Toldos – Page 13 – Peninim on the Torah

“And he (Eisav) sold his birthright to Yaakov.” (25:33)

One may wonder how Yaakov convinced Eisav to sell his birthright for a bowl of red lentils. Why would this not be considered a “mekach ta’us, erroneous sale?” Certainly, the birthright is worth much more than a bowl of lentils. Horav Chaim Shmuelevitz, z.l., sums it up very simply. Eisav did not value the spiritual significance of the birthright. It meant nothing to him. Accordingly, Hashem ascribed the same value to the bechorah, birthright, as did Eisav. Thus, the sale was valid, because in Eisav’s mind there was no distinction between the birthright and the lentils. Horav Yitzchak Zilberstein, Shlita,…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Toldos, 5760

He said (Yitzchak), “The voice is Yaakov’s voice, but the hands are Eisav’s hands.” (27:22)

One can only begin to imagine what must have gone through Yaakov’s mind as he approached his father to accept his blessing. Yaakov, the man noted for his integrity, was acting in a seemingly deceptive manner. His mother had instructed him to act this way as the last resort, the only way to obtain his rightful blessings. He had acquired the birthright “fair and square;” he was only collecting his due. Nonetheless, dressing up as Eisav, even if it was at the behest of his mother, was still not typical of Yaakov. Yaakov dressed up with “hairy” clothes to give…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Toldos, 5760

She sent and summoned Yaakov, her younger son and said to him, “Behold, your brother Eisav is consoling himself regarding you to kill you”… Rivkah said to Yitzchak, “I am disgusted with my life on account of the daughters of Cheis.” (27:42,46)

Apparently, Rivkah was conveying two distinctly different messages. When she spoke to Yaakov, she instructed him to leave home, because Eisav was planning to kill him at the first opportune moment. However, she asserted to Yitzchak that Yaakov should leave, because the time had come for him to marry, and the daughters of Cheis were inappropriate, pagans of base character. Why did Rivkah not tell Yitzchak the truth, that Eisav was intent upon killing Yaakov? Given the situation, it would make sense for Yaakov to take an extended leave. Horav Yitzchak Zilberstein, Shlita, writes that he once heard an…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Toldos, 5760

“And he (Eisav) took Machlas the daughter of Yishmael…as a wife for himself.” (28:9)

In the Midrash, Chazal infer from the word “machlas,” which is a derivative of the word “mochal,” to forgive, that when Eisav took a wife, Hashem forgave his prior sins. Furthermore, Chazal say that when one gets married, all of his sins are forgiven. We must endeavor to understand this. Why should Eisav’s sins be forgiven because he entered into matrimony? Is marriage some kind of magic moment, such that the instant one places a ring on his kallah’s finger, all of his prior transgressions are erased? For the sin of chillul Hashem, even teshuvah, repentance on Yom Kippur…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Toldos, 5759

And these are the offspring of Yitzchak, son of Avraham, Avraham begot Yitzchak. (25:19)

This pasuk seems redundant. Obviously, if Yitzchak is Avraham’s son, Avraham must have begotten Yitzchak. The commentators respond with various explanations. Ibn Ezra interprets “Avraham begot Yitzchak” as a reference to the fact that Avraham raised and educated Yitzchak. Educating a child is equivalent to begetting that child, since one “creates” a human being through the process of education. Horav Nissan Alpert, zl, suggests that by using this apparent redundancy the Torah addresses a question that plagues students of the historical narrative of the Patriarchs. How would two brothers, Yaakov and Eisav, who were raised by the same parents, who…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Toldos, 5759

Yitzchak loved Eisav for game was in his mouth. (25:28)

Eisav used guile to fool Yitzchak. He was “tzayid b’fiv“, a hunter with his mouth. He ensnared his father with halachic questions. He portrayed himself as a devout scholar, concerned about the intricacies of giving Maaser, tithing crops. “How does one tithe salt? How does one tithe straw?” he asked Yitzchak, knowing fully well that Maaser does not apply to these two substances. Chazal interpret the words “tzayid b’fiv“, to be descriptions of Eisav’s cunning. He used his mouth for subterfuge. Should one assume that Yitzchak yearned for Eisav’s “hunt”? Surely, he had sufficient sheep and cattle that he did…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Toldos, 5759

And Eisav was forty years old and he took a wife…and they were a source of bitterness for Yitzchak and Rivkah. (26:35)

Rivkah Imeinu is compared to a rose among thorns. She remained righteous despite the thorn of evil which surrounded her: her father, her brother; indeed, her entire environment was replete with evil. She rose above her environment, above the negative influences that permeated her background. Chazal describe her exemplary virtue. When Yitzchak married Rivkah and brought her home to his mother’s tent, the three blessings which had been present during Sarah’s lifetime returned: a lamp burning from one Shabbos eve to the next; her dough was blessed; a cloud signifying the Divine Presence hung over her tent. All of these…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Toldos, 5759

And Eisav saw that the daughters of Canaan were evil in the eyes of Yitzchak, his father…He took Machlas, the daughter of Yishmael…in addition to his wives, as a wife for himself. (28:8,9)

Thus ends part one of the narrative about Yaakov and Eisav. Many commentators have devoted much to telling about their relationship. Their apparent discord climaxed when Yaakov received the berachos in Eisav’s place. This incident provoked Eisav’s anger, and hatred toward Yaakov, to the point that Eisav took it upon himself to kill Yaakov. While Yaakov fled Eisav’s fury, Eisav decided to take another wife for himself. Does the Torah present this in accurate chronological sequence or simply as an historical vignette about Eisav? The Shem Mishmuel opines that Eisav’s decision to marry another wife was a critical component in…

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Moshe Marcovich In Toldos, 5758

And Yitzchak was forty years old when he took Rivkah, daughter of Besuel the Arami from Paddan Aram, sister of Lavan the Arami (25:20)

Rashi remarks that although Rivkah’s background was well-known, the Torah repeats it to reinforce its praise of her. She was the daughter of a wicked man and the sister of a wicked man; she was raised in an environment that was wicked. Yet, she was able to maintain herself on a high level of virtue, remaining uninfluenced by her environment. We may question this statement. Is there nothing else about Rivkah that evokes praise for her? In Parashas Chayei Sarah, the Torah lauds her remarkable sensitivity and her commitment to performing acts of loving-kindness. The Torah teaches us that…

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Moshe Marcovich In Toldos, 5758

Perhaps my father will feel me and I shall be as a mocker in his eyes; I will thus bring upon myself a curse rather than a blessing. (27:12)

Yaakov feared that his deception would be discovered. If so, rather than receive blessing, he would have been cursed. We may question Yaakov’s concern. In the final analysis, he did serve his father. Yitzchak noted that the “voice” was not consistent with the “hands”; yet, he blessed Yaakov. What prompted Yaakov to fear a curse? Horav Ze’ev Weinberger, Shlita, renders a thoughtful explanation. When Yitzchak discovered that there was “something” inconsistent about the person who stood before him, he felt it could be attributed to one of two factors. Yaakov could have been dressed as Eisav, which would give…

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“And he (Eisav) sold his birthright to Yaakov.” (25:33)

He said (Yitzchak), “The voice is Yaakov’s voice, but the hands are Eisav’s hands.” (27:22)

She sent and summoned Yaakov, her younger son and said to him, “Behold, your brother Eisav is consoling himself regarding you to kill you”… Rivkah said to Yitzchak, “I am disgusted with my life on account of the daughters of Cheis.” (27:42,46)

“And he (Eisav) took Machlas the daughter of Yishmael…as a wife for himself.” (28:9)

And these are the offspring of Yitzchak, son of Avraham, Avraham begot Yitzchak. (25:19)

Yitzchak loved Eisav for game was in his mouth. (25:28)

And Eisav was forty years old and he took a wife…and they were a source of bitterness for Yitzchak and Rivkah. (26:35)

And Eisav saw that the daughters of Canaan were evil in the eyes of Yitzchak, his father…He took Machlas, the daughter of Yishmael…in addition to his wives, as a wife for himself. (28:8,9)

And Yitzchak was forty years old when he took Rivkah, daughter of Besuel the Arami from Paddan Aram, sister of Lavan the Arami (25:20)

Perhaps my father will feel me and I shall be as a mocker in his eyes; I will thus bring upon myself a curse rather than a blessing. (27:12)

YEARS

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