Two important people are introduced to us in this morning’s Bible Reading, two people who were destined to become the ancestors of two great nations, whose histories were to be intertwined as a result of conflicts and struggles. The biographies of these two people fill a good part of the Bible’s narrative; and the histories of these two nations are the stuff of which Jewish history – and, in fact, world history – is made. The stories of these two are something which can be found in the Bible and in the history books. What we must attempt, within the limits of a sermon, is to study not their histories, but their personalities. For only by studying their contrasting personalities can we gain an insight into the nature and psychology of these people. Once we understand the basic differences of personality of these two men – namely, Jacob and Esau – we can hope to understand the reasons and drives and motives which molded their lives and the lives of their children after them, even until this day.Furthermore, it will be profitable to each of us personally to understand these differences. For the personalities of Jacob and Esau are not things of the past – they are universal types which we recognize about us in everyday life.Jacob and Esau were born twins; as it were, very opposite sides of one coin. Let us trace their development in three fields – their birth, their professions, and their intellectual attitudes.Their Birth Esau was in a hurry to be born, and came into this world before Jacob. He is described as “admoni,” red-headed. Our Rabbis thought the color significant, and they said: “siman la’zeh she’hu shofech damim,” it is a sign that he will be a murderer, a spiller of blood. That is, hot-headed, temperamental, seething. Finally, unlike other infants, Esau is “kulo aderess sei’ar”, all covered with hair. He was prematurely developed, as if he had no patience with the normal process of physical growth, and he was already hairy at birth. Our Rabbis even saw a hi…

The life of Isaac, inspiring and pathetic in its tragic beauty, stands out as History’s sermon to Americans, and especially American Jews, in this Thanksgiving season. Tragedy seems to have followed this Patriarch to the end. His early life was a glorious episode. As a young man, he accomplished the most glorious feat in Jewish history – his consent to be sacrificed for G-d when his father Abraham informed him that that was G-d’s will. Here was a young man of 30 willing to be cut off at such a young age because it was the Divine will that it be so. The fact that G-d intervened at the last moment and rescinded His command to Abraham makes no difference. The fact is that Abraham finally surrendered his most beloved son, the fact is that Isaac made his decision to give his life, and the fact is that his beloved mother Sarah died when she heard the news that Abraham was preparing to offer up her only son. This great episode – known as the Akedah – is the theme we constantly recall in our prayers when we want to advocate the cause of Israel before G-d and plead for Divine Mercy. The early part of his life was, therefore, gallant, glorious, and lofty.Our Rabbis, however, with their customary bent for just and unprejudiced appraisals of the heroes of our people, were severely critical of Isaac. And they expressed this criticism in the form of an imaginary debate between Isaac and Moses. And in this debate, the Midrash quotes Isaac as saying to Moses, ani gadol mimcha, I am greater than you, because I was willing to sacrifice my life by being bound on the altar, and thus ra’isi pnei shechinah, I saw the Divine Presence, that is, I attained great religious insight. And to this, Moses answers, ani nisaleisi mimcha, true, but I am still greater than you, because while you may have seen the shechinah, you became blind soon afterwards, as we read in today’s Sidra “vayehi ki zaken Yitzchak vatich’hena einav me’reos,” when Isaac became old, his eyes failed him, whereas I spoke to…

1. Main episode Sidra one of most disturbing to sensitive Jew who believes in Torah + proud its high moral teachings. That is – the story of the deception practiced by Jacob, prompted by Rebecca, on Isaac in taking the blessing that rightfully belonged + was intended for his older brother, Esau. 2. story in broad outline. 3. Clearly a story of deception, hard to explain + harder to defend. Even mor acutely embarrassing – silence of Torah in not offering no more moral judgement, ethical criticism. 4. "Higher Bible Criticism", always eager

Introduce idea of the sichah – mainly based on the weekly Torah portion – as a study, not just a reading. Toldot tells a story of extremely serious, world-shaking events and consequences which must be fathomed from a Biblical tale told in such marvelous simplicity. In addition, we have here a domestic crisis, and clues as to how each of us can and should improve our domestic lives. The story describes Isaac and Rebekka, Esau and Jacob, blind Isaac, and the story of the blessings. Isaac seemingly is fooled by Esau’s guile. Rebekka wants to correct the situation and uses a technique of deception. The consequences are significant: Isaac, in his old age, is hurt – charadah gedolah me’od – and fooled. Jacob, who is described as an ish tam yoshev ohalim, becomes a partner to deception, and saintly Rebekka too. Midah keneged midah – Rebekka must leave her beloved Jacob forever, and Jacob is later fooled and deceived by Laban. The charge of deception is always brought against us by intellectual antisemites, anti-Zionists, and Bible critics. Rebekka perhaps can be justified morally, though essentially her guilt is clear. The Torah does not whitewash its heroes or conceal human foibles. Modern states should learn the same – especially Israel. But the core problem lies elsewhere: why was Isaac fooled by Esau? Isaac gave three blessings – to Jacob in disguise as Esau, to Esau directly, and to Jacob directly before leaving for Aram as a refugee. The contents of these blessings are distinct: the first is material–agricultural (27:28–29), the second is almost identical (27:39–40), and the third is completely different (28:3–4) – the blessing of the Land of Israel, numerous descendants, and the berakhat Avraham. This result – the tragedy of errors – is exactly what the saintly Rebekka wanted for her beloved Jacob: the spiritual blessing, the berakhat Avraham, which meant spiritual eminence and rootedness in the Promised Land – the Jewish heritage. And yet we discover that Isaac ne…

Events Middle East last few days have thrown all normal life turmoil, and have shaken all of us, especially Jews, by the extreme nature of the crisis. Israel has crossed the Egyptian border, demolished the Egyptian Army in the Sinai desert, had the help of Britain and France, incurred the enmity of the American Government and invoked censure by the United Nations – We are back to the critical period of 1948. So much to be said – but shall not speak as military expert or as diplomatic expert or as critic of our government. Rather, in my capacity as Rabbi, as teacher Jewish religion and one who has the ideals and welfare Israel close to heart. I not frightened military consequences or diplomatic as much as chagrined, embarrassed, frightened by one phenomenon that has jarred me, upset me and even frightened me: ATTITUDE AMERICAN JEWS (some) to these historic events. In moment of crisis, danger, can tell the men from the boys. Same for genuineness of Jewish loyalty and pride. Refer to: fear and panic in hearts some Am-Jews that lead to a MORAL CONDEMNATION OF ISRAEL. Some have suggested holding up UJA, Bonds – thus damning Israel even before Arabs, State Dept, did. Analyze three parts: *too dangerous – *immoral – "aggression", "against UN and Charter" – *world public opinion. DANGEROUS: *more dangerous wait for death-blow – *Arab united-power overrated – obviously... *some trust in Israeli chiefs – quite clever – *even more: trust in G-d. IMMORAL: *how dare WE stand in moral judgment over Israel, passing out verdicts from Olympian heights – *who here has given enough to Israel so that she should feel secure? *and if have given, what is all the money in the world compared to giving peace of mind, living under constant spectre of annihilation? – and more: of giving sons and daughters, of giving own lives? – who of us has a son fighting in Sinai desert today, wondering if those white sands are being turned crimson by his blood? *and who in this cong. can declare self so m…

ויהי היום ויזד יעקוב נזיד וכו׳. וחז״ל שבו ביום שבו מת אברהם, ומאכל אבלים הוא. וא״כ אף אז משתקף ההבדל העצום בן יעקב ועשו, בענין יחסים למיתת סבם – יעקב בשל מאכל אבלים, ועשו ע״י המדרש התיחס בגסות רוח לא״א ע״ה. וכלל גדול ביהדות הוא היחס למקום, במ״מ – תורה תחילה גמ״ח וסופה גמ״ח. ומהרה הגמ״ח בסופה? – קבורת משה ע״ו קב״ה, כי משה הי׳ אז בגדר מת מצווה שלא היו לו קוברשו. וענין זה מתלבט ביותר במעשה של משה ועצמות יוסף, על ספור זה בספר בשלח אומרים חז״ל ת״ר בא וראה

In a recent book by Norman Cousins, In Place of Folly, there appears a most improbable obituary which is purely imaginary – and frighteningly real. It reads, RACE, HUMAN. Beloved father of science and technology, adored mother of the arts and culture. Departed this earth, suddenly, but not without warning. Survived by no one. What makes this obituary so very pertinent is the series of hair-raising events which, during the past month, took humanity to the very brink of annihilation. The Cuba crisis brought not only Americans but all human beings to the sharp edge of universal catastrophe, face to face with the ultimate terror. The question that we must ask ourselves is, what was or should be our reaction? We who have tottered on the rim of total horror, and we have won a reprieve, we who have stared into the dumbness of the atomic abyss – what view do we now take of life? Have we undergone any inner transformation as a result of this experience? Do we view things any differently now?For assuredly, the brink represents a unique psychological situation. The knowledge of impending disaster, for mankind as well as for individual men or women, evokes a reaction which reveals all our inner qualities: personality, principles, and purposes – or lack of them. The more intensely we are aware of the end of the limitation of life, the more we concentrate our essential character and aspirations into the time left to us.Our Sidra provides us with a clear contrast between two biblical characters in their reactions to the proximity of the end. They are for us an indication of what Death tells us about Life. Father and son, Isaac and Esau, were both concerned over the finiteness of life. Both based their lives on the fact that it ends. Both acted out of the knowledge that man is mortal and soon must pass on. Yet the same cause resulted in effects which were worlds apart. Listen to Isaac, the old father: “And he said, hinei na zakanti, lo yadati yom moti, Behold now I am old, I know …

In an almost casual, offhand way, our Sidra tells us of a series of incidents in the life of Isaac that are apparently of no special significance, but in which our Rabbis have seen the greatest importance. Isaac lived in the land of Canaan, which suffered from scarcity of water most of the year, and he therefore decided to dig a well. We are told of three wells which he and his entourage dug. The first two involved him in difficulties with the people of Gerar, a Philistine people. The first of these, Isaac called Esek, because it was the cause of much strife and contention. He was no more successful with the second well; after his servants dug the well, he incurred the hatred of the people about him. He therefore called the second well by the name Sitnah, meaning enmity. It is only when the third well was dug that happiness prevailed once again; and so he called the third well Rehovoth, meaning room, freedom, scope, peace, or joy.Of what importance can these apparently prosaic matters be to later generations, who search in the Torah for matters of timeless significance and are not particularly interested in economic clashes and riparian rivalry in ancient Canaan? Nachmanides, following the principle of the Rabbis that מעשה אבות סימן לבנים – that the deeds of the fathers anticipate the history of the children – has taught us that the three wells of Isaac recapitulate the stories of the three great Sanctuaries of the people of Israel. The first well is a symbol of the First Temple, which was destroyed because of Esek, because of the battles and wars waged on the Jewish people by the surrounding nations. The second well, that called Sitnah, represents the Second Temple, for this Temple was brought to ruins by the hatred and enmity that prevailed amongst the Children of Israel during that period. However, the third well, Rehovoth, is the symbol of the Sanctuary that has not yet been built – that of the great future. It represents the Beit Hamikdash which will one day b…

The world Jewish community today faces two crises. The first is that of its continued existence, and the second concerns the purpose and the meaning of that existence. There is a large group for whom the simple continuity of the Jewish people has now been brought into question. Not only is this material survival in jeopardy because of external anti-Semitism, such as behind the Iron Curtain or in Arab countries, but because of voluntary “geno-suicide,” by such eroding and corroding forces as assimilation and intermarriage, in the Free World.But within the group that is determined that we shall survive, there is a further question: Why? Is there any meaning to our existence? Some, who identify themselves as nationalists and secularists, say: No, there is no higher meaning or purpose, and there doesn’t have to be any. The simple fact of our existence, without any meaning or direction from above or beyond, is sufficient justification for wanting to continue. Jews are an organic, collective national unit, that possesses its own instinct of self-preservation – and that is that. But there are those who are opposed to this philosophy. They believe that there is a transcendent purpose to Israel and a higher force directing its story. We are a people which has a significance beyond ourselves. There is a meaning that overarches the particularities of the present time and place. There is a spiritual destiny, a religious dimension, that far exceeds in importance the mere national – ethnic continuity of the Jewish people. As Orthodox Jews, we naturally belong in the second camp. Our whole faith, our whole historic experience, tells us that there is more to Israel than Israel. Yet, in this time of crisis – and in many ways the threat to American Jewry is as great as that to Soviet Jewry – we must fight on all fronts. We cannot afford the luxury of retreating into our shells and ignoring the rest of the community. We must join with all those who aspire to Jewish survival, even tho…

____ כ"-ח', ט'. נשואי עשו לבת ישמעל – חז"ל היללו אותן על זה ואף דרשו שמה של "מחלת" שה' מחל לו על כל עונותיו, ו"בשמת" שנשתנה דעתו עליו. אבל רבי אלעזר מוסיף (ועי' בר סוף תולדות), אילו הוציא את הראשונה יפה הי' – אלא "על נשיוו" – כאב על כאב, ד"א: כאב (קץ) על כאב. כלומר, שיטתו של עשו היתה שאפשר להשיב את המטרה על "ועשה טוב" מבלי לעבור דרך ה' "סור מרע". וכן משינו (עי' רש"י על כ"ו-ל"ד) בן ארבעים אמר: אבא בן ארבעים נשא אשה, אף אני כן. כלומר, את הסו"מ של מוסר ופרושה מעריות ומחמס לא שמר, ורצה לכסות ולכפר על-ידי היוצא של ועשה-טוב... וזוהי דרכו של עשו!