראות

And it was when Yitzchak became old, and his eyes dimmed from seeing. (27:1)

ויאמר יעקב אל אביו אנכי עשו בכורך

Yaakov said to his father, “It is I, Eisav your firstborn.” (27: 19)

ויאמר אליו הנה משמני הארץ יהיה מושבך ומטל השמים מעל ויתן לך האלקים מטל השמים ומשמני הארץ

And may G-d give you of the dew of the heavens and of the fatness of the earth. (27:28) – Behold, of the fatness of the earth shall be your dwelling and of the dew of the heaven above. (27:39)

ויאמר ד' לה שני גיים בבטנך ושני לאומים ממעיך יפרדו

And Hashem said to her: Two nations are in your womb; two regimes from your insides shall be separated. (25:23)

ויעתר יצחק לד' לנכח אשתו כי עקרה היא ויעתר לו ד' ותהר רבקה אשתו

Yitzchak entreated Hashem opposite his wife, because she was barren. Hashem allowed Himself to be entreated by him, and his wife, Rivkah, conceived. (25:21)

ויעתר יצחק לד' לנוכח אשתו כי עקרה היא

Yitzchak entreated Hashem opposite his wife, because she was barren. (25:21)

ויתרוצצו הבנים בקרבה

The children agitated within her. (25:22)

ויאהב יצחק את עשיו כי ציד בפיו ורבקה אהבת את יעקב

Yitzchak loved Eisav for game was in his mouth, but Rivkah loved Yaakov. (25:28)

YEARS

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