Family Parshah
Toldot Q & A

“Isaac loved Esau because he provided him with food.” (25:28)

Question: Isaac was a wealthy man. Why was he dependent on Esau for food?

Answer: The Talmud  (Shabbat 89b) states that in the future G-d will complain to the Patriarchs that their children (the Jewish people) have sinned. Abraham and Jacob will respond, “Let them be annihilated for the sake of your Holy name.”

Isaac will come to the defense of the Jewish people and plead on their behalf. His defense will be the following: “A‑mighty G‑d, though they have sinned, they deserve your love, because after all, you are their father and they are your children.”

Isaac will prove his case by stating the fact that he, too, had a son who was far from being a righteous man, and yet he loved him merely because he was his son. Thus, Isaac loved Esau because through him he had “food for argument” with which to defend the Jewish people and assure their survival.

“Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil soup.” (25:34)

Question: Esau only asked for the lentil soup. Why did Jacob give him bread, too?

Answer: When Esau came from the field he was terribly hungry. It would not have been right of Jacob to take advantage of the situation and tell Esau that if he did not sell him the firstborn birthright, he would let him die from hunger. Jacob knew that Esau would claim that he was under duress at the time of the sale, and thus, it was null and void.

Wanting to make sure that Esau would not have any regret about the sale, he first gave him enough bread to stave off his hunger. When Esau was no longer hungry, Jacob asked him if he still wanted the lentil soup in exchange for the birthright. Esau was then relaxed and with his free will sold his birthright for a pot of lentil soup.

“And stay with him a few days, until your brother’s fury turn away; until your brother’s anger turn away from you, and he forget that which you have done to him.” (27:44-45)

Question: Why did Rebecca repeat the words “until your brother’s anger turn away from you"?

Answer: Jacob hated Esau also. He was terribly upset with him for distressing his parents with his behavior.

Rebecca advised Jacob to flee to Laban and stay there until Esau’s fury would cease. Jacob asked his mother: “How will I know that Esau’s anger has abated?” His mother told him: “When the anger you carry will depart from you, then you can be sure that your brother Esau has forgotten what you did to him, and no longer has animosity against you.”

King Solomon, in his wisdom, says, “As water reflects the image of a face, so the heart of man corresponds to the heart of his fellow man” (Proverbs 27:19).