By Rabbi Yisroel Shusterman
This week’s Parsha
Perspective is dedicated by Mr. Binyomin Philipson
in memory of his
late mother Mrs. Ellen (Elka bas Zisel) Philipson OBM
Our Torah portion
this week Toldot (Bereishis 25:19-28:9) tells of the birth
of the twins, Esau and Jacob, to Isaac and Rebecca.
Jacob was once
cooking soup, and his older brother, Esau, wanted a bowlful. Jacob offered the
soup in exchange for Esau’s firstborn rights. Esau didn’t hesitate; he happily
surrendered his birthright for a bowl of soup.
Years later, their
father, Isaac, wanted to bless Esau. Jacob donned Esau’s garments and presented
himself to his blind father as Esau. Jacob received the blessings, and Esau was
incensed. “He deceived me twice,” cried Esau. “First he took my firstborn
rights, and now he took my blessings!”
This story presents
a question: Esau was understandably perturbed over losing the blessing. But why
was he suddenly concerned over his birthright? He had surrendered it with
barely protest years earlier, so what changed now?
When faced with an
internal challenge, be it obsession, depression, addiction or a craving for
food, the first step must be nurturing faith in our ability to overcome the
challenge. So long as the hurdle seems insurmountable, the path to recovery is
blocked. The journey to recovery can commence only if we possess a firm belief
in our ability to succeed.
The journey can
begin, but there is a long way to go. The road is strewn with obstacles, and
overcoming them requires motivation, commitment and a great investment of
energy. Knowing that we are capable of completing the journey does not
guarantee that we will do so. It is only when we have succeeded in ridding
ourselves of negative traits that we are truly liberated.
We are still not
completely free; we are still at risk of succumbing to our weaknesses again.
But we have gained real confidence. And we now know that, even if we should
fail again, there will always be hope. We have overcome once and, if necessary,
can do it again. This awareness stimulates confidence and joy, the ecstatic
thrill of success.
The soul faces a
similar challenge. It is given a task by G‑d to descend from heaven and
function on earth. In a realm focused on materialism, pleasure, ego and
self-worship, the soul is asked to introduce selflessness, devotion to a higher
cause, and sanctity. A staggering task, but the soul contains the tools to
succeed.
Jacob, the pious
scholar, represents the soul. Esau, the wicked hunter, represents the body.
Esau appeared a formidable foe; at first glance one would doubt that Jacob
could ever prevail. The showdown transpired over a bowl of soup. Jacob allowed
Esau the soup, but forced him to surrender his claim to the firstborn rights.
This was Jacob’s way of saying that they might grapple, but from
now on he would always have the strength to emerge triumphant - he is
now the firstborn.
Now Esau realized
that the birthright wasn’t merely a hypothetical tool. Esau conceded the point.
He was not overly bothered by the soul’s untapped ability to triumph over the
body, because he knew that tapping into this potential is difficult. In fact,
most people never tap into it; they accept the formidability of their foe, and
surrender long before the struggle begins. Thus, Esau rested secure in the
knowledge that the soul’s vast potential will, most often, be left untapped.
Then disaster
struck. Jacob challenged Esau and won; he actually received the blessing. The
blessing represents the empowerment of the soul. It is Jacob’s spiritual
delight, his soulful realization that he has bested Esau. It is the euphoric
realization that comes with having conquered our will at least once.
Now Esau was
perturbed - about the blessing and the birthright. Now he realized that
the birthright wasn’t merely a hypothetical tool never to be used; Jacob had
used it once, and intended to use it again. With this dawning realization, Esau
belatedly protested the sale of the birthright.
The good news for
you and me is that Esau’s protests went unheeded. Neither the blessing nor the
birthright was taken from Jacob. We are thus truly empowered to overcome the
wiles and temptations, the cravings and yearnings, of our temporal and
materialistic selves, and rise to the sacred worship of G‑d.
(Excerpts
from Chabad.org – by Rabbi Lazer Gurkow)
May you have a
meaningful and uplifting Shabbos!
