Pyka Family

Parashat And Sidra Of Toldot

Parashat Toldot is the 6th weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading.

“Vayetar Yitzchak LaShem.” – “And Yitzchak prayed to the Hashem”.
Only Yitzchak’s prayer helped Rivka to have children. The power of prayer is great, which we can see from our verse.
The natural effort of a married couple was not enough – if it went the natural way, the verse would say “vayeda” – “knew” his wife (as it is written, for example, in Adam or Elkana).
In their case, an exceptional intervention by G-d was needed. After all the natural methods have been tried, it is time for prayer, which has the ability to change the “laws of nature”.
It is written about Rivka that she was “akara” – barren, and therefore an extraordinary intervention – force prayers to change this nature of hers. In what way did Rivka’s nature need to be changed? Interpreters say – “a small intervention” was enough in the first three days after intercourse, Yitzchak prayed for fertilization to occur, which was achieved and twins were even born.
Barrenness was the rule with our Ancestors – Sarah – the Hashem had to change her name, and with that her fate also changed, Rivka – through prayer and Rachel prayer and various types of treatment (see “dudaim”).
This shows us a certain principle that the Jewish nation would not have come into existence by a natural, natural path. Our entire existence was and is based on “interventions” with the Lord – prayers, and His by interfering with the nature of things. The spiritual root of our nation is outside of nature, as i says saying of Our Wise – “Am Israel mial ha-mazal” – “The people of Israel are above by fate” (meaning – over the influence of the stars and other “energies” that exist in the physical world and affect human lives).
Why did Rivka have to ask Yitzchak to pray for her? She was a “Canaanite” too – righteous, and she was on a high spiritual level.
We saw this in the last parasha when she came to Sarah’s tent and brought the same peace with her spirituality – cloud, light, chala.
And yet only when Yitzchak prayed was the prayer answered. How much more powerful was his prayer? The interpreters say the rule is that the prayer of the righteous is not on the same level as the prayer the righteous son of the righteous. Yitzchak was a “tzadik”, and his father was also a “tzadik”, whereas
Rivka came from a “normal” family.
This is one of the reasons why in traditional Judaism the emphasis is on “jichus” from which family who comes from, who were his ancestors. Nowadays, it is less considered, but in principle it is a very important thing that has great influence on the atmosphere in the family.
(This is why, for example, the Talmud says advice for the groom – “Look at the brothers of your future wife, such are the sons you will have”.) There is “something” (today we would probably say “genetic information”) that is passed from generation to generation
generation. Why did Yitzchak pray only after twenty years of marriage? This corresponds to the next question – When Rivka was barren for twenty years, why did she have sex with her? Hasn’t Yitzchak been divorced for a long time? We learned this rule from Abraham and Sarah, who after ten years of her infertility (calculated from the time they came to the Holy Land, because before that her barrenness could to be explained by other influences), she gave her slave girl Hagar to give birth to a child with her help.
From this we learn that if a woman is barren for more than 10 years, the man should divorce her and marry another if she has no offspring (there is a mitzvah – “feathers in roars” – be fruitful and multiply which is a man’s duty).
So how is it possible that Yitzchak waited 20 years? A possible answer is according to the Midrash, in which says that Rivka was three years old at the time of the marriage (which we learn from the verses about “akeda” sacrifice Yitzchak).
Thus, for the first 10 years she was in a state where she could not give birth, and only from the age of thirteen she waited another 10 years per offspring. Now those 10 years are up, and that’s why Yitzchak prays for Rivka, because otherwise he would have to
dismiss and find another wife. In all the stories of the Forefathers, we witness the immense complications of how difficult it was for the Jewish people to come into being
nation (and after all, even later – in Egypt, etc.). It is precisely because of his “unnaturalness” in world, uninhabited, as if not belonging, since it does not belong to this at its spiritual core world.
“Vayazed Yakov nazid.” – “And Jacob cooked a meal”. Why did Yakov prepare “nazid” food (according to interpretations it was lentils) himself?
It was certainly nothing out of the ordinary, after all, he had a mother, Rivka, who usually prepared food for him, because the son “joshev ohalim” – sits in the tent, which means – learns the Torah. Therefore, it can be assumed that his cooking was a purposeful, premeditated “action” on ensnared by Esau’s lusts.
He cooked something specially pleasing to the eye and nose so that Esau could not resist.
It was his plan to claim the birthright of Esau for himself. Is it correct to use “non-kosher” methods to obtain birthright? And what kind was it anyway? There are two types of primogeniture:
a) the first-born “lenachala” in inheritance which is a special right, when the first-born receives from of the property of the deceased father twice as much as the other brothers;
b) the firstborn “lekedusha” – in holiness which means that he has a higher spiritual status in earlier times (before the sin of the “golden calf”) he was the mediator between G-d and the family (as a priest performing worship and sacrifices. This function was later taken over by the Levite family). What kind of birthright was Jacob? It couldn’t be a “lazy” primogeniture, because that would be him it was not worth the effort and danger involved. Having more or less money or other goods is not a sufficient reason for Yakov to invent traps and threaten. Also, the verse that describes Esau’s agreement to “sell” the birthright describes him in the words “Vayivez Esav et ha-bechora” “And Esav despised the birthright”, which would not be said on disrespect for property.
On the contrary, we could acknowledge it and say that it is not materially based, etc.
Therefore, it follows from the verses that it was the birthright of “kedusha” – holiness, which also fits us well into the overall picture of their personalities.
Yakov a spiritual scholar, desiring the highest degree of consecration and worship; Esau scornful of the special status of mediator with G-d, since he is – “ish sade” – man of the field, loving hunting and the wild outdoors. This also explains to us the ease with which he gave up his privilege. He has no sense of spirituality, for him it is an “honorary doctorate” that immediately loses its value the moment he feels he’s missing something (even if it’s something as small as a lens). The price of life – “enjoyment” – has a much higher value for him than some abstract “holiness”. He says – “What good is holiness to me if I die”? It sounds logical, but it is not right (in the eyes of the Lord) and therefore deserves the derogatory – “a despised the birthright”. Yakov thinks exactly the opposite. By setting a trap for Esau, he puts himself in danger – if Esau “sees through”
he would not hesitate long with punishment. Still, it is worth it for Jacob to risk his life for the acquisition of holiness – one could paraphrase Esau’s sentence and say – “What’s the point of my life if I don’t have holiness”. Today to us the more distant this way of thinking, the more inclined we are to think in Esau’s terms, than in Jacob’s.
However, what Jakov presents to us is the correct perception of life – “What’s the point of life if it are we not using for our spiritual self-improvement!?”. In the light of this explanation, the later “fraud” of Jacob, when after at his mother’s request, he goes “into the lion’s den” and fraudulently sneaks out by a very dangerous route Esau’s blessing from Yitzchak. It is an extremely exciting story, where he is in danger of being exposed several times, both by his father Yitzchak.

• he reaches for him, “sniffs him”, so from Esau’s side – “one went out and the other came in”. It is a real “thiller” when Jakov puts his life and his honor at stake (in case his father reveals – “I will bring upon myself a curse and not a blessing”). But he must undergo it in order to receive the birthright not only “de facto” (only Yitzchak does not know that Esav sold his birthright), but also “de jure”. All this is part of G-d’s plan, which we have confirmed later in the verses where Yitzchak learned of the mix-up. We would expect him to horribly condemn his son – Jacob, and annul all the blessings. However, he surprisingly declares – “He whom I have blessed will also be blessed”. Yitzchak, in his holiness, immediately understood in retrospect that it was G-d’s will that the blessed be Yakov (although he got to it by a “dubious” method). This is a phenomenon that we see often at key moments in Jewish history, that events unfolds in special ways – Joseph’s election, the birth of Peretz, the appointment of kings Saul i
  David, and ultimately the coming of the Messiah in the future. It is a certain principle that things holy and important to the world must come by “side streets”, they have to “sneak” inconspicuously into the world, because they wouldn’t make it through the normal way. “Vatikhena eynav mereot” “And his eyes became dim to see”.

Yitzchak became blind towards the end of his life. The Midrash relates that the reason for this was the weeping of the angels who watched his sacrifice and wept, whereby their tears fell into his eyes, and after years caused him to lose his sight. How is it possible that his devotion to sacrifice has caused him consequential harm? It’s fine
explain his “excessive zeal” for his sacrifice.
Various Midrashes describe how he actively assisted his father – Abraham, in his deed. One should always keep “balance” in life and try to follow the “golden mean” – to be committed to “mesirut nefesh” – to sacrifice, but not to sacrifice too “joyfully”. From his story we learn this healthy proportion, which is needed in our lives, and above all
in “holy things”. Lest one fall into a false “holy rapture” which is not what G-d he really wants to. This can also explain Yitzchak’s “punishment”. However, one can ask – was it a punishment at all? After all, it was only thanks to his handicap in vision that the plans of Rivka and Jakov could succeed when they were carried out the exchange, and they got the blessing to go to the one who really deserves it – Jacob. G-d’s plans are extremely complex and hidden from our eyes – what is for the good of man, what is punishment and what a reward.

Chassidic Parashat

Parsha Insights is dedicated this week to the
Hamburg’s: Moshe, Shoshana, and Ezra —
You should have a Brocha for all good things. May you bring your special light to your new home and kehilla. Come back soon from all who will miss you in Jerusalem and to Mirriam Tziona: You should have only Brochos and Simchas in your new life.

All Yisrael Needs Each Other

“These are the chronicles of Yitzchok, the son of Avraham. Avraham gave birth to
Yitzchok.” (Bereishis 25:19)
The Baal ShemTov understood this verse to be a question with an answer. The question: “These are the chronicles of Yitzchok…. the son of Avraham?” How could it be that Avraham, who was the very embodiment of the quality of Chesed (expansiveness, open mindedness, and loving kindness), could be the father of Yitzchok who is the embodiment of Gevurah (contraction, strictness and judgment).
The answer is ” Avraham gave birth to Yitzchok.” Avraham indeed begot Yitzchok.
Chesed gave rise to gevurah, expansiveness to contraction. Contraction (tzimtzum) in the world causes a condition in which one finds himself lacking for something. When one lacks something, his friend can provide for him. As the verse in Tehillim (89:3) says, “…the world is built from Chesed.” In this way there will always be a flow of chesed coming into the world. Indeed, Avraham gave birth to Yitzchok!

Not A Story For Children

“And Yaacov was cooking a pot of (lentil) stew when Esav came in exhausted from
his day in the field. And Esav said to Yaacov, ‘I’m tired and hungry. Pour some of that red stuff down my throat’. He (Esav was therefore called Edom (the Red One).” (Bereishis 29-30)
A child, when given a choice of chocolate or vanilla ice cream, will ask for the white or for the brown, since he desires what his eyes see. The child doesn’t yet have enough sophistication to identify the ice cream by its flavor. Esav, in the same way, came in tired and famished and demanded to be fed some of the “red stuff”. He is even willing to barter away his birthright in order to get it now.
Later on in the Parsha (Bereishis 27:1), when Yitzchok calls for Esav to bring him a special dish and then receive his blessing, he calls for his big son. The word for big, Gadol, is written with the letter “Vav”missing. This is a hint that Yitzchok already knows that the big son is now really the small son. In fact, the prophet Ovadia (1:2), referring to Esav says, “I have made you small among the nations”.
His behavior is childlike, demonstrating that he is only interested in his own gratification. A first born son requires a mature sense of purpose in order to carry on the work of his father in the world. In this case the task is created the foundations for the emergence of Klal Yisrael. (That is why the first born gets an extra portion more than his brothers from the father’s estate. That portion is for
the purpose of continuing the work of his father in the world. Being the first born
is a responsibility much more than privilege.)
Says, the Netziv, R’ Naftali Zvi Berlin, Esav’s scene made such a impression, that the Torah declared that he would always be known as Edom, the “Red One”; thereby insuring that what Esav and Edom (Western culture) represent, will never be forgotten. Edom is a shaking off of responsibility to pursue self- gratification. Yaacov, the father of the Jewish people, accepted upon himself the responsibility to be different, to dedicate himself to the service of Hashem and to bring Tikkun/healing to the world.

Ashes To Ashes, Dust To Dust

“And Yitzchok redug the wells which had been dug in the days of his father Avraham, and which had been plugged up by the Phillistines after the death of Avraham. He called the wells by the same names that his father used.” (Bereishis 26:18)
The Avos and Imahos were always involved with wells and flocks. It is to be understood that there is more involved in their activities than just the pursuit of water to drink and food to eat. When one digs a well, the result is a pit in the ground filled with water and a
mound of dirt next to it. When Yitzchok dug the wells the Torah says that they found a “well of living waters”. A well of living waters is an illusion to Torah, which like water flows from a high place to a lower one. When Avraham passed away, fountain of wisdom which he open became closed. Similarly, on the day that Moshe Rabbenu died, 300 halachos were immediately forgotten from the world. Yitzchok goes now to re-open these sources of wisdom. The Baal ShemTov explained, in order to dig a well, or open up the source of wisdom, one must remove the dirt, mounding it up on the sides of the new well. This dirt hints at the way to prepare oneself for learning Torah (opening up the sources of wisdom). One must first become like that dirt; humble and lowly,
something that everybody treads on. Only after the acquisition of the quality of genuine humility can one succeed in finding the well of living waters, the clear, pure, flowing wisdom of the Torah. The Beis Pinchas related the following story concerning the Rebbi Moshe, the Rozvodover Rebbe . Once the Rozvodover Rebbe was at a wedding and he began to daven Maariv while sitting at the table, without any advance preparation. When asked about his behavior, he answered from the Gemarra in Tractate Beitza (2a), about “prepared ashes”. (When one ritually slaughters fowl or a wild animal, the spilled blood must be covered with soil. If the slaughtering is done on Yom Tov, then the soil must have been prepared before the onset of the Holiday. Both opinions agree, that ashes left from the oven are considered “prepared”.)
The Rozvodover Rebbe said that one who considers himself to be no more than “prepared ashes”, that he is as worthless as ashes, can also burst into flames in an instant, just like the small coals remaining in the ashes. Such a person is always in a state of readiness for any matter of Holiness, and doesn’t need any further preparation.

Higher Education

“And Yitzchok loved Esav because he brought him game to eat, but Rivka loved Yaacov.” (Bereishis 25:28)
I have always been of the school of thought that one ought to be careful before saying that the Avos or Imahos lacked understand of what was happening around them or that they made careless mistakes. If the verse tells us that Yitzchok loved Esav, there must be a conscious reason he had for loving him.
The medieval commentator, Dr. Ovadia Seporno learns from verse an important
lesson in Chinuch Banim, the education of one’s children.
Yitzchok knew that Esav was no Tzaddik. He knew that all of his religious talk was nothing more than smooth talk. Esav the hunter baited his father with clever questions to capture his attention and affection. Both father and son knew that Yaacov was destined to be the continuation of the family line. (Yaacov embodied the quality of Tiferes [truth, beauty, and mercy]. Tiferes is the fusion of Chesed and Gevurah. Yaacov embodied a fusion of the Gevurah of his father Yitzchok, and the Chesed [remember Eliezer’s and the camels?]) of his
mother Rivka.) When the verse says the Yitzchok loved Esav and Rivka loved Yaacov, it means that Rivka was able to love only Yaacov. Since her essence was pure kindness, she was not able to suffer a son like Esav. And Yitzchok loved Yaacov, but he also loved Esav. Esav also needed the guidance, support and direction of a father.
Nevertheless, since he was possessed of a strong desire to satisfy only himself, he required the tough, stern love which only Yitzchok, with his nature of Gevurah, could provide.

Torah From The Heart

A family in White Russia once had trouble with their young son, Mordechai. He never wanted to study or pray, only to play outside. He also had a penchant to get himself into mischief. It was a source of tremendous anxiety for the parents. One day they heard that the great Rebbi, R’ Aharon of Karlin would soon be visiting their town. They decided that they would bring their son to meet the Rebbe. Maybe he would be able to straighten young Mordechai out. They were
able to secure an audience with R’ Aharon, and told him their story.
R’ Aharon listened to them intently and responded in an unexpectedly rough manner. “I’ll have a few words wihim and set him straight! Leave him to me, I’ll teach him how to behave.”
The parents, a bit unsettled by his roughness, yet assured by his confidence, let
R’ Aharon bring their Mordechai into his private room. R’ Aharon took a good look at the youngster, leaned back on the couch and in a gentle fatherly voice called the boy to come over. He held out his arms and motioned for him to come nearer.
Then he pulled Mordechai close and held him against his heart for a long time.
Afterwards, they went out together to the anxious parents. Not revealing his special method of persuasion, R’ Aharon again spoke roughly to the parents. “I had a word with him. I expect him to shape up now!”
Indeed the boy did change, and became the well known tzaddik, Rebbi Mordechai of Lecovicz, the father of the Slonima dynasty. He always told his chassidim that he first learned Torah from R’ Aharon of Karlin, who taught him Torah from the heart.
A Guten Shabbos!