Branching Out From the Root

Parashat Toledot

Introduction

This week’s Parasha is the introduction to the world power of Edom,

which has lasted for over 2,000 years. This empire which dominates the

world physically and with its culture, religion, spirituality, politics,

and ideology begins with an individual named עשו. This man’s legacy

continues onto his grandson known as Amalek and eventually to the Roman

Empire, which then spreads out to all of the Christian world and

their beliefs are still held today by what is known as

Western civilization. The Midrash says (ויקרא רבה 13:5) דניאל in his

vision of the 4 world powers saw 3 kingdoms on one night and the 4th

kingdom of Rome on a second night, because the power of the 4th

kingdom will be equal to the other 3 combined. The Gemara says (יומא

20B) this kingdom will have an influence spread out throughout the whole

entire world. The Malbim explains how the other 3 kingdoms had

similar characteristics and therefore were represented by

similar animals, but this 4th kingdom is totally different from the

other 3 in every way. This individual known as עשו is a twin brother to

Am Yisrael and his existence and sole motive are to destroy and wipe out

Bnei Yisrael. For us today to learn how to protect ourselves as Yisrael

from the immoral culture and civilizations we live in, we must

understand the messages the Torah teaches us within this Parasha. To

learn how to deal with this ideology which has seized the world, we must

begin by studying the root and the nature of this individual known as

‎עשו. This Parasha must be very carefully analyzed because reading it on a

superficial level can lead the reader to the direct opposite of the very

truth that is contained within its depth.

Part I

The very second פסוק in the Torah says “והארץ היתה תהו ובהו וחשך על פני

‎תהום”.

The Midrash in Beresheit Raba (2:4) expounds on this verse and says the

word תהו represents the exile of בבל, the word בהו is the exile of מדי,

the word חושך represents the exile of יון, and the words על פני תהום is

the exile of the evil kingdom known as אדום. The midrash continues and

says just like one cannot see the end to the depths, so too one would not

be able to see the end of the exile of Edom, since it is much darker and

deeper than any other exile. These are not just any four kingdoms,

rather the four world powers that dominate the world in every way.

The Maharal on this Midrash asks why Hashem set up the world in a

way that requires four kingdoms, rather than everything being under

Hashem’s kingdom? The answer is that Hashem

created a lacking and a deficiency within this world, so the world

must be divided between four kingdoms, only until a time to come when one

central point connects the four corners of the earth and all barriers

melt away, and then the world can be under one dominant power, which is

Hashem’s rulership.

The first פסוק mentions the land as being ואת הארץ, meaning secondary to

heaven there is also a land that connects itself to the שמים. This world

is only subordinate to serve its higher root which is שמים. But the

second פסוק refers to the land as being והארץ, meaning detached from its

source, on a lower level where the land believes it has an existence on

its own. This is the depth of the four world powers which divide

Hashem’s unity and deny His kingship and split the world into a

disharmony represented by the number four, the four corners of the

earth. The continuation of the second פסוק says “ורוח אלקים מרחפת על פני

‎המים". The same Midrash continues and says this is the מלך המשיח, in the

merit of Teshuba, which is similar to water, will Hashem’s kingdom become

one. In order to return the world back to a level of ואת הארץ, where the

land connects itself back to its origin, we must become like water, an

existence that has nothing on its own. Water has no form or shape on its

own, rather it just takes the shape of the container that it is placed into

and water’s whole existence is to serve another. On this level we can

return back to where the land can serve the שמים and Hashem can rule

over the world. With this understanding we can now delve into the

current Parasha.

Part II

Throughout the Parasha there is a battle over the ברכה and the בכרה. עשו

hints at this play on words in verse 27:36 when he says “first he took

my birthright and now he took my blessing”. In the Hebrew language known

as לשון הקודש every word has intrinsic meaning and the letters are

building blocks to understanding the essence of things. If two words

contain the same letters it must mean these two words are deeply

related. When עשו sold the בכרה to יעקב, he didn’t realize that he was

selling the ברכה with it, because in essence it is one. The numerical

value of both root words is 222. The number two is always a

representation of multiplicity, when singularity becomes plurality,

where there is an addition and an increase to what was there before. The

root word ברוך literally means to increase or to add (Nephesh Hachaim

2:2). The word ברך also is known as the part of the body which is the

knees. Past the knees are looked at as being an extension of the body,

beyond the main part of the body. The knees are the point of the body

that a person bends in order to bow to another to admit that one is

thanking a second being. (See also Parashat Ki Tisa for further

understanding on the word ברוך.) The word בכר is the stage where the

child makes the father into a father. Beforehand he was just in the

realm of a man or a husband but it is only the בכר that allows him to go

beyond himself as an individual and now he increases himself with his

offspring into becoming a father and part of himself will live on. None

of the other children can change him from a man into being a father. It

is the בכר that increases his existence.

How do these concepts relate to Sepher Beresheit as a whole? Hashem

waited 20 generations from the creation of the world for Abraham,

His Jewel, to come along, and Hashem went through a process of separating

and sifting out all of the other nations of the world for him to be chosen for

His sacred mission. Out of the 3 sons of Noah, 2 of them were pushed

aside while there was a focus on his son Shem. Generations later, אברהם

came from Noah’s son Shem. All that אברהם has is given over to his son

‎יצחק and within the process ישמעאל is filtered out of the system while

the Jewel is being polished and cleaned. This lineage will now continue

with the legacy of יצחק and the purpose of creation will be given over

to one of his sons and the left over dirt will be washed away and

filtered out of the system. Will this legacy continue with עשו or יעקב?

This is what Parashat Toledot is all about.

‎אברהם was told in Parashat Lech Lecha – והיה ברכה. Hashem was telling

him, “You אברהם will turn into ברכה for the world.” The world will be

able to increase and bring itself to its ultimate destination through you.

The world will come to its final Tikkun through you and your

descendants. אברהם is the embodiment of blessing in the world and will

continue to one of his children. What is different about the selection

stage of יעקב and עשו from all other stages is that it is a much more

difficult decision to make. The process first sent away Lot, who had

different parents, but common grandparents. Then ישמעאל is sent away,

who has a common father, but a different mother. This stage in the

selection is not only choosing between two brothers that share a common

father and mother, but they even share a common womb and are twins,

which are even more difficult to tell apart. This is the final selection

in Sepher Beresheit, because as we know none of יעקב’s children will be

selected out of the system and all 12 of them are worthy of receiving

‎ברכה as we see in Parashat Veyechi. Since these two twins are so close

to each other it will require a critical eye to notice the minute

differences between them and a careful examination before a judgment is

made. Obviously these small differences are much harder to notice than

previous selection stages. Chazal teach us that when they were younger,

their character wasn’t yet noticed and the differences between them

weren’t apparent, but then when they turned 13 their true identity and

potential began to surface.

Part III

‎עשו is known as “man of the field” and “man that knows how to trap.” עשו

is nicknamed Edom, because he is red and hairy and he eats the red

lentils that יעקב was cooking. עשו comes from the Hebrew word עשו,

which literally means “made” or “completed”. עשו at his essence leaves

no room for improvement; he views himself as being already complete and

there is nothing left to advance or increase. Rav Dessler explains one

reason why יצחק loved his son עשו. He explains the פסוק of ציד בפיו as

meaning he has trappings in his mouth. The Arizal explains that every

person has holy sparks contained within them, but for עשו they were

trapped within his mouth. All עשו had to do was digest these sparks of

holiness and let them become integrated into his being and he would have

been a Tzaddik. עשו’s interest was only superficial on an outward

level, and he refused to swallow these ideas of Kedusha which would have

influenced his being. Rashi says איש יודע ציד means he is a person that

knows how to deceive people with his mouth and that he knows how to

impress his father and trick him. Rashi brings up the Midrash that says

he would ask his father how to take off Maaser from salt and straw

(which don’t require tithing). יצחק hearing these questions thought עשו

was very precise in performing all of the details of the Mitvoth.

Shem MiShmuel explains the depth to עשו’s question. The way the world

works is that everything can be divided into two categories. One

category is called the עיקר, which is known as the primary and the

importance, whereas the second category is the טפל, that which is

secondary and subordinate to the עיקר (as was explained above between

‎שמים and ארץ). In Jewish living this world is always secondary to the

next world. Absolute reality only exists in the next world and this

world is a temporary and preparatory stage for the future world, thus

making this world completely טפל to the עיקר. (See there also for an

understanding of how Shabbat is the עיקר and the six days of creation

are טפל. Also the skin of a fruit is known as the טפל and the fruit

contained inside is the עיקר and the only purpose of the skin is to

protect the inner fruit.) As long as one lives their life focused on

‎עיקר, then the טפל becomes perfected and raised up to the level of עיקר.

If one would focus on the טפל and give it importance on its own without

directing it back towards the עיקר, then one has achieved nothing at

all. The skin or the טפל only has its value in proportion to its

relationship to the עיקר.

It is clear that יעקב, the spiritual brother was the עיקר and his

brother עשו was supposed to be the טפל. יעקב and his children would

bring the world to its purpose in creation. עשו, who was more focused

on the physical aspects, could raise up this physical world of Olam Haze;

as long as he made himself subordinate to spiritual strivings, the טפל

would be just as important as the עיקר. But the problem was that it

wasn’t enough for עשו to become secondary to his brother; he wanted to

break off and become important on his own and he wanted to become his

own עיקר. יצחק knew that יעקב was the greater son, but he was hoping by

giving עשו the Beracha he would help him achieve his role as being an

aid to his brother יעקב and together they can bring spirituality into

this physical world. עשו wanted to know if straw, which is a secondary

material to the wheat, needed to be tithed in order to have intrinsic value on

its own without becoming subordinate to the עיקר. So too salt is not a

food within itself and it has no intrinsic value, rather it only acts as

a condiment to other foods. The purpose of salt is to bring out the

flavor in the food that one is eating, it is not eaten as a food on its

own.

‎עשו’s intent is now clear; he wanted to break himself off from his

mission in creation with his arrogance and to become the עיקר. עשו was

really the more powerful brother; he was wiser, stronger and had greater

potential. But all of his potential for holiness only remained on the level

of theory, none of it became an actuality. His ideas could have been

good, but his deeds were all wrong. עשו recognized his source and

appreciated his parents were the ones to bring him into this world and

that’s why he perfected the Mitvah of Kibbud Ab Veam like no other. It

is for this reason that Chazal teach us his head merited burial in מערת

‎המכפלה, but his body was not. (The Midrash says when יעקב was being

buried, עשו delayed the process claiming he was supposed to be buried in

‎מערת המכפלה. Chush the son of Dan was deaf and did not understand what

was happening, so he took a club, knocked off עשו’s head, and it rolled

into the cave.)

On the other hand, there is the character of יעקב, who is named after

grasping onto the heel of his brother עשו. His name can be broken up

into the letter Yod and the word עקב, which means heel. The letter Yod

always represents spirituality, and it is the highest letter and also

the smallest letter, known as the point of kedusha. A heel is the lowest

part of the body, which always has room to improve and grow and lift

itself up higher and higher. יעקב therefore means he has the ability to

bring spirituality even into the lowest part of his body which is the

heel; the most mundane and physical actions are lifted up to

spirituality. Even those Mitvoth that people usually trample over,

step on and disgrace, יעקב is able to bring the Yod, spirituality, into

those Mitvoth. Certain Mitvoth people perform every day until it becomes

habitual, and they do them without any meaning or intention behind

them. יעקב is that person that brings awareness and meaning behind every

action that he does (even as he goes back to get the small jugs).

As עשו is the character of falsehood and deceitfulness, יעקב is known in

the Torah as איש תם. תם literally means full and complete. A

person who is known as תם is one whose mouth and

heart are one. What he says is exactly what he intends. עשו is a person

who at his core is a Rasha trying to come across as a Tzaddik; he

makes believe he is loving and caring, but really he wears a mask, and he

is known as שקר. יעקב’s insides are just like his outsides; he is the

representation of אמת.

Truth and falsehood are two extreme opposites that exist in the world.

Falsehood will claim that it is truth and that is what makes it false.

The Gemara in Messechet Shabbat says the letters of אמת can stand,

because the bottoms of the letters are rooted on the ground. The letters

of שקר cannot stand because they only have one foot on the ground and

they will fall. Also, the letters of אמת are the very first letter of the

Aleph Beth, the middle letter, and the last letter,

because truth starts from the beginning, continues to the middle and

lasts throughout the end. The true story tells all its details and

leaves nothing out. But שקר on the other hand are all letters contained

at the end of the Aleph Beth, because falsehood is only one sided and

doesn’t tell the whole picture, rather it takes an idea out of context.

When שקר is given enough time, its true face will be revealed and

everyone will know of its falsehood.

Part IV A

There are two nations that are the root of all the other nations of the

world. Two personalities that the Torah speaks about in depth to draw an

understanding into the psychology of the thought process of all 70

nations. The Gra writes explicitly (Shir Hashirim 1:2) “there are two

added members of the סנהדרין, which are considered the heads… the first

2 commandments of the עשר הדברות contain within them all the other מצוות

of the Torah… so too with the 70 nations of the world except for אדום

‎וישמעאל, which are the 2 head nations and all the other nations are

contained within them.” Similarly Rabbi Tzaddok Cohen writes (Kedushat

Shabbat 25:72) “עשו וישמעאל are the heads of all of the other nations.”

[The Gra explains (Kol Eliyahu Pinchas 100) that on the holiday of

Succoth 70 sacrifices are brought for all of the nations of the world.

But interestingly enough sometimes the Torah uses the word שעיר and

other times the Torah uses the word שעיר עזים. Based on a Zohar, every

time the Torah says שעיר it is referring to עשו and every time the Torah

says שעיר עזים it is referring to ישמעאל. Since all of the other nations

of the world are sustained through these two nations of עשו וישמעאל, the

calculation of the time the Torah uses the word שעיר is exactly for 35

sacrifices and there are another 35 sacrifices for שעיר עזים. So

basically the first day there are 13 sacrifices referred by שעיר עזים

alluding to ישמעאל. The second day there are 12 sacrifices totaling 25.

The third day cannot be referred as שעיר עזים, because then ישמעאל would

have a total of 36 sacrifices so instead it is referred as just שעיר

alluding to עשו who now has 11 sacrifices. Then the fourth day there are

10 sacrifices known as שעיר עזים totaling 35 sacrifices for ישמעאל and

the rest of the days the sacrifices are brought as שעיר for a total of 35

sacrifices for עשו. ]

The Midrash (תנחומא וזאת הברכה 7) says when Hashem was giving over His

Torah He went to all of the nations of the world and they didn’t accept

it. The Midrash goes on to explain the Torah was offered to the sons of

‎עשו וישמעאל. Seemingly this Midrash contradicts itself by first saying

it was offered to all of the nations of the world and then it goes on to

explain how it was offered only to עשו וישמעאל. It must be that Hashem

checked within the roots of all 70 nations of the world whether there was a

possibility they could accept Hashem’s rulership, and it was enough just

to check the roots of the heads of the nations, which were

only עשו וישמעאל. It is evident from this Midrash that looking within

‎עשו וישמעאל is as if looking into “all of the other nations.”

The Midrash continues and says Hashem asks the descendants of ישמעאל if

they will accept the Torah and they respond, what is written in it?

Hashem tells them that it says לא תגנב, don’t steal. ישמעאל say they

cannot accept the Torah, because this is the exact trait that goes

against their nature and the nature of their father. The same happens

when the descendants of עשו are asked to accept the Torah; Hashem tells them

it says don’t kill, which again is a ruling they cannot keep, because

their very nature is to murder. [Chazal ask why Hashem

chose those specific traits that are so difficult for them to keep. Why

didn’t Hashem first tell them the easier Mitvoth and then maybe they

would accept parts of the Torah. The answer that is given is that every

single law in the Torah must be kept. The moment one denies even a

single word in the Torah it is like they denied the entire Torah. If one

truly believes the Torah is from Hashem then one must be willing to

accept even the most difficult laws, because even those are from Hashem.

If one would accept only the easy laws, then they aren’t doing it

because Hashem commanded them, but rather because it is only a

convenience to them.]

This Midrash shows us the essence of these two nations: On one hand

there is the nation of עשו, whose whole essence is a murderer, והידים

‎ידי עשו, and also from the verse על חרבך תחיה. This means deeply rooted

in their personality lie the traits of murder. On the other hand there

is the nation of ישמעאל, in which he will always be a פרא אדם. Rav

Shimshon Raphael Hirsch (16:12) explains that the root meaning for the

words פרח, פרע, פרא, פרה, ברא, ברה, ברח are all very similar. They all

mean to search for choices and to become free. Therefore the word פרא

means a “free person that absolves oneself from the yoke of man and

breaks off from the constraints of society.” This nation personifies

exactly this idea, to throw off from themselves the yoke of societal rules

and nothing stands in the way of their will. Also root words with the

letters פר are all referring to breaking off and freeing oneself from

one’s boundaries. For example פריסה, to break off a piece; פרח, which

means to sprout out; פרוז, to spread out; פרום, to reform; פרוץ, to

break out, unrestrained; פרע, to pay back; and פר, the animal that

refuses to accept upon itself a yoke.

Rabbi Tzadok Hachohen explains “Their roots (עשו וישמעאל) are the two

evil inclinations that stemmed from the sin of the original snake; Sin

of אדם out of תאוה, and the sin of קין in the form of רציחה.” In another

place he writes “The קליפת עשו is anger and jealously, and תאוה ישמעאל

‎קליפת.” Rabbenu Bachya (25:30) explains the nature of עשו to murder

draws the star of מאדים (Mars) which causes influence to kill and to

create war. So too red fruits (צומח) and red rocks (דומם)) have an

influence from this star. The Gra says the sun establishes its place in

relation to all of the other stars and is the center of all celestial

bodies. The nation of אדום serve the sun and create their calendar

based on the calculation of the sun. The Christian calendar bases their

holidays and their seasons revolving around the sun. As opposed to the

Muslims who base their calendar on the moon and all of their holidays

follow the cycles of the moon. But the Jews count their months according

to the moon and the years according to the sun and that’s why according

to the Jewish calendar there is an addition of a month twice every seven

years to keep the calculation of the moon together with the sun.

After understanding the point of deficiency that prevented עשו וישמעאל

from accepting the Torah, it becomes clear exactly how ישראל

came along to accept the Torah. The Gra (אדרת אליהו בריש וזאת הברכה )

explains that the exact words נעשה ונשמע are said to parallel the evil

traits of עשו וישמעאל. The word נעשה is opposite עשו, who comes from the

word עשיה and the word נשמע is opposite ישמעאל, who comes from the word

‎שמיעה. ישמעאל comes from the word שמע, which literally means קבלה, to

receive and understand (תרגום אונקולוס שמות ג:י"ח). קבלה is when a

person continues to act in a certain way. ישמעאל is the nation

that continues to listen and give in to the advice of the יצר הרע and

therefore they live a life of הפקר. The Gemara in מסכת קדושין (49B) says

“Ten measurements of זנות came down into the world and 9 went to the

Arabs.” זנות is a sin which is called שמיעה many times in the Gemara

‎(יומא 35B), and it is when the women are treated like הפקר. עשו is a

nation referred as עשיה, because they are driven by the emotion of anger

and they act in accordance with the belief that there is another

existence besides for Hashem. This is another reason why עשו counts

their calendar according to the sun, because it has an influence on

others, as opposed to ישמעאל which counts by the moon, which is

influenced and receives its radiance and light from the sun. The sun is

considered the משפיעה, like עשו forces and influences others and the

moon receives the שפע and is influenced by others.

These two enemies of ישראל fall under two categories of שונא and אוייב,

based on the verse (דברים ל:ז) “על אויביך ועל שונאיך”. Rashi explains

the verse (במדבר י:ל"ה) “ויפוצו אויביך וינוסו משנאיך מפניך” that the

word אויביך refers to the ones coming in, and the word משנאיך to the

ones that are chasing. The explanation is that אוייב are the enemies

that attack for a reason, for example one invaded their space and they

are being bothered and the word שונא are enemies that have intrinsic

hatred and the whole existence of another bothers them and they attack

for no reason. Rabbenu Bachye writes that אויביך is ישמעאל and שונאיך is

‎עשו, hence the verse in this week’s Parasha וישטום עשו את יעקב. The

hatred עשו had for יעקב wasn’t because of external circumstances, rather

‎עשו’s whole nature and being is to hate his brother and this is embedded

in the name אדום , which is 1/7 the numerical value of שונא, for the 7

kingdoms of אדום and the 7 levels of גהינום (אור תורה לג"ר יצחק חבר א').

This hatred is rooted within the seed of all of the future generations

of עשו.

Part IVB

Rome is the Christian ruling of the world known as Edom. The Midrash

mentions each nation as having a symbolic animal as a representation;

Edom is represented by the pig. As the Torah teaches us the pig is the

only animal that has an external kosher sign of split hooves, but it

does not have the internal kosher sign of chewing its cud. On the

outside the pig masks itself and pretends to be kosher, but internally

it is not. The pig in Hebrew is called a חזיר, because they will be the

last and final exile when the “crown will be returned to ישראל,” החזרת

‎עטרת ליושנה. Edom puts on a façade and claims to have a religion that is

loving, caring, peaceful and united, but it is only a cover up for an

ugly face. Pope Urban II gave an allowance for the Crusades to steal,

rape and kill whoever stood in their way. While they carry the flag of

peace and love, they spilled more blood than any other religion; hence

the name of Edom: red blood.

Today Edom focuses on externals, they don’t care about who a person

really is internally, rather they just look at how a person comes

across. Today Edom dominates the world culture with these ideas. Jews

are deeply affected by this ideology and one must be aware of these

ideas to know how to combat them. Edom claims that after the Jews sinned,

G-d reconsidered and now chose the Christians. They claim to be the new

chosen ones. They claim to be the real Israel. This was exactly עשו’s

claim to be the real יעקב.

‎יעקב gets to the ברכה by putting on goat (שעיר) skins and dresses up

like עשו . שעיר is actually another name for עשו because he has hairy

skin. Now there are two identical שעירים both fighting over the ברכה.

This is exactly the process of Yom Kippur. On Yom Kippur the main עבודה

is that two שעירים also known as עזים are carried out, one is given to

Hashem and the other is sent out into the desert to עזזל. The פסוק says

‎"ונשא את השעיר... על כל עונתם". The Midrash says that he carries on him

all the עון of תם, meaning all of the sins of Tam, which is יעקב. On Yom

Kippur all of the sins of יעקב are being sent away. יעקב and עשו are

really 2 sides of the same seed and while one is comparable to the face of

Adam Harishon, עשו is the power of evil and death; the שטן, מלאך המות,

‎יצר הרע are all one. These are the two layers of Adam Harishon, one

layer of אמת and an outer shell of שקר. This is the service of the day

of Yom Kippur, for one to search out within themselves all elements of evil

and to separate it from the good, to sift it and vomit it out of their

system. Only when the façade of שקר can wither away can there be room

for משיח to arise. (See essay on Purim for further discussion.)

Part V

Rav Shimshon Pinkus teaches a valuable insight to understand the role of

‎עשו in this world. He asks how come יעקב first lived a peaceful life of

“dwelling in tents” and then the moment he receives the Berachot, his

whole life is changed and he is forced to leave home to run away to

exile and live with the deceitful Laban. He explains Abraham, Yitchak

and יעקב represent the 3 pillars of the world, which describe Hashem’s

providence over the world known as חסד, גבורה, ותפארת. חסד is known to

be on the right side, while גבורה is on the left and ותפארת is in the

middle. But within the middle there are two sides known as סור מרע ועשה

‎טוב (stay away from bad and do good). יעקב was the embodiment of this

trait of doing good and עשו had the more difficult task of fulfilling

the trait of staying away from evil. עשו’s nature even from the womb

was to draw after idol worshiping and then to overcome his evil

inclination and to achieve perfection. That’s why he is known as “man of

the field,” his task was to engage in the world and be part of the

materialism and to bring it up to a spiritual level. יעקב’s mission was

to sit in the Beth Midrash and to be diligent in his Torah learning.

‎יעקב for sure passed his test because all of his years learning his eyes

never saw sleep and he perfected the trait of ועשה טוב.

Now יצחק wanted to give over the Beracha to his son עשו because since he

had the harder mission and more difficult tasks, his reward would be

greater and he thought the blessings would help עשו provide a livelihood

to יעקב, just like the relationship of יששכר וזבולון, where one tribe

sits and learns Torah and the other tribe sustains them with a

livelihood. (Like the relationship of the Kollel and the working men).

It was Rivka and יעקב who noticed that עשו would not be able to complete

his mission and he was absorbed by his arrogance and his evil ways, so

‎יעקב had to take over the Berachot and in essence he was taking over

‎עשו’s role in life. Now יעקב had to leave the Beth Midrash, engage in

the world, provide his family with a פרנסה and deal with a deceitful man

like Laban. For all generations, the children of יעקב must

accomplish both roles of סור מרע ועשה טוב, working together to engage in

the world and also to live a spiritual life studying Torah in the Beth

Midrash. Really יעקב was only “stealing” what had rightfully become his. יצחק only wanted to give the Berachot to the right son who

would use the Berachot in the right way (which would be יעקב), so יעקב

had to find a way to receive those Berachot.

In order to understand this idea fully, Rav Dessler’s interpretations of

‎אמת ושקר must be clarified. Rav Dessler explains that אמת cannot simply

mean the facts as they occurred and שקר means a deviation from the

facts. Sometimes it may be wrong to tell the truth about another person

and it may be necessary to change the details in order not to bring

about damage or injury. This lesson is learned from Hashem himself when

Sarah laughs at the idea of having a child and says “my husband is old.”

Hashem, when speaking to אברהם, says why did Sarah laugh and say that “she

was too old.” Rashi tells us how great is the importance of Shalom Bayit

that sometimes it requires a slight change from the facts in order to

bring about peace and avoid disharmony. Therefore Rav Dessler says what

may appear to be truth is actually false if it produces evil effects and

what appears to be false may actually be the truth. Rav Dessler defines

‎אמת as being conducive to good and within the will of Hashem and שקר is

that which is the power of evil and furthers the scheme of falsehood.

One whose driving force is selfishly motivated and whose ambition is

material desire will be blinded by the truth and will pervert everything

according to their own desires. Even though their actions may sometimes

be in accord with the truth they are nevertheless false. Everything is

subordinate to their main aim; if their aim is false all else is false.

The Midrash says when עשו came to receive the blessings from יצחק,

‎גהינום came in with him. יצחק replies “מי אפוא הוא הצד ציד”, “who then

is the one who trapped game?” The Midrash explains, who is the one

that is going to be roasted, from the word לאפות, which means to bake. Is

it I, or יעקב? Hashem answered him, neither you nor יעקב, rather it is

‎הוא הצד ציד, the one who hunts game, referring to עשו. יצחק knew there

was deceit, but he wondered – was it יעקב, who outwardly acted in

deceit? Or was it himself who allowed himself to be misled? יצחק sensed

there was something wrong from when he asked “הקל קול יעקב והידים ידי

‎עשו ”, (the voice is יעקב’s voice but the hands feel like עשו ). [The

Gra points out that the word קול is repeated twice and the first time it

is missing the letter vav. Therefore he interprets the word הקל to mean

light and not voice. He translates the verse as saying when the voice of

‎יעקב is light (from prayer and Torah), only then will the hands be עשו

‎(עשו will have the upper hand, but if יעקב uses his voice for Torah

and prayer they will overpower עשו .) ]

So Rav Dessler continues: עשו was really the deceitful one and

all יעקב and יצחק did was restore order to its proper state according to

the אמת. A person must realize that when their drive is for שקר, then all

their acts are שקר, even when it appears they are doing Mitvoth. יעקב

did an act which was only outwardly deceitful, but in truth he did it

unwillingly, weeping and under compulsion. He had no thought for

himself, rather his whole purpose was to bring about the result which

would be in accordance with the will of Hashem. Falsehood for the sake

of truth, like in this example of יעקב, is the אמת. And even when he was

doing it with the purest of intentions and he could have lied outright,

he was still careful with his words, as Rashi tells us, when יעקב replied

to his father he said “אנכי– it is I who brings you this food עשו בכרך-

‎עשו is your eldest.” Also Rav Dessler adds that each one of the Avot

was tested precisely within their trait that they must perfect.

‎אברהם who needed to perfect the trait of kindness and love needed to be

tested with his גבורה and יראה by sacrificing his son. Now יעקב who

needs to perfect the trait of אמת needs to be put in situations that

externally appear to be שקר, but he needs to conduct himself as truthfully

as possible.

Part VI

Where does עשו’s hatred for יעקב stem from? It all boils down to

‎עשו’s jealousy for יעקב. עשו feels deep down inside an internal

emptiness, he feels a void, a lacking. Any person that has content and

fills themselves with their own truth, identity, perspective, agenda,

self-esteem and self-worth has no need to be somebody else. A person

that senses their own lacking within themselves feels they cannot remain

empty and that they must fill up their essence with another person’s

identity. Edom is a nation that has nothing on its own; no language, no

culture, no land, no script, rather Christianity is a combination of

Pagan, Jewish and Greek. Rome is known for taking philosophy, art and

the culture from others and all they did was spread it out to the world.

They took Judaism, perverted it and erased all of the Mitvoth and claimed

to have a new religion. Judaism is about following Shulchan Aruch,

keeping Halacha and pouring meaning and content into every aspect of

life. It is not just about “be a good person,” like a Christian would

say; rather there are multitudes of details on how to live life

as a good person.

Part VII

During this selection process any traits that are an obstruction to

developing the 7 traits of Hashem’s ספירות must be filtered out. These 7

traits are contained in the פסוק “לך ה' הגדולה והגבורה והתפארת והנצח

‎וההוד כי כל בשמים והארץ לך ה' הממלכה"; these מידות\ספירות are usually

translated as Chessed, Din (exact judgment), Tipheret (Harmony, beauty),

Netzach (endurance), Hod, Yesod (foundation) and Malchut (kingship).

Each of these 7 traits are personified by 7 characters in the Torah who

are: Abraham, יצחק, יעקב, Moshe, Aharon, Yoseph and David. The final

stage of this process is when King Shlomo (שלם) rules the world and the

Beth Hamikdash is built.

Abraham’s mission is to personify the trait of Chessed and to bring it

out to full existence. This necessitates eliminating unhealthy and

negative elements of Chessed. Chessed means the ability for one to go

beyond oneself, unrestricted, unlimited and to break past boundaries.

The positive aspects of Chessed are when one goes beyond themselves to

help another and to do good to another being. Negative elements of

Chessed are also when one goes beyond oneself, but this time to do

damage to another or to take from another being. Negative elements of

Chessed that lie dormant within אברהם become expelled from the system in

the form of Yishmael. ישמעאל will personify all of the negative parts of

Chessed which need to be removed from the system, and therefore he is

known as "ידו בכל ויד כל בו". ישמעאל will have an inability to remain

within his own boundaries and he will extend himself onto others, not

for the good, but to steal from them. [The Midrash also teaches us

‎ישמעאל used to shoot arrows at יצחק when they were children. Arrows are

something that can be thrown to attack someone beyond oneself, another

form of negative Chessed of one extending oneself to hurt another.

Rockets which are deployed today by ישמעאל can be viewed as a modern

form of an olden day arrow. Also ישמעאל are known for throwing rocks at

others and injuring them and damaging property. ישמעאל countries today

keep going beyond their borders and stealing land that rightfully

belongs to Jewish settlements.]

After ישמעאל and his traits are eliminated from the process, אברהם sends

off בני קטורה, with all the eastern gifts. Finally אברהם is able to

conceive יצחק and pass on to him all of the positive genes and יצחק

becomes the personification of the trait of גבורה\דין. Geburah means the

ability for one to remain within their own boundries and to hold oneself

back and not to extend oneself onto another. Again while יעקב receives

all of the positive elements of Geburah, עשו will receive the extreme,

unhealthy aspects of Geburah, which must be again removed from the

system. These negative elements of remaining within oneself that are

being filtered out are: selfishness, ego-centeredness, lack of self-control,

self-centeredness, inability to relate to another outside of himself,

staying too restricted within his own border, only being able to see

things one sided, close minded, coercing others to see his viewpoint, not

acknowledging another’s existence, lack of consideration for others,

bullying and pushing people around.

‎יצחק used this trait of Gebura to build inner strength, overcome his

inner Yeser Hara, perfect his personal Middot, עשו used the same trait

of Gebura to destroy everything and everyone outside of himself.

Emotions that arise from עשו’s traits are extreme anger, hate and most

of all when someone else has something that he cannot have he expressed

jealousy. These emotions that lack a sense of control will lead to

violence and bloodshed. When one arrogantly feels this world is all

about them and there is no space for another’s existence, it results in

murder.

Once these 2 traits of Chessed and Gebura are cleaned out from unhealthy

extremes they are able to work together side by side and complement each

other. Each trait must be willing to give room and space for the other

trait to exist in order for them to complete each other and the result

will be the third trait called תפארת, known as Harmony. Two identical

items working together will not result in תפארת, rather when two

opposing elements complement each other the product will be תפארת.

Diverse elements that are very different, when working together can

produce a symphony, an orchestra, a musical; this is true beauty. אמת

is another facet of this trait of תפארת and it becomes manifested in the

life of יעקב. יעקב will be turning into Yisrael and it is his children,

‎בני ישראל, that will be combating these evil traits of ישמעאל and עשו

throughout all of the generations. It is up to בני ישראל to dissociate

themselves from these negative elements of Chessed and Gebura and to

keep within their ways of אברהם יצחק and יעקב.

The Gra explains the פסוק "אלה ברכב ואלה בסוסים", referring to the

nation of עשו who becomes a leader over 35 world nations, hinted by the

numerical value of the word אלה. The value of the Lamed and Heh is 35,

and the Aleph means “leader” in Hebrew as in the word אלוף. These

nations are led into battle by עשו, take their chariots with them, which

represent all of modern technology and the modern way of war. Then there

are another 35 nations headed by ישמעאל and they come with their horses,

together they team up to attack Yisrael. The very last פסוק in this

week’s Parasha hints to the days right before the משיח, when ישמעאל and

‎עשו join up; "וילך עשו אל ישמעאל". The only strength בני ישראל has to

fight against these 70 nations led by ישמעאל and עשו is, "ואנחנו בשם ה'

‎נזכיר".

Mostly heard in the name of Rav Amos Luban Shlit”a.