Another matter, “these are [ve’eleh] the ordinances,” Rabbi Abahu said: Every place where ve’eleh is written, it adds to the previous matter, and every place that eleh is written it rejects the previous matter. How so? “This is [eleh] the legacy of the heavens and the earth on the day that they were created” (Genesis 2:4). What did it reject?
He had been creating heavens and earth and examining them. They were not pleasing to Him, and He would restore them to emptiness and disorder. When He saw this heavens and earth, they were pleasing to Him. He said: “This is the legacy of the heavens and the earth,” but what came before was not a legacy.
Similarly, “this is [eleh] the legacy of Noah” (Genesis 6:9). What did it reject? It rejected the generation of Enosh, the generation of the Flood, and Keinan and his counterparts. Therefore it says: “The sons of Yefet, Gomer and Magog” (Genesis 10:2).9The Torah enters into great detail when enumerating the descendants of Noah, but not with the preceding generations.
Similarly, “this is [ve’eleh] the legacy of Ishmael son of Abraham” (Genesis 25:12), adds to the previous matter. Who are they? What is written beforehand, as it is stated: “She bore him10Ketura bore for Abraham. Zimran and Yokshan” (Genesis 25:2).
Here, too, “this is [ve’eleh] the legacy of Ishmael son of Abraham…the firstborn of Ishmael is Nevayot” (Genesis 25:12–13). They were wicked like them.11The sons of Ishmael were wicked like the sons of Ketura. Similarly, “this is [ve’eleh] the legacy [toledot] of Isaac son of Abraham” (Genesis 25:19) adds to the previous matter, to what was written beforehand: “The sons of Ishmael” (Genesis 25:16).
Who was it? It was Esau and his sons, for he was a son of Isaac. If so, it may be said that since only “this is [ve’eleh] the legacy” is written, Jacob, too, who was part of the legacy of Isaac, is included with Esau? You find that every [time the word] toledot appears in the Bible it is written defectively,12It is written without a vav between the tav and lamed or without a vav between the dalet and the tav. except for: “This is the legacy [toledot] of the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 2:4), and “this is the legacy [toledot] of Peretz” (Ruth 4:18).
And there is a compelling reason why it says: “This is the legacy [toledot] of the heavens and the earth” in full. It is because the Holy One blessed be He created His world and there was no angel of death in the world. That is why it is complete. When Adam and Eve sinned, the Holy One blessed be He minimized all the toledot in the Bible.
When Peretz arose, his toledot became full, because the Messiah will emerge from him, in whose days the Holy One blessed be He will eliminate death, as it is stated: “He will eliminate death forever” (Isaiah 25:8). That is the reason that toledot of the heavens and earth and toledot of Peretz are full. This is the reason that toledot of Isaac is defective, to exclude Jacob from the category of the wicked.13The Messiah can also be traced back to Jacob, and therefore the word toledot should have been written regarding Isaac with the vav.
It is written without the vav as an indication that it is referring only to Esau and not to Jacob. Similarly, “this is [eleh] the legacy of Jacob” (Genesis 37:2), it rejected the chieftains of Esau. Similarly, “these are [ve’eleh] the names of the children of Israel” (Exodus 1:1), adds to the previous matter. Who were they?
Those who were written beforehand: The children of Reuben and the children of Simeon.14This is a reference to the listing of the descendants of Jacob who came down to Egypt (see Genesis 46:8–27). Similarly, “this is [ve’eleh] the legacy of Aaron” (Numbers 3:1) adds to the previous matter. Who were they? Those who were written beforehand: “These are the counted, that Moses and Aaron…counted” (Numbers 1:44).
Just like those beforehand were righteous, so, too, these were righteous.15Although the verses regarding Aaron proceed to list Nadav and Avihu, who were killed due to the offering of a strange fire before God (see Numbers 3:2–4), on the whole they were still considered righteous. Here, too, “these are [ve’eleh] the ordinances” adds to the previous matter, that which was written beforehand: “There He instituted for it statutes and ordinances” (Exodus 15:25).
Another matter, “these are [ve’eleh] the ordinances.” What is written before this portion? “They shall judge the people at all times” (Exodus 18:22). And it says here: “These are the ordinances,” and the [Ten] Commandments are in the middle.
This is analogous to a noblewoman who was walking, an armed guard on this side and an armed guard on that side, and she was in the middle. So, too, the [giving of the] Torah had justice before it and justice after it and it was in the middle. Likewise it says: “I walk on the path of righteousness” (Proverbs 8:20). The Torah says: In which path do I walk?
I will walk in the path of those who perform righteousness. “In the midst of the paths of justice” (Proverbs 8:20), the Torah in the middle and justice before it and after it; before it, as it is stated: “There He instituted for it statutes and ordinances,” justice after it, as it is stated: “These are the ordinances.”