Machshavot HaLev - Yeshivat Lev HaTorah

44
Toledot
A Tale of Two Brothers
David Gleizer
I n this week’s parsha, we see two vastly different personalities arise from
Yitzchak’s household. Esav is a man of the field - he’s animalistic and he thirsts for
blood. Jacob, on the other hand, is reserved, calm, and loves learning. Before their
birth, we get a glimpse of their destiny. Rashi (25:22) says that Esav would struggle
to get out of the womb when his mother passed by a site of idol worship, while Jacob
would try desperately to get out when she would pass a synagogue. Rivka, bewildered
by this strange pregnancy, consults the prophets of the day who inform her that she
is carrying twins. They tell her that the younger brother is going to be chosen by
Hashem, and that – one day – the older one will be subservient to him.
We see two brothers – each born to the same outstanding parents – and yet each going
his separate way. One turns into the third patriarch of the Jewish people and the other
becomes one of the most notorious villains in the Bible. How did this happen? The
Torah tells us that one was a “wholesome man, abiding in tents” (25:27), and the other
was “a man who knows trapping, a man of the field” (ibid.). Each son was destined
to be a great person, and each was given the perfect tools to accomplish this. Our
Rabbis taught us that Yitzchak’s main trait was Gevurah (strength). He passed this
trait to his children, and how they developed it was to be their choice. He hoped that
both would use their phenomenal strength in a cooperative, productive way. But with
Esav’s choice to use his strength for evil, he split the family and caused tremendous
animosity – a war that would endure until Moshiach’s arrival.