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שבת שלום - פרשת תולדות
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Video Shiur
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Click play to watch
Rabbi Scott Kahn's siha "Emor me'et va'aseh harbeh" |
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News and Notes
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From Sunday through
Tuesday, the entire yeshiva
enjoyed one of the highlights
of the year, a 3 day
tiyul to the Golan. Our
tour guide Hillel Brenner
and Rav Moshe Lichtman
accompanied the students
and everyone had an exhausting
and enjoyable time.
Rosh
Yeshiva Rav Pesach Wolicki
returned from his successful
recruiting trip to London,
the US, and Canada. In
addition to recruiting,
Rav Wolicki spent meaningful
time with many of our
alumni.
On
Thursday night Rav Wolicki's
siha addressed the topic,
"Effective Decision Making
for Life". For the mishmar
shiurim, Rav Arram continued
with the thought of Rav
Nachman of Breslov, Rav
Wolicki spoke about Yitzchak
Avinu, and the yeshiva
welcomed back Rav Daniel
Krentzman, our former
madrich, who gave the
first part of a series
entitled "Mashiach ben
Yosef".
This
week is an in-Shabbat.
Rav Daniel Katz and his
family will be with the
yeshiva. Rav Katz will
deliver shiurim entitled,
"Yitzchak Avinu: Where
are you?", "Dorm Days",
and "The Power of Music."
The oneg will be hosted
by Goel and Gila Jasper.
We look forward to a
shabbat of ruach and
inspiration.
Rav
Kahn continues his recruiting
trip this week. He can
be reached in the US
at 347-225-1791.
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Eisav's Exhaustion
By Rabbi Pesach Wolicki
"Yaacov was simmering a pottage and Eisav came from the field and he was exhausted. Eisav said to Yaacov, 'Feed me, please, from this red, red stuff for I am exhausted.' He was therefore named Edom [red].
Yaacov said, 'As this day, sell your birthright to me.' Eisav said, 'Behold, I am going to die, and why is this birthright for me?' Yaacov said, 'Swear to me today as this day.' He swore to him and sold his birthright to Yaacov. Yaacov gave Eisav bread and a pottage of lentils. He ate, drank, got up, and left. And Eisav scorned the birthright." (Bereshit 25:29-34)
In this passage, Eisav comes in from the field exhausted and sells his birthright as the firstborn to Yaacov in order to get some pottage.
From the text it appears that his motivation is fatigue and hunger. A common question regarding this passage is concerned with whether or not Yaacov was taking advantage of a suffering Eisav. After all, as Eisav himself said, "Behold, I am going to die." How tired was Eisav?
What did he mean when he said that he was "going to die"?
The end of the passage provides an answer: "He ate, drank, got up, and left. And Eisav scorned the birthright." If, in fact, Eisav was so exhausted that he was literally about to die, it is highly unlikely that after eating a warm bowl of pottage he would get up and leave.
The immediacy of the four verbs - "ate, drank, got up, and left" - implies that he sat down, quickly downed some pottage and drink, and then was off again. Such is not the behavior of someone who moments ago was on his deathbed. If he was literally in mortal danger, it is more likely that after a warm meal he would fall asleep. By telling us the seemingly trivial detail that Eisav "got up and left" after eating, the Torah is telling us that his declaration "'Behold, I am going to die," is to be taken figuratively.
In light of this we may ask the following. Eisav's full statement is, 'Behold, I am going to die, and why is this birthright for me?' What does being tired and hungry from the field have to do with the value of the birthright? If Eisav was in no mortal danger, what could he have meant by this statement? Certainly the birthright has value whether or not he is hungry and tired right now.
Chizkuni explains what Eisav meant: "'Behold, I am going to die:' The inheritance of the land of Israel is dependent on the birthright. This inheritance is not coming for another four hundred years. (see Bereshit 15:13) Since I will not live until that time, - i.e. 'Behold, I am going to die,' - what value is there for me in the birthright.
What do I lose by selling it?"
According to Chizkuni's reading, Eisav's statement that he is going to die is not meant as a statement of his immediate condition at that moment. Rather, Eisav is saying that since he is a mortal with a finite life span, there is no value to him in a long term promise from G-d. Eisav cares only about the here and now. He has no regard for his children and grandchildren. If he himself cannot be a part of the blessing, then he wants no part of it. The promise of future redemption means nothing to him.
The Midrash makes a similar point: "'And Eisav scorned the birthright:' Rabbi Levi said, 'He scorned the resurrection of the dead with [the birthright].'" (Bereshit Rabbah 63:14)
The birthright of the People of Israel is to be found in the future. G- d's blessing to us is that in the future, redemption in the form of universal knowledge and acceptance of G-d will come through us. The centuries of Jews who lived in the most extreme darkness of the exile held fast to this birthright. Had they taken the Eisav attitude of living for themselves and caring little about the distant future, we would not be here today.
The hills and valleys of the Land of Israel are filling with Jews. The footsteps of the redemption have begun. Throughout our history we have had Eisavs among us who "ate, drank, got up, and left" never to be part of the Jewish People again. They and their children do not share in the unfolding blessings of redemption. It is the Yaacovs of Jewish history who brought us here. They share in the redemption because we are their children. This Yaacov view of the birthright of Israel is captured in the famous statement of Maimonides' twelfth principle of
faith:
"I believe with perfect faith in the coming of the Messiah, and even though he may delay, nevertheless I anticipate every day that he will come."
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