Parashah Insights

by

Rabbi Yaakov Hillel

Rosh Yeshivat Ahavat Shalom Parashat Toldot

Living in Two Worlds

Naming the Twins

And the children struggled (vayitrotzetzu) within her, and she said, If so, why do I live? And she went to inquire of Hashem (Bereshit 25:22). Rashi explains. And [the children] struggled: This verse requires explanation. For what is the significance of this struggling [going on inside me]? And it says, If so, why do I live [to suffer like this]? Our Sages explained it to mean ritzah, running. When she would pass by the entrance of [the yeshivah of] Shem and Ever, Yaakov ran and jerked to get out, [and when] she passed by the entrances of [houses of] idolatry, Esav jerked to get out. Another explanation is that they were mitrotzetzim, struggling with one another and quarreling over the inheritance of two worlds. Rashis words summarize the eternal conflict between Yaakov and Esav, which began as early as their time in their mothers womb. The names given to Yitzhak and Rivkahs twin sons are significant. Of Esav the Torah tells us, And the first one came out red, all of him like a hairy coat, and they named him Esav. And after that his brother came out, and his hand was holding on to Esavs heel. And he named him Yaakov (Bereshit 25:25-26). The commentaries explain that the first child was named Esav because he was asuy, fully made and complete at birth (see Rashi, Rashbam, and Baal HaTurim). The Baal HaTurim adds that the letters of the word Esav have the same numerical equivalent (gematriya) as the word shalom, implying completeness. In fact, Targum Yonatan (25:25) writes that he was born not only with a full head of hair, but also with a beard and a full set of teeth! The name Yaakov alludes to the word ekev, literally heel. The heel is mans lowest limb.
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Esavs name implies a finished product, while Yaakovs implies an element of lacking. What did Esav have, and what did Yaakov lack? These names were given with Divine inspiration, and they foretell their bearers essence and what their task would be in this world. Esav was pure materialism. This is why his name suggests that physically, he was born complete. Our Sages teach that an ox on the day it is born is already called an ox, and a ram on the day it is born is already called a ram (Baba Kama 65b). In this sense Esav was similar to an animal, which is fully developed at birth, unlike man, who grows to maturity over the course of many years. The Tzror HaMor (Bereshit 1:27) explains further that man gradually perfects himself through Torah and mitzvot, the opposite of animals who are born mature. This is why the Torah says of a newborn animal, an ox or a sheep or a goat when it is born (Vayikra 22:27). It is a fully developed animal immediately at birth, unlike a human being, who undergoes a long period of maturation. In describing the creation of other entities, which were created in their final, finished, perfect form, the Torah says it was good. The Torah does not use this expression in describing the creation of man, because Man is born like a wild ass (Iyov 11:12). He lacks perfection and goodness, and must acquire them gradually, step by step.1 Yaakovs essence was spirituality, and his task in life would be to achieve spiritual perfection. At birth, he was clearly still far from perfection, with a lifetime of work yet ahead of him. This is why his name is related to ekev, the lowest of the limbs: this was to be his starting point. He would develop himself from heel to head, working his way up from bottom to top.2 However, Yaakovs name was not only ekev; it begins with the additional letter yud. Yud, the first letter of Hashems Name, represents the core of holiness in man.

The Maharal writes that the word behemah (animal) is composed of the letters bet-heh-memheh, which also spell bah mah. An animal is born complete, lacking nothing. Bah, in it, there is mah, its essence it already has all it needs to perform its basic functions. Mans name, Adam, is derived from the word adamah, earth. Man is like earth which has not yet borne fruit, but has within it the potential to produce if properly cultivated. The same is true of a human being. He is born lacking, but has the potential to bring his latent capacity for perfection to fruition (Tiferet Yisrael, Chapter 3). 2 Avraham, on the other hand, worked to perfect himself from head to heel; see Parashah Insights on Lech Lecha. Because he was the founding father of the Jewish nation, and the first ever to be involved in perfecting himself spiritually, it had to be done in this order. In subsequent generations, his children after him could begin their own spiritual endeavors from the point where Avraham had left off. The advanced levels he achieved became the inheritance of his descendants. 2

Its numerical equivalent is ten, a number which symbolizes perfection.3 The very shape of the letter yud itself alludes to perfection. Unlike the other letters, it is not composed of separate parts combined to form a character. It is a single entity, like a dot, encompassing a head, middle, and end it is self-contained perfection. Yaakovs name was ekev, an indication of his lifes mission of building up from the bottom, aided by the spiritual perfection of the yud. After Yaakovs battle with Esavs guardian angel, the angel told him, No longer will your name be said as Yaakov, but rather, Yisrael, for you have fought with Elokim (Heavenly beings) and with mortals, and prevailed (Bereshit 32:28). The name Yisrael is composed of the letters of the words li rosh, literally mine is the head. The bestowal of this name meant that Yaakov had achieved perfection in his spiritual labors, rectifying himself from heel to head, literally from the foundation up.

Different Paths
The Torah tells us more about the diverging paths taken by Yaakov and Esav. While still children, they were running on separate tracks which could never meet. And the youths grew up, and Esav was a man skilled in hunting (ish yodea tzayid), a man of the fields, and Yaakov was a perfect man (ish tam) who dwelled in tents (Bereshit 25:27). Because Esav was pure physical materialism, with no connection to spirituality, he was incapable of finding satisfaction from within himself. He had to find his pleasures from outside sources, so he headed for the fields to hunt. Onkelos translation of the words ish yodea tzayid is revealing; it sums up Esavs problem. He was a gevar nahshirchan, a man who is bored. The bored individual is empty and hollow inside. Attempting to fill the void, he continually seeks excitement from external sources. Yaakov was different. He was an ish tam, a perfect person who was at peace with himself. He lacked nothing from the outside, and was constantly occupied in improving himself spiritually. He had no external diversions, making him a perfect man whose life revolved around the tents of Torah study (see Rashi on 25:27).

The Sale of the Birthright

The sale of the birthright the status of a firstborn son was a major turning point, not only in the lives of the two brothers, but in the history of our people. Let us try to understand more about the deeper significance of this pivotal event.

See Parashah Insights on Lech Lecha for a fuller discussion of this topic. 3

The birthright was a spiritual entity, a privilege and a responsibility; this is why Yaakov wanted it, and did everything in his power to obtain it. (This is also why Esav did not want it.) The struggle had begun at birth, when Yaakov gripped Esavs heel in an attempt to prevent him from emerging as the firstborn. He understood that Esavs essence was materialism, with no connection to the spiritual service of Hashem which was inherent in the birthright. Of this Esav complained, It is because his name was called Yaakov that he has deceived and deprived me (vayaakveni) these two times. He has taken my birthright, and now he has taken my blessing (Bereshit 27:36). As we shall see, these two gifts, the birthright and the blessings, are interdependent. Yitzhaks blessing for material success meant strictly for supporting Torah, the function of Zevulun was related to the spiritual birthright, which had already been acquired by Yaakov.4 The Tribe of Zevulun engaged in commerce, supporting the Torah study of the Tribe of Yissachar. This is why Yitzhak told Esav, he shall indeed be blessed, thus approving Yaakovs acquisition of the blessings. Esav made it abundantly clear that he had no use for the spiritual burden of the birthright. He came in from the field, and he was exhausted (Bereshit 25:29), as well as famished, indications of his powerful attachment to physical needs. To him, a good bowl of hot soup, served then and there, was vastly preferable to an intangible, spiritual birthright. Esav was attracted to his essential root the materialism of the physical world. The Torah tells us, and the first one came out red, all of him like a hairy coat (Bereshit 25:25); in other words, he was entirely physical. The material world is defined by the powers of din (strict judgment) and tzimtzum (limitations and boundaries). It consists of an innumerable variety of entities, each one different. They are clearly defined by their shape, size, color, or other criteria, and they are limited and confined to that definition. This enormous variety of possibilities in the physical world is very appealing to man, and leads him to seek every possible option for pleasure. This was Esavs world, and he craved what it had to offer. He expressed his desire for a continuing stream of physical delight in the words pour into me some of that red, red [soup ] (ibid. 25:30). On the other hand, spirituality is related to unlimited expansion, the opposite of the strictly defined tzimtzum of the physical and material. It does not allow for material desire, because in this realm, there is none of the variety of materialism; everything is part of one vast entity, which is the Creator Himself. In our Sages words, He [the Holy One, blessed be He,] is the place which encompasses the entire world (Bereshit Rabbah 68:9). The entire world is connected to the Al4

See below, Yaakov and Esav, Yissachar and Zevulun. 4

mighty, and it is all as one. There can be no craving for more and new sensations, so that one who is attached to the world of spirituality is detached from the endless novelty of physical pleasure. This was Yaakovs world. Our Sages tell us that Hashems blessings to Avraham and Yitzhak had an element of limitation. Hashem told Avraham, Arise and go walk the land to its length and breadth (Bereshit 13:17). He told Yitzhak, For to you and all your descendents I will give all these lands (26:3). However, Hashems promise to Yaakov was not limited to the borders of the Land. He told him, And you will spread out to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south (28:14). Yaakovs lot, our Sages tell us, is without limits (Shabbat 118a-b, citing Yeshayahu 58:14; see Bereshit 49:26, Rashi). This is the world of spirituality. Esav was quite open in explaining his motives for scorning the birthright: I am going to die. Why do I need the birthright? (Bereshit 25:32). Esavs outlook on life had one focus this world. For him, anything beyond the present and its pleasures simply did not exist. Esav was not a candidate for the birthright because it meant a life of Torah, and as our Sages teach us, the Torah will only endure in one who kills himself over it (Berachot 63b). He had no interest in being in a state akin to death while still alive in this world; he wanted to enjoy life to the fullest. The birthright also meant serving in the Holy Temple, for which Esav certainly cared nothing. He lived the shortsighted philosophy of fools, who say, Eat and drink, for tomorrow we die (Yeshayahu 23:23). Clearly, he could not have it both ways. Material life is the opposite of the eternal life of Torah, and it is either one or the other. Ultimately, all of life leads up to death. The physical body constantly deteriorates, with every additional passing moment a partial death. In the words of King Shlomo, For man goes to his eternal home (Kohelet 12:5). Every day that man lives, he comes closer to death, and the day of death is from the day of birth (Kohelet 7:1). His mission in this world is to utilize every single moment of life, elevating, rectifying and perfecting it, so that at the end of his life, he ascends to Heaven with all his days complete and intact.5 Esav scorned a way of life which made serious spiritual demands, among them reflection on lifes profound meaning, appreciation of every minute as a never-to-berepeated opportunity, and the realization that life leads to death. This is why he said, I am going to die. Why do I need the birthright? He just did not believe in it all, and he wanted no part of it.

See Parashah Insights on Hayye Sarah for a fuller discussion of this concept. 5

Yaakov, although Esavs twin, was something else entirely. His life was dedicated to serving Hashem. This was all he wanted, and he longed for the birthright which would raise his service of Hashem to the greatest spiritual heights. Through the birthright, he would sanctify his every day as an ish tam, a man who strives for spiritual perfection. Esavs desire to live it up was not only superficial, but profoundly mistaken. What he wanted was not life, but in fact death in its essence. It was Yaakov who had chosen true life, as the Torah teaches in several contexts: And you who cleave to Hashem your G-d are all alive today (Devarim 4:4). The more Torah, the more life (Avot 2:7). The wicked, [even] while alive, are considered dead, and the righteous, [even] after death, are considered alive (see Berachot 18b, Hullin 7b).

Enough of Everything
The gap between Yaakov and Esav continued to be apparent when they met again after Yaakovs stay with Lavan. Yaakov, aware that Esav was still awaiting his chance for revenge, sent him an extremely lavish gift as a means of appeasing his anger (Bereshit 33). When Esav saw the impressive display, he told his brother, I have plenty (33:9). Plenty, however, is not everything it implies that there is still room for more. Whatever he had would never, and could never, be enough. Our Sages teach us that man does not leave this world with even half his desires in hand. If he has one hundred, he wants two hundred (Kohelet Rabbah 1:34, 3:12). Material cravings can never be satisfied, because there is always an elusive more just out of reach... and we want desperately to reach it. Whatever we already have merely serves as an aperitif, whetting the appetite for further courses to come. With this in mind, we can explain the verse, Men of bloodshed and deceit will not live out half their days, and I will trust in You (Tehillim 55:24). The wicked can never live out even half of their days, because they will never satisfy as little as half of their desires in this world. Ironically, they die starving, without having enjoyed all the pleasures they spent their lives straining to obtain. The righteous, on the other hand, who trust in Hashem and are satisfied with their lot, can serenely enjoy every minute of their lives in this world, never feeling any lack. Esavs interests were solely material. He wanted no part of the World to Come, so he could tell Yaakov, You can have what is yours (Bereshit 33:9). Esavs noble and brotherly words spoke not of money and material possessions; they referred to their long-ago deal to split the world between them. Esav would keep the material world, while Yaakov could have the spiritual world. That, the refined world of piety and
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religion, was all Yaakovs, and he was more than welcome to it as long as he kept his hands off Esavs world. Yaakovs portion in the material world would consist only of what he needed to support his spiritual activities, no more. With this fateful statement, Esav permanently sealed the deal between them. On the other hand, Yaakovs assessment of his material position was, I have everything (ibid. 33:11). And he really did have everything, because a tzaddik eats to satisfy his soul (Mishle 13:25). The righteous individual is always happy and satisfied with whatever material lot is designated for him by the Al-mighty. King David said, G-d is my shepherd, I shall not want (Tehillim 23:1). Because David believed that Hashem was his shepherd, he was confident that He surely provided all his needs in full; this is why he lacked for nothing. A tzaddik eats to satisfy his soul. Even when he must partake of the material benefits necessary for his existence in this world, like eating, sleeping, and marriage, his intent is only for the sake of the spiritual gains involved: he eats to satisfy his soul. He is not stealing from Esavs precious world, he is elevating its physicality to the level of spirituality. By reciting blessings over the food and drink that nourish him, and by performing even his mundane activities for the sake of Heaven, he rectifies the world by bringing about its subjugation to the Kingdom of the Almighty (Alenu Leshabeah). Since he is not caught up in lifes material benefits and pleasures, he is not impinging on Esavs preserve. Yaakov kept his part of the deal to the letter. As far as materialism was concerned, Yaakov was content and replete. Spirituality was another story. In this realm, he constantly strove for more, and still more. We find this tendency in the Torah scholars who are Yaakovs heirs. As long as they live and as much as they learn, they are always called talmide hachamim, literally students of wisdom. This is because they forever view themselves as students, with much yet to learn and much wisdom still to acquire. In the words of the towering Sage Rabbi Akiva, I learned a great deal of Torah and I taught a great deal of Torah, and I did not take away from my teachers even as much as a dog lapping from the ocean (Sanhedrin 68a). While we must continue to strive for higher levels of spirituality, a dedicated servant of Hashem should always be happy with his lot, including his current spiritual standing. Rabbi Eliyahu Mani, the saintly chief rabbi of Hebron, taught this important principle to his distinguished student, Rabbi Yosef Hayyim of Baghdad, known by the name of his famous work as the Ben Ish Hai. The Ben Ish Hai wrote to him with questions about the profound Kabbalistic meanings of the prayers. Rabbi Mani wrote back, cautioning him not too jump too far ahead in search of advanced spiritual accomplishments. The Ben Ish Hai was only in his twenties then, and at that young
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age, it was proper for him to invest his efforts in the basic fundamentals of Torah knowledge Talmud and halachah. This was not yet the time for him to become deeply involved in esoteric Kabbalistic intents. In serving Hashem, every new level attained brings an added sense of satisfaction and joy, and one should not lose it by rushing forward too quickly to higher levels (Rav Pealim, vol. III, Helek Sod Yesharim 13).6

Yaakov and Esav, Yissachar and Zevulun

The Torah tells us, And Yitzhak loved Esav for game was in his mouth (Bereshit 25:28)... And now, please take your weapons, your sword and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me. And make for me delicacies such as I like, and bring it to me and I will eat, so that my soul will bless you before I die (27:3). Why did Yitzhak love Esav, and why did he make this unusual request? The blessings Yitzhak was about to bestow were for material success, which would be used for the purpose of supporting spirituality. Yitzhak realized that Esav was strongly attached to materialism. With this insight into Esavs essential nature, he wanted to establish him as the Zevulun, who would provide for the Torah study of Yaakov, his Yissachar. Who were Yissachar and Zevulun, and what were their roles? The world exists for Torah study (see Bereshit 1:1, Rashi). However, it is an inevitable reality that Torah study must be backed by material support: If there is no flour, there is no Torah (Avot 3:17). If a Torah scholar must devote his days to making ends meet, what will become of his learning, and what will become of our peoples need for advanced Torah scholars? The answer is the archetypal Yissachar-Zevulun relationship (see Bereshit 49:1314, Rashi; Devarim 33:18, Rashi; Yoreh Deah 246:1). Yissachar and Zevulun, two of the Twelve Tribes, reached a mutually profitable agreement. Yissachar devoted himself to Torah, while his brother Zevulun engaged in business, with the material and spiritual proceeds divided between the two. From the standpoint of halachah this arrangement is not a no-choice last resort, when there is no other way to manage. It is a first choice to begin with, and it is acceptable and pleasing to the Almighty. It was His Will that there should be a Tribe of Yissachar and a Tribe of

See Parashah Insights on Ki Tetze for a fuller discussion of this topic. 8

Zevulun, each with their own special capacities and each making their own contribution to Torah. Yitzhak recognized the differences between Esav and Yaakov. He also saw that Esav, the gevar nahshirchan, had no spiritual outlet of his own. The solution, as he saw it, was clear, and ideally suited to both parties. Esav, the active man of the world, would thrive by devoting his considerable energies to supporting the spiritual endeavors of Yaakov, whose life was centered around the tents of Torah study. Yitzhak loved Esav because of the role he envisioned for him in sustaining Torah. In giving Esav these special blessings for material prosperity, Yitzhak intended to fulfill the verse, Train the youth in keeping with his way (Mishle 22:6). Yitzhak sought to direct Esav in keeping with his inherent nature. By supporting Yaakovs spirituality, Esav would achieve rectification through worldly pursuits, for He did not create it [the world] for desolation, He made it to be inhabited [and enjoyed through physical effort] (Yeshayahu 45:18). Esav would be the master of materialism, and Yaakov would be the master of spirituality. The two brothers would work towards the same goal of maintaining Torah in the world, each in his own way. Yitzhak was a tzaddik, and he understood Esavs provision of game symbolic of financial backing as the support of Torah study. Therefore, he prepared the setting for his blessing by instructing Esav, take your weapons...and make for me delicacies... and I will eat, so that my soul will bless you. By asking Esav to hunt game and prepare a meal for him, he was telling him that the success of his worldly efforts depended on his material support of the spirituality which Yitzhak represented. Rivkah, the boys mother, had a different understanding of the situation, based on Divine inspiration which she personally had received. She strongly suspected that Esav, once granted the blessings, would not fulfill his part of the deal. Yaakov Torah would be left without support, to his own ruin, and ultimately that of the entire world, which exists in the merit of Torah study. The role of the Torah supporter could only be safe in the hands of one of Yaakovs own descendents, so Rivkah saw to it that the blessing of material bounty was granted to Yaakov. As we see, it was eventually passed on to Zevulun and his dedicated successors in all subsequent generations. Torah can only be supported by one who is himself rooted in sanctity and spirituality. Zevulun was, but Esav was not. We find this concept in a teaching of the Arizal (Shaar HaGilgulim, Hakdamah 11). He writes that the six hundred thousand souls of the Jewish nation, as they exist in their Heavenly source, are divided into groups. Each group has the soul of a Torah scholar at its head. Around him is a congregation of many other Jewish souls,
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among them the souls of laymen and the souls of simpletons. When these souls descend to this world, the Torah scholar at their head guides them in the proper path, and through him, they are connected to Torah. In other words, even a simple Jew has a firm tie to Torah and spirituality which keeps him from going astray. As such, he can serve as a Zevulun who uses his material means to support Torah, since the connection is already there. Esav had no connection to spirituality. He was entirely material, and had he received the blessings, he would have misused them, for his own enjoyment or for harmful purposes. He could not be Zevulun, and he could not be trusted with Yitzhaks precious blessings.

Living in Both Worlds

Our Sages teach that Yaakov and Esav were battling over two worlds. If they had made an even split between this world and the next, what was there left to fight about? Surely there was enough to give each side a respectable share. Esav would receive vast quantities of worldly pleasures and possessions, and Yaakov would perfect himself spiritually and earn the endless bliss of the World to Come. Esav was in fact fighting only to maintain his hold on this world. Yaakov, on the other hand, was actually fighting for both worlds. He also wanted to acquire this world, which Esav viewed as a purely material entity, in order to rectify it and turn it into spirituality. Because Esav set his sights solely on olam hazeh, with no interest in a share in the World to Come, this world was taken away from him as well, leaving him with nothing at all. Yaakov, whose perspective was completely spiritual, won on both fronts. This is a critically important lesson to those who focus on this world and the drive for wealth, honor, and enjoyment. Inevitably, they will find themselves emptyhanded. We cited our Sages teaching, Man does not leave this world with even half his desires in hand. If he has one hundred, he wants two hundred (Kohelet Rabbah 1:34, 3:12). If we always want more, we leave the world without having enjoyed even the good we did have. Tzaddikim live on for all eternity, because they merit both this world and the World to Come: And you who cleave to Hashem your G-d are all alive today (Devarim 4:4). By attaching themselves to Hashem and His Torah, they have everything. The wicked, who care only for this world, are left with nothing, even in the material world they so eagerly desire. Our Sages tell us that the wicked are considered as dead even while still alive. This is surely all the more true when they are actually dead. The righteous, on the other hand, are considered to be alive even
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after their death (see Berachot 18b, Hullin 7b). Already in the here and now, the righteous are the ones who are truly alive, because they are connected to Torah and mitzvot, the source of real life. The wicked, who imagine that life equals good times, bury themselves in a grave of worldly lusts and desires while their hearts are still beating. Yaakov was an ish tam, a perfect man. When the letters of the word tam (tafmem) are reversed, they spell met (mem-taf), dead. Yaakov, with his labors in the tents of Torah and service of Hashem, transformed Esavs met into tam, the perfection which is Torah. When Esav tossed aside the birthright with the flippant words, I am gong to die, he did not realize that this was a self-fulfilling prophecy. Our Sages tell us that the wicked inherit a double gehinom (Yoma 72b), once while alive and again after death. By plunging headfirst into the world of material pleasure, Esav destroyed his life in this world and in the World to Come; he was dead even as he walked the earth. Yaakov, in contrast, was an ish tam, a perfect man who dwelled in tents. Yaakov acquired not only one tent, but two: this world and the eternal life of the World to Come.

This essay contains divre Torah. Please treat it with proper respect.

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