5785/2024
In Parashat Toldot, Yitzchak tells Esav ”וְעַתָּה֙ שָׂא־נָ֣א כֵלֶ֔יךָ תֶּלְיְךָ֖ וְקַשְׁתֶּ֑ךָ וְצֵא֙ הַשָּׂדֶ֔ה וְצ֥וּדָה לִּ֖י “(צידה) [צָֽיִד]׃ “Take your equipment, your sword and your bow and go out to the field and hunt me some game.” (27:3) Rashi comments that when Yitzchak asked Esav to go hunting and get him a meal, he tells him to get him a meal from an animal that was not stolen.
The Kli Yakar questions Rashi’s comment, saying that Yitzchak must have told Esav many times not to steal, so what is the significance of him saying that here? The Kli Yakar explains that at that moment Yitzchak had Ruach HaKodesh and eating a stolen animal would distance the Shechina. That’s why Yitzchak specifically mentioned this again.
However, the Seforno asks a different question on the Pasuk. As we know, Yitzchak intended to give a bracha to Esav after he delivered and ate the meal. The Seforno asks why Yitzchak needed a meal to give a Beracha, can’t he give a Beracha without a meal? He answers that Yitzchak knew that Esav was not worthy of the Beracha, so in order to receive the Beracha he needed to fulfill a mitzvah first to deserve the bracha - Kibbud Av Va’eim.
The Pasuk in Tehillim 34:15 teaches “ס֣וּר מֵ֭רָע וַעֲשֵׂה־ט֑וֹב” - “stay away from Aveirot and do good (mitzvot)”. There are two parts to Avodat Hashem, Ahavat Hashem and Yirat Shamayim. To stay away from Aveirot, you need Yirat Shamayim, but to do Mitzvot, you need Ahavat Hashem, the higher level of Avodat Hashem. That’s why the Pasuk says first “ס֣וּר מֵ֭רָע”, that you first need Yirat Shamayim followed by “וַעֲשֵׂה־ט֑וֹב” - then you can go do the mitzvot. First you need a base of Yirat Hashem in order to reach that higher level of Ahavat Hashem.
The Gemara proves this point in Berachot 54a which teaches that in order to reach a higher level of Ahavat Hashem, you first need Yirat Shamayim. Yitzchak was teaching Esav that first he needs to avoid stealing the animal, - Yirat Shamayim, in order to fulfill the mitzvah of Kibbud Av Va’eim and have the Zechut of getting the Bracha - Ahavat Hashem.
Moving forward we should all work on and grow not just in our Ahavat Hashem, but also in our Yirat Shamayim and Yirat Chet.