TORAH SPARKS
Parashat Toledot
December 2-3, 2016 3 Kislev
5777
Annual (Genesis 25:19-28:9): Etz Hayim p.
146-161; Hertz p. 93-101
Triennial (Genesis 25:19-26:22): Etz Hayim p.
146-151; Hertz p. 93-96
Haftarah (Malachi 1:1-2:7): Etz Hayim p.
162-165; Hertz p. 102-105
The Shirley & Jacob
Fuchsberg Center
8 Agron Street, P.O. Box
7456, Jerusalem, Israel 94265
Tel:
972-2-625-6386 Fax: 972-2-623-4127
Rabbi Daniel Goldfarb, CY Faculty and Coordinator,
Torah Sparks
The stories of the family life
of the Patriarchs/Matriarchs are riveting, as full of drama and tension as any
reality program. Parshat Toledot focuses on Isaac, the only weekly
portion where he is the central character. Yet even in it, he is part best
actor and part supporting role. Isaac is as often acted upon by others as he
is the leader and initiator.
Isaac and Rivka are unique
among the first families, the only monogamous couple and the only one about
whom the Torah tells us they displayed affection one for the other Abimelech
the Philistine king looked through the window and saw Isaac sporting ( metsahek )
with Rivka his wife (26:8).
At the beginning of the parashah
(25:21) we learn that Rivka was barren, and that Isaac pleaded with the
Lord l nochach ishto -“for his wife” (JPS
1917 and New JPS 1985). Rashi,
based on the Jerusalem Talmud, explains
l nochach ishto: he stood in one corner and
prayed and she stood in the
other corner and prayed. It
is hard to consider this pshat, the plain
meaning of the text (which
Rashi claims to explain, cf. Gen. 3:8), because there is no hint in the verse
that Rivka prayed to God before she became pregnant. Some Jewish translations
(e.g., Rosenbaum-Silverman) reflect Rashi s approach: Isaac prayed “facing
his wife.”
The JPS translations are more
likely the straightforward, literal meaning. Isaac is praying for/on behalf
of his wife “because she was barren. Rashbam, Rashi’s grandson, says
it in one word, bishvil (“for”). It could also be l nochach
matsava shel ishto for her, given her situation. Sforno
suggests that Isaac was praying that Rivka bear his heir, lest he have to bear
through another woman, as had his father Abraham, with Hagar. Or it could be
simply that he prayed in her presence, a sign of the closeness between
them and his identification with her condition. It recalls the story of Reb
Aryeh Levin, the “Tzadik (saint) of Jerusalem“ (1885-1969), who brought his wife to
the doctor and said Our leg hurts.”
But Rashi s approach is also
correct marriage is a complicated affair, and the fact that there
is love does not guarantee there is communication (or vice versa).
The parties bring to it their individual life experiences and world views.
Isaac was carrying the Akeda on his shoulders (or in his psyche) and Rivka
the Divine revelation that two nations are in your womb and the older shall
serve the younger (Gen
25:23). From the text it
seems doubtful that they discussed these matters. Therefore Isaac loves
Esau, Rivka loves Jacob; he intends the blessing for Esau, she wants Jacob to
receive it; he sends Jacob to Padan Aram (Rivka s place of birth and family) to
find a wife, she to avoid the threat of Esau. There is love between them.
Communication?
L nochach ishto it can be a sign of a close
relationship, on the one hand, and of different, even conflicting,
perspectives on life on the other. Nothing is new under the sun; as the
Lord God said: It is not good for man to be alone; I will make for him an ezer
k’negdo (Gen 2:18) a help meet or a counterpart. Sometimes it s help,
and sometimes it s counter. L nochach ishto is a fair existential
summary of the institution of marriage the challenge of keeping the together
and being one s self in balance, and finding the right combination of love
and communication.
A Vort
for Parashat Toledot
Rabbi Daniel Goldfarb, CY Faculty
When Rivka readies Jacob to pose
as Esau in order to get the blessing from Isaac, she not only prepares the
foods Isaac likes but also dresses Jacob in Esau s bigdei ha chamudot,
his best clothes, which seems unnecessary given that Isaac was blind and would
not notice anyway. The Gerer Rebbe said that Rivka had divine inspiration (ru ach
hakodesh) that Am Yisrael would assimilate in the Diaspora. Davka
(especially) when comfortably wearing Esau s finery there, they would
need the blessing of Jacob, to remember their roots and identity. Dress
British, think Yiddish!
Table
Talk
Vered
Hollander-Goldfarb, CY Faculty
In this Parasha we get a glimpse of the life of
Itzhak (Isaac), our least storied patriarch. Here is also where the foundation
of the relationship between the twin brothers Esau and Jacob is laid, a
relationship that is viewed as a foreshadowing of some of Jewish history.
1) Yitzhak and Rivka (Rebecca) have twins, Esau
and Yaakov (Jacob). Each parent seems to develop a special attachment to one of
the sons (25:27-28). Who is loved by whom? What seems to be the difference
between the relationships?
2) Again there is a famine in the land. Yitzhak
moves westward, to the coast. At that point God intervenes. Where is Itzhak not
allowed to go (26:1-6)? Why do you think that God stopped Yitzhak from going to
Egypt and leaving the land, but did not stop Avraham his father from doing so?
3) Itzhak becomes quite wealthy. What is the
source of his wealth (26:12-16)? How does that differ from the source of wealth
of Avraham when he was in [Egypt] a foreign land? (You can look at 12:14-13:2)
Why does Itzhak s success spur jealousy in the local population? How do they
try stop him?
4) In his old age Itzhak turns blind. He wishes
to bless Esau before his death (27:1-29). Rebecca, hearing about it, decides to
send Yaakov, pretending to be Esau, to receive the blessing. Itzhak is
surprised by the speed in which Esau returns with a prepared meal. How does
Itzhak express his suspicions (27:18-
24)? Why do you think that Itzhak
bless him (Yaakov) if he suspected that
something was wrong?
5) Following the blessing episode Yaakov is
sent away by his parents to his maternal uncle s house. Each parent gives a
reason for sending Yaakov away (27:42-28:4). What are the 2 reasons? Keep your
eyes open: these reasons will be influencing Yaakov s life for the next 2
Parashot.