Topsy Turvy

Rabbi Moshe Shlilat - Shabbat Bi-Shabbato Toldos 5773

"And let G-d give you from the dew of the heaven and from the fat of the earth, and an abundance of grain and wine. Let other nations serve you, and let the people prostrate themselves before you. You shall be a master to your brothers, and the sons of your mother will bow down to you. Let those who curse you be cursed and those who bless you be blessed." [Bereishit 27:28-29].   The unprecedented blessings that Yitzchak bestows on Yaacov, who is dressed up as his brother Eisav, give us pause for thought. The blessings are so general and absolute that when the mistaken identity is revealed Yitzchak says to Eisav: I have already given everything to Yaacov, I did not leave anything for you.   Why did Eisav deserve this? And why, after Yitzchak is struck by a great fear, does he evidently accept that the blessing should have indeed been given to Yaacov? In general, we might ask: Why was it necessary that such a basic matter as the blessings by a father to his son, the very essence of the nation of Yisrael, should be transferred in a convoluted and complex way? What is really going on here?   There are places in the Torah where the straightforward interpretation of the verses almost cries out that it must be understood with the aid of a mystic approach. There is no real Torah without an internal meaning. If this is true for all the stories in the Torah, it is all the more so with respect to the events in this week's Torah portion.   To Ascend or to Descend   According to the Chassidic approach (based on the Kaballa), Yitzchak was very much aware with whom he was dealing. When Yaacov dressed up as Eisav, Yitzchak said "the voice is the voice of Yaacov" [Bereishit 27:22], mainly not because of the sound of the voice but because Yaacov "spoke in a tone of begging – let my master please rise" [Rashi], and because he spoke of G-d. Yitzchak knew that Eisav spoke in a gruff manner.   However, Yitzchak wanted to raise Eisav to a higher level, to expose his holy roots and to repair the damage that had been done. After all, Eisav was his son! A son of the Patriarch Yitzchak! This son who had slid so far down had traits that were deeply hidden and powerful. If his father would give him exceptional blessings – he might achieve the strength to reveal his true powers!   Rivka was sure that the blessings would not help, and that they would therefore cause harm, by enhancing Eisav's negative powers (instead of "drawing out the sparks" they would "give sustenance to the dark shells"). Therefore, the one who really needed extraordinary blessings was "the conventional blessed one," Yaacov, the simple one, who dwelt in tents. In order for him to be able to overcome the powerful evil of Eisav, it was necessary for Yaacov to receive spiritual strength that could descend into the physical world of evil and modify it. Such blessings-forces can only be obtained through deceit!   Deceit as a Way of repairing Deceit   This was not the first instance of deceit in the world. The purpose of Yaacov's first deceit was to overcome and mend the deceit of the primordial serpent. What is needed here is to be "topsy-turvy" ("hafuch al hafuch" in the words of the first Rebbe of Chabad).   The result of the deceit by the serpent was that the physical entered into the spiritual. In the pure and clean Garden of Eden, evil was suddenly revealed by Adam and Chava – the highest level of the creatures made by the Holy One, Blessed be He! The only way to accomplish a goal of this type is to make a very special effort, using disguise and deceit.   The purpose of the deceit practiced by Yaacov and Rivka was to incorporate a spiritual element into the lowest level of physical existence. Yaacov was not to remain "a simple man, a dweller of tents" any longer. He would be in control, he would be the master! Let physical reality bow down to him!   After these events, Yitzchak understood that they were all G-d's doing, and that Eisav was not yet ready to utilize the blessings properly. In the end, he was happy that Yaacov had received them . It is interesting to note that according to the Chassidic approach, in the beginning of the Torah portion of Vayishlach it is Yaacov who begins to think that the time has come to raise Eisav up and to bring him back to a holy state. That is why he sends the angels ahead with many gifts. But they return and tell Yaacov that the time has not yet come. Eisav is not ready yet. He is approaching with an army of four hundred men, and he is not ready for "mending" and to be raised up. Like Yitzchak, Yaacov wanted to bring Eisav back to holiness before he was ready, but he was forced to continue on his path and wait until the final redemption. "And Yaacov was left alone, and a man fought against him" [Bereishit 32:25]. Eisav will be ready to rise up only in the distant future – it will be necessary to wait "until the dawn comes" [ibid].