Friday, November 20, 2020 / ד׳ כסלו תשפ״א ערב שבת פרשת תולדות
-Candle lighting4:18 pm
-Shkia: 4:36 pm
-Sof zman Krias shema Gra 9:15 am
Weather shabbos day
Sunny, along with a few afternoon clouds. High 63F
וְיִתֶּן לְךָ הָאֱלהִים מִטַּל הַשָּׁמַיִם וּמִשְׁמַנֵּי הָאָרֶץ, וְרֹב דָגָן וְתִירֹשׁ וְאֵל שַׁדַּי יְבָרֵךְ אֹתְךָ וְיַפְרְךָ וְיַרְבֶּךָ, וְהָיִיתָ לִקְהַל עַמִּים.
שבת שלום ומבורך
Rabbi Yessocher Frand
Our Sages say that on the fateful day that “Esav came home from the field tired” [Bereishis 25:29], Yaakov was cooking lentil soup, which is a dish for mourners, because their grandfather Avraham Avinu had just passed away. Chazal say that Avraham died five years earlier than he would have otherwise died so as not to live to see that his grandson Esav went off the path of morality that Avraham had hoped all his descendants would follow.
The sages say that on this very day, Esav transgressed five major sins. He raped a betrothed maiden; he murdered someone; he denied belief in resurrection of the dead, he denied the existence of G-d, and he mocked the status of being a firstborn (va’yivez Eisav es haBechorah [Bereishis 25:34]). Ironically, of all these sins enumerated by the Rabbis that Eisav committed that day, the only one explicitly recorded in the Chumash is what appears to be the most minor of the offenses – belittling the birthright. The Talmud learns out the other four sins the through hints and Biblical exegesis.
Everyone asks this question – of all the sins, why single out va’yivez Eisav es haBechorah for explicit indictment?
I saw an explanation in the name of Rav Aharon Kotler, zt”l, that va’yivez Eisav es haBechorah speaks to the type of person Eisav was. Someone who mocks the birthright – given what the birthright symbolized in those days – was in fact committing a grievous sin. Firstborns were designated to be in charge of the Divine Service in the Mishkan. Rejecting the Bechorah was in effect denying respect for and interest in a relationship to the Ribono shel Olam or to His Divine Service. Rav Aharon says that every other sin enumerated by the Rabbis in cataloging Esav’s crimes flows from this attitude. This rejection of the opportunity for a relationship with G-d, speaks to the spiritual lowliness of the person and leads to a person becoming a rapist, murderer and a heretic. Spirituality means absolutely nothing to him.
This explains another problem in the parsha. Yitzchak Avinu gives the blessing to Yaakov: “And may G-d give you of the dew of the heavens and of the fatness of the earth, and abundant grain and wine…” [Bereishis 27:28] Eisav comes in a few minutes later, realizes what happened, and says to Yitzchak “…Is there but one blessing to you, Father? Bless me too, Father!” The pasuk then continues, “And Esav raised his voice and wept.” [Bereishis 27:38] Whereupon Yitzchak responds to Esav, “…Behold, of the fatness of the earth shall be your dwelling and of the dew of the heavens from above.” [Bereishis 27:39].
If we consider these two blessings, they seem very similar. Yaakov received “the dew of the heavens and the fatness of the earth.” Eisav is told that the fatness of the earth will be his dwelling and of the dew of the heavens from above. It almost seems like the same thing. What is the big difference?
The Shemen HaTov writes that there are two fundamental differences: The first difference is the priority. In the blessing to Yaakov, the dew of the heavens comes first and then the fatness of the earth. In other words, heavenly matters – spiritual things — come first by Yaakov. Yes, a person must acquire from “the fat of the land”. A person needs parnasah [the ability to earn a livelihood]. However, the focus must be “the dew of the heaven”, i.e. – a relationship with the Ribono shel Olam. The order is reversed by Eisav.
The second fundamental difference between the two blessings is that Yaakov was told “V’yiten lecha Elokim” [And may G-d give you] while in Eisav’s bracha, there is no mention of G-d. Our Sages further point out that Yaakov’s blessing begins with the conjunctive ‘vov‘ ) v’Yiten “and He should give you”, implying that He has previously given AND He will continue to give more. The message is that it is crucial to be constantly in touch with the Ribono shel Olam. Eisav’s gift from G-d was “in the bank”. He was blessed with the “fat of the land” and he did not need repeated gifts. Yaakov was given what he needed and given again and again as part of an ongoing relationship.
A father who wants to help his married son can do so in one of two ways. He can give him a one-time generous check and let the son use that to become self-supporting and never need to come back to the father again. This is like saying: “Here, have a nice life!” Alternatively, the father can give his son a monthly check, which will guarantee an ongoing relationship. There should be a constant chibuv [loving relationship] between father and son.
The implication of the blessing “V’yiten lecha” meaning, “Yiten, v’yachzor v’yiten” is that there must be a realization that there is an ongoing need. Esav had no interest in a relationship with the Almighty so he was given a “Here, have a nice life” blessing.
This idea is reminiscent of the question asked by the Chiddushei HaRim that the curse G-d gave to the Snake (“you shall eat dust all the days of your life” [Bereishis 3:14]) seems to be a blessing – if the snake can always can eat dirt, it will never run out of food. The Chiddushei HaRim explains that this is indeed a curse. Since the snake always has dirt, it never needs to ask for anything and it does not need to have a relationship with a Higher Power. Such a setup, in which there is not a relationship with the Almighty, is really more of a curse than a blessing. This is what Eisav wanted, but from the perspective of a spiritual person, it is more curse than blessing. Yaakov’s blessing was “And G-d will give… and give… and give…” – there will be an ongoing spiritual connection between Yaakov’s descendants and their Father in Heaven
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