Is the correct word “crazy” or “amazing” for how things are happening now? The ICC’s arrest warrants for the Prime Minister of Israel for war crimes against the Palestinians - is this for real? Will there be a ceasefire with Hezbollah, a terrorist organization, and safety for the residents of northern Israel? This long war, the hostages still hostage, attacks against Jews around the world, and everything’s okay? How can we remain calm with all the craziness around us?
There is only one explanation for how the entire world, with a small exception, can choose the side of Hamas, Hezbollah, and all the other enemies of Israel. This is what Chazal call the halachah - Eisav hates Yaakov. (Eisav married Yishmael’s daughter, Machlas, creating a bond between them and sharing the hate of Yaakov between the two.) In Pirkei d’Rebbi Eliezer, he says that when Sancheriv was conquering the world (the king who exiled the Ten Tribes), the nations around Eretz Yisrael got frightened and fled to the desert, where they joined up with Yishmael. Ten nations altogether, including Yishmael and Amalek. All those mentioned in Tehilim, perek 83. There are gedolim who have commented that the Palestinians are a collection of various peoples from around the region, just like this medrash describes, which includes elements from Eisav, Yishmael, and Amalek. Today, all the countries of the world, the 70 nations, are represented by the UN and the world courts of (in)justice. And they are almost entirely against Klal Yisrael.
The beginning of parshas Toldos has the story of Eisav selling the bechorah - the first-born rights to Yaakov Avinu. The medrash fills in what the Torah leaves out. Eisav came in from the field, exhausted, and finds Yaakov cooking a red lentil soup. Where was he coming from? He was returning from a battle with Nimrod, his grandfather’s archenemy! Eisav was a very talented hunter, and Nimrod came protesting that he had the monopoly in the world for hunting. Nimrod challenged him to a fight, and Eisav agreed. Before the battle, Eisav was understandably nervous, and Yaakov gave him advice how to trick Nimrod and kill him. Eisav listened to Yaakov’s advice and won! He returned, together with a group of admirers, victorious and exhausted. He found Yaakov cooking the red-lentil soup, a strange dish. Yaakov explained that Avraham Avinu had suddenly died, so he was cooking the symbolic round food for Yitzchak, who was now in mourning. Eisav heard that and went into shock! He said, “How could such a great tzadik like my grandfather just die suddenly?! That’s not normal! If midas hadin, the trait of strict exact justice, is able to touch Avraham Avinu, and his merits didn’t protect him, it must be that there is no true judge in the world! No hashgachah, involvement from Hashem in the world. Thing’s just happen! There is no Olam Haba!” Then he mocked the bechorah and sold it Yaakov for the lentils.
Chazal say that Eisav committed five major avairos on that day. He didn’t know that Hashem took Avraham Avinu back five years early. Why? In order for Avraham to not see any of his descendants stray from the proper path and head down a path of avairos! Eisav didn’t realize that he was the cause of Avraham’s early demise!
What happened to Eisav? He lost it, to put it mildly. What affected him so much?
A reason why Eisav had such a connection with Avraham was because Avraham’s midah of chesed sweetened Eisav’s midah, which was din. Avraham had worked his entire life on showing how everything was acts of good and kindness from Hashem. Yitzchak learned everything from his father, and his midah was din. Knowing that everything from Hashem is chesed, Yitzchak was able to understand that all yisurim, pains and sufferings that exist, are from Hashem, and for the recipients benefit. Therefore, he was able to be sovel - to bear and withstand all suffering.
An example of midas hadin is the following. A mother prepares a bottle for her baby. The right amount of milk or formula, the perfect temperature, and the hole in the nipple is just enough for the baby to suck and get a few drops at a time. Someone watches the crying baby working hard to suck and get so little in return. They demand of the mother, why are you torturing your baby? Make the hole bigger and give the baby more! Have mercy and do chesed to the baby! The mother responds, if the hole would be any bigger, it will be too much for the baby, and it will choke! It’s getting exactly what it needs, and anymore will be dangerous! That’s midas hadin.
Midas hachesed alone can be disastrous if not used properly. Midas hadin is actually the best thing; it’s just sometimes difficult to see.
Avraham Avinu perfected chesed. Yitzchak Avinu perfected din. Eisav was leaning more toward midas hadin, and Avraham showed him how din is also from Hashem and is good. Eisav didn’t want to join together with Yaakov, who was leaning towards midas hachesed. As twins, they could have joined forces and been well balanced. Instead, upon hearing the news about Avraham Avinu’s death, Eisav had an overload of din. He couldn’t see midas hachesed anywhere, and he went “crazy,” too the opposite extreme. (Yaakov Avinu combined the two midos, and that created his midah: avodah.)
Another example where we see Eisav losing out for not joining with Yaakov was when Yaakov came to get the berachos from Yitzchak, disguised as Eisav by wearing goat skin on his arms and neck. Yitzchak heard his manner of speech and suspected that the person before him wasn’t Eisav. He told Yaakov to come closer so he could feel him. When Yitzchak felt the hairy goat skin, he said hakol kol Yaakov v’hayadayim yedei Eisav - the voice is the voice of Yaakov and the hands are the hands of Eisav. Then he gave the berachos.
Why did Yitzchak give the berachos if he wasn’t sure who it was? Either make sure this is Eisav, or don’t give the berachos at all.
Reb Moshe Shapiro zts”l explained: Yitzchak Avinu had spiritual eyes, even though he was physically blind (either from the akaida or from the smoke of Eisav’s wives korbanos to avoda zara). He could see everything with a spiritual clarity. The kol and yadayim are two separate powers, and they could be active by separate people. However, when they are together, they complete a person. Ideally, the same person should have both powers. Yaakov and Eisav each had one of these strengths - Eisav the yadayim, the strength in action, and Yaakov the kol, strength of tefilah. It could have been two powers shared between two people, by joining forces and worked together. Had that happened, we would have been saying in our tefilos, “Elokei Yitzchak, Elokei Eisav, Elokei Yaakov.” Who’d be first, I’m not sure, but probably Eisav. Yadayim, action comes first. When a baby is born, it first grabs, gives, and does action before it learns the kol - to speak properly and articulate what it’s thinking.
Eisav had great potential, but he chose to rebel against Hashem. Yaakov took over Eisav’s power. So now, standing before Yitzchak, was one person with both strengths, which was the ideal situation. Great, that’s the best, and that person is deserving of the berachos, even if it wasn’t as Yitzchak originally thought.
Eisav lost out by not seeing Hashem’s hashgacha in running the world. He wasn’t able to handle the shocking situations, and became so distanced that he became Klal Yisrael’s eternal enemy. We need to strengthen our bitachon in Hashem to know that He is running the world in the best way possible, and to realize that all the amazing/crazy things happening are exactly what He wants to happen, and to remain calm. Trust in Hashem!
May we merit to see the geulah very soon!
Adapted from shiurim given by R’ Yisrael Altusky shlita, Yeshivas Torah Ore, Yerushalayim. Shiurim can be heard at the Kol Halashon website.
By R’ Dovi Chaitovsky
