Friday, November 01, 2013
Elder of ZiyonSeven years ago, I posted an original d'var Torah on this week's Torah portion. Here it is, slightly updated:
One major question that I never thought had an adequate answer is - why did Yitzchak (Isaac) favor Eisav (Esau)? From the text is seems clear that Eisav was not a very good person, and this was very obvious to Rivka (Rebecca) as well. How could Yitzchak have had such a blind spot?
Even though Yitzchak is spoken about the least of all the forefathers, we do know enough about him to glean parts of his personality.
Clearly the defining event of his life was the Akeidah, a profoundly spiritual experience. We also know that he spent time meditating outdoors, as when he first saw Rivka he was praying outside. He also was a very accomplished farmer, with G-d granting him unimaginable yields on his crops. Similarly, the other major episodes mentioned in the Torah about him was how he dug wells - both re-opening those of his father and his digging new ones.
Looking at these examples, it appears that Yitzchak associated spirituality with the outdoors. Specifically, Yitzchak spent his most spiritual moments in the fields.
A Sadeh is the specific word that described Yitzchak's place of prayer, as well as the place that his father went to considerable trouble to purchase a burial ground for Sarah (the "s'dei Ephron." )
Now, look at the initial description of Eisav - Eisav is described as being "a man of the fields," an Ish Sadeh.
In other words, when given a choice of a son who spends his time outdoors and one who is seemingly a "bookworm" staying in tents, Yitzchak would tend to assume that the "man of the field" is a more likely spiritual heir than Yaakov -especially since Eisav is the first born.
In other words, Yitzchak could not even imagine a person who could spend time outside and not be a spiritual person. To him, the field was where G-d primarily manifested Himself and it was obvious that anyone who spent time with nature would see things the same way!
When Yitzchak asks Eisav to get food for him so he could bless him, he specifically asks him to go into the field. Far more striking, however, is when Yitzchak is speaking to Yaakov (Jacob) who is pretending to be Eisav:
וַיֹּאמֶר, רְאֵה רֵיחַ בְּנִי, כְּרֵיחַ שָׂדֶה, אֲשֶׁר בֵּרְכוֹ השם
"See, the smell of my son is like the smell of the field that G-d has blessed."
To Yitzchak, the concept of "field" and "G-d" were intertwined. And to a man like this, a man who spent his life outdoors and who associated the field with spirituality, it seemed clear that Eisav, the man of the field, was the chosen heir.
Perhaps only when he was faced with the juxtaposition of experiencing Yaakov speaking of G-d while smelling of the fields, immediately followed by Eisav's entrance without the reference to G-d, did he realize that his assumption that men of the field had to be spiritual was incorrect. Spirituality can be found everywhere. With this realization he reiterated the blessing for Yaakov, later on to add to Yaakov another blessing of "bechira", of being the chosen son to carry on in the ways of Avraham.
Now for the milestone:
This week, EoZ posted its 18,000th post. A thousand times "chai!"
Shabbat shalom!
