BS”D
MANIFEST MOCKERY: PARSHAT TOLDOS
Shira Smiles shiur
2016/5777
Summary by Channie
Koplowitz Stein
Parshat Toldos begins with what appears to be a superfluous phrase. The
unusually wordy verse says, “These are the offspring of Isaac son of Avraham
- Avraham begot Isaac.” Certainly, if Isaac is the son of Avraham,
Avraham begot Isaac. Why does the Torah take the unusual step of repeating that
detail? Rashi’s explanation, although appearing quite logical on the surface,
raises even more questions than it resolves. Rashi says that Hashem created a
miracle that Yitzchak resembled Avraham so closely that the scoffers would not
be able to claim that Sarah, who conceived Yitzchak after Avimelech had
detained her, got pregnant from Avimelech rather than from Avraham.
Rabbi Yaakov Goldberg in Dvir Kodsho poses several questions based on
this Rashi. First, since Avraham already had a son, why would the scoffers
question his ability to father children? The miracle seems clearly to be with
Sarah who had no children after all these years of marriage rather than with
Avraham. Further, since when does the Torah concern itself with what cynics
think? After all, the Torah does not care that cynics will say Man was created
by committee rather than by the One God when it writes, “Let us create
Man,” in the plural. Rabbi Eisenberg adds yet another question in Mesilot
Bilvovom. Why are the scoffers asking the question now, when Yitzchak
himself is a father, rather than at his birth?
This last question seems to have the simplest answer. When Sarah gave birth,
there was no question that Yitzchak’s birth was miraculous. Sarah even nursed
other babies and proved that she had indeed given birth. But now that Yitzchak
himself was a father to boys who were so different from each other, the people
questioned the genealogy of the boys. They knew that the righteous Avraham had
an evil son Ishmael, but that son’s mother was the Egyptian Hagar. Now that
Yitzchak had an evil son Esau alongside a righteous son, the cynics opined that
Avimelech’s genes must be part of Yitzchak. They conveniently forgot that Rivka
herself was the daughter and sister of evildoers.
Dvir Kodsho, citing Rabbi Yitzchak Zev Soloveitchik, the Griz,
offers an interesting perspective that further illuminates Rashi’s words. The
scoffers were not denying that Sarah gave birth to Yitzchak at such an advanced
age, rather were questioning that Avraham was the father. What they wished to
deny was that this birth was a fulfillment of Hashem’s earlier promise to
Avraham. To admit that Hashem had promised and had now fulfilled that promise
with the birth of Yitzchak would have forced them to accept monotheism. That
they were unprepared to do. The scoffers’ goal was to avoid becoming believers.
This is the very purpose of cynicism. Rabbi Frand, basing his words on the
ideas of Rabbi Hutner, tells us that cynicism is the very characteristic of
Amalek. Cynicism forms the basis of destruction, of tearing down everything
holy. It is chillul. But its counterpoint is hillul, of finding
sanctity in everything. And there is a bit of cynicism in every one of us that
the yetzer horoy uses very effectively. If we can inject a bit of
cynicism into everything, if nothing has any real, pure value, then we absolve
ourselves of any responsibility. We need not be inspired to grow and perfect ourselves.
This trait of Amalek is the antithesis of everything Jewish.
Yet it is so easy to fall into the trap of leitzonut, of mockery and
cynicism, warns Rabbi Young in Apples from the Tree. And by doing so, we
rob ourselves and others of the will to be inspired and carry ourselves and our
children forward. If we denigrate a rabbi’s words, or mockingly call tzedakah
collectors schnorers, or speak disparagingly of a teacher, how can we
inspire respect for Torah or for tzedakah in our children?
To counteract this tendency, Rabbi Frand suggests we develop the habit of being
positive. Be aware of what we are saying and squelch the desire to make offhand
cynical remarks.
Rabbi Kofman in Mishchat Hashemen takes us back to the scoffers of
Abraham’s generation. When Sara gave birth at the age of ninety, there must
have been a tremendous awakening to Hashem’s presence in the world. But all it
takes is one derogatory or cynical word to dispel inspiration. We today have
constant experiences or hear many stories that should inspire us. Do we use
them, or do we dismiss them with the wave of the hand or a cynical comment? We
have to be prepared to be an open vessel willing to fill ourselves with
inspiration, to see God’s hand in everything around us, and recognize that
Hashem gives us the exact challenges that we can handle, no more and no less,
so that we can grow. If you have a moment of inspiration and you do not utilize
it, that moment may become the catalyst for rebellion.
The first perek of Tehillim (which praises those who do not dwell
among the scoffers) praises the man whose desire is in the Torah and who is
involved beTorahto day and night. While beTorahto is usually
translated as being involved in His Torah, in Hashem’s Torah, Rabbi Kofman
asserts that we should be involved in our Torah. In other words, praised is the
man who makes the Torah his own, his way of life, and doesn’t leave it when he
leaves the study hall. Rabbi Kofman bolsters his interpretation with the verse
from chapter 34 of Tehillim. There the poet says, “Go, O sons … I
will teach you fear of Hashem.” Rabbi Kofman points out that this verse too is
telling us to make Torah and the fear of God part of our lives as we go out of
the teacher’s presence or out of shul and into our lives. Remember all the
lessons, verbally and experientially, and be inspired. Be not like the scoffers
of Avraham’s generation who saw but still refused to learn and grow.
The Torah is telling us this detail, writes Rabbi Schrage Grossbard, because
Hashem knows that mockery can leave an impression. That’s why the Torah tries
to be as truthful as possible, to prevent scoffing. So, asks Rabbi Mordechai
Ezrachi in Birkas Mordechai, why are we not concerned with exactitude
when Hashem says, “Let us make Man?” There can definitely be the implication
that Hashem is not the sole Creator but is one God in concert with other gods.
But Hashem is more concerned with the feelings of mankind than of His own honor.
Hashem wished to remove any possible suffering that Avraham would have and
therefore arranged the further miracle that Yitzchak would look like a clone of
his father Avraham. If Hashem was so careful of the feelings of Avraham, how
careful should we be of the feelings of our fellow man?
Our truly great Talmidei Chachamim understand this implicitly. Rabbi
Friefeld relates how Rav Chaim Soloveitchik spent two hours listening to a
simple shoemaker pouring out his heart about his troubles. To this great Rav,
alleviating a fellow Jew’s suffering was as important as learning
Torah.
But Avraham’s suffering may not have been about his own honor, writes Rabbi
Ezrachi. Avraham Avinu was concerned about the scoffers themselves, how they
could stoop so low as to be unwilling to acknowledge Hashem’s hand in this
birth. Avraham would want to rehabilitate them and probably be unsuccessful.
Hashem wanted to spare Avraham the pain of watching others fall so low.
Both Rabbi Gedaliah Schorr and Rabbi Eisenberg approach the scoffers from a
perspective completely different from the physical appearance of Yitzchak.
Rabbi Schorr notes that the main attribute of Avraham Avinu was chesed,
kindness, while Yitzchak is identified with gevurah, awe or fear.
According to Ohr Gedaliah, the scoffers could not understand how
Yitzchak’s attribute of awe and fear could be inherited from Avraham. It seemed
to them to be more closely related to character of the despot Avimelech who
understood fear and who relinquished Sarah after Hashem threatened him with
punishment. After all, Avimelech was interested only in himself. But what the
scoffers failed to realize was that although fear of punishment can be truly
motivating to do what the other wants, love can be equally motivating. In that
case, the fear is not for self, but for the other, for one does not want to
disappoint or hurt the one he loves. This was the quality of the awe and fear
associated with Yitzchak. This fear is truly the result of the same ahavah,
love, that generates chesed, kindness. In this sense, Yitzchak was a
true son of Avraham.
The Torah goes on to record how, after Avraham’s death, the Plishtim had
stopped up the wells that Avraham had dug. Yitzchak now dug those same wells
again, giving them the names Avraham had originally given them. Mesillot
Belvavam explains that Yitzchak was teaching them that the love Avraham
displayed was not gone with Avraham’s death, but was manifest in the very fear
and awe of Yitzchak. Yitzchak’s son Yaakov will then be the perfect synthesis
of these two characteristics in the characteristic of truth.