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שבת שלום - פרשת תולדות

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We wish a mazal tov to our student, Dov Muchnick, who completed Seder Nezikin, and celebrated the achievement with a siyum on Thursday night at the yeshiva. He dedicated the siyum in memory of his grandfather, whose 15th yartzeit was commemorated this week. Dov began learning Seder Nezikin soon after Simchat Torah; we anticipate many more siyumim from him over the year. Earlier on Thursday, the students were treated to a full Thanksgiving lunch, including turkey, sweet potato pie, cranberry sauce, and all the trimmings. We thank our chef, Linda Berman, and her staff for preparing the delicious meal. This Shabbat will be an in-Shabbat at the yeshiva, hosted by Rav Yaakov Arram and his family. Rav Arram will be teaching several shiurim, including "Daddy Cool" and "I am Eisav Your Firstborn". The Friday night oneg will be hosted by Sharon and Ari Ginsburg. We welcome back our Rosh Yeshiva, Rabbi Pesach Wolicki, after his successful trip to New York, Seattle, South Florida, Jacksonville,and Toronto.

The Causes of Yitzhak's Blindness
By Rabbi Pesach Wolicki

"It came to pass, when Yitzhak had become old, and his eyes dimmed from seeing, that he summoned Esav his older son and said to him, 'My son,' and he [Esav] said to him, 'Here I am.'" (Bereshit 27:1)

The Torah relates that Yitzhak's vision weakened. The plain context of the verse is that this was a result of old age.

Rashi comments:

"[His eyes] dimmed: From the smoke of [Esav's wives]. For they would smoke and burn incense for pagan worship. Alternatively, when Yitzhak was bound upon the altar and his father wished to slaughter him, at that moment the heavens opened and the ministering angels saw and were crying. Their tears descended and fell on Yitzhak's eyes, thereby dimming them. Alternatively, [his vision dimmed] so that Yaacov could take the blessings."

Rashi offers three explanations for the dimming of Yitzhak's eyes. The first two explanations suggest causes for Yitzhak's dimmed eyes. The third explanation does not suggest a cause but a purpose that this dimming serves.

The Midrash offers yet another possible cause: "By virtue of the fact that he saw the evil one [Esav] as righteous, his eyes dimmed." (Bereshit Rabbah 65:6)

One idea is common to all of these suggested causes of Yitzhak's failing vision. The phrase "his eyes dimmed from seeing" refers to something deeper than a physical loss of eyesight.

The Maharal of Prague - Rabbi Yehuda Leowe 1526-1609 - comments on Rashi's first explanation, i.e. the smoke of the paganism of Esav's wives:

"Yitzhak had a holiness, an extreme holiness - for he was a sacrifice on the altar. Because of this holiness, his eyes dimmed. ... Sight [refers to] the concept of the intellect.
Therefore Yitzhak's vision could not connect with the profanity of pagan worship."

The Maharal explains that since Yitzhak was an extremely spiritually elevated person, his perception - his sight - functioned on a holier plane. As a result, he could not perceive the smoke of the idolatry of Esav's wives. In this way, the smoke of the pagan worship of Esav's wives caused Yitzhak's eyes to dim.

This explanation may help us understand the other suggested causes of Yitzhak's blindness.
Yitzhak was a sacrifice upon the altar. At the moment that he willingly lay bound on the altar - all textual evidence points to Yitzhak's willingness - with his father Avraham on the verge of slaughtering him, the angels cried. Why would the angels cry?

Although G-d commanded Avraham to slaughter Yitzhak, one of the central messages of the story of the binding of Yitzhak is that G-d does not desire child sacrifice. Avraham proves to G-d that he is willing if asked - that he is as dedicated to his G-d as the pagan child-sacrificers are to theirs. However, G-d refuses to accept the offering. The angels crying can be understood to mean that the spiritual forces of G-dliness would actually have been undermined if Avraham and Yitzhak would have gone through with the sacrifice. At the moment when the sacrifice seemed imminent, the spiritual future of the world was hanging in the balance. If Avraham was not stopped, he would sacrifice Yitzhak and the wrong message would be sent to the world about the relationship that G-d desires to have with humanity.

How did Yitzhak feel at that moment when G-d made it clear that He actually did not want Yitzhak to be sacrificed. To say that Yitzhak was relieved implies that Yitzhak was not completely willing - that he really did not want to do it. If we are to understand that Yitzhak's willingness to be sacrificed was total, his reaction might have been disappointment. Yitzhak was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to G-d and was rebuffed.

For the rest of Yitzhak's life his perception of the world was through the lense of this experience. He was willing to make a sacrifice to G-d that is beyond what is demanded or expected of human beings. His relationship and dedication to G-d went beyond what can be expected in this world. He functioned in a spiritual space that was not entirely of this life and this world. He had entered to a religious place that man is never asked to enter.

Having perceived a spiritual dimension that is not meant for this world, his perception of the world could never be that of any other man.

The last cause mentioned above - that of the Midrash - points in a different direction. The Midrash suggests that as a result of Yitzhak's perception of the evil Esav as righteous, his eyes dimmed. The lesson here is profound. Good people often make a tragic mistake. They assume that everyone else is good. This naivete results from their goodness. There is an inclination to see all people as good and to rationalize all behaviors - no matter how morally flawed - as well-intentioned.

Tragically, this perception is false. Evil is evil. Good is good. Not everyone is well-intentioned. If evil people are perceived as actually good, that which is truly good loses its value. The well- intentioned benefit of the doubt given to evil people cheapens the value of that which is true and good.

This is the intention of the Midrash. "By virtue of the fact that he saw the evil one [Esav] as righteous, his eyes dimmed." Yitzhak's perception of Esav as righteous - however well- intentioned - is tragic. This perception leads Yitzhak to less clarity about the world in which he lived.