Genesis 25,19 “And these are the generations of Yitzchok, the son of Avraham; Avraham begot Yitzchok.” (We have been told in Genesis 21,12 כי ביצחק יקרא לך זרע, “for your seed (descendants) will be known through Yitzchok.” G’d told Avraham already before Yitzchok was born that although he had another son, Yishmael, his descendants would always be associated with Yitzchok. It was understood that this promise was contingent on Yitzchok becoming a righteous person, a tzaddik, future generations would not trace themselves back to their ancestor Avraham but each generation would only trace itself back to their immediate forbears, i.e. their fathers.
In other words, the new element provided by our verse above is that even Yitzchok’s offspring would trace themselves back to their founding patriarch Avraham. We learn from here also that it is up to the “son” to demonstrate by his deeds that he was not only descended from his father but could claim previous generations as his “roots.” When we consider this, the word תולדה is no longer an adjective, an attribute of a person which he came by naturally, without any input of his own, but it is a tribute to the person so described, meaning that he is a worthy descendant of his illustrious forbears. Another way of looking at our verse is that of the Ari’zal, who sees in the words כי ביצחק in Genesis 21,12 a reference to the “feminine” side of Yitzchok in the diagram of the 10 emanations, i.e. the earthly element, seeing that the angel had said to Avraham (Genesis 18,10) והנה בן לשרה אשתך, “and here your wife Sarah will have a son.” [The angel emphasized Sarah as predominant in Yitzchok’s birth, not his father Avraham.
Ed.] However, subsequently he would receive a soul contributed by Avraham, Avraham representing the masculine element of the chart of the emanations. This point is made by the Torah here repeating what otherwise would be assumed, that Avraham begot Yitzchok. The Ari’zal’s comment also coincides with the meaning of Bereshit Rabbah 58,5 in which the Midrash, referring to Genesis 23,3 where Avraham is reported as “arriving” in order to bury Sarah, asks: “where did Avraham arrive from? Where had he been previously?”
One of the answers given by the Midrash is that Avraham came from Mount Moriah. The Midrash adds that Sarah died as a result of the anguish she experienced when told that Yitzchok had been slaughtered. She had found this incompatible with G’d’s promise to Avraham that ברך אברכך והרבה ארבה את זרעך, “I will continuously bless you and greatly multiply your descendants” which G’d had said to Avraham in Genesis 22,17.At this point the author attributes to this Midrash a third answer to the question whence Avraham came to arrange Sarah’s funeral.
I have not found this in any of my editions, although this is the answer that would tie in with our verse above. The Midrash supposedly views as Avraham “coming” i.e. contributing the soul to Yitzchok as alluded to in the words (Genesis 21,12) כי ביצחק יקרא לך זרע. The author suggest as a more likely explanation of the words אלה תולדות יצחק בן אברהם, אברהם הוליד את יצחק, that the Torah testifies to Yitzchok’s distinctive characteristic being יראה, awe and reverence of Gd, i.e. that as a founding father of the Jewish nation, Yitzchok’s characteristic contributed the awe of the majesty of G’d that is common to most Jews.
This attribute enables the average Jew to keep his distance from everything evil or wicked, i.e. סור מרע. This attribute is an offshoot of the attribute of tzimtzum, voluntary limitations, that G’d imposed upon Himself prior to creating the physical universe. Having realized that this was one of G’d’s attributes, Yitzchok emulated this. There is another way of achieving similar results, i.e. Avraham’s way of negating the allures of this world almost completely and thereby coming ever closer to G’d resulting in love for Him, as we have described repeatedly.
The opening line of our Parshah therefore mentions that both father and son, each in their own way, practiced virtues that guaranteed that he would come closer to G’d all the time. Still another angle from which to approach the opening line in our Parshah would concentrate on the word הוליד, begot, instead of ילד “gave birth,” in the sense of doing more than merely contribute semen. [Compare Genesis 4,18; (three times) 10,23; 10,24. et al.).
Ed.] According to this the Torah used the expression אברהם הוליד to indicate that Avraham’s influence to Yitzchok’s being born extended to the next generation, i.e. he had a share in Yitzchok’s ability to sire children, also. Moreover, Yaakov, as we have stated elsewhere, served G’d under the heading of the emanation תפארת, “harmony,” a combination of the two attributes of חסד and גבורה\יראה.
Our verse, by commencing with the connective letter ו, “and,” suggests that due to Yaakov having been begotten by both Avraham and Yitzchok, he was able to unify the two major characteristics of his father and grandfather within his personality so that he could serve his Creator by using both these attributes to the best advantage, i.e. blending them into תפארת, harmony. This influence that Avraham was able to exert on the development of his grandson Yaakov, is described by the Torah’s use of the causative mode of the hiphil, by writing הוליד instead of ילד. Genesis 25,21.
“Yitzchok implored Hashem on behalf of his wife;” it is known that the relationship between the masculine and the feminine parts in a marriage is based on the masculine part initiating and the feminine part responding. This relationship is demonstrated clearly as one of total contrast when both partners in the marriage are completely sterile, in the sense that neither is able to contribute his or her part to conception.
When the roles of the male and the female appear to be reversed, i.e. the female appearing to initiate and the male appearing to respond, the usual relationship is totally askew. The latter situation was the case here, and this is expressed by the Torah writing the word לנוכח אשתו, an expression indicating היפוך, a totally reversed situation. This is the reason why the Torah writes of G’d: ויעתר לו, “G’d was entreated on his account.”
The word עתר indicates a “reversal,” as we know from Sukkah 14, where the Talmud applies it to a shovel or pitchfork, which is used to turn over the grain. Another way of interpreting the line ויעתר יצחק וגו', sees it as Yitzchok imploring G’d to grant his wife children on account of her merits, i.e. לנוכח אשתו. He did not think that he himself had accumulated sufficient merits to pray to G’d to consider his own merits.
This also appears to be the way Rashi understands the somewhat unusual wording used in our verse when he sees in the word לו “to him,” proof that G’d hearkened only to Yitzchok’s prayer and not לה, not to Rivkah’s prayer. Were this not so, the word לו would have been unnecessary, according to Rashi. The reason given by Rashi is that the prayer of a tzaddik who is himself the son of a tzaddik reaches G’d’s throne more quickly than the prayer of a tzaddik (such as Rivkah) who does not have any parental merit to support her prayers.
From the wording of Rashi it seems that, as we said, Yitzchok’s prayer was based on Rivkah possessing the merits necessary for G’d to grant requests in her prayer. If G’d had done what Yitzchok asked because of his reasoning, it would leave the impression that Yitzchok’s own merits were insufficient. In order to prevent the reader from arriving at such an erroneous conclusion, the Torah adds the word לו, i.e. that G’d did indeed respond to Yitzchok’s plea, based on his own merit.. The reason that Yitzchok’s plea took precedence was not that he possessed more merits than his wife, but that he was fortunate in having had a father Avraham who himself was a tzaddik. [This editor wonders why, during the 20 years Yitzchok had been married to Rivkah, his father Avraham never prayed to G’d to grant that couple children.
Ed.] Genesis 25,22. she said: “if so (that the children already quarrel within my womb),what is the purpose of my existence?” We can understand this complaint of Rivkah on the basis of a comment by the Ari’zal that righteous women are spared the pain and discomfort of pregnancy. Rivkah, while experiencing even more than the normal amount of pain and discomfort during her pregnancy, had concluded that this was proof that G’d had not considered her righteous.
Moreover, it is a tenet of our faith that if someone is not a “good” person, such a person will not serve as a receptacle for anything holy or potentially holy. Our sages have based this insight on Leviticus 11,15 את כל עורב למינו, “and every subspecies of raven each according to its species” (is forbidden to eat). [The word כל in that verse means that even close association with something ritually unclean, i.e. a raven, is an obstacle to such a person hosting holy spirit, etc. Ed.] According to Bereshit Rabbah 63,6 whenever Rivkah passed a Torah academy Yaakov would make an effort to leave her womb, whereas when she passed a pagan temple Esau would try to leave her womb.
Thereupon she went to ask G’d about this strange phenomenon. The Midrash states further that the word זה in our verse refers to the fact that originally, -if not for her complaint- Rivkah was slated to become the mother of all the twelve tribes; seeing that she appeared to find fault with G’d’s arrangement, she was told that she would become the mother of only two sons, one of whom would be Esau.
One of the sages in the Midrash takes issue with the literal meaning of Yaakov and Esau respectively having shown awareness of when their mother passed a Torah academy or a pagan temple, and states that, of course, this is merely a simile, and that Rivkah consulted with the heads of the academy founded by Shem and subsequently headed by his great grandson Ever. According to another opinion offered, Rivkah knew that the source of holiness is the One known as אנכי, and when she exclaimed למה זה אנכי, she expressed her confusion how she could be the receptacle of a son who clearly strived for holiness if she was not worthy.
On the other hand, if she were worthy, why did she experience such a difficult pregnancy? G’d put her mind at rest, telling her that her difficulties did not mean that she was not worthy, but that the other son who would be unworthy was the one that caused her present problems. Let us proceed to explain some aspects about Yitzchok’s and Rivkah’s marital union and its implications. We must take note that the marital unions of the patriarchs and their details have been described in the Torah, with the exception of the union of Avram and Sarai at the time.
Seeing that at the time Avram married Sarai he was not yet a founding father of the Jewish nation, the Torah did not see fit to give us any details about that union and how it came about. We have explained previously that names reflect the soul’s origin, so that when both Avram’s and Sarai’s names were changed they also experienced a change in their souls. The union of Avram and Sarai had not produced any offspring, and until both their names were changed by Divine decree they could not become patriarchs and matriarchs, respectively.
This leaves us with the question why the names of Yitzchok and Rivkah were not changed so that they would not have become parents of an Esau? Avraham’s name was changed in order that his attribute of חסד could take root in the world and enable him to be active spreading this virtue. By doing this he incidentally illuminated the world with some of the Divine light that had been withheld since Adam’s sin.
We have explained previously that this Divine light, brightness, cannot be allowed to keep on getting stronger without endangering the existence of the human race while man had not kept pace with the spiritual growth needed to tolerate these infusions of Divine light. It was Yitzchok’s task to preserve the limitation of this accomplishment of his father Avraham without endangering his achievements by recklessly leading where his contemporaries could not follow and keep in step.
This is why his name, as opposed to that of his father or his son Yaakov, was never changed. Just as G’d had to impose limitations on Himself before becoming active in a material world, so Avram before becoming active as a patriarch, had to impose limitations on himself. The name אברם, “a towering personality in lofty regions,” was appropriate as long as he had not been charged with spreading monotheism through his loving concern for his fellow throughout the regions in which he would sojourn.
Once this became his primary task, the name change from אברם to אברהם, i.e. “father of many (terrestrial) nations,” and mirrored his becoming more effective in our terrestrial regions. He himself could not produce personal issue until he had begun the task assigned to him on earth. Yaakov, who as we explained, represented a fusion of the attributes of his father and his grandfather, had his name changed to Israel, when he had matured to the point of representing this meld of loving kindness on the one hand, and awe of G’d on the other. [No other patriarch is quoted as having been “afraid” as many times as Yaakov, in spite of his having received more assurances from G’d than either his father or grandfather.
Ed.]Whereas Avraham, after having had his name changed, is never again referred to as Avram, and according to halachah it is inadmissible for us nowadays to refer to him by his original name, Yaakov received an “additional” name, his original name not having been uprooted and the prophets throughout the generations repeatedly referring to him by that name. The fact that he was able to sire all the 12 tribes before having had the name Yisrael added to his name, is proof that his name change was of a different kind from that of Avram’s becoming Avraham. Yaakov’s combining the attributes of חסד and גבורה, did not need to be renamed for the sake of achieving צמצום, voluntary restriction of some of his natural initiatives.
When the angel informed him that henceforth the name Israel would be added to his original name (Genesis 32,28) this was in recognition of Yaakov’s ability to function on both “wavelengths, i.e. he could keep in check his tendency to practice חסד as well as his tendency to be in awe of G’d, גבורה, דין as the occasion demanded. We can best understand this when picturing a father who, when displaying his love for a young child, has to keep in check that this intellect tells him that he is wasting valuable time “playing,” during which he could perform other tasks whose usefulness would be apparent to all.
By knowing when to use the instrument of tzimtzum, he pleases the Creator so much that the prophet Isaiah 49,3 quotes G’d as saying of Israel: ישראל אשר בך אתפאר, “Israel through you I am glorified.” [I have occasionally paraphrased the author’s words in the preceding paragraph. Ed.] Genesis 25,26. “while his hand was holding on to Esau’s heel.” I assume that the reader is aware that Satan, [also known as the angel of death, Esau himself describing himself as headed for death, Ed.] is considered as the protective guardian of Esau. Yaakov was bent on vanquishing this force, (also known as the poison resulting in death) so that this force would not overwhelm us, his descendants.
It is noteworthy that the numerical value of the word עקב (172) is twice the numerical value of the attribute of Justice, אלוהים (86). Symbolically speaking, Yaakov used this numerical superiority of the letters in his name to challenge the supremacy of Justice when not tempered by Mercy. Genesis 25,28. “Yitzchok loved Esau for he had a taste for game;” (normal translation). Our author, following a kabbalistic approach demonstrated ever since his approach to Genesis 3,1 (page 22) where he referred to certain sparks that fell off the Shechinah and landed somewhere in our world, has considered it the task and intense desire of the tzaddik to snare (hunt and capture) some of these 88 sparks of the Divine and make them his own in order to restore them to their origin. Accordingly, Yitzchok views Esau as in pursuit of this valuable “game,” hoping that his son Esau, the hunter, could help him in his quest.
Although he was aware that Esau’s “hunting” was concerned with physical bounty, he hoped to sublimate his skills to pursuing something more spiritual by teaching him Torah, thus elevating him spiritually. After all, according to our tradition, the souls of famous converts to Judaism such as Shemayah and Avtalyon as well as the great scholar Rabbi Meir, are all reported to be descendants of Esau’s soul.
There are more such “sparks” to be found on this planet until the messiah will come. (Sanhedrin 96) Genesis 26,3. (some editions of the Kedushat Levi do not contain this paragraph) sojourn in this land…..for to you and to your descendants I will give this land .as a result of Avraham having hearkened to My voice, etc.” This verse sounds at first glance as if Yitzchok on his own account did not have the merits required for him to stake a claim to this land in his own right.It is known (in Kabbalistic circles) that Avraham constantly endeavoured to restore the “sparks” that had escaped from the Shechinah in the celestial regions, and that seeing that these were to be found among the gentiles, this necessitated that he visit countries other than the land of Canaan.
Once he had gathered them up, Yitzchok could begin to spiritually elevate them. It would no longer be necessary for Yitzchok to leave the Holy Land in order to search for any remaining “sparks,” that had escaped the “Shechinah” and become tainted by contact with the material world and its allures. This is what is alluded to when the Torah speaks of תולדות יצחק, “Yitzchok’s accomplishments,” instead of תולדות אברהם, “Avraham’s accomplishments,” as Avraham did not have the merits of his father to assist him in his task on earth.
As a result of this lack of זכות אבות, he had to sojourn in other countries on occasion. Genesis 26,28. “we have taken due note of the fact that the Lord has been with you, etc.;” based on what we explained (18,2) in connection with וירא וירץ לקראתם, (page 88) that when a person looks at a righteous person, his own powers of perception are enhanced by the mere fact that he is within the orbit of the tzaddik, our sages (Rosh Hashanah 16) have stated that people must make a point of visiting their Rabbi or other scholars on the festivals.
They will benefit spiritually merely by looking at their Rabbi. Avraham at the time had realized that the three strangers who had appeared in front of him suddenly were superior beings as his own powers of perception had been sharpened by their arrival and his facing them. It was this realization that his perceptive powers had been enhanced, that prompted him at the time not only to walk toward these visitors but to run in order to make them welcome.The repetition by the Torah of the words ראו ראינו is to draw our attention to both Avimelech and his entourage having experienced these enhanced powers of perception.
They had become aware that their powers of “seeing” had not only been improved quantitatively but also qualitatively, i.e. they had experienced the awe of feeling in the presence of a spiritually superior being. They realized now that the Presence of the Divine Shechinah rested above the head of Yitzchok. Genesis 26,29. “if you were to do with us something evil, considering that we have not harmed you, etc.;” we assume that the reader is familiar with the commentary of Baal haturim according to which Avimelech had indeed planned to harm Yitzchok, but that G’d converted this to Yitzchok’s benefit, something G’d does all the time when evil persons try to harm tzaddikim.
According to Baal haturim, the words “as we have not harmed you,” are to be understood as an admission by Avimelech that he had indeed intended to harm Yitzchok, but that he had been prevented from doing so by Yitzchok’s G’d. Avimelech now pleaded with Yitzchok to respond to their deeds and not to their evil intentions. He implied that if Yitzchok were planning to do him and his country harm, this too would backfire.
Another way of looking at the line: אם תעשה עמנו רעה כאשר לא נגענוך וגו', adding the words: אתע עתה ברוך ה', “you are now in the position of being blessed by the Lord,” it appears that Avimelech now demanded that just as he had done favours for Yitzchok, it was now Yitzchok’s turn to reciprocate these favours. At first glance it sounds incomprehensible that Yitzchok has to return favours to Avimelech when the latter, by his own admission, had only not harmed Yitzchok because he was afraid of retribution from Yitzchok’s G’d.
He had learned the lesson that everyone had to learn who had ever tried to harm any of our patriarchs.The righteous had never wanted that these people be destroyed; if this had been the result of their planning harm against the patriarchs, this was something G’d had decided in His own wisdom, without prompting by the intended victims. The tzaddikim are concerned with G’d rewarding those who show them fairness in their dealings with them.
The tzaddikim have the welfare of mankind at heart. Avimelech was arrogant or dishonest enough to try and make Yitzchok believe that he had been a free agent when doing favours for Yitzchok, and that he had not been under pressure by G’d to do so. Avimelech argued that whatever his original intention, the fact remained that Yitzckok now enjoyed G’d’s blessings, and that they had been the instruments G’d had used to bestow these blessings upon him.
A person who has been described as “blessed by the Lord,” must never become the cause of other human beings coming to harm through anything he does. It therefore is his duty to repay favours that he had experienced while sojourning in the land of the Philistines. Genesis 26,30. In response to this request, ויעש להם משתה, “Yitzchok prepared a feast for Avimelech and his entourage;” ויאכלו וישתו וילכו מאתו בשלום, “they ate and drank, and they went away from him in peace.”It would appear that these various anecdotes from the lives of our forefathers, the patriarchs, have been recorded in the Torah, so that during periods of exile and persecution, their descendants would recall that their forebears too had been subjected to difficult periods and that their lives had been in danger on account of their being ‘Hebrews’ on numerous occasions.
We should remember that although the early Israelites were frequently in a politically weak position, this did not prevent powerful kings from soliciting their goodwill. Genesis 27,22. “He came close, and Yitzchok kissed him, etc.;” ….he said: “the fragrance of my son is like the fragrance of a field that has been blessed by the Lord.” The first letters in the line: אשר ברכו ה', are the same as in the word אבי, “my Father,” i.e. Yitzchok felt that the son in front of him represented his father in heaven. Genesis 27,28. “and may the Lord give you of the dew of heaven and an abundance of grain, etc.” This line is best understood in accordance with the Talmud [source not found Ed.].
Parnassah, usually translated as livelihood, “economic well being,” is understood as a pleasurable experience, תענוג, i.e. the service performed by the Jewish people for G’d results in a satisfying experience for the Lord. The reason that the Lord desires for Israel to serve Him and the resulting satisfaction is known as דלת, a word derived from דלה ועניה, poverty, inadequacy. Just as a poor man constantly feels in need, so G’d constantly feels the desire to be served by His creatures.
By doing so, they provide Him with what in our parlance is “a livelihood.” [I have paraphrased this. Ed.] Let us proceed to explain the nature of the blessing Yitzchok bestowed on Yaakov. We must remember that he thought that he was blessing Esau. The wording of the blessing reflects evaluations in the celestial spheres.
In order to understand this better, compare the Talmud in Pessachim 118 where psalms 118,1 הודו לה' כי טוב כי לעולם חסדו, “Praise the Lord for He is good, for His loving kindness lasts forever;” this is understood by Rav Chisda as the goodness of G’d being displayed in the manner in which He applies punishment for the same sin by exacting retribution from the sinner only relative to his economic ability, i.e. He may punish a wealthy man by depriving him of his ox, whereas he may deprive a poor man only of a lamb, though both committed the same sin.
The principle we must constantly keep in front of our eyes is spelled out in B’rachot 60: “whatever G’d initiates is for the benefit of His creatures.” Being only human, we cannot always recognize that what befalls us is actually for our own good. Even when it is quite obviously a setback to our aspirations, we must remember that when these setbacks are retributions for sins committed, designed to preserve our claim to an afterlife intact, the retribution itself is tailored to our individual circumstances ensuring that we will not collapse under their burden.The same rule applies in reverse.
Sometimes we experience what we consider a stroke of good luck, and we may even thank the Lord for this “stroke of good luck.” This does not mean that this very “stroke of good luck,” does not constitute a challenge even more difficult to deal with than a “stroke of bad luck.” Eventually, we may trace reverses we experience in life to the very stroke of “good luck,” such as winning a lottery.
Had we not won that lottery, dissent within the family, envy and jealousy might never have reared their head within our family. The overriding element that a true believer in Hashem must never lose sight of is that G’d did not give Satan unlimited powers, and that whatever difficulties he puts in our path must be geared to our ability to overcome it, if only we exert ourselves to the fullest extent.We know that Yitzchok’s predominant characteristic was the aspect of G’d called מידת הדין, attribute of Justice.
Esau, on the other hand, personified the perennial accuser, Satan, whereas Yaakov personified virtues of the Jewish people. When preparing to bless his son Esau, (as he thought he was doing) Yitzchok had to tailor his blessing to the power of retribution, Satan. (Compare Baba batra 16). When G’d gives the attribute of Justice the green light to punish human beings, this means that he allows Satan free reign for a time.
By withdrawing, hiding His benevolence from the people being punished, He is actually doing them a favour. When Yitzchok proceeded to bless Esau, he had intended to empower the forces that mete out retribution on earth; having been unaware that the son facing him was Yaakov, who instead of empowering retribution was concerned only with what was manifestly good for Israel. This was an example of everything that G’d does being for the ultimate good.
Yaakov too had not realized the true motivation of Yitzchok in wanting to bestow a blessing on Esau at that time not having been aware of the type of blessing Yitzchok intended to bestow on him. [All three (not counting Rivkah) parties involved in the blessing were unaware of pertinent facts before undertaking a potentially fateful step. Ed.] Genesis 27,30 “it was that as soon as Yitzchok had concluded blessing Yaakov, etc.;” we need to understand why Yitzchok had not wanted to bestow a blessing on Yaakov, originally.
Nachmanides writes: (not found in Torah commentary) that Yitzchok preferred Yaakov to remain unaware of the blessings bestowed upon him. [Perhaps he felt that way seeing that his own father, Avraham, also had not bestowed a blessing upon him, and left it for G’d to do so after he had died. Compare. Genesis 28,4 where Yitzchok makes it plain to Yaakov that he had not received this blessing from his own father. Ed.]
This seems difficult to understand. Perhaps we may understand it better in conjunction with what the Talmud B’rachot 45 states that the person translating the public Torah reading must not raise his voice to be louder than the voice of the person reading the Torah from the original scroll. The reader represents G’d, Who has given us the Torah, whereas the translator only represents the reader.
The Talmud cites Exodus 19,19 as the source for this ruling. Anyone reading that verse will be astounded, as it sounds as if G‘d, responding to Moses spoke louder than Moses, when repeating what Moses had told Him. (Compare Tossaphot on that folio) However, the point is, as we learned in B’rachot 12, that any benediction that does not contain a reference to G’d as King, is not considered a benediction in the full meaning of the word.
Similarly, any benediction which follows immediately after another benediction also does not rank as a (separate) benediction in the full sense of the word so that it does not need to include another reference to G’d as “King”.It appears that Avraham had a “claim” on the word א-ל as a name of G’d, as G’d uses this name when bestowing acts of loving kindness on His creatures. Yitzchok, on the other hand, had a similar claim on the word אלוקים for G’d, as this name represents Justice or judgment.
This is why his son Yaakov in Genesis 31,42 speaks of פחד יצחק “He Who Yitzchok was in awe of and Who assisted me,” when describing Yitzchoks’ G’d.” Yaakov, had a “claim” on the tetragram, i.e. י-ה-ו-ה, the name of G’d representing primarily the attribute of Mercy. In order for the attribute of Justice to be “sweetened” somewhat, it needs to be applied in conjunction with the other two attributes we mentioned.The Ari z’al said that the word אתה when used in the beginning of each benediction is an allusion to the attribute א-ל, so that when one commences the benediction with the words ברוך אתה י-ה-ו-ה, the word ברוך signifying continuation, or conduit, meaning that G’d continuously dispensing loving kindness by means of both His names אתה א-ל י-ה-ו-ה.
Through His continuing to do so, G’d automatically “sweetens,” i.e. softens the impact of the attribute of Justice, the one referred to as אלוקינו in every benediction we pronounce. It follows that when one benediction follows on the heels of another benediction, there having been no prayer or psalm interrupting the two, that there is no need to acknowledge G’d once more as being King, as the full impact of the attribute of Justice has already been softened so that we do not need to appeal to G’d as a benevolent ruler, i.e. King, to soften the attribute of Justice once more.
When he examine the Biblical text quoted by the Talmud in B’rachot 12 in order to prove that the translator must speak in lower decibels than the reader more closely, (which at first glance appears to prove the opposite of what is postulated), we have to remember that Moses was considered as the patriarch of all future prophets and Torah scholars. In spite of this, we all know that Moses’ prophetic pronouncements were far easier to understand than those of all the prophets following him.
The reason that this was so was that the Shechinah spoke directly out of Moses’ throat (Chavot Daat, 232) whereas the prophets subsequent to him were only relating what they had seen in a vision, so that they had to “describe“ that vision in order to make it intelligible to their listeners. Keeping these facts in mind, the exegesis of the Talmud is absolutely correct, as G’d Himself plays the role of the “Translator.”
It remains for us to explain what Nachmanides meant when he wrote that Yitzchok wanted Yaakov’s blessing to remain שלא מדעת, unknown to him, something that he was not aware of.The Ari z’al wrote the following commentary on Kohelet 8,9 עת אשר שלט האדם באדם לרע לו, “there is a time when man rules over another man intending to harm him.” When G’d wishes to place a holy soul on earth He first needs to prepare a ritually unclean spot on earth for him.
Were He not to do this, the attribute of Justice, Satan, could succeed in preventing Him from carrying out His design. However, once the attribute of Justice has taken note that this “holy” soul is surrounded by ritual uncleanness, the attribute of Justice, i.e. Satan, does not worry about the holy soul’s chances of being successful in such surroundings. Hence it will not lavish much attention on that soul.
Being thus unmolested by Satan for a while, the holy soul can develop roots and prosper, enabling it to pursue its appointed task. This is why Avraham was born to the idol merchant Terach. Once Satan was aware of this, he did not worry about how Avraham would develop until Avraham had already established a powerful presence on earth himself, one that could challenge Satan. This is also why David’s roots were in Lot and his daughter; Satan never suspected that Lot would sire a daughter whose descendant would become the convert from whom David, and eventually the messiah could emerge. Yitzchok’s not wanting to bless Yaakov publicly, was intended to protect him from an assault by Satan.
This is also why Avraham was meant to pursue the four Kings and their armies in order to save Lot, so that he could fulfill his destiny in becoming a forbear of David. According to the Ari z’al some people attain tremendous power early on in their career only, imagining that they control the whole of mankind. Sooner or later, their empire falls apart and ends in ruin. Yitzchok held back with blessing Yaakov until after he had blessed Esau in order for the latter to enjoy his blessing, only to decline through his abuse of the powers he enjoyed; at that time Yaakov, his descendants, the Jewish people, would rise to fame never to decline and disappear from the stage of history.
Yaakov, in time, would destroy all the forces on earth that personify ritual contamination, טומאה. At that time all of G’d’s blessings not pronounced by Yitzchok would be fulfilled. Genesis 27,33. “he shall also remain blessed.” We need to examine what exactly prompted Yitzchok to say this, seeing that he did give Yaakov another blessing in 28,1-4. Yaakov received the first blessing when he brought his father the meal, and the second one when he set out to flee from his brother Esau, (though his father thought he was sending him only to marry one of Lavan’s daughters.)
On the surface, the first blessing was the major blessing, whereas the precise meaning of the second blessing was not even spelled out. If the second blessing was the “minor” blessing, it must have been meant to apply to Yaakov while he was alive on this earth, concerning himself with success in his undertakings on earth. The effect of his first blessing was meant to be reserved for use in the world to come, or at least on earth, but after the arrival of the messiah.In his comments on Zecharyah 14,9 ביום ההוא יהיה ה' אחד ושמו אחד, “on that day G’d will be One and His name will be One,” the Ari z’al comments that the meaning is not that G’d’s name will undergo changes, but that the meaning of G’d’s name(s) will be clear to all of mankind.
G’d’s name י-ה will no longer be an allusion to exile, nor will His name ו-ה be abused by atheists using it for their own purposes. When the time comes when G’d will deal with the “left” side of the emanations judgmentally, neutralizing its influence forever, the two parts of G’d’s name will be on a par with one another as if there were no ה and no ו but two letters י. When Yitzchok told Esau, concerning Yaakov’s future, גם ברוך יהיה, “he will also remain blessed in the future”, he referred to that future. Genesis 27,38. “do you really have only one blessing that you can dispense, my father?;While there is a rule that life as well as blessings originate from one holy source, this rule brings in its wake the possibility that the “left” side of the emanations can also be the seat of life, as when G’d created the universe He arranged that the forces of evil and those of good be at par with one another least on the surface. [Otherwise freedom of choice granted to man would be meaningless. Ed.]
Both the Ari z’al and others preceding him, including Rashi, stated that holiness is also known as אחת, “a state of unity.” Rashi points out that when the descendants of Yaakov set out on their journey to Egypt and their names had been listed individually, the Torah (Genesis 46,27) concluded the list with כל הנפש, “the sum total of the soul,” (singular) when referring to this family. On the other hand, when the Torah reports Esau and his family leaving the Holy Land in order to settle in the region of Seir, (Genesis 36,6) Esau’s descendants are referred to as נפשות, “souls” (pl.).
Such nuances in the Torah reveal to us that not all souls originate in the same region of the diagram portraying the emanations.Genesis 27,38. “do you really have only one blessing that you can dispense, my father?”;While there is a rule that life as well as blessings originate from one holy source, this rule brings in its wake the possibility that the “left” side of the emanations can also be the seat of life, as when G’d created the universe He arranged that the forces of evil and those of good be at par with one another least on the surface. [Otherwise freedom of choice granted to man would be meaningless. Ed.]
Both the Ari z’al and others preceding him, including Rashi, stated that holiness is also known as אחת, “a state of unity.” Rashi points out that when the descendants of Yaakov set out on their journey to Egypt and their names had been listed individually, the Torah (Genesis 46,27) concluded the list with כל הנפש, “the sum total of the soul,” (singular) when referring to this family. On the other hand, when the Torah reports Esau and his family leaving the Holy Land in order to settle in the region of Seir, (Genesis 36,6) Esau’s descendants are referred to as נפשות, “souls” (pl.).
Such nuances in the Torah reveal to us that not all souls originate in the same region of the diagram portraying the emanations.When Esau, at this point questions his father if he has only ברכה אתת, he asks whether his father cannot dispense a blessing for people whose origin is not in the holy section of the emanations, the section known as אחת. He feels, that surely seeing that he is his father’s son, his father must also be able to have reserved a blessing for him!
By asking this question he contradicted the words of his father who had told him that the blessing he had already bestowed on Yaakov that made him senior to his older brother, i.e. הוה גביר לאחיך, made this impossible. If he were to give Esau a similar blessing he would in effect deprive Yaakov of the blessing he had just given him. When Yitzchok heard what Esau demanded of him, seeing that he had told him that in his blessing he had made Yaakov the senior of the two, he realized the full extent of Esau’s wickedness, and that is why he added, now, without reservation, גם ברוך יהיה, “he shall also remain blessed!”
Up until that moment Yitzchok had not realized that Esau was a product of the סטרא אחרא, the “left side” of the scheme of emanations. Having found that out, he now gave Esau a blessing that was in keeping with the “blessings” perceived as such by souls that originate in that realm, i.e. על חרבך תחיה, “seeing that you are loyal to the principle that might is right,” the principle espoused by people whose souls originate in the left side of the emanations, people who believe in the survival of the fittest, Yitzchok could only bless his son Esau by wishing him “success” (death) when he would be involved in such lethal encounters.
He meant it in the sense that “until you pay the price with your physical life you will not be able to secure for yourself any life in the hereafter”. When such people lose their lives when engaged in what they perceive as a “holy” war, they may redeem themselves and secure life in the hereafter. [This editor has often wondered it the concept of our sages of a Mashiach ben Yoseph, a messiah who will die in battle before the advent of the Mashiach ben David, the ultimate redeemer, may not originate among the gentiles and earn his right to his hereafter in the manner just described.
Ed.]Genesis 27,40. Let us turn now to the next part of Yitzchok’s “blessing” to Easu, the words והיה כאשר תריד ופרקת עולו מעל צוארך, “but when you humble yourself you will be able to remove the his yoke from around your neck.” According to Or Hachayim on our verse the word והיה in the above verse is to be interpreted as a form of joy, שמחה. Contrary to the accepted translation of this line, Rashi understands the word תריד, as “when you will suffer pain.” According to Proverbs 11,10 באבוד רשעים רנה “when the wicked perish there is jubilation.”
Isaiah 1,3 speaks about the ox recognizing his owner. The fact is that when the ox wears a yoke he does not recognize (in the sense of welcoming) his master voluntarily, but only because he is forced to wear a yoke. When the yoke is removed he will honour his master by still respecting and welcoming him. Something parallel occurs in history about the Israel/Esau relationship.
As long as the Temple in Jerusalem was standing, the gentile nations paid reluctant respect to the Jewish people. Nowadays, when there is no longer a Temple in Jerusalem, the yoke which had restrained the Gentiles has been lifted from them, although their obligation, as a free willed creature created in the image of G’d to respect G’d’s people has not been lessened. G’d, after all, created this universe only for the sake of His people, the Jewish people.
According to Isaiah 40,17 כל האומות כעין נגדו מאפס ותוהו נחשבו לו, “All nations are as naught in His sight; He accounts them as less than nothing.” This is in essence what Yitzchok told Esau when he said ופרקתו עולו מעל צווארך, “even when you will divest yourself of the yoke of Yaakov, in times when the Jewish people are in exile, as Rashi explains, you will only remove this yoke from your neck, i.e. temporarily during the time Israel is in exile, but inherently, your duty toward G’d, whose representative on earth the Jewish people are, will continue, just as an ox knows his master regardless if he is restrained by a physical yoke or not.”
Upon hearing this, Esau raised his voice and wept, feeling frustrated that his father would not give him a blessing that would neutralize the one he had given to Yaakov. He had fully understood all the implications of the few words Yitzchok had said to him.