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Parasha Toldot
by Rabbi Jack "Yaacov" Farber
The Torah and Brit Chadesha readings for the Shabbat of November 9/4 Kislev are: Bereshit/Gen 25:19-28:9; Mal'akhi/Malachi 1:1-2:7; Romim/Romans 9:6-13. Blood + Torah = Promises Our Parasha this week starts out with the birth of Esav (Esau) and Yaacov (Jacob). In the past I focused in on these, Yitzchak's (Isaac's) two children. However this year I would like to focus in on Yitzchak. Bereshit {26:12} Yitzchak sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year one hundred times what he planted. HaSHEM blessed him. {26:13} The ish (man) grew great, and grew more and more until he became very great. {26:14} He had possessions of flocks, possessions of herds, and a great household. The Philistines envied him. {26:15} Now all the wells which his 'ab-'s (father's) servants had dug in the days of Avraham his 'ab, the Philistines had stopped, and filled with earth. {26:16} Abimelech said to Yitzchak, "Go from us, for you are much mightier than we. {26:17} Yitzchak departed from there, encamped in the valley of Gerar, and lived there. {26:18} Yitzchak dug again the wells of water, which they had dug in the days of Avraham his 'ab. For the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Avraham. He called their names after the names by which his 'ab had called them. {26:19} Yitzchak's servants dug in the valley, and found there a well of springing water. {26:20} The herdsmen of Gerar argued with Yitzchak's herdsmen, saying, "The water is ours." He called the name of the well Esek, because they contended with him. {26:21} They dug another well, and they argued over that, also. He called the name of it Sitnah. {26:22} He left that place, and dug another well. They didn't argue over that one. He called it Rehoboth. He said, "For now HaSHEM has made room for us, and we will be fruitful in the land." It is interesting how this Parasha goes from the birth of Esava and Yaakov to the story about the wells then back again in verse 34 to again pick up the story about Yitzchak's two sons. Why was it necessary for us to know about the wells both Avraham and Yitzchak dug? Water is precious and essential in a desert environment. To stop-up someone's wells would be a serious act of aggression. More than one war has been fought over water. Even today, plentiful, clean, palatable water has become a commodity that is traded and marketed as such. Both Avraham and Yitzchak as we have learned from Scripture were rich and powerful. Yitzchak could have easily retaliated against this type of aggression, as could have Avraham, but he didn't. Time after time, in a land promised to him by G-d, the inhabitants of the land committed acts of aggression against him, acts of war. Yet instead of fighting Yitzchak simply moved on. It is evident from Scripture that both Avraham and Yitzchak showed tremendous restraint. Why? I think the answer lies in the fact that is wasn't time. Yes, G-d had promised Avraham and Yitzchak the land as an inheritance, for all their generations, but it was not time for them to receive it yet. G-d was in the process of creating a nation out of Avraham, but that nation was not yet established and there were certain perimeters that had not yet been established. You see in life there are gives and takes; the gives (the promise) could not precede redemption (the takes), that is on a national scale. Individually Avraham and Yitzchak were saved by faith but the process had to be lived out nationally. G-d has an order, one that He adheres to until this very day. Redemption (the blood) + sanctification (the Torah) = promises (the land). In future Parashot we will see this as Egypt, Mount Sinai, Canaan. This process, this G-d given order has remained true to this very day. Mattityahu (Matthew) {4:8} Again, the devil took him up into an exceeding high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; {4:9} And said unto him, All these things will I give you, if you will fall down and worship me. Satan attempted to have Yeshua bypass the cross (the blood) and go directly to the promise (the land). All the kingdoms of the world will belong to the Messiah but it is not time yet for Him to receive them, it was not G-d's order, so Yeshua answered him? Mattiyahu {4:10} Then said Yeshua unto him, Get away, Satan: for it is written, You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve. There is no promise without redemption. Israel had to spend in excess of 200 years in Mitzryim (Egypt) so as to learn this lesson they needed the redemption experience. The old axiom "you can't put the cart before the horse" applies as much to our spiritual lives as it does to our physical lives. How long is it going to take you to learn this lesson? The blood + Torah = promises.Rabbi Jack "Yaacov" Farber is the spiritual leader of Congregation Melech Yisrael in Toronto, Canada. Copyright 2002
- Romans 1:16, NIV |