Future Love

Toldot

One of the most perplexing questions in Sefer Bereishit is Yitzchak's inexplicable love for Eisav. We know that Yitzchak was physically blind. Some postulate that the reason Yitzchak did not know his son Eisav was evil was because he was blind.

At which point did Yitzchak lose his sight?

One Midrash (Bereishit Rabbah 65, 10) states two possible reasons why Yitzchak went blind. The first is that after Avraham Avinu died, Eisav (aged 13) strayed from the path. R' Elazar ben Azaria says in this Midrash (ibid.), that to save Yitzchak the embarrassment of going out in public and hearing from everyone how evil his son Eisav was, HaKadosh Baruch Hu made Yitzchak blind and he became housebound. Whether Yitzchak (75) went blind exactly when Eisav (13) became evil, or … later, is not clear from this Midrash.

The second reason, according to this Midrash, is that Yitzchak became blind as a result of the Akeidah – Yitzchak (37) either gazed directly at the Shechina, or the angels' tears fell in his eyes. Either way, this should have caused Yitzchak to die on the spot, but HaKadosh Baruch Hu had mercy on Avraham and He delayed Yitzchak's blindness until he was "old" (an unspecified age). This first Midrash does not give exact dates or ages when Yitzchak went blind.

A second Midrash (Bereishit Rabbah 65, 4) says that Yitzchak went blind from the incense that Eisav's Hittite wives were burning for idol worship. Eisav married Yehudit and Bosmat when he was aged 40. At that point Yitzchak was 100-years old. Did Yitzchak become blind immediately when Eisav married these wives, or a number of years later? This second Midrash also does not specify an exact age.

The only definitive indication we have is from a third Midrash (Tanchuma Toldot 8) which says that in order for Yaakov to get Yitzchak's blessing instead of Eisav, Yitzchak had to lose his sight. How old was Yitzchak when he gave the blessing of Eisav to Yaakov? 123-years-old. According to this opinion, for the last 57 years of his life Yitzchak was certainly blind.

From all this, it is very clear that by the time Yitzchak lost his sight, Eisav was already over 60-years-old. In all this time, it is impossible to attribute Yitzchak's "love" for Eisav to his physical blindness.

According to other commentators, Eisav "deceived" Yitzchak. Eisav would pretend to be a big Torah scholar and a tzaddik in front of his father, but otherwise he behaved like a total rasha.

Was Yitzchak (who could still see) deceived by Eisav's playacting? Eisav and his Hittite wives were living in Yitzchak's house and Yitzchak could smell the incense they were offering to idol worship – it was inescapable.

By the time Yitzchak gave Yaakov Eisav's bracha (when Yitzchak was 123 years old) it is clear that he knew that Eisav was not a tzaddik. Otherwise, why would he give Eisav explicit instructions how to hunt and prepare the meat for him (Bereishit 27:3). The Baal HaTurim (ibid.) says that Yitzchak was saying to Eisav "Make sure to do the Shechita properly and don't bring me treif meat!" If Yitzchak thought that Eisav was such a "big tzaddik," who was "strict" in taking tithes from "salt and hay," then there would have been no need for spelling out to him the rules of Shechita.

When Yaakov entered the tent and uttered HaKadosh Baruch Hu’s name, Yitzchak was confused (Bereishit 27:22). Yitzchak was stunned to hear from who he thought was Eisav – the name of HaKadosh Baruch Hu … because Eisav never uttered HaKadosh Baruch Hu’s name!

It is clear that Yitzchak knew exactly who Eisav was and despite this … Yitzchak loved Eisav. What does it mean he "loved" Eisav, how can it be that Yitzchak would love someone he knew was evil?

The pasuk (Bereishit 25:28) uses a very strange word for Yitzchak's love of Eisav – "Va'ye'ehav Yitzchak et Eisav," as opposed to Rivka's love for Yaakov, stated as "Ve'Rivka Ohevet et Yaakov." A simpler way of saying Yitzchak loved Eisav would be to say "Ve'Yitzchak Ohev et Eisav," the same grammatical structure, in the masculine, as Rivka's love for Yaakov.

The word "va'ye'ehav" is a very strange word. It is a kind of a "schizophrenic" word. The addition of the letter "yud" seems to indicate future tense, but the patach (vowel) under the "vav" seems to indicate past tense. It is almost as if the word is struggling within itself. It is a mixture of love in the past and love in the future, but it is not totally clear which. The only thing that is clear from it is that it is not love in the present.

Let us re-read the pasuk using the above. "Yitzchak loved (will-love?) Eisav … and Rivka loves Yaakov." When you read it in that way you get a profound insight into the entire parsha and begin to comprehend the greatness of Yitzchak.

Yitzchak did not love Eisav (in the present tense). In fact, Yitzchak had zero "nachas" from Eisav from age 13 onwards. Until age bar mitzvah, the twin brothers Eisav and Yaakov were practically indistinguishable in character. They were both learning Torah in yeshiva, they both had long payot, they both wore tzitzit, they both sang zemirot at the Shabbat table (in harmony). Aside from the outward physical appearance (hair disproportionality), they both seemed like good "Yiddishe ingelach!"

At age 13, however, their distinct personalities began to emerge (Rashi). Then we have our pasuk above. From this point on, Yitzchak did not love Eisav in the present tense. He loved him in the past tense (how Eisav was before bar mitzvah) and also, he will love him in the future tense. What does that mean – in the future tense?

The Gemara (Avodah Zara 11a) says that the pasuk "There are two nations in your womb" (Bereishit 25:23) is referring to Rebi (Yehuda HaNasi), the author of the Mishna, a descendant of Yaakov, and Antoninus the Roman Emperor, a descendant of Eisav. Throughout their lives Rebi and Antoninus were like brothers, and eventually Antoninus converted to Judaism (Yerushalmi, Megillah 1, 11).

In addition to Antoninus, numerous other descendants from Eisav the Edomite, such as Shmaya and Avtalyon, such as … Rebi Akiva! would become pillars of Torah in Am Yisrael. Yitzchak prophetically saw these future descendants of Eisav, and Yitzchak therefore also love Eisav – in the future sense.

Parshat HaShavua Trivia Question: How many wells of Avraham did Yitzchak re-dig and what were their names?

Answer to Last Shiur’s Trivia Question: What was Avraham's eulogy for Sarah? The immortal words later recorded by Shlomo HaMelech – "Eishet Chayil" (Mishlei 31:10).