Toldot
Genesis 25:19-28:9
Précis: The introductory phrase to this parasha is “These are the generations (“toldot”) of Isaac.” What follows is the birth of the twins, Esau and Jacob. Their childhood is omitted from narrative. We learn that Jacob was a quiet man while Esau was a cunning hunter; that their mother Rebecca preferred Jacob, and that Isaac preferred Esau. We then have the story of the sale of the birthright by Esau to Jacob for a bowl of porridge (or lentils). A famine takes place, and Isaac visits the Philistines where he claims that his wife Rebecca is actually his sister (as Abraham did with Sarah in Lech Lecha) and again, the woman escapes unharmed. The story then turns to the “great deception” where Jacob pretends to be Esau in order to obtain the primary blessing from his father Isaac. Esau hates Jacob and threatens him; Rebecca urges Jacob to escape to her family in Haran, to where he sets off at the conclusion of the parasha.
Gen. 25:19-20 “And this is the lineage of Isaac, son of Abraham. Abraham begat Isaac. And Isaac was forty years old when he took as wife Rebecca, daughter of Bethuel the Aramean, sister of Laban.”
We begin this week’s reading with this verse, telling us that this is the lineage of Isaac. The Hebrew word, “toldot” comes from the Hebrew root, yud-lamed-dalet, which is a root connected to childbirth, and is the same root for the word we usually translate as “begot.”
It is interesting to note that the same word “toldot” is used in the creation story, where we read in Genesis 2:4 “This is the chronicle (toldot) of heaven and earth . . .” Obviously, the heavens and the earth cannot be “giving birth” so our English uses a different translation. But something is lost in that translation. To the listeners (not necessarily readers) of the text, the Hebrew word “toldot” is a marker meant to tell us that we are about to hear a story: this is the story of Isaac, this is the story of the creation, etc.
With this understanding, we might understand a link between humanity and the physical world. Our own stories are inexorably tied to the world in which we live. This implies that there is the need to recognize a connection between the spiritual and the material world, and to emphasize that it is our responsibility to make sure we see to the earth’s survival.
On another level, “begetting” in our text involves a personal, intimate human relationship; it is the basis for the “story” which ensues. It’s only when we have an intimate, personal relationship with other human beings that our own personal “stories” happen best.
Genesis 25:19-28:9
Précis: The introductory phrase to this parasha is “These are the generations (“toldot”) of Isaac.” What follows is the birth of the twins, Esau and Jacob. Their childhood is omitted from narrative. We learn that Jacob was a quiet man while Esau was a cunning hunter; that their mother Rebecca preferred Jacob, and that Isaac preferred Esau. We then have the story of the sale of the birthright by Esau to Jacob for a bowl of porridge (or lentils). A famine takes place, and Isaac visits the Philistines where he claims that his wife Rebecca is actually his sister (as Abraham did with Sarah in Lech Lecha) and again, the woman escapes unharmed. The story then turns to the “great deception” where Jacob pretends to be Esau in order to obtain the primary blessing from his father Isaac. Esau hates Jacob and threatens him; Rebecca urges Jacob to escape to her family in Haran, to where he sets off at the conclusion of the parasha.
Gen. 25:19-20 “And this is the lineage of Isaac, son of Abraham. Abraham begat Isaac. And Isaac was forty years old when he took as wife Rebecca, daughter of Bethuel the Aramean, sister of Laban.”
We begin this week’s reading with this verse, telling us that this is the lineage of Isaac. The Hebrew word, “toldot” comes from the Hebrew root, yud-lamed-dalet, which is a root connected to childbirth, and is the same root for the word we usually translate as “begot.”
It is interesting to note that the same word “toldot” is used in the creation story, where we read in Genesis 2:4 “This is the chronicle (toldot) of heaven and earth . . .” Obviously, the heavens and the earth cannot be “giving birth” so our English uses a different translation. But something is lost in that translation. To the listeners (not necessarily readers) of the text, the Hebrew word “toldot” is a marker meant to tell us that we are about to hear a story: this is the story of Isaac, this is the story of the creation, etc.
With this understanding, we might understand a link between humanity and the physical world. Our own stories are inexorably tied to the world in which we live. This implies that there is the need to recognize a connection between the spiritual and the material world, and to emphasize that it is our responsibility to make sure we see to the earth’s survival.
On another level, “begetting” in our text involves a personal, intimate human relationship; it is the basis for the “story” which ensues. It’s only when we have an intimate, personal relationship with other human beings that our own personal “stories” happen best.
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