Something To Grab Onto – Parshas Toldos 5771
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Loading ...This weeks parsha talks about the birth of Yaakov and Esau. In its description of Yaakov, the Torah tells us (Beraishis 25:26) that he emerged holding on to the heel of his brother.
The Kli Yakar explains that this alludes to the future of the two siblings. Esau will eventually degrade the right to the firstborn, just like a person tramples things with his heel, causing it to be degraded. It is this “heel” that Yaakov will grab, meaning that the thing that Esau trampled on will be grabbed by Yaakov. So too, all the mitzvos that are taken lightly by others, will be grabbed by Yaakov and performed by him.
What was is it that caused Esau to degrade the rights of the firstborn? Rashi explains (Beraishis 25:32) that Esau feared all the warnings, punishments and death penalties that came with the keeping of the Torah. He said to himself, if this is the case, then what do I need it for? It was this thought process that led to the sale of his birthright.
We find that the key reason behind the sale was due to the hardships entailed in keeping the Torah. The life of a Jew is lived in the opposite fashion. When we serve Hashem we do not take into consideration the hardships involved. The Jews accepted the Torah by stating “Nasseh V’Nishma”. Before they even knew the content of what they were taking upon themselves, they had already accepted the word of Hashem and bound themselves to fulfilling his word. It is this connection that the Jew has with his creator that separates him from the nations of the world. He serves his creator out of fear, awe and love. This strong connection enables the Jew to go through fire and water, making any sacrifice necessary, including the forfeiture of his very own life.
Therefore, in our service of Hashem it is fitting for us to be as meticulous as possible in our performance of the Torah and mitzvos. We should take care not to “trample” on the mitzvos, but rather our service should be done with great care and respect. For this is what separates us from the other nations, making us the treasured nation of Hashem.
Additional Thought
The Kli Yakar further explains that the use of the word “heel” signifies deceit. The original plan was that service of Hashem be performed by the firstborn. The grabbing of Esau’s heel by Yaakov, was an attempt to stop him from being born first. The reason why he took such an action was because of Esau’s deceitfulness, for it is not fitting for someone to serve Hashem with deceit. As it says in the possuk: “Cursed is the one who performs the service of God with deceit.” (The same word, eikev, is used in the possuk, showing us a connection between the grabbing of Esau’s heel, and the way one should serve Hashem.)
Categories: Parshas Toldos
