Category Archives: Toldot

5784, AI art, Genesis, Kli Yakar 2, Parsha, Toldot

Beware the Carnivore (Toldot)

Leave a comment

PDF version for print: Kli Yakar Toldot

Beware the Carnivore (Toldot)

 Nothing will benefit human health and increase the chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet. -Albert Einstein

Lion and Sheep

I have a confession to make. I like meat. There is something particularly savory about the smell and taste of freshly grilled meat. However, Rabbi Shlomo Ephraim of Prague, the Kli Yakar (1550-1619) on Genesis 27:3, seems to frown on the practice.

There are other Rabbinic commentators who give us a carte blanche on the consumption of (kosher) meat. They have no ethical or legal concerns with the use of animals for anything that benefits humanity, whether it’s for food or labor. As long as we are not unnecessarily cruel to animals, which is a different biblical prohibition, we are allowed to use and consume animals for our own needs. The Kli Yakar on the other hand seems to have had clear vegetarian inclinations.

He starts with an analysis of Isaac requesting meat from his son Esau to accompany the meal for the blessing he wanted to impart to him. The Kli Yakar claims that the eating of meat was a rarity, reserved for holidays and special occasions. He then explains what is wrong with the regular consumption of the dead flesh of animals.

Only predatory animals eat meat. Predatory animals have the traits of savagery, viciousness, and callousness to the loss of life. The Kli Yakar argues that if we eat too much meat, we may also develop such traits.

He then quotes the prophet Isaiah, who predicts that in the End of Days, the very nature of the world will change, and we will all, predators included, no longer seek meat:

“And the lion as the cattle shall eat straw.” (Isaiah 11:7) for there shall be peace in the world amongst all creatures.

May we enjoy our steaks and meat alternatives, when and where appropriate.

Shabbat Shalom,

Ben-Tzion

Dedication

 To all those who participated in and supported the March for Israel in DC and similar events all over the world. Thank you.

5783, Bat Ayin, Genesis, Parsha, Toldot

The Spiritual Road to Material Riches (Toldot)

Leave a comment

The Spiritual Road to Material Riches (Toldot)

Riches do not consist in the possession of treasures, but in the use made of them. -Napoleon Bonaparte

In one of the more dramatic scenes in the Torah, Jacob disguises himself to appear more like his hairy twin brother Esau, in order to receive the blessing that their blind father Isaac had originally intended for Esau. It seems that Jacob is successful and manages to convince an initially suspicious Isaac, that it is indeed the son who should receive this primal blessing standing in front of him, hairy arms and all.

Isaac proceeds to bestow a short but powerful blessing upon the disguised Jacob. The blessing is as follows:

“May God give you of the dew of heaven and the fat of the earth, abundance of new grain and wine. Let peoples serve you, and nations bow to you; be master over your brothers and let your mother’s sons bow to you. Cursed be they who curse you, blessed they who bless you.”

The Bat Ayin on Genesis 27:28 delves into the duality of blessings from the dew of heaven as well as from the fat of the earth. He connects heaven to spiritual endeavors and the earth to material efforts and provides guidance as to how we can connect to God. He suggests that we need to start with the spiritual endeavors, with our study of Torah, with prayer, with reaching out to God with our hearts and minds.

After we’ve established that connection to heaven, then we can better focus and succeed with our earthly efforts. Even then, the material activities need to remain connected to God and the Torah. By connecting our mundane, daily efforts to God’s will, we ensure that His blessings will be upon our work. By connecting heaven and earth, we ensure that our efforts will yield fruit, that we will enjoy from the fat of the earth and an abundance of blessings.

May we remember that our efforts cannot succeed without God’s blessing, and may we realize He’s given us lots of suggestions as to how to merit such blessings.

Shabbat Shalom,

Ben-Tzion

Dedication

To the start of the World Cup.

5782, Abraham, Chidushei HaRim, Genesis, Parsha, Sarah, Toldot

Cruel Cynics (Toldot)

Leave a comment

Cruel Cynics (Toldot)

The cynic is one who never sees a good quality in a man, and never fails to see a bad one. He is the human owl, vigilant in darkness and blind to light, mousing for vermin, and never seeing noble game. -Henry Ward Beecher

Sarah miraculously gives birth to Isaac when she’s 90 years old. Isaac was the child of Sarah and Abraham, with Abraham having reached the ripe old age of 100. The miraculous birth was the talk of the town. The prime Torah commentator, Rashi, is quoted as saying that the cynics of the generation attributed the birth not to Abraham, but rather to Avimelech, King of Gerar.

The reason for the false attribution is that Sarah, due to her incredible beauty, had been a captive briefly in Avimelech’s palace, before Isaac’s conception. However, before Avimelech could lay hands on Sarah, God intervenes, warns Avimelech from touching Sarah, tells Avimelech to return Sarah to Abraham, and as a result, Abraham would pray for Avimelech and his household’s wellbeing, whom God had struck during Sarah’s captivity. Avimelech returns Sarah, Abraham does pray for Avimelech and his household who are immediately healed, including the ability to give birth. Shortly after that Sarah gives birth. Rashi quotes the Talmudic dictum that one who prays for others receives a response for his own needs first.

The Chidushei HaRim on Genesis 25:19 wonders why Rashi calls them “cynics” as opposed to “evil” for spreading such vicious slander about Abraham, Sarah, and Isaac. Why the need to make up a story of adultery? He answers that these cynics weren’t denying that Abraham was Isaac’s father. Rather they were highlighting the irony of the circumstances of the birth. Sarah, after decades of waiting, finally gives birth to a son, but only after Abraham had prayed for Avimelech. So in a sense, Avimelech was the catalyst for Isaac’s birth, hence the cynics’ attribution of the birth to Avimelech.

Though there may have been some aspect of truth to what the cynics were claiming (i.e. that the prayer for Avimelech was a catalyst for Isaac’s birth), it was cruel nonetheless.

May we beware of the corrosiveness of cynicism.

Shabbat Shalom,

Ben-Tzion

Dedication

To four special cities in Israel: Tzfat (air), Tiberias (water), Hebron (earth), and Jerusalem (fire).

5781, Bechor Shor, Genesis, Paintings, Parsha, Toldot

A Tale of Bitter Rivalry (Toldot)

Leave a comment

A Tale of Bitter Rivalry (Toldot)

Enemies’ promises were made to be broken. -Aesop

Isaac and Rebecca have twin sons: Esau and Jacob. They’re very different physically and in temperament. Esau is a hairy hunter. Jacob is a smooth-skinned dweller of tents. Isaac loves Esau. Rebecca loves Jacob. The Bechor Shor in the Torah portion of Toldot gives a somewhat different reading of events than what many might be familiar with, from the more popular commentaries.

According to the Bechor Shor, Esau, the eldest, shows up at Jacob’s tent after an unsuccessful hunt, literally starving to death. He is so weak he can’t even feed himself. Jacob sees his brother, his bitter rival, and says to himself: if I do nothing, he dies of his own fault, my rival will be gone by his own doing and I will inherit everything. Esau understands well his predicament. Jacob offers Esau a deal: I’ll feed you and save you in exchange for the eldest’s part of our inheritance. Esau accepts, but in the back of his mind, counting on being his father’s favorite, he expects Isaac to gift him his portion before he dies. Once Isaac would die, a legal inheritance would then be in force and Esau would need to abide by his agreement with Jacob, and let Jacob get the major portion of their father’s wealth (a wealth that we are told previously is vast).

True to Esau’s instinct, Isaac, as he approaches old age, informs Esau that he wants to bless him, which the Bechor Shor understands to mean, to bestow the majority of his wealth as well as leadership of the family upon Esau BEFORE his death. Isaac is willing to do this despite the fact that it will contravene the agreement Esau hade made with Jacob.

Isaac informs Esau of his decision and sends him to hunt for some food and prepare a celebratory meal to seal the deal. Rebecca, wanting to sabotage Isaac’s and Esau’s workaround of the firstborn sale, suggests Jacob present himself to blind Isaac in Esau’s place. Isaac is fooled and bequeaths his possessions as well as the family leadership upon Jacob (the ultimate rightful recipient, based on his agreement with Esau) in an irrevocable form.

Esau, understandably furious that his treachery was neutralized, plans to kill Jacob at his earliest opportunity, BEFORE his father dies, thereby getting that entire inheritance. Jacob, under the legitimate pretense of going to find a bride from Rebecca’s family in Haran, escapes, taking nothing with him, to travel quickly and lightly, and so Esau won’t suspect his prey is planning an escape.

More than two decades later, the brothers meet briefly, each prepared for war. Battle is averted. The brothers are affectionate and civil to each other and then part ways never to meet again, with Esau renouncing his claim to the inheritance of Isaac and leaving the land of Canaan permanently. However, the descendants of these two brothers, who would go on to form two different nations, would rarely know peace between them.

Some rivalries are not so easy to overcome.

Shabbat Shalom,

Ben-Tzion

Dedication

On the engagement of our niece, Leora Spitz, to Sammy Landesman. Mazal Tov!

5780, Genesis, Jacob, Meshech Chochma, Parsha, Toldot

Appropriate Alcoholic Consumption (Toldot)

Leave a comment

Appropriate Alcoholic Consumption (Toldot)

Gluttony kills more than the sword. -Proverb

Blind Isaac feels old age approaching. In anticipation, he asks his son Esau to bring him food so he can bless him before he dies. Isaac’s wife, Rebecca, feels that the younger son, Esau’s twin, Jacob, should receive the blessing. She instructs Jacob to bring food to Isaac and get the blessing. Jacob masquerades as Esau and taking advantage of his father’s blindness, successfully pretends to be the older sibling.

Jacob enters Isaac’s tent with food in hand and serves his elderly father. The feast includes wine. The meal goes without a hitch. While Isaac is somewhat suspicious, he seems convinced that it is indeed Esau in front of him and proceeds to bless his son with blessings of leadership and material success. Jacob takes leave of Isaac without getting caught. Only later, when Esau arrives ready to serve his own meal, is the charade uncovered to Isaac’s dismay and Esau’s anguish.

Esau’s resulting anger and desire to kill Jacob for the affront and for stealing his blessings results in Jacob’s escape and exile to Haran, to seek refuge by his uncle Laban and eventually to marrying his cousins, Leah and Rachel.

But getting back to the meal itself and Jacob serving his father Isaac wine, the Meshech Chochma on Genesis 27:25 notices that the cantillation note (the musical notes on how to read the Torah) under the word for “wine” is a “double” note.

He connects the double note under the word wine, to the Talmudic dictum (Tractate Beitzah 25b) that whoever drinks his wine in one gulp is a glutton. The Meshech Chochma claims that the note indicates that Isaac, who was well-mannered, didn’t drink his wine in one shot, but rather split it up into the proper etiquette of two gulps, which Jacob served him each time (they probably also didn’t have the large wine glasses we have today).

May we consume our alcoholic beverages (and our food in general) for the right reasons, at the right time, in the right proportion and the right way.

Shabbat Shalom,

Ben-Tzion

Dedication

To Doni and Emily Yellin on their marriage. Mazal Tov!

5779, Berdichever, Genesis, Parsha, The Times of Israel, Toldot

A Father’s Legacy (Toldot)

Leave a comment

A Father’s Legacy (Toldot)

I cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as the need for a father’s protection. -Sigmund Freud

Isaac is perhaps one of the more saintly characters in our history. He was willing to be sacrificed on Mount Moriah. He steadfastly continued his father’s work, following in Abraham’s footsteps in serving God and bringing the teachings of Abraham to the next generation.

When God speaks to Isaac and tells him that he will inherit the land of Canaan, he warns him against leaving the land and tells him that he and his progeny have received the land in Abraham’s merit.

The Berdichever wonders why the saintly Isaac wasn’t told he would receive the land on his own merit. Isaac was righteous. Isaac was diligent in following his father’s path. Isaac is one of the three founding Patriarchs of the Jewish nation. Did he not have enough divine “credit” like Abraham did, to merit the Promised Land in his own right?

The Berdichver explains that a major part of Abraham’s mission was to “raise the sparks” of the world up to God. In order to accomplish the mission, Abraham needed to travel far and wide and interact with the world outside of the Promised Land. Abraham was able to gather these far-flung sparks and bring them back with him to Canaan.

However, once Abraham had gathered these spiritual sparks to Canaan, Isaac was able to “raise the sparks” from Canaan to Heaven. There was no need for him to leave Canaan. Abraham had passed on to Isaac the power to raise these sparks. Abraham’s gathering of the sparks somehow empowered Isaac to be able to conduct this unique spiritual function. Isaac had what is called “Zchut Avot” – merit of the fathers, which Abraham himself didn’t have.

Because Abraham lacked a father who was able to pass on to him this spiritual power and legacy, he needed to roam the world and develop his own merit. However, Isaac, who did have the merit of being born to and raised by the spiritually developed Abraham, didn’t have to reinvent the wheel. He didn’t have to go on his own geographically challenging journey of spiritual discovery and development. He was able to continue where his father left off in the Promised Land. He was able to take the work his father had done and elevate it higher.

It is due to Abraham, the trailblazer, who came from a spiritually humble upbringing, in whose merit Isaac is told that he and his progeny will receive the Promised Land. While Abraham may have been the trailblazer, it was Isaac who followed, elevated and passed on the trailblazer’s trail.

Both the trailblazer and the one who continues the trailblazer’s work are vitally important. No development of importance can endure without both. It was that spiritually powerful father-and-son team that lead to Jacob, to the tribes of Israel and to the eternal Jewish people.

In the end, we are told, that we have received the land in the merit of all three Patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Shabbat Shalom,

Ben-Tzion

Dedication

To the Chabad trailblazers and their continuers. Their Kinus Shluchim, the gathering of their emissaries, from all over the globe, was incredibly inspiring.

5778, Genesis, Parsha, Rabbeinu Bechaye, The Times of Israel, Toldot

The Blessing of Multiplication

Leave a comment

The Blessing of Multiplication

Those who do not want to imitate anything, produce nothing. -Salvador Dali

Isaac starts to feel his age. He has lost his eyesight. He is uncertain as to when he will die. He wishes to bless his firstborn, Esau. He orders Esau to prepare a festive meal for him. As Esau hunts for game, Isaac’s wife Rebecca directs the younger twin, Jacob, to claim the blessing. Jacob disguises himself as his hairier brother, Esau, serves his father a sumptuous meal, and gets the coveted blessing from mislead blind Isaac. Shortly thereafter, Esau and his father discover the deception and thereafter Esau burns with a murderous hatred for his brother that would send Jacob into exile and influence the entire history of the Jewish people.

Rabbeinu Bechaye on Genesis 27:4 (Toldot) wonders why it is that Isaac requests a festive meal in the first place? What is it about a sumptuous meal of delights that seems to be a prerequisite for giving and receiving a blessing?

He answers that Isaac wanted to bless Esau with material prosperity, and therefore required some sample of material prosperity present to enact the blessing. Hence the need for the festive meal for this particular blessing. Rabbeinu Bechaye brings other examples as supportive evidence:

During Temple times:

  • On Sukot we brought water libations to ask for the blessing of rain.
  • On Passover we brought the first grains to ask for the blessing of produce.
  • On Shavuot we brought the two loaves to ask for the blessing of fruit.

And in general:

  • Whoever is careful to wear Tzitzit merits fine garments.
  • Whoever is careful with the Mitzva of Mezuza merits a fine house.
  • Whoever is careful with Kiddush merits fine wines.

Rabbeinu Bechaye points out that the real rewards for the performance of any Mitzva is actually in the next world, and what we receive in this world are merely the “fruits” of the performance of those particular Mitzvot. Nonetheless, there is a powerful connection between the objects we utilize in our service of God and the blessings that result.

May our possessions be good, useful and beautiful and may we receive the blessing of their positive influence and development.

Shabbat Shalom,

Ben-Tzion

Dedication

To Yeshiva University. It was wonderful to spend Shabbat at my alma mater and see how the community has grown and developed since my student days.

5777, Genesis, Hirsch, Parsha, The Times of Israel, Toldot

Customized Teaching

Leave a comment

Customized Teaching 

Earth and sky, woods and fields, lakes and rivers, the mountain and the sea, are excellent schoolmasters, and teach some of us more than we can ever learn from books. -Sir John Lubbock

frustrated_studentModern parents have mostly outsourced the education of their children. We send them to schools and charge the teachers with the often thankless task of educating the next generation. Within the school system there have been endless debates as to how in fact we should educate our children, what the curriculum should be, what’s a reasonable class size, what are the best methods of instruction, what qualifications the teachers need and much more. None of this, however, absolves the parents of the responsibility of educating and raising their children as best they can.

Rabbi Hirsch on Genesis 25:27 sees fault in the righteous Isaac and Rebecca in their raising of Esau, who the Rabbis named “Esau the Evil”. He explains that they gave their twin boys, Jacob and Esau, the exact same education, without consideration of their very distinct personalities. Jacob was a natural bookworm, comfortable with studying texts, remaining absconded within his tent; a student ideally suited for explorations of the religious and the spiritual. Esau however, was an outdoorsman. He loved nature and the wild. He was physically strong, liked the rugged life, the life of a hunter and perhaps that of a warrior. The study of texts and the spiritual was completely lost on him.

Rabbi Hirsch explains that the boys’ saintly parents forgot or did not heed the dictum, immortalized around 3,000 years ago by King Solomon in Proverbs 22:6 “Instruct the child according to his own way.” Every child (even a twin) has his own unique personality. He will have his own interests, things that excite him and things that bore him. By providing Esau with the same educational curriculum as they did to Jacob, they almost guaranteed that he would come to abandon their beliefs and way of life. Rabbi Hirsch claims that if they had developed a unique curriculum that spoke to Esau’s love of nature, that took into account his strength, skills and courage, it may have directed him to become a mighty man of God, as opposed to merely a mighty hunter.

May we pay attention to and respond accordingly to our children’s’ differing educational needs.

Shabbat Shalom,

Ben-Tzion

Dedication

To the Hebron Fund, for an incredibly inspiring Shabbat in the City of our Patriarchs and Matriarchs.

5776, Genesis, Parsha, Sfat Emet, The Times of Israel, Toldot

Wells of Truth

Leave a comment

 It is easier to perceive error than to find truth, for the former lies on the surface and is easily seen, while the latter lies in the depth, where few are willing to search for it. -Johann von Goethe

Water Well

When one reads parts of the story of Isaac, there is a sense of déjà vu (Genesis Chapter 26). Among the scenes which seem repetitive, Abraham dug wells around the area of the Philistines. Isaac, his son, goes ahead and digs up the same wells. It is curious that after the death of Abraham, the Philistines had covered up those wells.

The Sfat Emet in 5635 (1875) takes a more metaphorical look at the story and explains that the “wells” were sources of spiritual light and truth. When the Philistines “covered” them, it created a distance and enmity between them and Isaac to the point where they banished Isaac from their midst. However, once Isaac “uncovered” these mystical “wells”, holiness and light was able to flow once again from them. The glory of God became revealed and the Philistines once again saw the truth. The king of the Philistines then goes with a delegation to Isaac and submits himself, seeking a peace accord with the son of Abraham, clearly exhibiting fear of Isaac.

May our own digging for the truth reveal light, holiness, strength and peace.

Shabbat Shalom,

Ben-Tzion

Dedication

To Hillel Neuer of UN Watch who incessantly calls out the truth against the lies of many in the United Nations.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5775, Baal Haturim, Genesis, Parsha, The Times of Israel, Toldot

Beware the Peace Offering

1 Comment

First posted on The Times of Israel at: http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/toldot-beware-the-peace-offering/

Baal Haturim Genesis: Toldot

Beware the Peace Offering

Peace, in international affairs, is a period of cheating between two periods of fighting. -Ambrose Bierce

Because of a famine in the mountains of Canaan, our patriarch Isaac heads to the area of Gerar by the Mediterranean coast. There he gets entangled in a variety of problems with the Philistines in general and their King Avimelech in particular. Isaac has the concern, which echoes the experiences of his father Abraham, that the locals may kill him in order to claim his beautiful wife, Rebecca.

Isaac and Rebecca, following the previous generation’s example, pretend to be brother and sister. However, Avimelech discovers the truth and chastises Isaac for the deception. Thereafter, we see that Isaac is blessed with tremendous economic success despite Philistines sabotaging his wells and Avimelech eventually banishing him from Gerar.

Isaac settles by Beer Sheva in the Negev and continues to flourish. King Avimelech, accompanied by his General Fichol, visit Isaac seeking peace with him. Both Isaac and the Baal Haturim on Genesis 26:29 are suspicious of the sudden amity on the part of Avimelech.

The Baal Haturim explains that Avimelech truly wanted to kill Isaac and only after repeated failed efforts does Avimelech pause and tries the strategy of seeking peace – it would seem more out of fear of Isaac’s growing power than for any benevolence or caring for Isaac. It was purely short-term self-interest. The Philistines would remain mortal enemies for centuries to come.

May we achieve peace despite the efforts of our enemies.

Shabbat Shalom,

Ben-Tzion

Dedication

To our soldier Eitan on the completion of his training and his assignment.