Parshas Toldos
1. On "And these are the generations of Yitzchak," the Midrash[1] says that "(and these) adds to the earlier ones — to what is written above it, the sons of Yishmael. And who was this? Esav and his sons, for he was the son of Yitzchak." That is, "And these are the generations of Yitzchak" refers to Esav, who was wicked like the sons of Yishmael (and for this reason "toldos of Yitzchak" is written defectively, to exclude Yaakov from the category of the wicked).
This must be understood. Since the Midrash interprets "And these are the generations…" as referring to Esav, we must say that the main emphasis of the verse (according to the Midrash's interpretation) is (not on Yaakov but) on Esav. This is astonishing:
a) Where do we find in this sedra more emphasis on Esav than on Yaakov?[2]
b) And most of all: how can it be said at all that "And these are the generations of Yitzchak" means "this is Esav" (and not Yaakov)?![3]
The general explanation of this:
The content of Parshas Toldos is the matters (and service) of Yitzchak:[4] his offspring, his going to Gerar, the digging of the wells, the blessings of Yitzchak. And since the innovation in the service of Yitzchak compared with the service of Avraham (in the earlier parshiyos) was expressed in this, that the (spiritual) relationship between him and Esav was different from the relationship of Avraham to Yishmael (as will be explained) — therefore the sedra begins with "And these are the generations of Yitzchak" (this is Esav). The (name and) content of the sedra, Toldos — which means (also) his "generations" in the sense of Yitzchak's service and deeds, and so on[5] — is discernible in that "And these are the generations" is "this is Esav."[6]
2. In the difference between Yishmael's connection to Avraham and Esav's connection to Yitzchak we find two opposites:
On the one hand, Yishmael was closer (spiritually) to Avraham than Esav was to Yitzchak. For Yishmael did teshuvah "in his father's lifetime"[7] (and it stands to reason that this came about through Avraham's influence upon him), whereas we do not find that Esav did teshuvah. On the contrary, according to the interpretation of our Sages[8] mentioned in Rashi on our parsha,[9] at the time of his death he was obstructing the burial of Yaakov in the Cave of Machpelah.
On the other hand, however, "Avraham[10] — from him came forth (and 'separated'[11]) Yishmael," and Yishmael did not have the status of a "Jew."[12] That is why he was not an heir of Avraham (even after his teshuvah), as the verse says,[13] "The son of this handmaid shall not inherit with… Yitzchak." But Esav, although he too "came forth" and "separated" from Yitzchak ("Yitzchak — from him came forth Esav"[10]), nevertheless did so in such a way that he remained an "(apostate) Jew,"[14] and he was an heir, as the verse says,[15] "To Esav I gave an inheritance."
Plainly one could offer this reason for it:[16]
Yishmael was not (a "Jew" and not) an heir because he was "the son of the handmaid," and consequently (as the verse emphasizes), "(for) the son of this handmaid shall not inherit with my son (from Sarah),"[17] whereas Esav was the son of Rivkah.
But since some of Yaakov's sons too were "sons of handmaids"[18] and nevertheless Yaakov's "bed was complete"[19] [unlike Avraham and Yitzchak, from whom came forth Yishmael and Esav], it is understood that before the Giving of the Torah, a "son of a handmaid" too could (have the status of a "Jew" and) be an heir.[20]
So the question returns to its place: what is the difference between Yishmael and Esav, that Esav had the status of a Jew and Yishmael did not (even though it was he, and not Esav, who did teshuvah)?
From this itself it is proven that Esav's connection to Yitzchak is deeper than Yishmael's connection to Avraham, one that does not depend on doing teshuvah.
3. The special connection of Esav with Yitzchak is also hinted in the saying of our Sages[21] that the burial of "the head of Esav" was "in the bosom of Yitzchak."
This seems most astonishing. The law[22] is that "we do not bury a wicked person next to a righteous person," to the point that (as related in the Prophets[23]) when the body of a false prophet[24] was thrown into Elisha's grave, in order to prevent him from lying beside Elisha, the Holy One, blessed be He, performed a miracle, the miracle of the revival of the dead,[25] and the false prophet stood up alive. How then could "the head of Esav" lie "in the bosom of Yitzchak" (especially since our Sages[26] themselves emphasize that this is "the head of Esav the wicked")?!
The explanation of this:[27] Esav's being wicked is from the standpoint of his body. But from the standpoint of "his head" — and as "his head" is "cut off" (separated[28] from lowliness) from his body — he is not wicked.[29] On the contrary, he has a connection with Yitzchak, and that is why "his head"[30] remained "in the bosom of Yitzchak."
[This is similar to what is explained[31] regarding the Satan: from the standpoint of his root Above, "the Satan and Peninah intended it for the sake of Heaven,"[32] and as he descends below he becomes complete evil, to the point that "he set his eyes on the First Temple… the Second, and destroyed it"[33] (the opposite of intent for the sake of Heaven). So too with Esav: as he is "born" of Yitzchak — that is, from the standpoint of his "head" and "root" in themselves — he is good; only when the "head" and "root" descend, and are bound up and enclothed in the body of Esav, which is complete evil, the spark of holiness cannot shine there, along the lines of the verse,[34] "The lamp of the wicked shall go out."]
4. And in this lies Esav's superiority over Yishmael:
Both Yishmael and Esav, being "offspring" of Avraham and Yitzchak, (although they came forth and separated from them, as above) retained in them "the power of the father"[35] [especially since tzaddikim "resemble their Creator,"[36] there is (eternal) holiness even in the work of their hands, and all the more so in their "offspring"].
That is, in them there is expressed the concept (and holiness) of Avraham and Yitzchak[37] — but as the holiness of Avraham and Yitzchak is drawn out and has effect outside the domain of holiness (in that "place" of "came forth from him").
The difference between them lies in the way in which the effect of the Patriarchs is expressed (in them):
In Yishmael it was in a way that brought him to do teshuvah; but on the other hand, even after his teshuvah he remained in his earlier status, in his lack of connection to Avraham.
Esav, however, although from the standpoint of his body he is lower than Yishmael — which is why he did not do teshuvah — nevertheless from the standpoint of his head (as it is separated from his body) he is "in the bosom of Yitzchak."
5. An example in halachah of this difference, between the connection of Yishmael to Avraham and of Esav to Yitzchak, may possibly be seen in the two views (modes) in the definition of agency:[38]
One view is that the agent is an independent entity, but it is a law of the Torah that the sender, by appointing him as agent, brings it about that his action belongs to and becomes the sender's.
A second view is that the very existence of the agent becomes literally like the sender (and automatically his action is the sender's action).
6. The above difference between the "offspring" of Avraham (Yishmael) and of Yitzchak (Esav) corresponds to the difference in their manner of service:
Among the differences between the service of Avraham and the service of Yitzchak:[39] Avraham's service is in the mode of "from Above to below" (drawing down and revealing G‑dliness below), and Yitzchak's service is "from below to Above" (to refine the world and "raise" it upward).
This is the plain difference between their services: Avraham our father occupied himself with bringing recognition and knowledge of G‑dliness even to the very lowest creatures, down to Arabs, "who bow to the dust of their feet,"[40] so that they too should recognize His greatness, may He be blessed. And Yitzchak occupied himself with digging wells, removing the dust and earth, stones and wood that cover the living waters found within the ground. In the inner dimension, this is the service of refining the person ("below") from his earthiness and coarseness, until the source and vitality of G‑dliness are felt within him.
In each of the two modes ("from Above to below" and "from below to Above") there is a quality not found in the other:
When drawing down from Above to below, the "below" is affected and illuminated by the "Above," but not through a change in the definition of the "below" itself. In our case, with Avraham: that the Arabs and others called out "G‑d of the world"[41] was not their own accomplishment, reached from the standpoint of their own nature. Rather, "and he called"[41] — Avraham made them "call out." It is his doing, in a way that is attributed to Avraham.
And therefore, although Avraham brought the Arabs to "recognize His greatness,"[42] they were not thereby "raised up" from their lowliness. In their own existence they remained "below," the same Arabs as before.
The service of Yitzchak, however, ascent from below to Above, brings it about that the connection of the "below" (the world) to G‑dliness ("Above") comes from the "below" itself: it itself is changed and raised up and acquires a connection with G‑dliness. It is like the digging of wells, where the work consists (not in bringing living water from another place and pouring it into a pit, but) in digging and uncovering the living waters hidden in the ground, in that very well itself.
7. On the other hand, however, because of this very point, drawing down from Above to below has a quality over ascent from below to Above:[43]
When drawing down from Above to below, the G‑dly light shines in the "below" as the below is in its place, as it is in its lowliness[44] — just as Avraham our father brought about recognition of His greatness among the Arabs as they stood in their own state.
In ascent from below to Above, however, the connection of the "below" to G‑dliness ("Above") comes about through its raising itself up from its lowliness; the place of the "below" itself is not illuminated.
This is also the reason for the difference between Avraham and Yitzchak in the order of their service and conduct:[45] Avraham left Eretz Yisrael and "descended" to Egypt, to (the straits and boundaries of) the lands outside Eretz Yisrael — he illuminated even the lands outside Eretz Yisrael. Yitzchak, on the other hand, was forbidden to leave it[46] (because he was "an unblemished burnt offering"[47]). He could occupy himself and be only in the part of the world (Eretz Yisrael) that stands on a "higher" plane and not in the lowliness of the lands outside it (from the standpoint of his service, the lands outside have no connection to the light of holiness).
8. This very difference between the service of Avraham and the service of Yitzchak is also the reason for the difference between (their offspring) Yishmael and Esav:
From the standpoint of Avraham's nature, drawing down from Above to below, it follows that even when his "offspring" are on the level of "below" — "the son of the handmaid," to the point that "he went out to evil ways"[48] — Avraham's influence comes and reaches even there, and brings him to do teshuvah.[49]
[For this reason, Avraham's taking "this handmaid" was no contradiction to his service. On the contrary, the accomplishment of his service consists in this, that there is a "below" and he draws light down there. So too regarding his "offspring": even as Avraham "sowed" Yishmael, he is on the level of "below,"[50] and his service is to affect even him, to the point that he prayed,[51] "If only Yishmael might live before You!"]
But since this is entirely the influence and action of Avraham (and "when Avraham died, he fell"[52]), he was not thereby raised up[53] to the level of Avraham:[54] in his own existence he "came forth" and "separated" from Avraham, and consequently he cannot be Avraham's heir, especially according to the explanation[55] that an heir is the very existence of the one he inherits.
But the nature of Yitzchak, that the "below" itself is raised up through him, applied likewise to his "offspring": as they are "born" of him, they belong (even in their own existence) to his level.
[For this reason, from the standpoint of his service, there was no place for taking a "handmaid," whose offspring do not (of themselves) belong to his level.[56]]
Thus Esav too is an (apostate) Jew and an heir.[57]
But this is only from the standpoint of "the head of Esav" — his upper part, and as the head is in itself, from the standpoint of its root, as above. But as the "head" is joined with the body, that is, in the place of the "below" itself, he "came forth" and "separated" from Yitzchak in such a way that he has no connection to the light of holiness — he does not do teshuvah (and that is why the kelipah of Esav is worse than the kelipah of Yishmael[58]).
[And the two modes of service of Avraham and Yitzchak are a preparation for (the service of) Yaakov, who "had both aspects"[59] — both of Avraham and of Yitzchak:
He was (and did his service) also outside Eretz Yisrael — he "descended" to the place of the "below." But in that very place he not only illuminated the "below" (as in the service of Avraham), but established there the tribes, in a manner of "his bed was complete."[60]
(For this reason he could take maidservants — since from the standpoint of Yaakov's service, even his offspring from the maidservants could be tribes, branches of the tree, and higher still, "the tribes of G‑d."[61])]
9. According to what has been said, it will also be understood why a large part of the sedra "Toldos" (which means Esav, as above according to the Midrash) speaks of the preparations for the blessings of Yitzchak and of the blessings themselves. For in this too the service of Yitzchak is expressed, (and) in connection with Esav:
The reason Yitzchak wanted to bless Esav, although he knew and recognized Esav's state and nature, is that "there was game in his mouth":[62] in "the head of Esav" (from the standpoint of his root and source) there are very lofty sparks (such as the soul of Onkelos the convert, Rabbi Meir and others).[63]
And since the service of Yitzchak is the digging of wells (as related earlier in the sedra) — to dig out and find the "living waters" hidden in the depths of the earth — Yitzchak wanted, through the blessings to Esav, to "dig up" in him and to reveal in him the "living waters" (sparks of holiness) present in "the head of Esav."
[As Yitzchak sees Esav, he is fit for it. But since "from him came forth Esav," he is not a vessel for the blessings, and therefore the blessings were given to Yaakov, for it is he specifically[64] who has the power to refine Esav.[65]]
10. The directive to us from all this is plain:
If Esav the wicked, who lived before the Giving of the Torah, bears the title "Jew" because he is Yitzchak's son (although he was an apostate), and if Yitzchak strove even in his case to dig down and reveal Esav's hidden inner core —
how much more so with Jews after the Giving of the Torah, for the power and vitality of every Jew, no matter what state and situation he may be in, is "I am the L‑rd."[66] Especially since even Jews who are not as they should be are, even in their external state and nature, beyond all comparison higher[67] than the level of Esav (in addition to which, in our times, the great majority of them are in the category of a "captive child") —
certainly, and most certainly, one must devote oneself to drawing close all Jews, even those who are very far from Yiddishkeit, to "dig," to dig down and reveal the "living waters" present in every Jew.
11. In this, one must take care that the manner of drawing close should follow the directive of the Mishnah: "Love the creatures and draw them close to Torah."[68] One must draw the creatures close and raise them up to Torah, and not, G‑d forbid, "draw" the Torah close to the creatures. One may make no compromises in Torah and mitzvos, even if one thinks that this will bring Jews closer to Torah and mitzvos. The Torah "stands forever and ever; it has no change, no subtraction and no addition,"[69] and consequently no compromises can be made in it.
[This is hinted in Rashi at the beginning of our parsha: "And these are the generations of Yitzchak — Yaakov and Esav mentioned in the parsha." Which "Esav" is "the generations of Yitzchak"? The "Esav" stated in the "parsha," in the Torah — the one whom Yaakov refines according to the ways and directives stated in the Torah.]
The way to do this is to look at the other person as he is from the standpoint of his "head." Then one does not see the lowliness of his external state, but rather the loftiness of his essential and inner state, in which he belongs to, and wants,[70] the fulfillment of the entire Torah.
Consequently one will do everything in his power to raise him up and draw him close to G‑d, to His Torah and to His mitzvos, to the complete Torah.
(From a talk of Shabbos Parshas Toldos, 5728)
Key Lesson
If even Esav remained "the generations of Yitzchak," and Yitzchak tried to dig out the hidden sparks in him, then certainly every Jew, however far, has living waters within him. Look at him from the standpoint of his "head," his essential self, and you will see someone who truly wants the whole Torah. And bring him close without compromise: we raise people up to the Torah; we do not lower the Torah to them.