Parshas Toldot: Pre-Born Twins Grow up to be Nations

This week’s Torah portion, Toldot: Bereishit (Genesis) 25:19 - 28:9, means generations. We see how generations of people start with a difficult pregnancy that is endured for the sake of Heaven and for nation building. We learn that blaming others for our misfortune, refusing to correct our character flaws, and harboring long term resentments, dishonors God and causes much turmoil.

Sibling Rivalry Begins at Conception

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

Both boys are much loved. Isaac favors Esau because Esau hunts and provides his father with savory meals. Rebecca favors Jacob because Jacob is peaceful and thoughtful and keeps his mother company. 

The sibling rivalry intensifies as the twins 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 unprincipled character. He convinces Esau to exchange his birthright for a hearty meal. 

Water Wars 2.0

Famine comes. Like Abraham before him, Isaac receives God's direction to travel to Gerar, the land of the Philistines. God repeats to Isaac the promise of a great nation originating from his family. Isaac 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. Abimelech, the king of the Philistines, sees a benefit in being friends instead of enemies, He makes peace with Isaac, whose wealth increases on this land.

Generation to Generation

Time passes. Esau's rebellious nature dishonors the family. Most notably, he marries two Hittite women when he is 40 and Isaac is 80. Isaac cannot control him, yet, he loves him and worries about him for years. He always hopes that Esau will straighten out.

Despite Esau's personality problems, Isaac intends to confer upon him the first born blessing. One day at age 180, a frail and nearly blind Isaac decides to give his blessing to Esau. 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 this 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 blessing for a prosperous future, international power and influence, dominance over his brother and his kin, and great respect from his own children. 

When Esau arrives home after the fact, he begs his father for a blessing. As Esau now has a subordinate role in the family, Isaac can only bless him with material prosperity.

Acknowledging his son’s martial nature, he bestows upon Esau a warrior's future engaging in armed conflict - but he must not attack Jacob. To soften the blow to Esau's pride, Isaac promises him liberation from service to the family of Jacob when Jacob or his descendants reject holiness.

וְעַל חַרְבָּךְ תֵּיחֵי וְיָת אָחוּךְ תִּפְלָח וִיהֵי כַּד יַעְבְּרוּן בְּנוֹהִי עַל פִּתְגָּמֵי אוֹרַיְתָאוְתַעְדֵּי נִירֵיהּ מֵעַל צַוְרָךְ: You shall live by your sword, and you shall serve your brother. When you have cause to be grieved [When his sons will transgress the words of the Torah], you will throw off his yoke from your neck. Targum Onkelos Chapter 27

Resentment overwhelms Esau after this second betrayal by Jacob. He blames Jacob for his loss of birthright and blessing. He cannot understand the role he plays in his troubles, the danger he poses to his family or the reason for his demotion. Jacob feels his brother's rage. Rebecca insists he flee to her brother Laban’s house for safety and to find a wife.

Isaac agrees. He passes Abraham’s blessings to Jacob, the next generation. He promises that Jacob will establish the Israelite nation, a great and holy nation that will bless the world with peace. Anticipating big trouble between the siblings, Isaac reassures Jacob that, "Those who curse you shall be cursed, and those who bless you shall be blessed."

Esau marries a third wife, this time, Mahalatha, a son of Ishmael. It is indicated that he chooses a Canaanite wife because Isaac disapproves of the idea of Jacob marrying one. Esau moves to Seir about 100 miles from home, where he establishes his family and becomes wealthy.

Esau never actually serves his brother. Although he and Jacob ultimately reconcile, Esau's descendants become the Edomites, who inherit his resentment of Jacob, often causing trouble for the Jewish nation.  

Rebuilding a Nation

Our Haftarah portion this week, Malachi 1:1-2:7, opens as the Lord recalls His great love for Jacob and His animus towards Esau and the Edomites for mistreating the Israelites. Malachi proclaims the greatness of God to expand and protect Israel's borders. He lives during the reign of King Nehemiah, who is tasked with rebuilding the city of Jerusalem after the Babylonians attack it.

Nehemiah arrives in Jerusalem to find chaos. Few people are interested in religion, temple rituals are corrupted, intermarriage is rampant. Malachi transmits God's displeasure with the state of affairs. Nehemiah makes much needed changes. He restores temple rituals and Mosaic law. He improves worship attendance and he abolishes interfaith marriage.

Children Start in the Womb

The Genesis 25:22-23 Torah text dignifies the entities in Rebecca's womb by calling them בָּנִים֙, children. 

וַיִּתְרֹֽצֲצ֤וּ הַבָּנִים֙ בְּקִרְבָּ֔הּ וַתֹּ֣אמֶר אִם־כֵּ֔ן לָ֥מָּה זֶּ֖ה אָנֹ֑כִי וַתֵּ֖לֶךְ לִדְר֥שׁ אֶת־יְהֹוָֽה:

And the children struggled within her, and she said, "If [it be] so, why am I [like] this?" And she went to inquire of the Lord.

They are called  גוֹיִם֙, nations. 

וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהֹוָ֜ה לָ֗הּ שְׁנֵ֤י גוֹיִם֙ בְּבִטְנֵ֔ךְ וּשְׁנֵ֣י לְאֻמִּ֔ים מִמֵּעַ֖יִךְ יִפָּרֵ֑דוּ וּלְאֹם֙ מִלְאֹ֣ם יֶֽאֱמָ֔ץ וְרַ֖ב יַֽעֲבֹ֥ד צָעִֽיר:

And the Lord said to her, "Two nations are in your womb, and two kingdoms will separate from your innards, and one kingdom will become mightier than the other kingdom, and the elder will serve the younger.

God knows that unborn babies are children. He knows that they are people. He intends for them to be born and have children, generation after generation.

Rebecca waits 20 years to conceive. She doesn't try to avoid her painful pregnancy. She doesn't consult a doctor who may tell her to abort the twins because her pain justifies an insurance reimbursed, double abortion for the 'health of the mother.' 

Instead, Rebecca consults God about her trouble. God tells her about the twins and about their futures as nation builders. She accepts her pregnancy as it is and embraces her role as the mother of her God gifted children.

Blessing the Nation of Israel

Isaac's undying love for his troubled son, Esau, reflects the Almighty's love for His troubled nation, Israel. And troubled we are, with our secular liberal state of Israel's Reverse Hyde Amendment, and our American Jewish abortion access majority.

In Leviticus 18:21 God warns us, Do not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molek, for you must not profane the name of your God. I am the Lord"

In Malachi 2:2, the prophet delivers this message from the Almighty. If you do not heed, and if you do not take it to heart to give honor to My Name, says the Lord of Hosts, I will send the curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings. Indeed I have [already] cursed it, for you do not take it to heart.

Blessing Israel by advancing holiness in the Jewish state is the best way to help Israel, as well as to merit personal blessings from the Almighty. Monetary support to a secular Jewish state ought to be contingent upon making policy changes that promote holiness in the Holy Land. Ignoring policies that dishonor God only worsens Israel's plight.

In Malachi 2:6-7, God reminds us that he loves Levi, Jacob's son, for his devotion to holiness and his efforts to bring back wayward Jews to a Holy Covenant. In our limited way, we, too, try to remind Jews that honoring God by honoring our unborn children brings blessings beyond our wildest imagination.

True teaching was in his mouth, and injustice was not found on his lips. In peace and equity he went with Me, and he brought back many from iniquity. In peace and equity he went with Me. For a priest's lips shall guard knowledge, and teaching should be sought from his mouth, for he is a messenger of the Lord of Hosts.

Please share this post on your social media to amplify our message in this troubled world. Thank you.

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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