Gen. 25:19-28:9
PrĂ©cis: 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 the narrative. We learn that Jacob is a quiet man while Esau is a cunning hunter, that their mother Rebecca prefers Jacob, and that Isaac prefers Esau. Esau sells his birthright 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 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, and he sets off at the conclusion of the parasha.
Gen. 27:1 “And it came to pass when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, and he could not see, he called Esau, his older son, and said to him ‘My son’ and he said to him ‘Here I am.’”
As is noted by Rabbi Michael Dolgin (10 Minutes of Torah, 11/16/22), we can easily construe the text to indicate that Isaac knew who was getting the blessing, asking Jacob on more than one occasion who he really was. Dolgin suggests that his physical blindness led to another “blindness” of his surroundings and of truth. He was accepting of deceit.
This demonstrates, once again, the timelessness of Torah, and the fact that its ancient stories are still relevant to our own societies. When we turn a “blind eye” towards injustice, our society falters. When we dismiss anti-Semites as unthreatening to us, we endanger ourselves as a Jewish community (the FBI this week reported a 14% increase in religious-based hate crimes, almost all of which were directed at Jews). When we ignore hatred, we contribute to its success.
As Rabbi Dolgin concludes, "Willful blindness is not a curiosity. It presents a profound danger to all we hold dear."
