Toldot: Esav's Deceptive in His Perennial Struggle with Israel

by Rabbi Dov Lior, former Rabbi of Kiryat Arba, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

This week's Torah portion of Toldot (B'reshit 25,19-28,9), recounts the birth of twin boys, Yaakov and Esav, to Yitzchak and Rikvah. Even inside their mother's womb, these twins went their separate ways – one to holiness, one to the opposite. 

The root of the conflict between them lies in the fundamental contrast that divides them. On the one hand, within our Patriarch Yaakov were embedded spiritual powers as early as when he was in the womb, and from there they continually grew and expanded. On the other hand, Esav's impurity simply could not tolerate the revelation of holiness. 

The struggle between them began before they were born, as G-d told Rivkah: "Two nations are in your womb… and one kingdom shall be stronger than the other" (25,23). And it continues up to this very day, as the Sages taught in the Midrash: "It is a clear Halacha [Jewish law] that Esav loathes Yaakov."

The source for this hatred is imbedded so deeply within Yaakov's nemesis that it cannot be repressed in This World. Only when Yaakov and his descendants – the Jewish People – attain a sufficiently sublime level of spirituality will the wickedness in the world recognize the power of this spirituality and yield to it. 

This long-lasting struggle is waged on various fronts, and we see in this week's Torah portion that it involves deception and trickery as well. At one point, Rivka warns Yaakov to watch out for his brother: "Esav your brother is mit'nachem to you to kill you" (27.42). The renowned 19th-century commentator Netziv (R. Naftali Tzvi Berlin, in his Harchev Davar) explains the word mit'nachem to mean that Esav is playing a tricky game here. For he knows that Yaakov knows that he wants to kill him, and he sees Yaakov taking extra precautions against him. Esav thereupon acts, on the outside, as if he does not want to harm Yaakov. Rikva, however, sees right through him, and warns Yaakov that his brother is aiming "to kill you - his declaration that he wants peace are just a trick so that he will be able to harm you, and you must therefore escape."  

Over the past years [this was written in late 2007 - HF], we have been witness to a phenomenon by which our enemies claim to want peace – when really their intentions are to soothe us to careless sleep. The true desire of the Europeans and their Arab supporters is to destroy Yaakov, its land, and its state. There is absolutely no truth to their peace declarations. 

Our nation must know that our peace and security will not come from the other nations, but rather from within our own spiritual strengths. We must strengthen our Torah observance, and then "the voice is the voice of Yaakov" (27,22) – at which time Esav and supporters will have no ability to harm us.

We pray to merit that our nation and all its members awaken from their slumber, recognize their mission in the world, and act in accordance with the Divine charge. Would that we be a light unto the nations, and merit to see G-d's salvation upon His nation and inheritance – very soon!