ON THE PARSHA
          Parshas Toldos

          by Dovid Lipman, Israel
          Year 3, No. 6


Introduction

This parsha, which tells how our father Yitzchak's role as
father of our people was fulfilled, has five parts:
       1) Rivkah Has Twins           
       2) Yaakov Buys the Birthright 
       3) Yitzchak and Avimelech     
       4) Yaakov Takes the Blessing  
       5) Yaakov Flees Eisav's Wrath 

1. Rivkah Has Twins -- 25:19 [Beg.] to 25:26

Yitzchak's wife Rivkah is barren, and they pray for children.
Hashem grants their wish, and Rivkah has a difficult pregnancy.
She is told by a prophet that she bears twins, who will be in
constant struggle in their future. At the birth, the first is
hairy and is called Eisav; the younger, born holding Eisav's
heel, is called Yaakov. Yitzchak is 40 years old at this time.

   A Time to Laugh

   (25:22) "...so she went to seek Hashem." From here we see
   that one normally shouldn't be overly curious about the
   fetus she is carrying (like wanting to know if it's a boy
   or a girl). If the pregnancy is unusually difficult,
   though - then it's perfectly okay!

2. Yaakov Buys the Birthright -- 25:27 to 25:34 [end, Chap. 25]

Eisav becomes a hunter and Yaakov a more prudent type, and even
though Yitzchak prefers Eisav, Rivkah prefers Yaakov. One day,
Eisav returns from hunting tired and starving, and Yaakov buys
Eisav's birthright as a condition for feeding him. Eisav not
only agrees, but talks with disdain about his discarded rights.

   Answers to Do You Remember -Parshas Chayei Sara

   1. Avraham gave his sons the secret power to control demons.
   2. Marriage is initiated through money (Link bet. words
      "he shall take" by marriage and "take it" by the money to
      buy the Machpelah cave) or an item of monetary value.
   3. An Onen's exemption from mitzvos depends only on his
      being responsible for taking care of the burial.
   4. Eliezer hoped he wouldn't succeed in Avraham's homeland,
      and Yitzchak would end up marrying Eliezer's own daughter.

3. Yitzchak and Avimelech -- Chap. 26

Yitzchak, at Hashem's instruction, flees a famine to the land
of Avimelech instead of Egypt, and he adopts Avraham's "She's
my sister" measure. It works for a while, but then Avimelech
finds out the truth, and is upset, but he lets Yitzchak stay,
until Yitzchak becomes rich, when the citizens get jealous, so
he's expelled, and driven from two successful wells he finds,
until he finally holds onto a third.

   The Principles of Shabbos

   (26:5) "Since [Eikev] Avraham kept my [Rabbinic] protective
   measures..." (see Rashi) The gemara (Yoma 28b) derives from
   here that Avraham even kept Eiruv Tavshilin (only cooking
   on Yom Tov for Shabbos when one started beforehand). Some
   read "Eiruv Techumin" (redefining ones Shabbos location to
   adjust the permitted walking boundaries), pointing to the
   language "Eikev", lit. "heel", as a hint. But this doesn't
   fit the halacha, since the laws of Techum boundaries are
   not really Rabbinic. The gemara is full of leniencies in
   Techum due to its Rabbinic nature, but the Poskim rule that
   there is a Biblical walking limit (based on a Yerushalmi),
   not 2,000 amos but 24,000 (~8 miles). So a hint to Avraham
   keeping Techum wouldn't represent Rabbinic laws at all!

   Of course, Biblical Techum has barely any application,
   since Rabbinically one is limited to 2,000 anyway. But the
   Shulchan Aruch (404) points out that travelling (over land)
   above 10 tefachim off the ground is permitted because of
   the dispute in the gemara - we rely on the lenient opinion.
   But that leniency ceases to apply at 24,000 amos, where
   Techum is Biblical and we must follow the strict opinion.
   In Biur Halacha, the Mishna Berurah rules this applies even
   if the land below is not a true Public Domain.

4. Yaakov Takes the Blessing -- 27:1 to 27:40

Some years after Eisav marries, Yitzchak offers him the Divine
blessings of Avraham, and, as preparation, asks him to prepare
food for him. He goes to hunt, and Rivkah quickly sends Yaakov
in to Yitzchak with a meal to deceive Yitzchak, who is blind.
Yitzchak blesses Yaakov, and Eisav, arriving late, is promised
servitude to Yaakov while Yaakov's descendants keep the Torah.

   Worthy of Note

   (27:22) "...the voice of Yaakov..." Rashi (based on Midrash)
   explains that Yaakov spoke more pleasantly to his father:
   "please get up" unlike Eisav's harsher "let my father get
   up". What's wrong with Eisav's words - he used third person
   out of respect! We can understand by looking at the end of
   Eisav's request: "so your soul will bless me". Where's the
   third person now, Eisav? Eisav's "respect" is transparent;
   when he gets to the part about "what I get", he forgets
   about it. Such false respect is mere flattery, and that is
   what separates his voice from Yaakov's.

5. Yaakov Flees Eisav's Wrath -- 27:41 to 28:9 [End]

Eisav plans murdering Yaakov, so Rivkah convinces Yitzchak to
send him to Charan, where he's to marry a girl from the family
instead of a local girl like Eisav did. When Yaakov leaves,
Eisav understands the reason, and he marries a daughter of
Yishmael, but he doesn't divorce his previous wives.

   Do You Remember? -from the files of 'On the Parsha'

   1. What kind of field did Yitzchak say Yaakov smelled like?
   2. Where do we see Yaakov's great distaste for deceit?
   3. Why is Judean vinegar forbidden on Pesach and Edomite OK?
   4. Where is Yitzchak's "taste" of the next world hinted?
   5. Where do we see that Rivkah was into Kiruv?
   6. Who was the "one" of the nation ... by the Jews?