Toldot 5778

The Torah Portion of Toldot 

Excerpted and Translated from the the Teachings of Rabbi Gershon Steinberg ztz"l

L'ilui Neshamat HaGaon HaTzaddik R' Gershon Avigdor Ben Chaim ztz"l
L'ilui Neshamat R' Yochanan Yitzchak Ben Nachum z"l 
L'ilui Neshamat Yaakov Ben Matisyahu HaLevi z"l
L'ilui Neshamat Michael Ben Nachman z"l
L'ilui Neshamat Zehava Bat Shlomo z"l
L'ilui Neshamat Esther Mushka Bat Yaakov HaLevi z"l
L'refuat Hanefesh V'l'refuat Haguf L'Malka Bat Rivkah Zlata
L'refuat Hanefesh V'l'refuat Haguf L'Deena Bat Tzion Bat Zehava
L'refuat Hanefesh V'l'refuat Haguf L'Chaya Basha Bat Esther
L'refuat Hanefesh V'lrefuat Haguf L'Etan Naphtali Ben Zehava
L'refuat Hanefesh V'l'refuat Haguf L'Rivkah Goldah Bat Chaya Basha 
L'refuat Hanefesh V'l'refuat Haguf L'Shimon Ben Rivkah Goldah
L'refuat Hanefesh V'l'refuat Haguf L'Simcha Pearl Bat Rivkah Goldah
L'refuat Hanefesh V'l'refuat Haguf L'Ahuva Nechama Bat Simcha Pearl
L'refuat Hanefesh V'l'refuat Haguf L'Moshe Shlomo Ben Rivkah Goldah
L'refuat Hanefesh V'l'refuat Haguf L'Chaim Sh'muel Ben Rivkah Goldah 
L'refuat Hanefesh V'l'refuat Haguf L'Avital Bat Rut
L'refuat Hanefesh V'l'refuat Haguf L'Eliezer Yitzchak Ben Bracha Devorah 
L'refuat Hanefesh V'l'refuat Haguf L'Michael Itzhak Nesshael Ben Avital 
L'refuat Hanefesh V'l'refuat Haguf L'Naomi Chana Bat Chaya Basha 
L'refuat Hanefesh V'l'refuat Haguf L'Refael Ben Masha Etel
L'refuat Hanefesh V'lrefuat Haguf L'Fruma Freidel Bat Esther  
L'refuat Hanefesh V'l'refuat Haguf L'Rav Daniel Reuven Ben Esther and
L'refuat Hanefesh V'l'refuat Haguf L'kol Am Yisrael V'l'geulah Hashleima Bekarov

"And these are the generations of Yitzchak, Avraham's son  -- Avraham begot Yitzchak."  (Bereisheet 25:19)

Why is it necessary to say "Avraham begot Yitzchak", since it was already stated that "these are the generations of Yitzchak, Avraham's son"?  Rashi explains that Yitzchak was similar to Avraham in his facial features.  And the Abarbanel explains that everything that happened to Avraham happened also to Yitzchak.  Both of them took a wife from within their families.  Avraham and Yitzchak both suffered with problems of infertility.  They both had two children, one of whom was righteous and one of whom was wicked.  In both of their times there was a famine, as a result of which Yitzchak went in exile to Gerar and Avraham went in exile to Mitzrayim (Egypt).  Both of them said about their wives "she is my sister".  Both of them were blessed with many cattle.  Both of them dug wells which the Philishtim plugged up.

"And Yitzchak entreated Hashem...and Hashem let himself be entreated by him"  (Bereisheet 25:21)

Why is it written "entreated" and not "prayed"?  Rashi writes that he "engaged much and urgently in prayer".  And when it says "...and Hashem let himself be entreated by him", Rashi writes that "He let himself be urged, conciliated, and persuaded by him".  Why was it necessary for him to pray with so much effort?  The Meforshim (those who expound the Torah) explain that if Eisav would have been born before that, Avraham would have had to die sooner.  For behold, when Eisav was 15 years old, Avraham died so that he would not see Eisav going out to do uncivilized, evil acts.  Therefore Yitzchak needed to pray a lot because it was a decree from Heaven to delay the birth of Eisav, so that Avraham would not need to die many years before his time.  And the Gaon R' Yosef Chaim Zonenfeld ztz"l adds that the Gematria (numerical value of the Hebrew letters) for "and Hashem let himself be entreated by him" (in Hebrew: V'yei'ater Lo Hashem), which is 748, is equal to the Gematria for "five years" (in Hebrew: "Chameish Shanim"), since Avraham needed to live for 180 years like Yitzchak, and died 5 years before his time. 

"And the children struggled together within her and she said 'If so, why is it that I am?'..."  (Bereisheet 25:22)

Rashi explains that when she would pass by the entrances of places of Torah study, Yaakov would struggle to come out, and when she would pass by the entrances of places of idol worship, Eisav would struggle to come out.   And the Meforshim (those who expound the Torah) ask, perhaps in the case of Eisav it is understandable that he wanted to go out to idol worship and not to learn with the angel (which teaches Torah to the baby before birth), but why did Yaakov want to go out, for behold, he was learning with the angel before he was born?  And the explanation is that it was better for him to go out to the world, even if he needed to give up on the possibility of learning with the angel, than to be together with Eisav in one place.

"...And they called his name Eisav."  (Bereisheet 25:25)

The Baal HaTurim says that the name "Eisav" has the same Gematria (numerical values of the Hebrew letters) as the word "Shalom" (in English: "Peace").  [Translator's note: the numerical values of the Hebrew letters of "Eisav" are Ayin = 70,  Shin = 300, and  Vuv = 6, which adds up to a total of 376.  The numerical values of the Hebrew letters of "Shalom" are Shin = 300, Lamed = 30, Vuv = 6, and Mem = 40, which also adds up to a total of 376.]  If his Gematria had not been "Shalom" ("Peace") he would have destroyed the whole world.

"...and he called his name Yaakov..." (Bereisheet 25:26)

The letters of Yaakov's name are Yud, Ayin, Kuf, and Beit.  The Daat Zekainim says that the letters of Yaakov's name are hints, as follows:  Yud, which has a Gematria (numerical value) of 10, hints at the 10 Commandments. Ayin, which has a Gematria of 70, hints at the 70 Elders (who assisted Moshe Rabbeinu in leading the Jewish people in the desert.)  Kuf, which has a Gematria of 100, hints at the  Beit HaMikdash (the Temple) which stood at a height of 100 Amot.  Beit, which has a Gematria of Two, hints at the Two Tablets of the Covenant (upon which were written the 10 Commandments.)

"...And Yaakov was a man of simplicity (or wholesomeness) ..." ( Bereisheet 25:27)  

Rashi says that someone who doesn't know how to deceive is called simple (or wholesome).  (Translator's note: the word in Hebrew "Tam" can be translated as either simple or wholesome.)  Apparently, however, we see that when he was with Lavan, Yaakov knew how to deceive.  Rather, Rashi's intention is that someone who doesn't know how to deceive is called simple.  In contrast, Yaakov was not "simple", but rather, a man of simplicity (or wholesomeness), who ruled over his simplicity and knew when to be straightforward and when not to.  The Masters of Mussar (Ethics) say that Yaakov represents the aspect of Truthfulness, as it is said "Give Truth to Yaakov..." (Micah 7:20), yet we see that several times he acted in a cunning manner: 1)  he took the birthright of the firstborn son,  2)  he took the blessings, and 3) with Lavan, he used the sticks (to increase his flocks).  For we don't know what is "Truthfulness", but the Tzaddik (Righteous Man) knows when to act in a straightforward manner and when to act cunningly.

"And Yitzchak loved Eisav..." (Bereisheet 25:28)

In this phrase, the word "loved" is in the past tense, because it was only a temporary love until Yaakov received the blessings.  But in the case of Rivkah it is written "and Rivkah loves Yaakov" (Bereisheet 25:28) , in the present tense, without stopping.

"And Yitzchak loved Eisav..." (Bereisheet 25:28)

The Gaon R' Yosef Chaim Zonenfeld ztz"l explains why Yaakov is called the "select one of the Patriarchs", in connection to the verse "and Yitzchak loved Eisav".  If the Torah writes this verse, that means that the love of Yitzchak for Eisav was a true and recognizable love.  In spite of that, when Yaakov and Eisav were going out in the morning, each one went on his path; Yaakov went to serve Hashem by making an effort in Torah and prayer while Eisav went to do evil deeds.  In the evening when they returned Yitzchak showed love to Eisav and didn't pay any attention at all to Yaakov, and so it was for the duration of a long period of time.  And because of this, Yaakov of necessity would have thought that certainly since Yitzchak was the greatest person of the generation and he gave emotional support only to Eisav, perhaps his (Yaakov's) way of serving Hashem wasn't appropriate.  But in any event, he didn't pay attention to that and stayed with strength and persistency on his path, even though he saw that Yitzchak related only to Eisav.   Therefore he is called "the select one of the Patriarchs", since he was in a constant state of living with a very difficult challenge, and in spite of it all, he remained steadfast in his wholesomeness.

"..and in that year he reaped a hundredfold, and Hashem blessed him." (Bereisheet 26:12)

What is the meaning of the ending of this verse, "and Hashem blessed him"?  Wasn't it already written  that he reaped "a hundredfold" before that?  The Seforno explains that even though a lot of produce grew and it would have been appropriate for the produce to be sold cheaply because of the increased output, in any event he was able to still sell it for a high price, and that is what it meant by "and Hashem blessed him".

"And Yitzchak returned and he dug the wells of water which they had dug in the days of Avraham his father...and he called them by the same names that his father had called them."  (Bereisheet 26:18)

Rabbeinu Bachya explains that from here we see a proof that one shouldn't change from the ways of his fathers, and that is the explanation of "the same names that his father had called them", that one should act according to the traditions of his fathers.

"And the servants of Yitzchak dug...and he called the name of the well Eisek ...Then they dug another well...and he called its name Sitnah...and he dug another well...and he called the name of it Rehovot and he said 'For now Hashem has made room for us and we shall be fruitful in the land'." (Bereisheet 26:19-22)

Three wells were dug by the servants of Yitzchak.  The first well is symbolic of the First Temple and it was destroyed, and therefore it was called "Eisek" (a name which means "contention").  The second well is symbolic of the Second  Temple, and it was therefore called "Sitnah" (a name which means "enmity").  The third well is symbolic of the Third Temple, and it is therefore called "Rehovot (a name which means "expansiveness"),  and regarding that well it is written,"and we shall be fruitful in the land".  (from the Ramban)

"And the servants of Yitzchak dug...and he called the name of the well Eisek ...Then they dug another well...and he called its name Sitnah...and he dug another well...and he called the name of it Rehovot and he said 'For now Hashem has made room for us and we shall be fruitful in the land'." (Bereisheet 26:19-22)

In the case of the first two wells, it is written "And the servants of Yitzchak dug...", and regarding the third well, it is written "and he dug", meaning that only Yitzchak dug.  And the reason for this is that in the beginning Yitzchak's servants dug and there was no blessing from that, and therefore afterwards Yitzchak dug by himself and then they saw blessing. 

"And the servants of Yitzchak dug...and he called the name of the well Eisek ...Then they dug another well...and he called its name Sitnah...and he dug another well...and he called the name of it Rehovot and he said 'For now Hashem has made room for us and we shall be fruitful in the land'." (Bereisheet 26:19-22)

The Chafetz Chaim says that from the wells one can learn the way to serve Hashem, for in the beginning they dug and didn't succeed and the its name was called "Eisek" ("contention").  And the second time they also didn't succeed and its name was called  "Sitnah" ("enmity").  Only after that they dug and then it was called "Rechovot" ("expansiveness") and it was stated, "we shall be fruitful in the land".  Similarly, regarding a student who comes to learn Torah and even though in the beginning he doesn't see any success, he should never despair, and then in the end he will truly succeed.

"And they said, 'We have indeed seen that Hashem has been with you...'" (Bereisheet 26:28)

The Tirgum Yonatan explains that immediately when Yitzchak left G'rar, all of the wells dried up and the trees stopped  producing fruit, and then they understood that this occurred because they sent the Tzaddik (Righteous Man) away.  Therefore they said, "We have indeed seen that Hashem has been with you."

"And  Rivkah said to Yaakov her son, saying: Behold, I heard your fatther speaking to Eisav your brother, saying ... and I will bless you before Hashem before my death." (Bereisheet 27:6-7)

Yitzchak Avinu said to Eisav " that my soul may bless you before I die" (Bereisheet 27:4), and Rivkah said to Yaakov that she heard that he said "and I will bless you before Hashem before my death" (Bereisheet 27:7).  What is the reason that Rivkah added the words "before Hashem"? And the answer is, that she knew that Yitzchak was a Prophet of Hashem.  And she knew that the blessing that he would say would be prophetic blessing, and therefore she said to Yaakov, "before Hashem".  (from Ibn Ezra, on the Torah Portion of Yitro)

"...I am sick of my life on account of the daughers of Chait, if Yaakov takes a wife from the daughters of Chait like these, from the daughters of the land, why do I need life?"  (Bereisheet 27:46)

Why didn't she say to Yitzchak that Eisav wants to kill Yaakov, like she said to Yaakov?  The Ohr HaChaim HaKodesh says that because of the prohibition of Rechilut (Gossip)  she gave another reason to Yitzchak, but by revealing it to Yaakov, she fulfilled a Mitzvah (from Vayikra 19:16) of "do not stand idly by the blood of your neighbor".

"...mother of Yaakov and Eisav."  (Bereisheet 28:5)

Rashi says, "I don't know what this teaches us".  There are early commentators who explain that it was necessary to write this so that one wouldn't wonder how an evil person like Eisav would come out from two Tzaddikim (righteous people) like Yitzchak and Rivkah.  Therefore it states "...to Lavan the son of Betuel the Aramean, the brother of Rivkah, mother of Yaakov and Eisav" (Bereisheet 28:5), to tell you that since most of the sons are similar to the brothers of the mother, therefore Eisav was similar to Lavan the Aramean.  

"...to Lavan the son of Betuel the Aramean, the brother of Rivkah, mother of Yaakov and Eisav" (Bereisheet 28:5)

According to Rabbenu Bacchya, this verse comes to explain to us how it could be that Yaakov went to seek a marriage partnership which would connect him with an evil person who was the son of an evil person, that is to say with "Lavan the son of Betuel the Aramean".  The explanation is that he (Lavan) was "the brother of Rivkah".  He was the brother of a righteous woman (Rivkah) and it was likely that his daughters would be similar to his sister.  Afterwards, the verse continues with a praise of Rivkah, that she was the "mother of Yaakov and Eisav", and it would have been expected for her to love both of them equally since she was the mother of both of them, and if anything we would expect her to love Eisav more than Yaakov, for it is the nature of mothers is to love their firstborn son.   And nevertheless, Rivkah's love was directed mainly toward Yaakov, because she saw the beauty of his character traits.

"And Yaakov listened to his father and to his mother..." (Bereisheet 28:7)

It is necessary to understand, what is the meaning of "to his father and to his mother"?  The explanation is, that there were two different commands.  His father told him to take a wife from Charan, and Rivkah told him to get up and flee from Eisav to Charan.  And that is why it is written that "Yaakov listened to his father", regarding taking a wife, "and to his mother", to flee to Charan.

The Torah Portion of Toldot has 106 verses. Haftora: "Machar Chodesh" (Shmuel Aleph 20)

This is Shabbat Mevorchim for the month of Kislev.  Rosh Chodesh Kislev is on Yom Rishon (Sunday).  The Molad is on Motzai Shabbat at the hour 12:57.

We say Borchi Nafshi.


May you all have a  light-filled and happy Shabbat.  Shabbat Shalom.
L'ilui Neshamat HaGaon HaTzaddik R' Gershon Avigdor Ben R' Chaim ztz"l, Nilkach L'Bait Olamo Yud Gimmel Tishrei 5772