Parshas Toldot: Israel's Survival Depends on a Return to Holiness

This week’s Torah portion, Toldot: Bereishit (Genesis) 25:19 - 28:9. challenges us to look beneath the surface of dramatic events to fully understand how God’s will prevails in human affairs.

Sibling Rivalry Begins at Conception

Toldot means generations. The portion opens as Isaac and Rebecca pray to God to give them children. She conceives twins. Rebecca suffers great discomfort while her pre-born sons, Esau and Jacob, begin a lifetime struggle for dominance over each other. Esau arrives first, followed by Jacob.

Their sibling rivalry intensifies as they mature. One fateful day, Esau discards the moral rectitude necessary to assume his first born rights and responsibilities. Jacob realizes the danger to the family posed by his elder brother’s depraved personality. He convinces Esau to exchange his birthright for a hearty meal. 

Famine comes. Isaac heeds the word of God. Instead of riding out the famine in Egypt he moves his family to Gerar in the land of the Philistines. He reopens his father’s water wells and digs his own to accommodate his growing herds of livestock. The natives claim the wells as their own and demand Isaac relocate. After a series of moves to avoid rising tensions with his neighbors, Isaac settles in Beersheba and thrives. Avimelech, the king of the Philistines, seeing a benefit in being friends instead of enemies, makes peace with Isaac.

Generational Integrity Preserved

Time passes. Before he dies, an elderly, sightless Isaac intends to confer Esau with blessings. Just as Jacob earlier understood the serious need to obtain his brother’s birthright to avoid family disaster, now Rebecca perceives the importance of Jacob receiving these blessings to avoid generational disaster. She convinces Jacob to impersonate Esau. Because he acquired Esau’s birthright years ago, Jacob goes along with the deception. He receives Isaac’s blessings for a prosperous future, power, influence, and the reverence and honor of his brothers.

When Esau arrives after the fact, he begs his father for blessings. As Esau now has a subordinate role in the family, Isaac blesses him with material prosperity, too, but stops short of blessing him any further. Acknowledging his son’s martial nature, he promises Esau a lifetime of armed conflict while serving Jacob and his descendants. To soften the blow, Isaac gives Esau permission to temporarily cast off his service if and when Jacob or his descendants reject holiness.

Jacob feels his brother's resentment. Rebecca insists he flee to her brother Laban’s house for safety. Isaac agrees. Before he sends Jacob off to escape Esau’s wrath and find a wife among Rebecca’s family, Isaac passes Abraham’s blessings to Jacob, the next generation. He promises that his family line will establish a great and holy nation that will bless the world with peace.

In our Haftarah portion, 1 Schmuel (Samuel I) 20:18-42, we encounter another essential figure in Jewish history fleeing for his life. David’s reputation as a warrior threatens Saul’s authority. Saul orders his soldiers to find David and murder him. Saul’s son, Jonathan, helps David escape to live another day. David eventually becomes a great political and spiritual leader of Israel. 

Isaac, Rebecca, Jacob and David are gifted with deep faith in Almighty God. They operate through a personal relationship with their Creator upon whom they rely absolutely for guidance. They intuitively discern holiness from evil, and this accounts for their use of righteous deception. They see the correct path forward and they act decisively, getting mixed results in the short run and positive outcomes in the long run.  Esau, on the other hand, succumbs to earthly temptations. He has a difficult road ahead as he hides his hedonistic lifestyle from his family and tries to please his father at the same time.

Trending Demographic Threats to Jewish Survival

Looking through the prism of biblical prophecy and promise, it’s uncanny how current events in the Middle East reflect events in our Torah portion. Perhaps our Arab brothers are now fulfilling their role as they contend with us, reminding us that our birthright is contingent upon maintaining holiness. Only a return to holiness by ending abortion homicide guarantees the modern state of Israel's continued existence as a safe haven for Jews, including those in the womb.

Abortion access and advocacy among Jews in large Jewish population centers outside of Israel also puts Jewish generational integrity at high risk. We see this in the precipitous drop in Jewish numbers in NYC. In 1950,  2 million Jews lived in NYC making up 25,3% of the city's demographic. In 2023, just 960,000 Jews lived in NYC, making up just 12% of the city's demographic. No doubt, Jewish abortion has taken its toll, while the new Muslim mayor enjoys increasing support from an abortion averse, rapidly growing and youthful NYC Muslim population of approximately 724,000.

Mamdani and the Muslim Invasion of New York

https://www.theunitedwest.org/2025/09/05/mamdani-and-the-muslim-invasion-of-new-york/

As Islamist influences grow everyday in American Jewish population centers and continue to deny Israel's right to exist, we must continue our efforts to educate and inspire Jews to preserve and safeguard the life of every Jewish pre-born baby. This simple, common sense action will improve our demographic situation and merit enhanced protection from Heaven. Our faithful biblical leaders will be grateful that their efforts were not in vain.

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Cecily Routman

May there be abundant peace from Heaven, and good life upon us and upon all Israel. Amen.

Cecily Routman is the founder and president of the Jewish Pro-Life Foundation. She opposes abortion homicide in general and among Jews in particular and laments secular policy making in Israel that results in loss of Jewish life and delays the messianic redemption. Cecily envisions a Torah based holy Land of Israel and a world that respects the life of every human being from conception.

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