Parsha Pizzazz - Toldot
A Link in the Chain
Twenty years passed after Yitzchak and Rivkah got married, and they still didn't have a child. They prayed and prayed for a child who would be the next link in the chain that began with Avraham.
Finally, after so many years of waiting, Rivkah found out she was going to have a child. At last! What joy!
Rivkah was happy at first, but the pregnancy was very hard for her. It seemed her baby was constantly turning and kicking. Whenever Rivkah would pass a synagogue or yeshiva, she felt her baby kick. "What a little tzaaddik I'm carrying," she would think to herself. But when she would pass a house of idol-worship, she would feel a kick then, too! "What kind of baby is this?" she wondered.
Rivkah was puzzled. Something very strange was going on! Her baby seemed to be a bit... confused. Would this be a good child, or perhaps the opposite?
She went to the Yeshiva of Shem, the son of Noach, for advice. Shem said, "Rivkah, I have good news, and bad news. The good news is, you're carrying not one, but two babies. Twins! But the bad news is, it's not going to be easy for you. One of your babies will always be striving for good, and the other to evil. And when they're born, it's only going to get more complicated!"
Mazel Tov!
Rivkah somehow made it through the nine months until the babies were born. The first twin to be born was reddish and covered with hair. He was named Eisav, from the Hebrew word that means "complete" - because already at birth he looked as fully formed as an older child. The second twin had smooth skin, and was grabbing onto his brother's heel as he was born. They named him Yaakov, from the Hebrew word that means "heel."
