Thursday, November 08, 2007

Toldos: an epiphany

Parshat Toldos

Yaakov had just stolen the brachos. Esav found out what happened and reacted very harshly. he said he was going to find and kill Yaakov. Rivka decides to send Yaakov away for a while to keep him safe until Esav calms down. Yitzchak calls in Yaakov, blesses him, gives him some instructions about looking fo a wife, and then sends him on his way.

Why did Yitzchak not say a word to Yaakov about what he had just done? Not a word of criticism, not a word looking for an explanation, nothing. Yitzchak acted as if Yaakov had not just deceived him to steal the much desired brachos. Why?

Sometimes things happen that make you realize there are greater forces at play than previously considered.

When this whole story happened, Yitzchak realized it was from heaven and that there must have been reasons why Yaakov was more worthy of the brachos than Esav. There must have been reason why it had to happen and turn out the way it did. He was probably even relieved that he had been saved form making a horrible mistake.

Ytzchak did not need to criticize Yaakov or even ask for an explanation. he now realized that there were greater forces at play.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I heard somewhere that Eisav yelled out,"again Yaakov tricks me,first he gets the bechora etc." he gave away to Yitzchak that yaakov should have gotten it anyway.
2 interesting questions for you.
1-from 1 of my kids this afternoon
When Yitzchak wasn't sure who was there because Kol Yaakov and so checked further and said yadayim Eisav, why did he assume Eisav?
There was 1 siman pointing each way, he should have checked further.
2-from Tzvi Rubin-
Why did we need to have this whole story. After Yaakov got the bechora he should have told Yitzchak right away.(50 years ago). He was asking for trouble.Why the secrecy.(We know it was a written contract because Naftali ran to get it when Eisav obstructed Yaakov's burial.)

Rafi G. said...

he assumed esav in the first place because that is who he expected. The feeling of the hands simply confirmed that.
you are right that he should have checked further, I wondered about that too, but I think because he expected Esav and the hands confirmed it, and he was not expecting deceit (the only thing that threw him off was the use of the shem hashem) I think he just assumed Esav was having a spiritual kind of day but it must be him...

Anonymous said...

I told the kid something similar, But he had an amazing pshat from his Rebbi.
Basically, Eisav expected Yaakov to try something,because after all the berachos were legally Yaakov's now,and he knew that it was the berachos that were what Yaakov waas after.

So Eisav wasn't stupid. He prepared in the family tradition to have a secret siman with Yitzchak. He told his father that Yaakov(or someone else) wants the berachos so much that they might try to pretend to be me.

So he made up that Eisav would use Yaakov's voice.Any pretender would of course have to change his voice to try and sound like Eisav.
Rivka knew this detail among the others binevua so Yaakov didn't pretend.
This also answers why yaakov didn't change his voice.
(although other ansewers were maybe he couldn't... or he did change his voice, just his use of Hashem's name gave it away.)

What do you think of Tzvi's question?