5785/2024
וַיֶּאֱהַ֥ב יִצְחָ֛ק אֶת־עֵשָׂ֖ו כִּי־צַ֣יִד בְּפִ֑יו וְרִבְקָ֖ה אֹהֶ֥בֶת אֶֽת־יַעֲקֹֽב׃
“Yitzchak favored Eisav because game was in his mouth; but Rivkah favored Yaakov.” (BeResihit 25:28)
How are we supposed to read this Pasuk? To read it according to its simple meaning, as many commentators do, seems very difficult. Are we supposed to believe that Yitzchak Avinu, the “עולה תמימה”, one of the most spiritually oriented individuals of all time, would favor a son for his culinary ability? Especially when Yaakov seems like such an obvious choice for the favorite son. The Pasuk states Yitzchak Avinu’s reason for favoring Eisav, but it does not tell us what drew Rivkah toward Yaakov. Says R’ David Tzvi Hoffman: It doesn’t have to. הרי זה בטבע הדברים - this is a “natural” choice. (However, he may have been referring to Rivkah’s particular nature as opposed to some universal moral reality - see Bechor Shor). Furthermore, Yaakov’s choice has significant ramifications: according to many Meforshim, such as the Ramban (27:4), Bechor Shor (27:33) and others, Yitzchak planned to pass on to Eisav the ברכת אברהם, the covenantal blessing of Avraham. Were Yitzchak’s taste buds really going to determine the fate of his offspring for all future generations?
Many of the commentators therefore provided alternate explanations for the Pasuk. A midrashic interpretation (Tanchuma 8), made famous by Rashi, interprets the “mouth” being referred to as the mouth of Eisav: היה ציד את יצחק הצדיק בפיו - [Eisav] would trick, ציד, Yitzchak with his mouth (by pretending to be מדקדק במצוות- exact in his performance of Mitzvot, as the Midrash goes on to say.) The Seforno attempts to minimize Yitzchak’s love for Eisav, saying that the Pasuk is contrasting his normal, fatherly love for both of his sons with Rivkah’s selective and particular love of Yaakov. Nevertheless, says the Seforno, Yitzchak knew that Eisav was not on Yaakov’s level. The Midrash HaGadol says, from the Gematria of the word ציד, which is 104, that Yitzchak loved Eisav because of his descendant Ovadia, who saved 100 righteous Nevi’im, giving them 4 loaves of bread each (Melachim I 18:4).
These are wonderful explanations, and they help us explain the Ramban and Bechor Shor. According to the Midrash Tanchuma, Eisav might have been so convincing that Yitzchak really thought him worthy of passing on the covenant. Conversely, for the Seforno, Yitzchak might have given Eisav the blessing even though he lacked the merits, because he was the Bechor. This fits very well with the Ramban and Bechor Shor’s own interpretations, that Eisav’s firstborn status was really the driving force behind Yitzchak’s choice, as opposed to some sort of particular affection that Yitzchak had for Eisav. This is why Yitzchak couldn’t give Eisav the covenantal blessing when asked בָּרְכֵנִי גַם־אָנִי אָבִי - “Bless me too, Father!”; once Yaakov had received the Bechora, he, and only he, was fit to receive ברכת אברהם, as this blessing is reserved לבכור ולגביר, for the oldest and strongest (Bechor Shor 27:33).
I would like to focus on the interpretation of Rav Shimshon Rephael Hirsch (25:28). The following is a rough translation: “...There is no doubt that one can easily explain Yitzchak’s love for Eisav, and Rivkah’s love for Yaakov, based on [the phenomenon of] the attraction of opposites. Yitchak, who was a “complete Olah”, separated himself from the hustle and bustle of the world. He preferred to rest in solitude and peace, near Be’er Lachai Ro’i, as opposed to residing among the noise and commotion of society. It would make sense then, that Eisav’s bold and energetic nature appealed to Yitzchak; and that he saw in Eisav the strength and power, that were greater than his, to be the central pillar of the house. Rivkah, on the other hand, saw in Yaakov the character of perfection, which portrays a way of life which she had never encountered in her father’s household…”. This middle section of Rav Shimshon Rephael Hirsch’s interpretaion is framed by a critique of Yitzchak and Rivkah’s clashing affections, with Rav Hirsch advocating for a more unified parenting approach, with equal love for each child. While that is an incredibly rich topic, I will not be focusing on it right now. Rather, I would like to investigate this “כח המשיכה של הניגודים” (“attraction of opposites”) that Rav Hirsch is describing. We might associate this phenomenon with rom-coms or other trivial contexts; indeed (but of course להבדיל אלף אלפי הבדלות), R’ Hirsch describes Yitzchak and Rivkah’s feelings toward their sons (at least through the lens of this psychoanalysis) as “רגשות לא ברורים”, “unclear emotions.” However, as “unclear” as those inclinations might have been, I am convinced that R’ Hirsch does not mean to say that they were unfounded; in fact, both Yitzchak and Rivkah’s choices were deeply spiritually directed.
For Yitzchak Avinu, Eisav’s physical prowess and hunting ability counted for much more than a delicious Fleishig meal (albeit every day). His son’s abilities endowed him with the potential to be the “עמוד התווך של הבית”, the “central pillar of the house.” It seems that Eisav represented, at least for Yitzchak, an entirely new stratosphere of religious observance and connection to Hashem that Yitzchak was not himself privy to. This dimension was represented in the צַ֣יִד that he would eat constantly; his son was using his gifts for the Mitzva of כבוד אב! What Nachas must Yitzchak Avinu have experienced, with every bite - which makes Eisav’s downfall all the more tragic. He was never able to fully channel his boundless energy to a higher purpose, thereby missing out on his true potential. Admittedly, however, he maintained a deep respect for his father, whom he continued to feed, presumably, for his entire life; a symbol of their unflinching mutual love.
Which brings us to Rivkah and Yaakov. For obvious reasons, Yaakov’s “דמות השלמה”, “perfect character”, was loved by Rivkah. In him, and in Yitzchak as well, she saw what she held to be the ideal Jewish man, the prototype of an איש תם יושב אהלים, which had previously been foreign to her. Looking back on this episode, it would not be terribly off to say that Rivkah was, overall, “right” in this particular case. In fact, Yaakov Avinu grew to embody, in some respects, both archetypes, becoming not only a Talmid Chacham and a quintessential Mensch, but also a military strategist, a tireless worker, a wildly successful businessman (with Hashem’s help - just like any other successful businessman) and, most monumentally, the man who was given the name ישראל, says the Torah, “כִּי־שָׂרִיתָ עִם־אֱלֹהִים וְעִם־אֲנָשִׁים וַתּוּכָל׃” - “for you have striven with beings divine and human, and have prevailed.” (Bereishis 32:29).
All of this teaches us a fundamental lesson about our individual and collective Jewish identity. To become the most complete Eved Hashem that one can be, a Jew must have a strong moral and spiritual foundation; and as בני ישראל, we all have within us a spark of Yaakov Avinu’s דמות השלמה, completeness of character. Only then is the Jew ready to become a soldier, an עמוד התווך של הבית, serving Hashem and our people in any role they possibly can. To be a hunter first and foremost is not the way. As the story of Eisav proved, this is not a model for growth, and, in Eisav’s case, facilitated the creation of a murderer. Conversely, to the extent that a Jew is able to synthesize these two hemispheres, that of the soldier and that of the scholar (to use very general terms), he or she becomes a true Ben or Bat Yisrael in the fullest sense of the word.
My Zaydie has had the privilege of being able to both live out this mission himself and witness its fulfillment firsthand. He joined the March on Washington, protesting not only for civil rights, but for human rights, rights that every Jew should believe in, and made a huge Kiddush Hashem through his participation in this peaceful protest. On the back of his rock-solid Jewish beliefs, he helped make a difference in Hashem’s world. In other words, he was, and is, a Mensch, and this gave him the strength to go out of his comfort zone. One can be a good soldier, protester, politician or lay leader, only if they are an even greater Mensch. My Zaydie’s meeting with IDF soldiers proved this exact point. These are killers, he said, correctly. But, he continued, they were some of the gentlest, kindest, and warmest people he had ever met, Bnei and Bnot Torah through and through. This is no coincidence. This is the path laid out by Yaakov Avinu, the father of our faith, who suffused both the internal and external aspects of his life with Torah and Mitzvos, thereby earning for himself, and his descendants along with him, the title of ישראל.