Divrei Toldos
The Real Esav
Certainly the parsha of Yitzchok’s brochos to Yaakov and Esav demands our attention and understanding, for we see that every word of them has come true. Still, the entire parsha requires explanation, especially in regards to Esav. It is difficult to understand why Yitzchok loved Esav so much that he wished to give over the brochos to him over Yaakov. On one hand, Chazal tell us that on the day that Avraham died, Esav was so shaken by the sight of his beloved grandfather’s body, now devoid of life, that he committed five terrible sins, among the kefira ba’ikar, utter denial of Hashem, which they learn from Esav’s excuse for selling his birthright: "Hinei anochi holech lamus, v’lamah zeh li bechorah – Look, I am going to die, so of what use to me is a birthright?" (Breishis 25:32). The word "zeh" is unnecessary, and therefore is used in drasha to refer to Hashem, as the posuk says, "Zeh keli vi’anveyhu." (Shemos 15:2) Just as Esav cast off his birthright, so also did he cast off his relationship with Hashem,
On the other hand, how could anyone grow up with Avraham, Yitzchok, and Rivka, witnessing all the miracles that happened to them on a daily basis, and turn into an atheist? It is well-known that anyone who saw the Vilna Gaon in person could never again have any doubts in emunah; and the Gr"a would certainly admit that he was as nothing compared to the Avos and Imahos. Furthermore, if Esav was such a nonbeliever, why did he make such an outcry over losing the brochos? Nothing in Scripture compares with that frustrated roar, when Esav "cried out an exceedingly great and bitter cry." (27:34)
Rather, says HaRav Aharon Kotler zt"l in Mishnas Rebbe Aharon, Esav was a tremendous ma’amin, and he knew all too well that Hashem had given the power to bless to Avraham, as Chazal tell us from the posuk "And be a blessing" (Breishis 12:2) indicates that "the power to bless a given over to you." (Breishis Rabbah 39:11) He also understood that his father Yitzchok had inherited these powers, that they would continue for all generations, and that these powers were and always would be incredibly strong, enough to change individual and world history. He therefore recognized his terrible loss when the power to bless was given over to Yaakov, and his painful scream still rings in our ears.
Furthermore, even Esav’s explicit admission of rejecting a spiritual life – "Lamah zeh li bechorah," as mentioned above – demonstrates that his recognition of Hashem was utterly complete and clear. Throughout Tanach, says Rabbi Kotler, the word "zeh" refers to someone or something who is right in front of one’s eyes. When the Jews proclaimed "Zeh keili!" at Krias Yam Suf, so great was their recognition of Hashem that they pointed their fingers at Him, so-to-speak. Likewise, the Gemara at the end of Ta’anis tells us: "Says Rabbi Eliezer: In the future, Hashem will form the tzaddikim into a circle. He will then sit in the middle, in Gan Eden, and every one will point at Him with his finger, as it says, "And they will say on that day, "Behold this ["zeh"] is our Elokim; we hoped to Him that He would save us; this ["zeh"] is Hashem to Whom we hoped; let us exult and be glad in His salvation." (Yeshaya 25:9) On the other hand, when Esther exposed Haman to Achashverous, she declared, "A man who is an adversary and an enemy! This [hazeh] wicked Haman!" (Esther 7:6) and pointed her finger at Haman. Therefore, when Esav offhandedly said, "Lamah zeh," he was not merely expressing his disdain for some abstract concept, but in fact was literally pushing Hashem out of his life, even though Hashem was as real to him as we are to each other.
Instead, says Rav Aharon, we must realize that with such incredible clarity of Hashem came a vast bechirah, free will. Like everyone else who has passed through this world, Esav was tested, and we cannot imagine the utter power of his yetzer hora, as the Gemara in Sotah (52a) tells, us, "Everyone who is greater than his fellow – so also is his yetzer." Still, what can be a fair test of someone whose spiritual level was far greater than even that of Shimshon, for whom the Shechinah "rang like a bell in front of him"? (Sotah 9b) We all have nerve endings. Just as some of them are more sensitive than others, so also can the same nerves be far more receptive in one person than in another. Just as the impact of a stroke of a violin has a far greater impact upon a person with perfect pitch than upon one who is tone-deaf, so also did Esav experience such an overwhelming lust to indulge himself and thereby lose himself in this world that even his near-superhuman recognition of Hashem was not enough to save him from free-falling into failure, without a correspondingly enormous effort on his part to fight back. Much as a person trying to stop smoking or lose weight knows all too well that that one cigarette or that one potato chip is the beginning of a slippery slope down to failure and readdiction, yet he still indulges himself; so also did Esav know and recognize his Creator, yet still allowed himself to be dragged down the dark wet hole of olam hazeh. As the Gemara (Shabbos 31b) explains the posuk "Zeh darcam keisel lamo -- This is their way, folly is theirs" (Tehillim 49:14) to mean that the wicked often know that their deeds are bring them to spiritual death, yet continue, propelled by their yetzer hora, which they refuse to control.
We can also gain an appreciation for the Avos and Imahos, for all of them – Avraham, Yitzchok, Yaakov, Sarah, Rivka, Rachel, and Leah – underwent similarly stiff tests, and passed them. No one is born a success in this world, and no one is guaranteed success; every tzaddik fought, tooth and nail, to greatness. History could have been different; Hashem’s Chosen People could just as easily be proclaiming "Elokei Avraham, Elokei Yitzchok, V’Elokei Esav" as what we now pray in Shemoneh Esrei.
Through this concept, we also understand how Esav, with all his faults, still excelled in some ways, notably kibud av, to the point that Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel admitted that he never attained half of the Esav’s level of attainment in that mitzvoh. Esav did enjoy enormous free will, and in certain areas he succeeded. Certainly, Esav was no mere oyzvarf, a "get him out of here" villain.
Still, how could Chazal criticize Esav so harshly, calling him a kofer b’ikar? Because Esav had access to such a sublime awareness of Hashem, yet instead followed his own this-worldly desires, he belonged to that uniquely low category of people who recognize their Creator, yet still rebel against Him. This battle, which had been simmering inside of him, burst out when he was faced with what was for him a difficult test: keeping his bechorah, first-born status, and therefore committing to a life of avodas Hashem via korbanos, or indulging in a tasty meal of lentil soup, cooked by his brother and intended for his mourning father Yitzvchok. Esav’s choice of the latter cemented his dedication for olam hazeh and was considered a bizayon, a disgrace, for other worldly affairs, and therefore the Torah ends its list of Esav’s sins by stating "And Esav disgraced the birthright."
What are the mechanics of disgrace? Chazal tell us that this concept is found in Koheles (9:16): "A poor man’s wisdom is despised (bizuyah)." The Midrash (Koheles Rabbah, end of Chapter 9) explains that this posuk refers to one who is "hadoresh v’aino mikayem – he thinks great thoughts, yet does not fulfill them." Lowly people performing lowly acts are not acting disgracefully; after all, they already wallow in the mudpit. When a prince or a great thinker, who knows better, jumps into that hole and frolics about, then those there begin to cluck their tongues and whisper about "the disgrace of it all." Now we understand why Esav’s head was deemed worthy for burial in Ma’ares HaMachpela, yet not the rest of him, for his mind was in fact on the level of the other members of his family, yet his decision to follow the dictates of his body, rather than subjugate it to his mind, kept his body out of that exalted place. We also understand why the navi Ovadiah, when addressing Edom, tells him outright, "You are utterly disgraceful," (1:2) for Esav could have been one of the avos, yet allowed himself to fail.
We, the descendants of Yaakov, are not immune from Esav’s disease; this concept of disgrace follows us throughout history. For example, when the sage Elisha ben Abuyah allowed himself to fall away from the path of Torah, among the outrages he committed was visiting a prostitute, who noted the sheer bizarreness of the situation and could only disbelievingly exclaim, "You can’t be Elisha ben Abuyah! You must be Acher -- someone else!" (Chagiga 15a) Now, certainly Elisha was not this woman’s only customer that day; no doubt, many sinners had passed her way. Still, only to him did she say anything; to the others, it was business as usual. In fact, that nickname "Acher" stuck; everyone used it in referring to Elisha, at least partly in reaction to his disgracing himself and the Torah.
Furthermore, the posuk in Tehillim (10:4) states: "The wicked man, in the pride of his countenance, [says]: ‘He [Hashem] will not avenge!’ All his schemes are ’There is no Divine Judge." The Gemara (Nedarim 22b) tells us that "the pride of his countenance" refers to anger, and that this posuk is telling us that an angry man is like an atheist. How can that be? Angry men also doven! Angry men also learn! Says the Gemara, a person caught up in his rage is not going to deny Hashem outright. Rather, he has lost control over himself, and while he may continue to follow the motions of frumkeit, his anger is controlling him.
Now, Yitzchok’s decision to grant the brochos to Esav becomes more understandable. Certainly, he knew his two son’s natures very well. Yaakov was completely kodesh, as would be his descendants, and Yitzchok therefore desired to separate Yaakov from mundane matters as much as possible. Therefore, he would have no need for the brochos, which deal with this worldly success. Says Rav Aharon: When we arrived at Har Sinai, Hashem told us, "Vi’atem tihiyu Li mamleches kohanim vi’goi kadosh -- You shall be to me a kingdom of kohanim and a holy nation." (Shemos 19:6) The Michilta on this posuk learns that "all Yisroel were fitting to partake of kodshim sacrifices, until they made the eigel, and [this great level of closeness to Hashem] was given to the kohanim [Aharon and his family]. In the future, however, all of Am Yisroel will re-ascend to this level, as it says in Yeshaya (61:5-6) ‘Foreigners will stand and tend your flocks, and the sons of the stranger will be your plowmen and your vineyard workers. And you will be called "priests of Hashem"; "ministers of our L-rd" will be said of you.’"
Esav and his descendants were to supply his brother and his family with their earthly needs, in a forerunner of the Isschar-Zevulun arrangement. In this way, Esav, who had not succeeded in controlling his earthly nature, could at least utilize it for Yaakov’s kedushah, and thereby be kept in the fold.
Rivka, however, realized that that this arrangement left Yaakov vulnerably dependant upon Esav, with potentially tragic consequences should Esav withhold support or try to interfere in Yaakov’s avodah. Her solution was for Yaakov to support himself and thereby be able to separate from Esav if need be.
Says Rav Aharon: this point of disagreement between Yitzchok and Rivka is reflected in the Gemara in Brochos (35b), which sets out a disagreement: Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai declares that "in a time that Yisroel does the Will of Hashem, their mundane needs will be taken care of by others." As proof, he cites the posuk in Yeshaya mentioned above. Rabbi Yishmael says that the posuk "and you shall gather in your grain" (Devarim 11:14) tells us that we should combine our learning with derech eretz and therefore support ourselves. Rashi comments that Rabbi Yishmael was concerned "that if you come to be dependant upon others, the end will be that in fact you will stop learning Torah" – Rivka’s concern about Yitzchok’s planned arrangement. Abaye comments that "many did like Rabbi Yismael and were successful, and many did like Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai and were not successful." Says Rabbi Kotler: the halacha follows Rabbi Yishmael. Ma’aseh Avos siman labanim: history tells us that Rivka was right.
Learning from Our Ancestors
One approach to learning Chumash involves seeing it as an autobiography; not only have we inherited our ancestors’ capacity for spiritual greatness, but we also share many of their character traits.
The anonymous author of the mussar sefer Orchos Tzadikkim states that there is no such thing as a "good" midah, or a "bad" one. Rather, just as every meal contains a variety of foods and drinks – a little of some, a lot of others – so also should a person have access to all his midos, choosing which one is appropriate to utilize in a certain situation. While some midos, such as kindness, will be used more than others, such as egotism, every midah has its time.
For example, Rivka Imenu brought with her from Padan Aram a certain cunning. While her family had used this midah to cheat others, she used it for good, when she maneuvered Yaakov to receive the brochos from Yitzchok, instead of Esav. Rivka’s descendants also display this ability, as seen in this story from HaRav Shalom Meir Wallach.
The Chemdas Shlomo, a gadol from 150 years ago, told over this maaseh, "Listen to what happened to Rabbi Heschel of Krakow, zt"l, when he was a boy at his father’s seder table. He hid the afikoman and, when his father asked for it, demanded a silk shirt -– a very expensive afikoman present, by the standards of the day. His father agreed, and Reb Heschel gave him the afikoman. However, when it came time for his father to give him back a piece of matzoh, his father refused, saying, ‘I won’t give to you, unless you take back your demand for that shirt.’ Reb Heschel pulled out a small piece of matzoh from his pocket and said, ‘Father, I suspected that you would say that, so before I gave back the afikoman, I broke off a piece for myself!’"
Prayer at all times, continued
"And Yitzchok prayed for Rivka." Last week, a shmuess from HaRav Shlomo Brevda shlita was presented, in which he emphasized the importance of prayer at all possible times, for all needs. Here is the nusach that he recommended: First, one should say a chapter of Tehillim (even a short one, such as #13, which is not hard to memorize). Then one should declare: "Hashem, I don’t deserve anything. I am begging You, through Your midas harachamim, please –" and then state one’s request.
Sensitivity for Truth
The Gemara (Makkos 24a) notes that while the Torah has 613 mitzvos, as time went on, and the Jewish people's spiritual levels were diminished, the nation's leaders tried to bring their generations to observe the entire Torah by having them focus upon fewer and fewer fundamentals. Dovid HaMelech penned Tehillim 15, which distilled Torah life into eleven concepts. Among them is “One who has no slander on his tongue.” The Gemara explains that Dovid is referring to Yaakov, as it is written: “Perhaps my father will feel me, and I shall seem to him as a deceiver.” (Bereishis 27:12) Rashi there explains that “slander” refers to lying.
Asks the Ben Ish Chai: How does Yaakov's natural fear of being caught by his father show his aversion to falsehood? He answers that in reality, Yaakov had nothing to worry about; Rivka had planned everything, designing the perfect disguise and choreographing Yaakov's every move. One factor, however, worried Yaakov. To teitch the posuk as the Ben Ish Chai understands it, Yaakov told Rivka: “Imma, your strategy is seamless, and I accept your ruling that it is permitted. There's just one problem. Your idea depends upon me being someone able to lie with a straight face, and that, I'm afraid, I'm not. I am Yaakov Ish Tam, utterly unused to any verbal sleight-of-hand. I fear that when I try to force myself into this sly mold, which goes utterly against my nature, my entire body will rebel and shake. [The word “k'm'satay'uh -- like a deceiver” is related to the word “ta'ah -- to go back and forth.” And shaking is a rapid back-and-forth movement.] Furthermore, if I do indeed shake, at least some of these goatskins which you intend to cover me with are bound to loosen and even fall off, and I will have in effect outed myself, to face my father's well-justified wrath.”
How did Yaakov rise to such a level of being an ish tam that any falsehood, even one approved and orchestrated by his own mother, would run contrary to his very essence? Perhaps the answer lies in a deeper understanding of the next two words: yosheiv ohalim. Yaakov Avinu learned and learned, and that brought him to an extremely high sensitivity to truth. Still, others have learned, yet have not attained such a madreigah. What made Yaakov unique?
A real-life mashal: One of basketball's best players was Larry Bird, who won practically all the plaudits he could attain. Yet Bird possessed only mediocre running and jumping ability. What was his secret?
Some time after Bird became famous, a snack-food company hired him to appear in a commercial. Bird was to be playing basketball, while a child in the audience was to take a bite out of this company's snack food, so loudly that it would disturb Bird and make him miss a basket. When the actual filming began, however, a problem cropped up over and over again: no matter how hard he tried, and no matter how hard that kid's jaws clamped down on that snack, Bird simply could not miss a basket! Shot after shot swished through the net, to everyone's chagrin. “Cut! Larry, will you please miss it this time?” (Perhaps he finally missed, perhaps his actor-opponent gave him a nudge, perhaps they ran out of snacks, perhaps the kid got a stomachache.)
It turns out that for many years, Bird had practiced with such fire and such concentration, that he had made himself into someone who was physically incapable of missing a shot, unless an opponent stopped him. In other words, basketball courts are teeming with those who can run and jump; the winners are those who make themselves into stars.
And in this day and age, if someone can transform himself, do we have any excuse for not making ourselves into people who are physically incapable of anything but the truth? We even have a head start – Yaakov has bequeathed to all of us an innate sensitivity to truth. The Gemara (Sotah 9b) learns “Words of truth are recognizable” from Delilah, who sensed that when her husband Shimshon told her that his unshorn hair was the secret of his strength, he was telling the truth. And Delilah was the quintessential rashante, who sold her husband – the leader and champion of Klal Yisroel – to the Phlishtim, their arch-enemies, for money. Even the lowest of us can sense emes to some degree.
What is the path to sensitizing ourselves to truth? The Torah testifies: Not only does a yosheiv ohalim (like Yaakov) sit in the beis midrash, but, realizing and internalizing that the Torah is true, utterly true, he immerses himself in it, drinking it in with a thirsty enthusiasm. It's one thing to study; it's another thing to shteig in learning.
What's more, every moment that Yaakov savored in the beis midrash was one moment shielded from the illusory “truths” of the world outside, which not only waste our time, but befuddle our clarity and dull our sensitivity to truth. The higher we rise, the more we can sense the hevlei olam, and stay away. And the more moments of splendid isolation, filled with true accomplishment, that we create in this world, the greater people of truth we can become.