Summary Toledot 5762
The sedra of Toledot may be neatly divided into three parts: the sale of the birthright, the saga with Avimelech and the rivalry over the blessings.

Section 1: Chapter 25, verses 19-34
The sedra opens with the information that Isaac and Rebecca were childless, that they prayed to G-d for children and Rebecca became pregnant. This was no simple matter, as they had been married for 20 years. The pregnancy was a difficult one; she was carrying twins and it seems that they fought inside the womb, a precursor to future events. G-d let Rebecca know that she was carrying two very different nations who would struggle with each other.

From their birth, Esau and Jacob were very different from each other. Esau was a ruddy, hairy baby who grew up to be a hunter, while Jacob was a 'home bird', who spent his time 'in tents'. Our Rabbis explained the phrase 'Esau hunted with his mouth', meant that he used to trap people with deceit, as well as being a violent man. Jacob's time spent 'in tents' referred to the tents of his forebears, Shem (Noah's son, who was still alive), and Ever, Shem's great-grandson. According to tradition, they were both righteous people.

The Torah relates that one day, when the twins were grown up, Esau returned from his hunting to find Jacob cooking some lentils. In a rather coarse way, he asked Jacob to pour him 'some of this red stuff'. Jacob's surprising response was to ask Esau to sell him his birthright. Esau's response was even more surprising: "Behold I am going to die, so what use do I have for a birthright?" So the deal was done, and the Torah testifies that Esau despised his birthright. (Chapter 25 verse 34) This is important for us to know, because of what happened later.

Section 2: Chapter 26, verses 1-33
This section deals with a major famine, causing Isaac to move to the land of the Philistines. G-d appeared to Isaac in a dream, instructing him not to go down to Egypt, and promising him that he and his offspring would receive the blessing granted to Abraham. These blessings, of the Land of Israel and of numerous offspring, were due to the merits of Isaac's father, Abraham.

Like his father under similar circumstances, Isaac claimed that Rebecca was his sister, rather than his wife. Avimelech, King of the Philistines discovered that they were husband and wife and was angry with Isaac for his deception, claiming that 'someone had nearly lain with his wife!' The King then issues a stern sentence of death on anyone who would touch Isaac and Rebecca.

However, a lesson that people are fickle is learned here, one that we Jews have witnessed many times in our history. Isaac sowed in the land and reaped a huge crop - in that year of drought. He quickly became very wealthy, and the Philistines grew jealous, to the point of stopping up the wells that Abraham had dug. Notwithstanding his earlier gesture of protection, Avimelech now asked Isaac to leave. Isaac relocated to Nachal-Gerar, but continued to have disputes with the Philistines until he left for Beersheva. Avimelech followed him there and asked for a peace treaty, 'that he should not harm them, just as they had not harmed him'. Sounds familiar?

Section 3: Chapter 26 verse 34 - Chapter 28 verse 9
This is one of the most controversial parts of the book of Bereshit. Briefly, Isaac had grown old and blind and summoned Esau for a blessing prior to his death. Esau was to prepare some food for his father, bring it along and thus merit the blessing. Rebecca overheard the command and was horrified that the blessing should go to Esau and not Jacob. She quickly prepared some food, put goatskins on Jacob's arms, and commanded him to go to his blind father and receive the blessings. This ruse worked, Jacob received the blessing and Esau was enraged and threatened to kill Jacob. Isaac and Rebecca sent Jacob away to his Uncle Laban for safekeeping, and to find a wife. Before his departure, Isaac blessed Jacob with the blessing of Abraham, to inherit the Land and continue the traditions.

Points to Ponder
Questions:

1. This section begins with Esau marrying two Hittite ladies, which caused 'much bitterness to Isaac and Rebecca'. (26:35). Why then did Isaac propose to bless Esau and not Jacob? Couldn't Isaac see that Esau was undeserving of his blessing?
   
2. How can we justify the deception on the part of Rebecca and Jacob? What is the Torah's view?
   
3. Esau claimed in his anger that Jacob had twice cheated him, first over the birthright; now over the blessing. (27:36) Was he correct?
   
4. Having been cheated by Jacob, why did Isaac confirm the blessing on him (27:33), and why did he subsequently bless him with the blessing of Abraham when he sent him away? (28:4) One would have thought that Isaac would have been so angry with Jacob, that he would not have given him any further blessings!
   
5. Why was the blessing of Abraham not included in the blessings given to Jacob, but intended for Esau? And why, when Esau asked his father three times (!) to bless him (verses 34,36,38) - did Isaac not respond with the blessing of Abraham!
   

These questions are very complex, and they serve to indicate that the story is far from straightforward. We cannot simply say, for example, that Isaac decided to bless his favoured son Esau, to the exclusion of Jacob. We also know that Esau displayed no regret at having sold his birthright at the time, and even showed contempt for it. Much has been written on Jacob's behaviour, for and against, because that too is not straightforward. I will now present brief answers to the above questions, but they are not the final word.

Answers:

1. I would like to suggest that, though physically blind, Isaac knew full well what he was doing. He was very unhappy with Esau's choice of Hittite wives, and sent Jacob away so that he should not also marry a Hittite lady. It was thus clear to Isaac that Esau would not be the one to carry on the Abrahamic legacy. This is why he left out any reference to Abraham and the land of Israel in the blessing intended for Esau. It also explains his silence when Esau asked if he only had one blessing to give. He did have another, but it was not for Esau.
   
2. Was Esau justified in his complaint that this was the second time he had been cheated? In fact, the Torah makes it clear that Esau had despised the birthright and sold it quite happily, so he had no reason to complain that Jacob had tricked him into selling it.
   
3. We asked why Isaac confirmed the blessing he had erroneously given to Jacob. It seems that he had a prophetic inspiration that it was right for Jacob to receive that blessing, as well as the blessing of Abraham.
   
4. Does all this justify the behaviour of Rebecca and Jacob? We may point to the following:
   
   • As a result of this incident, Jacob never saw his mother again. He was sent away to Uncle Laban, and by the time he returned some 20 years later, Rebecca had died.
     
   • Jacob had tricked his father with goatskins. Years later, when his son Joseph was sold into slavery, his other sons dipped Joseph's coat into the blood of a goat, making Jacob believe that Joseph was dead. In general, Jacob suffered a lot in his life and there are many hints in the text of a deep connection between his suffering and the deception over the blessings.
     
5. All this would seem to indicate that although the blessings were confirmed on Jacob, and he deserved them, this did not mean that the ends justified the means.
   
   Shabbat Shalom