Rabbi David Etengoff
 
ה' יעזור וירחם על אחינו כל בני ישראל בארץ ישראל ובכל חלקי הארץ

The beginning of our parasha mentions Leah and Rachel, and Ya’akov’s strategy to protect them from Eisav and his 400 soldiers:

Ya’akov lifted his eyes and saw, and behold, Eisav was coming, and with him were four hundred men; so, he divided the children with Leah and with Rachel and with the two maidservants. And he placed the maidservants and their children first and Leah and her children after, and Rachel and her Yoseph last.” (Sefer Bereishit 33:1-2, this and all Tanach translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)
 
This is one of the last pasukim in Chamishah Chumshei Torah where the names “Leah” and “Rachel” are mentioned in the same verse. As such, it is the proper time to ask: “In the context of the masorah (spiritual tradition) of the Jewish people, who were Leah and Rachel?” My rebbe and mentor, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik zatzal (1903-1993), known as “the Rav” by his students and followers, examines this question at length in his posthumous work, Vision and Leadership: Reflections on Joseph and Moses. His response is based on his position regarding how the “Judaic masorah community” conceptualizes and experiences time, a topic he addresses in his celebrated essay, The Lonely Man of Faith:

[The Judaic masorah community] represents not only a formal succession within the framework of calendric time but the union of the three grammatical tenses in an all-embracing time experience. The masorah community cuts across the centuries, indeed millennia, of calendric time and unites those who already played their part, delivered their message, acquired fame, and withdrew from the covenantal stage quietly and humbly with those who have not yet been given the opportunity to appear on the covenantal stage and who wait for their turn in the anonymity of the “about to be.” Thus, the individual member of the covenantal faith community feels rooted in the past and related to the future. The “before” and the “after” are interwoven in his time experience. (Pages 69-70, underlining and brackets my own)
 
Given this interpretation of the covenantal faith community’s experience of time as being rooted in the past and related to the future, we can readily understand why we feel the Avot and Emahot are “with us daily,” and are far more than mere historical figures from an all-but forgotten time. Accordingly, what did Leah and Rachel add to the covenantal faith community? To truly appreciate their contributions, we must first understand the nature of power and sacrificial action:
​
The covenantal community that God established with Abraham displayed two characteristic moral streaks, two tendencies which prima facie are contradictory and mutually exclusive. First, the covenantal community does not shrink from power…Without power one cannot be majestic and dignified. Majesty and dignity are not sinful, they are moral virtues…the covenantal community displays another trait as well: sacrificial action, the ability to give away and to renounce basic inalienable rights for the sake of a great vision, an ideal, or for the benefit of another human being or community…Covenantal man knows when to act like a warrior—majestic, dignified and proud —and when to part with everything he has. (This and the following quotations, Vision and Leadership: Reflections on Joseph and Moses, pages 41-44)
 
In the Rav’s estimation, these essential qualities of the covenantal community were embodied by Leah and Rachel:

Leah and Rachel were not merely people. Leah was the personification of middat ha-gevurah, of dignity and majesty…She symbolized the strength of Jewish character and the unshakable will of the Jew throughout the ages and millennia. It is because of that persistence, that stubbornness and tenacity, that we still remain a living people after thirty-five hundred years of persecution and massacres.
 
While Leah was the exemplification of dignity and majesty, Rachel’s persona epitomized great sacrificial action:

Rachel is the opposite of Leah. She is the tragic heroine who lives for others and not for herself. She gave up her most precious possessions and her elementary rights in order to make it possible for others to find the happiness denied them…She helped her sister take Jacob away from herself. She brushed aside all her own hopes and cherished wishes because her sister was also entitled to the same happiness which Providence had showered upon her, but denied to her sister.
 
As is his wont, the Rav deploys archetypes in his analysis of Leah and Rachel. Within these conceptual constructs, Leah is gevurah, and Rachel is tzimtzum (contraction) and sacrificial action. Which of these middot (behavioral qualities) is to be preferred? According to the Rav, both are necessary, for, as we have seen, “Covenantal man knows when to act like a warrior—majestic, dignified, and proud—and when to part with everything he has.” Therefore, Leah’s gevurah and Rachel’s tzimtzum are two constitutive elements of the Jewish persona and are at the core of our existence until this historical moment.
 
May the Master of the Universe grant us the wisdom to know when to act with Leah’s gevurah and when to channel Rachel’s tzimtzum so we may serve Him for evermore. V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
They may also be found on http://www.yutorah.org using the search criteria Etengoff and the parasha’s name.

The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always happy to add more members to the list. If you have family or friends you would like to have added, please do not hesitate to contact me via email mailto:[email protected].
 
*** My audio shiurim on the topics of Tefilah and Tanach may be found at: https://www.box.com/s/7bf01f9abcabf02e25c3
 
*** I have posted 164+ of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s English language audio shiurim (MP3 format) spanning the years 1958-1984. Please click on the highlighted link.

Rabbi David Etengoff
 
ה' יעזור וירחם על אחינו כל בני ישראל בארץ ישראל ובכל חלקי הארץ
 
Ya’akov Avinu’s reaction to his vision of the ladder connecting Heaven and earth is one of the most celebrated passages in Sefer Bereishit:

And Ya’akov awakened from his sleep, and he said, “Indeed, Hashem is in this place, and I did not know [it].” And he was frightened, and he said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.” (Sefer Bereishit 28:16-17, Parashat Vayetze, this and all Bible translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)
 
The meaning of the expression, “Indeed, Hashem is in this place, and I did not know [it],” is difficult to comprehend. At first glance, it seems that Ya’akov’s failure to recognize Hashem’s presence was based on his inability to do so. If this was the case, however, the translation of the phrase, “and I did not know [it],” should be followed by an exclamation point, and not a period, as we find in some English translations. Nonetheless, many translations of our phrase do not follow this approach. This leads to the following question: “Is the expression, ‘Indeed, Hashem is in this place, and I did not know [it],’ an exclamatory or declarative statement?” That is, did Ya’akov berate himself for failing to perceive Hashem’s presence, or did he simply acknowledge his inability to sense the nearness of the Shechinah? This is a fundamental query as the answer leads us to a deeper understanding of Ya’akov’s spiritual persona.
 
The Spanish exegete, Rabbi Avraham Saba zatzal (1440-1510), in his classic work of Torah analysis “Tzror Hamor,” maintains that our phrase is a declarative statement, since Ya’akov “was not a famous prophet on the level of Eliyahu and Elisha who said, ‘Let her be, for her soul is bitter to her, and Hashem hid it from me and did not tell me.’” (Sefer Melachim II: 4:27, this and the following Tzror Hamor translations and brackets my own) This pasuk suggests that based on his extraordinary prophetic powers, Eliyahu should have been able to perceive the bitterness of soul of the woman standing before him yet was prevented by Hashem from so doing. In stark contrast, Ya’akov lacked Eliyahu’s ability to perceive Hashem’s presence, the recognition of which caused him to declare, “Indeed, Hashem is in this place, and I did not know [it].”
 
At this point Rav Saba analyzes the nature of knowing, and the recognition of that which is known, to foster our understanding of Ya’akov’s behavior in the context of this prophetic experience:

It is well-known that an individual who comprehends a certain matter does so based upon two possibilities, either because he has prepared himself to do so or because of the preparation fostered by the environment. This is the case, since, on occasion, a person who is unprepared will be helped by the preparation afforded by the environment. A case in point is when our Sages, may their memory be a blessing stated, “The air of the Land of Israel makes one wise.” So, too, did Kohelet declare, “I am Kohelet, I was King over Israel in Jerusalem.” (Sefer Kohelet 1:12) This suggests that Kohelet gathered [mastered] all the various branches of knowledge. As it states, “And he was wiser than all men…” (Sefer Melachim I:5:11) The reason for this is because he was the King of the Jewish people, a wise and discerning nation. So, too, was he in Yerushalayim, the very place where knowledge and wisdom stood at the center of the world.
 
Armed with this analysis, Rav Saba examines Ya’akov’s failure to recognize Hashem’s presence:

Ya’akov really was saying that I could see on my own that I was unprepared because of the trials and tribulations of traveling, and the anguish, anxiety and fears generated by my brother, Eisav. It is very well known that the Schechinah will only dwell with an individual who is experiencing joy Nonetheless, I saw visions of Hashem! Given this was the case, what enabled me to experience these visions? I analyzed this and determined that it happened because this holy place prepared me to do so.
 
We can now understand our initial pasukim. In Rav Saba’s view, “indeed, Hashem is in this place,” connotes the idea that “based on the nature of this place [I have now been able to perceive Hashem’s presence,] since, on my own it is obvious that I was not prepared to do so.” Moreover, “this, then, is the correct way to interpret, ‘and I did not know [it].’ It means that on my own I have been unable to find sufficient preparation to merit this vision.” Little wonder, then, that given Ya’akov’s awareness of his lack of preparation to perceive the Schechinah, he proclaimed, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.” Clearly, he participated in a miraculous and awe-filled experience, recognizing it as a life-transforming event when he declared the land upon which he stood to be “none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”
 
Unlike Ya’akov Avinu we continue to live in a seemingly never-ending period of hester panim. Nevertheless, we must ever recognize that we, too, experience wonders and miracles. As Chazal teach us in Birkat Hoda’ah in the Shemoneh Esrai, “We gratefully thank You … for Your miracles that are with us every day, and for Your wonders and favors in every season—evening, morning and afternoon.” (Translation, The Complete Artscroll Siddur)
 
May the Holy One blessed be He bring Mashiach soon and in our days and rebuild the Beit HaMikdash; for then we will stand shoulder to shoulder as one united and holy nation and declare, “How awesome is this place!” V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
They may also be found on http://www.yutorah.org using the search criteria Etengoff and the parasha’s name.
​
The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always happy to add more members to the list. If you have family or friends you would like to have added, please do not hesitate to contact me via email mailto:[email protected].
 
*** My audio shiurim on the topics of Tefilah and Tanach may be found at: https://www.box.com/s/7bf01f9abcabf02e25c3
 
*** I have posted 164+ of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s English language audio shiurim (MP3 format) spanning the years 1958-1984. Please click on the highlighted link.

​

Rabbi David Etengoff
 
ה' יעזור וירחם על אחינו כל בני ישראל בארץ ישראל ובכל חלקי הארץ
 
In many ways, Parashat Toldot can be thought of as “the parasha of brachot,” since both Ya’akov and Eisav received blessings from their father Yitzchak. Whereas Ya’akov’s first blessing was initially designated for Eisav, the second one he received was specifically formulated for him. In contrast, Eisav received only one bracha. Yet, on a certain level we can readily ask, “Why was Eisav given a bracha at all?” After all, in close textual proximity to Yitzchak’s announcement that he was prepared to give Eisav his blessing, the Torah informs us that Eisav married two Hittite women, Yehudit bat B’ari and Bashmat bat Alon. These women were a total “vexation of the spirit to Yitzchak and to Rivka” since, as Rashi (1040-1105) explains, “they worshipped idols.” (Sefer Bereishit 26:35, Bible and Rashi translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)
 
A number of meforshim wrestled with our question and, as in most instances of Torah exegesis, gave many different answers. In my estimation, Rabbi Chayim ben Moshe ibn Attar (1696-1743) offers one of the most cogent interpretations:

The reason why Yitzchak desired to bestow a bracha upon the evil Eisav was because he thought that based on the many blessings contained therein, he would alter his behavior and acquire positive ethical characteristics and thereby improve his actions. This is the case, since the tzaddikim suffer greatly when their children act in an evil manner; as such, he [Yitzchak] tried to bring him [Eisav] to improve his ways. In addition, it is entirely possible that this could have succeeded, for as our sages teach us, Ya’akov was punished for withholding Dinah from Eisav, since she would have had the ability to bring him back to all that is good… (Sefer Ohr HaChayim, Parashat Bereishit 27:1, translation my own)
 
In sum, according to Rav Attar, Yitzchak sought to bless Eisav for two reasons: To alleviate his own pain and suffering, and to help his eldest son do teshuvah and return to the path of proper behavior. Unfortunately, neither of these potentialities were achieved, and Eisav’s anti-Semitic descendants ceaselessly plague us today. As Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai so poignantly taught us: “It is a well-known fact that Eisav hates Jacob…” (Sifrei Bamidbar 69)
 
In 1732, the British poet, Alexander Pope, coined the now proverbial phrase, “Hope springs eternal...” (An Essay on Man) While this is true for humankind in general, it is particularly true for the Jewish people. We ever hope for a nobler and gentler tomorrow wherein all people will recognize the truth of Hashem’s existence, accept His kingship, turn toward Him, reject false idols and stand shoulder to shoulder to create an equitable world for one and all. These messianic hopes and visions are given prominent place in the second paragraph of the Aleinu:

And so, we hope in You, Hashem our God, to soon see Your splendor when You will sweep idolatry away so that false gods will be utterly destroyed and You will perfect the world through Your kingship. Then, all humanity will invoke Your name, and all the evil ones of the earth will turn unto You. Then all who live will know that unto You every knee must bend, every tongue pledge loyalty. May all bow in worship to You, Hashem. May they give honor to Your glory; may everyone accept Your dominion. Reign over all, soon and for all time. Kingship is Yours in glory, now and forever. As it is written in Your Torah: “Hashem reigns for ever and ever.” And so, too, does it state: “And Hashem will become King over all the earth; on that day Hashem will be one, and His name one.” (Translation, Sefaria.org with my extensive emendations)
 
With Hashem’s help, may we witness the realization of Zechariah’s stirring words soon and in our time: “And Hashem will become King over all the earth; on that day Hashem will be one, and His name one.” (14:9) V’chane yihi ratzon.
Shabbat Shalom
 
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
​
They may also be found on http://www.yutorah.org using the search criteria Etengoff and the parasha’s name.

The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always happy to add more members to the list. If you have family or friends you would like to have added, please do not hesitate to contact me via email mailto:[email protected].
 
*** My audio shiurim on the topics of Tefilah and Tanach may be found at: https://www.box.com/s/7bf01f9abcabf02e25c3
 
*** I have posted 164+ of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s English language audio shiurim (MP3 format) spanning the years 1958-1984. Please click on the highlighted link.

Rabbi David Etengoff
 
ה' יעזור וירחם על אחינו כל בני ישראל בארץ ישראל ובכל חלקי הארץ
 
The concluding section of our parasha presents the first narrative of the Yitzchak and Rivka story. These pasukim contain a verse that conceals far more than it reveals: “Yitzchak went out lasuach ba’sadeh lifnot erev—to meditate in the field toward evening. He raised his eyes and saw camels approaching.” (Sefer Bereishit 24:63, translation, The Living Torah, Rav Aryeh Kaplan zatzal) The phrase, “lasuach ba’sadeh lifnot erev” is quite obscure, fortunately, Talmud Bavli, Berachot 26b helps us understand its meaning: “It has been taught in accordance with R. Jose b. Hanina, ...Isaac instituted the afternoon prayer, as it says, ‘Isaac went out to meditate in the field toward evening,’ and “meditation”—lasuach—means only prayer...’” (Translation with my emendations, The Soncino Talmud)
 
Rashi (1040-1105) embraces the Talmud’s analysis of lasuach, and interprets the beginning of our pasuk as, “And Yitzchak went forth to pray in the field towards evening.” (Translation, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach) The Chasidic master, Rabbi Ya’akov Yosef of Polonne zatzal (1710-184), follows Rashi’s lead regarding lasuach and connects it to the words, “lifnot erev.” Moreover, he looks beyond the straightforward meaning of lifnot erev (toward evening), and suggests a kabbalistically-infused interpretation of this phrase:

Prior to praying, Yitzchak was punctilious in his efforts to remove and distance himself from all manner of “erev.” Erev refers to negative and extraneous thoughts [that can prevent a person from being able to pray effectively and meaningfully]. Yitzchak achieved this to the point that his prayer was as pure as Heaven itself and reached the highest level of utmost purity. (Toldot Ya’akov Yosef, Sefer Bereishit, Parashat Vayishlach, s.v. v'nireh li b’biur, translation my own)
 
Rabbi Ya’akov Yosef’s statement regarding the purity Yitzchak achieved in his tefilah is reminiscent of a well-known formulation in the Iggeret HaRamban, wherein the Ramban (1194-1270) emphasizes the importance of removing “negative and extraneous thoughts” to achieve a meaningful prayer experience: “Remove all worldly concerns from your mind during prayer. Prepare your mind before the Omnipresent One, may He be blessed, purify your thoughts and deeply focus upon about the words [of prayer] before you utter them.” (Translation, my own)
 
The message from these sources is clear: Taharut b’tefilah, purity in prayer, requires hachanah l’tefilah, preparation for prayer. In particular, the Ramban teaches us three steps of hachanah l’tefilah that will enable us to approach the level of taharut b’tefilah:
​

• Prepare your mind before the Omnipresent One, may He be blessed
• Purify your thoughts
• Deeply focus upon the words [of prayer] before you utter them

 
The first step in preparing our minds to stand before the Almighty prior to embarking upon the prayer experience is given voice in a phrase found above many an Aron Kodesh, “Da lifnei Mi atah omeid—Know before Whom you stand.” This means that we must try to achieve a palpable feeling that we are in the presence of Hashem when we attempt to encounter Him in tefilah. Next, we must do everything in our power to “remove all worldly concerns from our minds during prayer,” to purify our thoughts and prepare ourselves to engage with Him. While this is a difficult task, the reward is surely equal to the effort. Finally, we need to understand the content of what we are about to say to Hashem so that we may focus upon each word and pray with kavanah, intention; for only then will we be able to convey our innermost thoughts to Him.
 
With Hashem’s help, may our tefilot ever ascend to the Kisa Hakavode, Throne of Glory, and may they be answered b’chane v’chesed v’rachamim—with favor, kindness and mercy. V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
They may also be found on http://www.yutorah.org using the search criteria Etengoff and the parasha’s name.
 
The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always happy to add more members to the list. If you have family or friends you would like to have added, please do not hesitate to contact me via email mailto:[email protected].
 
*** My audio shiurim on the topics of Tefilah and Tanach may be found at: https://www.box.com/s/7bf01f9abcabf02e25c3
 
*** I have posted 164+ of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s English language audio shiurim (MP3 format) spanning the years 1958-1984. Please click on the highlighted link.
 

Rabbi David Etengoff
 
ה' יעזור וירחם על אחינו כל בני ישראל בארץ ישראל ובכל חלקי הארץ
 
Yishmael’s behavior at the moment he is about to die of thirst presents us with a number of interpretative challenges: “And Elokim heard kol ha’na’ar (the lad’s voice), and an angel of Elokim called to Hagar from heaven, and said to her, ‘What is troubling you, Hagar? Fear not, for Elokim has heard kol ha’na’ar ba’asher hu sham (in the place where he is).’” (Sefer Bereishit 21:17, this and all Tanach and Rashi translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach) The terms, “kol ha’na’ar” and “ba’asher hu sham” are very difficult to understand. Does kol ha’na’ar refer to Yishmael’s voice, his cry, or something else entirely? Then, too, ba’asher hu sham seems unnecessary on every level, for after all, where else would Hashem have heard Yishmael other than the “place where he is?”

Midrash Pirkei d’ Rabi Eliezer, contextualizes and explains the phrase, “kol ha’na’ar” in this manner:

Yishmael’s very being was exhausted from thirst, and that point, he went and he threw himself under one of the desert bushes. [He then] said: “Master of all worlds! If You have the desire to give me water to drink, give me water to drink and do not allow my soul to depart from me as a result of the extreme thirst I am suffering; for death from thirst is different from and more difficult than all other forms of death!” And the Holy One blessed be He heard his tefilah, as the texts states: “And Elokim heard kol ha’na’ar.” (Chapter 30, translation my own)
 
According to the midrash, “kol ha’na’ar” refers to the heartfelt tefilah Yishmael uttered at his moment of mortal danger. As such, it teaches us something of universal value: Yishmael’s personal prayer experience, and its positive outcome, is available to everyone. David HaMelech gave voice to this idea when he famously declared, “Hashem is near to all who call Him, to all who call upon Him with truth.” (Sefer Tehillim 145:18)
 
At first glance, ba’asher hu sham does not seem connected to kol ha’na’ar and appears completely unnecessary. If so, why is it found in our pasuk? Perhaps this question is one of the reasons Rashi (1040-1105) suggests this interpretation:

Where he is: According to the deeds that he does now he is judged and not according to what he is destined to do (Talmud Bavli, Rosh Hashanah 16b). For the ministering angels acted as accusers and said: “O’ Lord of the Universe, for one [that is, Yishmael’s descendants] who is destined to kill Your children with thirst, You are bringing up a well?!” And He answered them, “What is he now, righteous or wicked?” They replied, “righteous.” He said to them, “According to his present deeds I judge him” (Midrash Bereishit Rabbah 53:14). And that is the meaning of “where he is.”
 
In one deft stroke, Rashi’s midrashically-infused analysis teaches us that ba’asher hu sham does not refer to a physical location; rather, it is a description of Yishmael’s existential state at the moment of uttering his tefilah to the Almighty. Consequently, kol ha’na’ar and ba’asher hu sham are closely interwoven, as each advances the understanding of the other. Knowing that Hashem judges us according to our present deeds, instead of any future missteps we may take, infuses us with a sense of security and the ongoing opportunity to draw near to Him through heartfelt mitzvot observance and tefilah. As Shlomo HaMelech taught us some 3,000 years ago: “The end of the matter, everything having been heard, treat Hashem with awe and keep His commandments, for this is the ultimate purpose of man.” (Sefer Kohelet 12:13) 
​
May we ever know that Hashem hears and answers, our tefilot. This thought is given powerful voice in one of the brachot of the daily Shemoneh Esrei: “Hear our voice, Hashem our God, pity and be compassionate to us, and accept—with compassion and favor—our prayer, for God Who hears prayers and supplications are You…” (Translation, The Artscroll Siddur) V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
They may also be found on http://www.yutorah.org using the search criteria Etengoff and the parasha’s name.
 
The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always happy to add more members to the list. If you have family or friends you would like to have added, please do not hesitate to contact me via email mailto:[email protected].
 
*** My audio shiurim on the topics of Tefilah and Tanach may be found at: https://www.box.com/s/7bf01f9abcabf02e25c3
 
*** I have posted 164+ of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s English language audio shiurim (MP3 format) spanning the years 1958-1984. Please click on the highlighted link.