The Torah portion of Toldos begins by stating:
[1] "These are the chronicles of Yitzchak, son of Avraham. Avraham was Yitzchak's father." Our Sages inform us
[2] that the verse repeats "Avraham was Yitzchak's father," to tell us that Avraham and Yitzchak were similar.
The similarity between Avraham and Yitzchak is a bit difficult to understand in light of the fact that the spiritual service of the former involved the attribute of love ("Avraham who loves Me"[3]) while the service of the latter was performed in awe and fear of G-d (the "fear of Yitzchak"[4]).
More perplexing is the fact that with regard to Yitzchak we find two seemingly opposite aspects. While on the one hand his spiritual service was that of awe and fear, his very name denotes joy and laughter.[5] His physical life as well was extremely bountiful - "He prospered mightily until he was tremendously wealthy."[6]
This anomaly might be explained by the fact that although the spiritual service of Avraham and Yitzchak were entirely dissimilar - one serving out of love and the other out of fear - the difference existed only in the primary aspect of their service; they were not one-dimensional.[7] Thus Avraham also served with awe, while Yitzchak's spiritual service also contained love.
While this is indeed the case, Yitzchak's very name is that of joy and laughter, so we must perforce say that these attributes were fundamental to his service.
How can this be?
One of the differences between love and fear is that love involves the attachment of the lover to the object of his love. Hence the individual who loves is not nullified before that which he loves; quite the contrary, he feels and is aware of himself, and senses that through his love he comes closer to his beloved.[8] But a person is nullified before that of which he is in awe.
An example would be the relationship of a child and his parent, and a servant and his master. The child's relationship to his parent is mainly one of love. This causes him to be drawn to his parent.
The relationship of a servant to his master is primarily one of awe and fear. This brings a feeling of self-abnegation and insignificance before his master, and an acceptance of his master's yoke.
The same is true with regard to divine service. The relationship of the Jewish people to G-d is both that of children and servants - "You are children unto the L-rd your G-d,"[9] "They are My servants."[10] Contemplating one's closeness to G-d ("You are our Father"[11]) arouses and reveals one's love for Him; contemplating that He is our King arouses and reveals a feeling of awe and self-abnegation.
The ultimate purpose of awe, however, is not to generate a feeling of insignificance. Rather, because one feels oneself to be unimportant in and of oneself, one is better able to draw close to G-d.
In fact, a person can come even closer to G-d through awe than he can through love. For since love implies a continued awareness of self, and mortal man is necessarily limited, his closeness to G-d must be limited as well. It is only when a person nullifies himself through awe that he becomes able to receive a measure of G-dliness that transcends his human limitations.
The same is true with regard to Yitzchak. His spiritual service of awe and fear served as a prelude to the true and unlimited happiness, joy and closeness to G-d that can best be realized through self-effacement.
Thus, although the spiritual service of Avraham and Yitzchak were externally dissimilar, at their core they were essentially the same - a coming ever closer to G-d.
Based on Likkutei Sichos, Vol. XXX, pp. 103-107.
Notes:
- (Back to text) Bereishis 25:19.
- (Back to text) Bava Metzia 87a; Tanchuma, Toldos 1; Rashi on this verse.
- (Back to text) Yeshayahu 41:8.
- (Back to text) Bereishis 31:42. See also Targum Onkelos and Targum Yonasan ben Uzeil, ibid., et. al.
- (Back to text) See Bereishis 21:6 and commentary of Rashi; Rashi Bereishis 17:19. See also Tehillim 105:9, and Toras Chayim, Toldos, p. 5a, 5d.
- (Back to text) Bereishis 26:13. See also commentary of Rashi to this verse as well as to the previous verse.
- (Back to text) See Iggeres HaKodesh, Epistle XIII (119b), et al.
- (Back to text) See Sefer HaArachim-Chabad I, erech Ahavah chs. 2-3, and sources cited there. Ibid., erech Ahavas HaShem, ch. 4, and sources cited there.
- (Back to text) Devarim 14:1.
- (Back to text) Vayikra 25:42, ibid., verse 55.
- (Back to text) Yeshayahu 63:16.
The Torah portion of Toldos concludes
[1] by relating how "Esav saw that the daughters of Canaan [his first wives] were displeasing to his father Yitzchak. Esav therefore went to Yishmael and took Mochlas - daughter of Avraham's son Yishmael - for a wife, in addition to his other wives."
Rashi[2] explains that by marrying Mochlas "an additional measure of evil was added to his [Esav's] previous evil deeds, in that he did not divorce his first wives."
Rashi's comment must be understood. Esav's evil deed did not begin when he married Mochlas; his guilt in not divorcing the wicked Canaanite women had existed from the time he married them. What does Rashi mean when he states that specifically at the time of his marriage to Mochlas an additional evil deed was done by not divorcing his first wives?
Esav's evil in marrying his first wives was not only in that their conduct was "a source of bitterness to Yitzchak and Rivkah.[3]" Rather, it lay in his deceit and trickery.
Thus Rashi notes on the verse[4] "When Esav was 40 years old he married...," that "Esav was likened to a swine ... When a swine lies down it stretches out its [cloven] hooves, thereby saying: 'Behold, I am pure.' So too, those who steal and rob display themselves to be kosher. For 40 years Esav would merely capture women ... When he reached 40 he said: 'Father married at 40, so I too shall do so.' "
This is what Rashi is saying here as well. Just as his first marriage was a sham - he married so that people would say he was conducting himself like his pious father Yitzchak - so too was his marriage to Mochlas: he took a fine woman only in order that Yitzchak would think he was repenting.
In point of fact this was a ruse, the proof being that "he did not divorce his first wives." In other words, marrying a fine and upstanding woman while retaining his original evil wives proved that this latter marriage was nothing but subterfuge.
All stories related in the Torah are meant to serve as lessons in our spiritual service.[5] The lesson here is that the offense of trickery lies not only in that a person deceives others, but rather that the very trait itself is despicable - just as Esav's additional evil consisted of the deceit and chicanery itself.
This will be better understood by comparing the differences between the chronicles of Esav as related in Toldos to the chronicles as they are related in Vayishlach. Toldos mainly recounts details of Esav's life that relate to his father, Yitzchak, while Vayishlach tells of Esav's life in relation to his brother, Yaakov.
There is a major difference between the two: Esav attempted to fool his father so that he would think him righteous.[6] With Yaakov, however, no such attempt was made; he fought him openly.
This too is a lesson in the spiritual service of every Jew. Two types of evil have to be confronted - open and revealed evil, and an evil that conceals itself behind seeming good.
Just as it is important to battle mightily against unadorned evil, it is even more necessary to battle against evil that is intermingled with good - concealed evil. The struggle against this form of evil is much more difficult.
Thus we find that Yaakov was forced to stay in Lavan's house for 20 years, while his confrontation with Esav lasted only a day, as the verse states:[7] "Esav returned on that day on his way to Seir."
The reason for the difference in the duration of conflict is explained thus.[8] Lavan the Deceiver confronted Yaakov in a deceptive manner. Dealing with this form of concealed evil took a long time. Esav, however, confronted Yaakov with palpable malevolence. Yaakov was able to readily identify this form of evil and overcome it quickly.
Based on Likkutei Sichos, Vol. XXXV, pp. 113-118.
Notes:
- (Back to text) Bereishis 28:8-9.
- (Back to text) Ibid.
- (Back to text) Ibid., 26:35.
- (Back to text) Ibid. verse 34.
- (Back to text) See Zohar, Vol. III, p. 152a.
- (Back to text) See also Rashi, Bereishis 25:28.
- (Back to text) Bereishis 33:16
- (Back to text) See Maamarei Admur HaZakein - HaKetzarim, pp. 442-443.
Chayei Sarah