Toldot (History) B’Resheet (Gen) 25-28 HafTorah: Malachi 1:1-2:7
1.What three things set Isaac apart from the other two patriarchs, Avraham and Jacob?
First, Isaac never left the Land of Promise.
Second, He only had one wife.
Third He never had his name changed.
How long did Isaac pray for a child?
He prayed twenty years. He was 40 when he married Rebekah and 60 when their sons were born. They waited on G-d and did not resort to Isaac taking another wife.
2.How would you describe Esau and Jacob? What personality traits were they each born with? Would you say those traits were trained for use in a G-dly way? What message is here for us?
Genesis 25:27 gives us a hint of who these two young men were.
Esau had become a skillful hunter, a man of the field.
Jacob became a pure man living in tents.
In the culture of the time Esau, the first born, was to become the patriarch of the family,
The first born was to lead the family in life and faith.
He would prepare himself for this role
He would be involved in learning what he needed to know to take over at his father’s death.
How does Torah describe Esau?
He was a skilled hunter, a man of the field.
If game needed to be killed for food a servant would do that not to the coming leader.
So Esau hunted and killed because he liked it.
His time was not spent preparing for his coming role but in hunting.
So it would seem he was not concerned with his future responsibilities.
Now, what does the Torah say about Jacob?
Genesis 25:27 says in English he was a quiet man.
The Hebrew word to describe Jacob is “tam”
It is commonly used in reference to the service of G-d in the sacrifices that were offered.
It was also used to describe someone who whole-heartedly walked with G-d.
This verse also says he was a dweller in tents.
As time goes on we see Esau being a person who represents a life not lived to its fullest, someone who lived for the day with only the thought of what would satisfy him in the moment. Genesis 25:34, “Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left. So Esau despised his birthright.”
Torah says he despised his birthright.
He preferred the thrill of the hunt, who needs a birthright.
Genesis 26:34 says Esau married two daughters of Hittite men.
These wives were a source of grief to Isaac and Rebekah.
More evidence of Esau’s failure to understand what the covenant requires.
He displayed no self-restraint in the choice of a marriage partner.
Each of these boys were born with predispositions as we all are.
Some of us naturally tend to lose our temper quicker than others.
Some of us are inclined to be easy going.
We are all born with these traits that influence us to meet life a certain way.
However we do not have to be captive to those things.
Satan desires to use them if we give him the opportunity.
Our battle is to be able to master those natural ways of reacting that we are all born with. To be a slave to our natural impulses will cause us to miss what G-d has for us.
G-d warned Cain in Genesis 4:17 to resist the sin at his door.
He had the choice to rule over his anger or not.
We cannot just say, “well that is just how I am.”
The traits we are born with are neither good nor bad.
The question is, do we control those tendencies to be used for G-d’s glory?
A naturally compassionate person can be used for good in many ways, helping others.
It can also be a detriment if we allow our emotions to be used to enable sinful behavior in someone we love.
Having a gift for seeing wrongs that need to be righted can be a wonderful gift used by G-d.
It can also be used to crush others who are going through difficult times when used in the flesh.
3.What exactly was Esau giving up when he sold his birthright for a bowl of soup? How is that different from the blessings that Isaac gave Jacob? When did Isaac give the blessing to Jacob? What is our birthright?
What was included in the birthright?
The birthright included a double portion of the material wealth of the clan on the death of the father and more importantly the spiritual leadership of the family. So he was giving up the double portion of material wealth but more importantly he was giving up the spiritual leadership of his family to his brother. Esau accepted the offer to sell his birthright for a bowl of soup.
Isaac’s blessings over Jacob when he thought he was Esau
Genesis 27:28 “Therefore may G-d give you of the dew of heaven, of the fatness of the earth, and plenty of grain and wine. Let people serve you, and nations bow down to you. Be master over your brethren. And let your mother’s sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you. And blessed be those who bless you.”
Nowhere in this blessing do we see him give him the blessing of Abraham. He gave Jacob the blessings of Avraham later in Genesis 28:3-4.
Isaac’s blessing as he sent Jacob to find a wife
Genesis 28:3-4, “May G-d Almighty bless you, and make your fruitful and multiply you, that you may be an assembly of peoples; and give you the blessing of Abraham, To you and your descendants with you, that you may inherit the land in which you are a stranger, which G-d gave to Abraham.”
How long did it really take for Jacob (Israel) to be actually recognized as the owner of the birthright? Read Exodus 4:22-23, “Then say to Pharaoh, ‘This is what the L-rd says: Israel is my firstborn son, 23 and I told you, “Let my son go, so he may worship me.” But you refused to let him go; so I will kill your firstborn son.’”
What does G-d call Israel in these verses? “My son, my first born.”
This is about 275 years after Jacob bought the birthright.
What lesson can we learn from this?
Israel went through the iron furnace of Egypt first.
Our faith takes work.
James again in the Messianic scripture says work out your own salvation.
Coming to the L-rd is the beginning for us, not the end.
We can’t just sit down and say, “Come on heaven.” G-d requires us to be purified.
What is your birthright?
As a child of G-d we each have a birthright.
Each of us has a role to fill in this world.
The Father has given us a role that no one else can do.
Our question is what do we do with it?
Some of us may be people who like the here and now, instant gratification. Some more like Jacob who are quieter and tent dwellers. In reality our role does not depend on our personality or desires for that matter. What is does depend on is the call and will of G-d.
Are we ready to follow our birthright or are we content to live in our flesh doing what pleases our flesh? Do we sell our birthright cheaply for relief from the pressures of walking a G-dly path? Are we doing what G-d has called us to do?
4.In reading through this Torah portion it is easy to see the Philistines were not too friendly with Isaac. What sort of things did they do and what was their attitude toward Isaac? Read Genesis 26:26-33 where Abimelek and his men went to Isaac and asked to make a treaty or covenant with him. Was this the correct thing for Isaac to do? What happened immediately after they swore an oath to each other and the men left? What is the lesson here for us?
Up until now the Philistines had not been too friendly with Isaac.
Their herdsmen argued with Isaac’s herdsmen over the wells Avraham dug.
They had covered them up after Avraham died.
They told Isaac to move away because he was mightier than them.
Then, In Genesis 26:26-33 the scene changed.
26 Meanwhile, Abimelek had come to him from Gerar, with Ahuzzath his personal adviser and Phicol the commander of his forces. 27 Isaac asked them, “Why have you come to me, since you were hostile to me and sent me away?” 28 They answered, “We saw clearly that the L-rd was with you; so we said, ‘There ought to be a sworn agreement between us’—between us and you. Let us make a treaty with you 29 that you will do us no harm, just as we did not harm you but always treated you well and sent you away peacefully. And now you are blessed by the L-rd.” 30 Isaac then made a feast for them, and they ate and drank. 31 Early the next morning the men swore an oath to each other. Then Isaac sent them on their way, and they went away peacefully. 32 That day Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well they had dug. They said, “We’ve found water!” 33 He called it Shibah,[f] and to this day the name of the town has been Beersheba.”
I expect Isaac was surprised to now hear that they wanted to make a covenant with him.
This was to be a renewal of Avraham’s covenant, (Genesis 21:22-32)
Genesis 26:28. In this verse we read a Hebrew word used twice, once immediately followed by the second. In Hebrew the words are “ra’uh” followed by “ra eenuh.”
The root of these two words is “see”
They are translated as surely seen.
This could mean something like, what we saw in your father we have seen in you as well. It could also mean they saw how they were blessed with crops that were far better than before or after Isaac left, attributing their success to the presence of Isaac among them.
In verse 29 Avimelech rewrote history a bit explaining how nice they had been to Isaac and again saying they had seen how G-d had blessed him.
How did Isaac react? Or more importantly, how would you have reacted?
Isaac had been run out of town by Avimelech
These same people came to him asking for a treaty.
Isaac made a feast and sent them away in peace.
On that same day Isaac’s servants came to him and told him they had found water.
Is a lesson here for all of us?
Isaac never brought up how he had been treated by Avimelech.
He rested on the promise of G-d.
He did not react in anger
He knew G-d was with him. (Genesis 26:24)
G-d blessed his actions by immediately blessing him with water from a well his servants had just opened.
When someone who has been very unkind to us, doesn’t repent for what they have done, and comes to us wanting something from us how do we react? If we react in anger and accusations we must ask ourselves a question – are we defending G-d or are we defending ourselves? Which brings life?
That is the lesson for us all today.
We see the same point in I Peter 3:15, where Peter wrote to the early believers, “be ready to make a defense of everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you.”
In these days when there is so much turmoil in the world, our place is to be calm, not taking offense, but being ready to explain who we are concerning our faith. People should be able to see evidence of our faith in our day to day life by what we are presenting to the world.
In verse 26:26-31 we read of Avimelech coming to him again, only this time requesting a treaty between themselves and Isaac.
Verse 29 Avimelech rewrote history a bit. He explained how nice they had been to Isaac
Told again that they had seen how G-d had blessed him.
How did Isaac react? How would you have reacted?
Isaac had been run out of town.
These same people came to him asking for a treaty.
Isaac made a feast and sent them away in peace.
On that same day Isaac’s servants came to him and told him they had found water.
Is there a lesson here for all of us?
Isaac never brought up how he had been treated by Avimelech.
He rested on the promises of G-d
He did not react in anger
He knew G-d was with him. (Genesis 26:24)
G-d blessed his actions by immediately blessing him with water from a well his servants had just opened.
When someone who has been unkind to us, doesn’t repent for what they have done, and comes to us wanting something from us how do we react? If we react in anger and accusations we must ask ourselves a question – are we defending G-d or are we defending ourselves? Which brings life?
That is the lesson for us all today.
We read the same point in the Messianic Scripture in I Peter 3:15, where Peter wrote to the early believers, “be ready to make a defense of everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you.”
In these days when there is so much turmoil in the world, our place is to be calm, not taking offense, but being ready to explain who we are concerning our faith. People should be able to see evidence of our faith in our day to day life by what we are presenting to the world.
Why do you think Avimelech’s men covered up the wells that Avraham dug? They needed water just like Avraham’s family did? They wanted to erase any evidence that Avraham had been there or was claiming ownership of this land by digging wells.
It was the same when Israel handed over Gaza to the Palestinians. They left behind Hothouses, crops and a chance for Palestinians to come in and continue a thriving business started by the Israelis. Instead they burned everything to the ground as soon as the Israelis left. Removing all evidence of a Jewish presence was so important they didn’t mind damaging their own livelihood. It is anti-semitism in its truest form.