In Parshat Toldot, we read about the next generation of the Jewish people as we read about the birth and development of Yaakov and Esav. There are several puzzling, perhaps even troubling situations that commentators grapple with in trying to understand the events that take place in this parsha – including Yitzchaks favoritism of the seemingly evil son, Esav, as well as the trickery of the supposedly righteous son, Yaakov. Hopefully in dealing with these questions we can gain a new understanding and appreciation of the episodes we read about this week.
In the first portion of the parsha, the Torah gives us insight into the nature of the boys before they are even born:
Veyitrotzetzu habanim be’kirbah
And the children struggled within her (Breishit 25:22)
Rashi, quoting a well-known Midrash, explains that the word veytotzetzu comes from the root word ratz, which means to run. Accordingly, the Midrash explains that when Rivkah walked by the beit Midrash, Yaakov would struggle to come out; when she would walk by the entrance to a house of idol worship, Esav would struggle to come out.
Rav Aron Tendler asks a fundamental question about this Midrash: if one had a natural tendency towards spirituality, as symbolized by his yearning for Torah, and the other towards fulfilling physical desires, as represented by his pull towards idolatry - to what degree did the two sons have free will when they entered this world? It would seem that Yaakov was destined to be a tzaddik (righteous) and Esav destined to be a rasha(wicked)?
Rav Tendler explains that indeed both Yaakov and Esav had equal opportunity to develop into righteous characters in spite of their very different tendencies - both had a challenge they had to face given their different natures. While Esav had the perhaps more obvious challenge to use the physical world around him as a means to satisfy his spiritual desires and obligations, Yaakov’s challenge was to leave his private domain of Torah study in order to be able to implement the Torah values and infuse the physical world with spirituality.
The commentary of the Sfat Emet reflects the notion that both Yaakov and Esav had potential to be tzaddikim given their predetermined tendencies - he suggests that the intended plan for the development of Yaakov and Esav was that the two sons would be partners – each assisting and supporting the other until a balance of the physical and spiritual realms could be achieved. In this way, both of Yitzchak’s sons could have worked together to become the progenitors of the Jewish people.
It is with this insight that we can answer a question of how Yaakov Avinu found favor in his seemingly ill-natured son, Esav. Perhaps Yitzchak understood this fundamental tenet of Judaism - that no matter what a person’s inclinations are, every individual is given the means and circumstances to channel his tendencies to become righteous in the eyes of Hashem. Yitzchak saw this potential for good in Esav in spite of his seemingly negative nature.
As we read the parsha we learn that Esav did not overcome his challenge - as he let his desire for physicality overwhelm and overtake him. In comparing the character development of Yaakov and Esav in the parsha, we can learn an important lesson about how to achieve the righteous status that Yaakov did reach – no matter what our predispositions and inclinations might be.
When we closer at the text, we see that both Yaakov and Esav were born with a tendency for deception. In the case of Esav, Rashi explains that he knew how to trick his father into thinking that he was observing the Torah and its commandments (see Rashi, 25:27). Similarly, we know that Yaakov very blatantly tricked his father into giving him the blessing in this parsha. In fact, the name Yaakov stems from the root word that means to deceive (see 27:36).
We must ask then what the fundamental difference is between the two sons - why is one rewarded for his trickery and the other condemned for it? In contrast to Esav who deceived his father in order to avoid fulfilling Torah commandments and to fulfill his own desires instead, Yaakov Avinu used trickery in order to fulfill ratzon Hashem. Yaakov knew that he had to resort to these measures in order to receive the birthright and the blessing because he was the worthy progenitor of the Jewish nation; in this way, he knew that he was acting according to the will of Hashem.
With this understanding we can reexamine the verse quoted above – veyitrotzetzu habanim be’kirbah (And the children struggled within her). As noted, the word veyitrotzetzu comes from the root word ratz – which can also be translated as will ordesire. Perhaps the essential difference between the two sons was not that one was drawn to the physical world and the other to the spiritual, but that one acted to fulfill his own desires while the other acted with a higher purpose. Again, it was not as much what they did that deemed one righteous over the other, but it was the mindset and motivation that determined whether they were truly righteous or not.
Given the events of this parsha, it is a wonder that Chazal associate Yaakov with the quality of emet – truth. This is the paradox of the 3rd patriarch – he is on the one hand called Yaakov – from the root word eikev - to trick. On the other hand, he is called Yisrael – when written in Hebrew this name is formed from the words yashar k-el, straight to Hashem. As Rav Zeven notes, in contrast to his first name, the latter signifying that Yaakov Avinu represents the straight path of spiritual ascent. As we have seen, the two are not actually contradictory – because when you look beyond the surface to assess Yaakov's actions, it becomes clear all of his choices were in line with what he knew to be the ultimate truth - ratzon Hashem.
To follow the straight and true path towards spiritual elevation and growth, is not accomplished by negating the physical world. Instead, our challenge is to create a harmony between the physical and spiritual - following the model of Yaakov Avinu in letting our spiritual goals dictate and control our actions and interaction in this world.
When Rivkah questions Hashem about the struggle inside her womb, she is told: One nation will struggle against the other (25:23). Rashi explains that these words indicate that two sons will never be equal: when one rises, the other will fall. In a deeper understanding of this Rashi, we might say that when our physicality is on the rise and overwhelms us, then our spiritual level is diminished. At the very same time, when we let our spiritual goals subsume us to the point that we cannot relate to the world we live in, then we lose the ability to utilize the physical world to lift ourselves higher spiritually.
May we all follow this straight path that Yaakov Avinu set out for us and may we all strive to live up to our namesake as bnei Yisrael. Let us remember that no matter what circumstances we are find ourselves in or what tendencies we recognize in ourselves - we all have the potential to use our strengths, weaknesses and all that falls in between, to uplift ourselves and our surroundings when our actions are guided by the ultimate truths of Torah.
Shabbat Shalom, Taly
