Toldos - 1st Portion

Join me in learning kitas together for the first Torah reading of paras chapter 25 verse 19. In last week's Torah reading we concluded by telling us about the tribes and the princes of the family of Ishmael who was the son of Ara. Now the Torah goes to tell us and how the blessing that God gave Ara comes to fruition and the story of and his family is a and these are the children of the descendants of the son of Arak gave birth to a was the father of Rashi. So what is it telling us for us? These are the children. Who are the children? In the future in this week's Torah reading, we're going to be talking about they are the children of who gave birth who came from. If the Torah already tells us that is the son of Ara, why does the Torah have to repeat itself and say Ara gave birth to? Isn't that obvious? telling us that this happened only after that God changed Abraham's name to Abraham. Only afterwards was he only able to give birth to another way of explaining this is because the Torah tells us that this was the son of a therefore the Torah again stress and say gave birth to why they were the mockers of the generation would say that Sarah became pregnant from because we know that we we read in last week's sor reading that took and was an older person and the proof in the pudding is because many years Sarah was with and she never gave became pregnant only once Sah went with did she become pregnant. What did God do to make sure that people should not say this? should not say that Sarah became pregnant from was actually the son of a cler of he made look identical and exactly like and everybody was able to testify and say gave birth to that's why it says over here in the verse these are the children the son of a and this is the testify because we can all see very clearly that gave birth to. Interestingly enough, the balaturator points out that the word which means to give birth is the same gimatria, the same numeric value as the that he looked exactly like looked like a interestingly as well that we talk about the children of and Rashi over here brings the opinion that Aram gave birth to [snorts] and the to prove that God may that they should look exactly alike and there's another opinion that explains that each one of them would talk about how great the other was. So both of them are telling us that if Jew has to realize that we are all children of and the same way walked around and everybody saw this miraculous event that he was born to his father at his old age. So too every single Jew should remind himself that we are oral a miracle and everything we do is miraculous and nothing can stop us from being but miraculous. Verse two and was 40 years old when he married the daughter of Puami the Aramite who came he came from the place called the sister of love and the sister of love and the Aramite is for him for a wife. Now each one of these words need explanation and what they actually mean. First of all was 40 years old when he married Rifka. How do we get to this calculation of 40 years? So Rashi explains as follows when a came to Mount Mariah after the binding of Isaac. He was then told that Rifka was born as if you recall right after parasa. After we read about the binding of Isaac, we are told about the birth of Rifka. Now at the time was 37 years old because that exact time Sarah died and when was born until the binding of Isaac which was at the exact same time that Sarah died was 37 years. How do you have that? uh she was 90 years old when was born and she was 127 when she died. So you have 37 years from the time she was born until she died. So we know at the time exactly when Yitzk was born when Yitzk was by the binding of Isaac which was at the time of Sarah's passing he was 37 years old it says at the time 37 years older and exactly at that time was born waited for her until she would grow up and she would be fit for marriage which would be giml for three years as it says in the talmud that once a woman is at 3 years old and one day old she's then able to get married her when he was 40 years old. So we can see exactly the calculation that he waited for the opportune moment until she would be fit for marriage and only then would he marry. Why does it have to repeat it us again? Don't we know Hasn't it written it already previously all the details in the previous Torah reading telling us who Rifka was and who her brother was and who her father was. It's telling us the over here wants to underline and say its importance to tell us the praise of though she was the daughter of an evil person and the sister of an evil person and the people and of her place and her neighbors were terrible people and she did not learn from their actions. As we mentioned in the previous star reading that Rifka was like a rose amongst the thorns and that's why her first possible availability when she became the moment she was ready for marriage that's when she was taken out from the place of evil and brought to what is the difference between and so Rashi explains as follows the name of the place was called there were two kinds of arams there were two cities by the name of Aram One was and the other was today some people want to say is Aleppo in Syria. So therefore he calls them pad which means appear like a pier of flock and theum explains what is the word pan like a pier of oxes. There are those that explain padan aram that the explanation of padan comes from the word stay a field of aram because in Arabic they call a field padan verse 21ka then as she became physically enough and mature enough at the age of 13 that she should be able to have a child pleaded with Hashem while his wife was opposite him as well pleading with Hashem because since she was barren and God answered his prayers God responded to his plea and Rifka his wife became pregnant conceived verse 21 Rashi what is the word vetar and how does it mean prayer verse 21 rashi says the word doesn't mean that he regular pray but he worked really hard he was persistent in his prayer to Hashem that he should have a child so we see the same terminology so in this case it means that God agre agreed read vispat that God answered to his plea that he was pleaded so much and therefore God responded to his plea. Then he continues where do we get the word vetar should be responding and appeasing and listening to what he had to say. The Rashi says I say anytime you find the word in the verse it means a persistent and many prayers that are given. It doesn't only have to be about prayer but in general it means a lot and persistent like we find in the book of which means that there was a lot of the cloud of the incense that there was a great cloud of incense on top a great cloud on top of the incense as well we find it in the book of meaning that you used a lot of words of egotism towards talking towards me as well in the book of proverbs that there was that the kissing of the enemy was so much. It was so overflowing was considered so difficult as something heavy to carry. What does it mean? It doesn't say that he was on his wife but it means opposite his wife. One was standing in one corner was praying was standing in one corner of the zoo and one was standing in another corner and she was praying as well. Who does God respond? God responds to him and it says that God answered his prayers to him and not her wasn't she praying as well. So Rashi explains the reason why we find that in this case it doesn't say God answered both of them or God answered her. It said God answered him. You can't compare the prayer of the son of the prayer of the son of Arussia because over here she had her own merit while had the merit of his parent his father and mother as well. Therefore it says in this case to him but not to her. Verse and the children struggled within her and she said if so what do I need this and she went to a choir of God. What does it mean by and Rashi tells us that this this needs a deeper explanation and the simple interpretation is not going to cut it. Therefore, for sure this says Deni explain it to me according to a deeper interpretation. The verse does not say what was the struggle. It just says the children were struggling and it just says she was struggling and she said about it. What do I need this for? That means this was something very difficult that she was going through that she was willing to give up the pregnancy and therefore the rabbis explain as follows. The rabbis explain as follows. The word comes from the word running because when she would pass by the rooms, the doors of the words of Torah and where they would study Torah, which places would study Torah at the time? Shame of the Yeshiva of Sheam. Then Jacob who was inside was running towards her womb to be able to come out. She tried getting out and when she would pass by a place of a dollar tree was the one that was making a and trying to get out. Another explanation does not necessarily mean that they were running. It means that they were arguing, fighting with one another. Each one was fighting with one another concerning inheriting the two worlds. the physical world, the haz the current world and the aba in the world to come. Each one of them wanted both and was not satisfied with just one. But here we also see as the Reb explains her many times what was her concern. Her concern was that she thought at first as we're soon going to see in the next verse that when he tells them that there are two nations, she realizes it's not one child who's confused, but it's two different children. That in itself gave her some soloulless to what's going to happen and she said she explains that the so painful was the pregnancy where do I need this she was praying and craving that this pregnancy should work out. Therefore, she went to a place which was the base med to the base medish of shame. Many asked the questions that the commentaries discussed and explained why didn't she go to her husband was a great person. Couldn't he tell her? And she felt that in this case her husband would be biased because since it's his children as well and therefore she needed an outside expert opinion which from here we learn that many times we have to go to somebody who is not biased and can give us an objective opinion concerning whether it's medical advice, spiritual advice or the both verse 23. Oh, just one more to ask God to tell her what would happen in the end when she will give birth. Verse 23, God told her who was God in this case. It came through the prophet which was shame as we're soon going to see you have two nations are in. And these two powers will diverge from within you will and the upper hand will pass from one power to the next. Nonetheless, the older will serve the younger. What does this all mean? As we'll see in Rashi, Rashi tells us as follows. And God told her. What does it mean God told her? Not God spoke to Rifka directly but through a messenger. It's talking about the shame that he was the prophet and he told her with divine intuition and he told her the response of God over here the word goim doesn't say it with a and if you looked in the Torah there's something called a and the way something is written and the way it's read it's read go as nations but it's written gim with a a gimmel and two yuds telling us as follows with two. Two great people who will come from her. Who are the two great people that came from Rifka? Antoninus who was the king of the from the Roman Emperor. Rebi and was the leader of the Jewish people at the time as well. And they were together as friends. These two individuals and were very wealthy that even vegetables that were not in season and the example that it gives is radish and lettuce that even in the summer or the winter regardless of what it was they always had all different kinds of vegetables that shows on their wealth that they were able to get different kinds of things even not in season. And that means it was very expensive and how wealthy they were. What does the word mean? The word comes to tell us about a kingdom. Telling us that there will be two kingdoms that will come from her telling us from the womb. Already once in the womb already there are two separate individuals. one is going to his evil ways and one's going to his sincere ways that not only when they come out well then they diverge and have different types of opinions of what they will go through but even while they're still in the womb they are behaving in this way meaning that these two nations these two kingdoms they're not going to be the same in their greatness when this one goes up the other one will fall down and that's what it says if not for the destruction of the actual uh then there were nothing befilled the city of because of it meaning there had to be that one should be on top and one should be a bottom they couldn't be together at the same time verse 24 and it came her pregnancy reached full term And there were twins in her womb. There's another individual who had twins in a few weeks time. We'll read about it says when she had twins was at the time of giving birth because she did not come to full term she only gave birth to them at seven months. Over here the word is missing the it says or it doesn't say which also tells us about twins because it came by they were both righteous people therefore it says but over here that one was and one was notic therefore it only says the word verse 25 and the first one came out all red emerged all red and all over like a cloak full with here. So everyone called him as says the fact that he was born red taught us that a sign that he will be a person who will shed blood he had this coat of here. What does this mean? Sarashi explains his whole body was mlly seer was filled with hairalis like a garment of wool that's full of is full of hair as it doesn't say that he called him as everybody else gave him the name as the word as comes from the word readymade that he was born not that he needed time to mature for his hair to grow and everything else he was born a a readymade person when he was born. It looked like he was already a few years old with the amount of gear that he had. And he did not look like a usual infant that is born. And afterwards his father, his brother came out the his brother emerged and he was grasping onto his heel and he called his name was 60 years old when Rifka gave birth to the twins. I heard a medish that explains this according to its simple interpretation. What does this mean? It had to be that Jacob is holding back as holding him back because Jacob was born from the first drop of that entered as and as from the second. So technically speaking Jacob came first. So Rashi gives us over here an example and he says as follows. Imagine you have a small pipe that has a very thin and a narrow entry. Put in two rocks one after the other. Now when you're going to take them out what's going to happen? The one that goes in first is going to come out last. And the one that came in last is going to go out first. I think in English is a saying for first in last out or first in first out. That's the idea of here as well. What do we have from here? who was created last came out first. the Yak and Yak who was created first came out last came to hold him back says one second if I was first to be born then I shall be I shall be first the same way I was first to be created I shall be first to be born and try that this way you should open her womb and he should be able to get the fright of the firstborn truthfully. And that was the argument, one of the arguments that we see that Jacob that he was holding on to Asov's heel in the heel of it was a sign that it was going to be that Asov wouldn't finish his kingdom until Jacob comes and takes it away. As we mentioned earlier, when one's on top, the other falls. When one falls, and the other one becomes on top. And so true that Yakov was going to pull the rug out from under Asov. That's the kind of idea. And that Jacob was going to be the one on top. And he called him Yakov. If you notice the difference before last time, it said everybody called him as. But over here it says, "And he," who's the he? Almighty God himself called him Omar. So God said, "You called your firstborn as you called your firstborn a name. Mom going to call my firstborn a name and my firstborn is Jacob as we know as God calls the Jewish people, my firstborn child is. That's why it says in the verse and he called him." Another explanation is who is the one that called him? His father called him. He was holding on to the heel of at that time and that was usually the custom that the father would give the name to the son. How old was at the time? The verse told us 60 years oldish. Now the Torah now Rashi gives us a little bit of a breakdown in age. He was 10 for 10 years. Why? If he married her at three, what happened? So he waited 10 years. He waited meaning that she was already fit for marriage at 3:00 a.m. one day, but she wasn't ready yet to give birth to become pregnant to give birth. So therefore, he had to wait 10 years until she should be should be able to give to become pregnant. Then they waited another 10 years. the same way his father waited by Sarah 10 years until she would give birth before he would go and request of God and he thinks so too over here as well 10 years he had to wait until she would be able to become pregnant once those 10 years passed and she still wasn't pregnant he waited another 10 years to see if she would become pregnant and once she didn't once after 10 years she didn't become pregnant he realized that she was barren he prayed for He did not want to do like his father did and take a maid servant. He was sanctified when he was made into a sacrifice brought on the bonding of Isaac and therefore he cannot go and marry a maid servant. So therefore he had to pray to God and say I want a child from my wife. Verse 27. And the children, the young boys grew up. And Asov became an expert in hunting, man of the field. And Yakov was a person of sincerity who lived in tents and studied Torah. Rashi explains Even though while they were children each one went in his own ways but while they were children it wasn't so noticeable people weren't careful to see what a child behaves children do all different variety of things but once they became even what they were Think but once they became 13 years old and of year we learned from here that the age of baritzvah was 13 years old as it says they became men then this one which was Jacob went to learn Torah in the medish and as went to do idolatry. What does it mean? He knew how to hunt, but also has another word of which means to ensa father. Hey, how does one tithe salt and straw? These are the two things that are not obligated to tithe. And he would ask his father, how you tithe to show So his father should think that he's a super religious Jew that even things that are not needed to be tithed, he's going to tithe. Exactly what it means, a person who is unoccupied and he goes and he traps and he hunts with his bow animals for his own pleasure like people who have nothing to do with their lives. What does it mean? Sincere, complete. He was not thorough in all of these meaning in cheating and lying. Whatever he thought and felt, that's what he spoke. A person who's not sharp enough to cheat is called a and sincere individual. What does it mean that it was sitting in tents plural in the tent of shame and that's where he would learn to verse 28 because he gain because the for the game he provided which was deceiving with his mouth and was used was love Jacob Yakov. What does it mean? Meaning that he would bring him food to eat. Another explanation that he would cheat him and say false words and lie to his father. Verse 29. and we ate and Jacob was cooking up a stew a soup and it was at the time where we're now where Asaf turned 15 this is in the year 2123 where Asov wanted to start living his chosen and immoral life and at that time as you recall we won't we spoke about in the previous Torah reading that Hashem made that Aram should die right before Asov went out in public about his terrible habits and killing and so on and therefore at this point Aram passes way and this is where Yakov and Asov are parting publicly in their different ways. So over here Yakov was making this stew on the day of Aram's passing and interestingly enough lived together in this world 15 years that they were both all three alive all three generations alive together at the time. So Jacob was cooking up a stewf and as came from the field and he was exhausted comes what does the wordaz mean? Means he was cooking the says he was cooking and he was tired. Why was he tired? Because he went and killed somebody like it says in Jeremiah. Because I was tired because I was killing people. Verse 30. Now feed me a gulp of that red stuff because I'm so exhausted. Was therefore given the nickname teny? No. What does it mean? Halit teny. Poor for me. I'm going to open my mouth and just pour a lot into it. Like we eat, like we've learned, you don't stick the food into the camel, but you're able to stick it all the way deep down into the camel. The word comes from the word, forcing it down, putting it down somebody's throat. this red stuff, red lentils because Jacob is cooking red red lentils and Rashi tells us why as we mentioned earlier that day he died that day should not see his son go out to the bad ways. This is the this is if would see this then he would be very upset and therefore God gave him that he would die in a happy and a good old age. Therefore God took a five years from the years of lived 180 years only 175. He was supposed to live on 175 but five years early because that he shouldn't see as go out the bad ways and Jacob was cooking lentil soup as we know in a mourner comes home there's something called a sudas that they're given a meal of round food and also not food that they made of their own but that somebody else is making for them and for that reason Jacob was making the food for his father why then red lent Mentals is given and fed to a mourner as it's similar to a circle and this is why today is the custom that they give them bagels and eggs because morning is something which shows on the cycle of life which are also happens to every person. There's two things you don't have a choice about as born and you die. Those are not your choices and it happens to every person no matter who they are. and why specifically um the and he continues to say another reason why he was cooking lentils at the time just like lentils don't have an opening they don't have a crack like many other legumes so the he doesn't have what to say he's not allowed to speak about him he's not allowed to speak at the time and therefore it's considered like legumes. Therefore, the custom is like we mentioned earlier that we give the mourner to eat in the beginning of this first thing that he eats after coming back from the funeral should be eggs. Because they're round, they don't have a crack. So too, the mourner is considered that he doesn't have a mouth because he's not allowed to speak. As this is discussed at length and attracted of a mourner the first three days of the does not respond to anybody greeting him so he doesn't ask how a person's doing and from the third day until the seventh day he responds but he doesn't ask verse 31 one. So said, "Listen here. If you want food, I'll feed you, but I want condition. You got to sell me the birthright as clear as day." like a clear day. Like a declar sale without any strings attached, no fine print. Everything should be exactly without any complaints. Your firstborn, right? Is because the at the time the sacrifices were going to be done by the firstborn. Said himself, this evil guy is not worthy that he should be the one to bring sacrifices to Hashem. And therefore he said I'm going to purchase the right of the firstborn from him and replied I am going to die anyway. So what if we what use is the birthright to me verse 32 what is saying I'm going to die meaning as follows. the rider or the firstborn says at the end of the day the first rider the first born they're not going to be the ones that bring the sacrifices ultimately the tribe of Ley is going to do it said what do I care what about these types of works that's done through the right of the firstborn like he asks him what happens what what actually do you do so tells him there's a lot of laws that if you don't do it right, you can get punished. You can have uh death penalty if not bringing the sacrifices correctly. And those that we learned, we see it in the Torah that even those kohanim went into the holy temple whether intoxicated or not properly dressed, they were liable to death penalty. So heard that there's so many laws pertaining to bring the sacrifice. He says, "No, no, no. That's not for me." Said, "I'll get killed because of it. If so, why do I want it? I have no desire on it. I'll just get killed because of the so many laws that are in it." So Jacob says verse 33 and Yakov says to him then if so make an oath to me on this day and he swore to him and he sold his right to the first his birthright to Jacob to Jacob. Verse 34. Was so kind that not only did he give him soup, but he gave him bread with the soup and with the lentil soup and he ate and he drank and he got up and he left as a and spurned the birthright. He embarrassed it. He couldn't care for it. The Torah tells us how evil he was. that even afterwards he sold it. He made mockery of the work of the service to Hashem. Chapter 26 verse one back to life. And there was a hunger, a famine in the land of besides the first famine. That was in the time of the king of which was verse two. And God appeared to him and he said, "Don't go down to Egypt like your father did. Rest here in this land that I tell you." Why does he tell him don't go down to Egypt once he saw a famine he was going to do like his father did and go down to Egypt like his father did made of in the time of the famine tells him do not go down to Egypt you are a sacrifice a holy sacrifice and you are not and the outside of Israel is not worthy of having you and the same way an animal going out of the lands and the perimeter of the land of Israel. Going out of the Azor, going out of the holy temple would make it in unfit to be brought as a sacrifice. So too, you're not allowed to go out of the land of Israel. Ah, you concerned about the famine. What does God tell him? Verse three, in this land, I'll be with you. I will bless you because to you and your children I will give them all these lands and fulfill the oath that I promised to your father. Verse three, the word means these that God's promises will give these lands to and his family. Verse four. Verse four. And I will make your descendants numerous like the stars in the sky and I will give to your children all these lands and all the nations of the earth will be blessed. They will be blessed themselves by your descendants. Rashi verse four. It doesn't mean that in the merits of your children the nations of the world will be blessed. But he says as follows each person will tell his son your children should be like the children of that means everybody will bless their children like they should be like you. The same thing you'll find if you find this type of terminology in any other verse. This is what it means. And this case teaches us about any other verse that you'll find for example we see later on with you the Jewish people will be blessed saying that whenever a person blesses their children they will say we also find this for the opposite of blessings as it says that this woman will be for a curse and as we see later on that a person who curses his enemy says to Hey, when he curses his enemy, he said you may you end up like that in that person like we also find someplace else in Isaiah that the person tells a person who's swearing against he says if I did anything to you you should end up like the other guy. Verse five because why are you getting these blessings? because of he heard my voice and he heeded my heed my voice and he observed my restrictions my commandments my rules and my instructions goes on to explain each one of these details of the laws that the Torah enumerates what does that mean he listened to me when I challenged him 10 different tests what does it mean he watched my He observed my restrictions. these decrees that the sages will say in the future generations that a restriction that a person has to have on the warnings that the Torah tells us for example though the Torah tells us only one relative or one level of prohibited relationships is a secondary which is rabbitic decree or shabas or rabbitic commandment on chabas that one shouldn't come to desecrate the shabas though the actual work may not be a biblical prohibition but the rabbis have made restrictions that one should not come to do a biblical prohibition my commandments words that even if they weren't written still one has to follow them as well meaning just ethical laws that envy normal person that intellect will tell you for example not to steal not to kill these are obvious laws and that's what a kept as Well, my laws, these are these are things that they're reason are not known. And the evil inclinations and the nations of the world answer and they say, for example, why are you observing these laws? There's no rationale to them in not eating pork or not wearing clothing that are mixed with wool and linen. There is no clear identifiable reason for it. Alex, this is the cre of the king and the laws of his servants that they have to follow and the lessons and instructions that we learn from it. What does this include? This includes even the law as well as laws that were given for Mosha Mount Sinai. Though there are no clear directives in the Torah about them, but they are laws that were given to Moshe down to Mount Si that even Aram kept these laws. This concludes the first reading of Parasus.