The Portion of Toldos begins, “V’Aiele toldos Yitzchak (And these are the offspring of Yitzchak...)” Yitzchak, our Patriarch is the least known of the three Patriarchs. The Torah does not reveal or describe the dimension of Yitzchak’s spirituality with any detail. Where does the Torah allude to the dimension of his being? Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh explains that the Torah reveals Yitzchak’s dimension of spirituality through one Hebrew letter. The Torah could have omitted the letter vav in the beginning of the verse in order to communicate what follows. However, the Torah is revealing to us through this vav, which is a connecting letter, that Yitzchak is connected to what the Torah mentioned prior regarding his father Avraham. This is to teach us that Yitzchak, as a spiritual person, was the equivalent of his father. Yitzchak’s spiritual accomplishment was no less than that of his father regarding the evolution of the Jewish people.
If the Torah reveals in detail the life of Avraham and the life of Yaakov, then why does the Torah conceal Yitzchak’s spiritual accomplishments. It is because of Yitzchak’s dimension of spirituality, which was expressed through the Attribute of Justice. He embodied exactness and perfection to the ultimate degree. He was completely dedicated to self-perfection as “unblemished offering.” The only way he could be depicted would be as an angel of G-d. Just as it is impossible to fathom the dimension of spirituality of an angel, because we have no frame of reference to understand it, so too we have no frame of reference to be able to appreciate the spirituality of our Patriarch, Yitzchak. The only way he could be depicted is through the allusion of the letter “vav” to inform us that his spiritual accomplishment was no less than that of his father Avraham.
Yaakov’s Merit Saves Avrohom From a Fiery Death
These are the toldos (generations) of Yitzchak, the son of Avrohom (25:19) The Ohr HaChaim HaKodosh cites the Medrash (Bereishis Rabba 63) that quotes the pasuk in Yeshaya (29:22): “Thus said HaShem to the house of Yaakov (to Bais Yaakov), which redeemed the house of Avrohom (Bais Avrohom)”. The Ohr HaChaim explains that this refers to the merit [of Bais Yaakov] that saved Avrohom from the fiery furnace, because without Yaakov’s merit Avrohom would have been burned in Ur Kasdim. This is what our pasuk means. The “toldos of Yitzchak” refers to Yaakov. Avrohom fathered Yitzchak in order that Yitzchak should then father Yaakov.
The Ohr HaChaim explains further that it was Yaakov’s merit [since his righteousness and perfection exceeded that of both his forefathers] that saved Avrohom from being burned before Yaakov was even born [because he would one day be born to Avrohom’s son Yitzchak.]
The Spiritual Capacity and Dimension of the Jewish people is Rooted in Our Patriarchs and Matriarchs
The Torah tells us that Rivka was barren. Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh explains why G-d cause Rivka to be barren. Before Eliezer returned with Rivka to be the future wife of Yitzchak, his master, her mother and brother Lavan had given her a blessing ‘Our sister, may you come to be thousands of myriads, and may your offspring inherit the gate of its enemies.’ Ohr Ha Chaim HaKadosh cites a Midrash that explains that the reason Rivka was barren was because if she would have conceived naturally, it would have been said that the blessing by evil Lavan, could bring about something that is truly good. This is not so. The evolvement of the Jewish people would have been attributed to the blessing of Lavan. Therefore, G-d caused Rivka to be barren in order to establish beyond any doubt that the essence of the Jewish people has no relevance to the blessing of this evil person. She was only able to conceive as a result of Yitzchak’s special and intense supplication.
The Whole Truth and Nothing But the Truth
“I am Esov, your firstborn. I have done what you told me to do” (27:19) The Ohr HaChaim HaKodosh asks the obvious question: how could Yaakov [whose midda is emes – truth] lie outright like this to his father? The Ohr HaChaim says that since Yaakov purchased and acquired the birthright from Esov, he was in effect Esov with regard to this birthright. So when he declared, “I am Esov your firstborn,” he was telling the truth, being that he was in effect now the firstborn in lieu of Esov.
Then, when Yaakov said, “I have done as you asked me to do,” he was also telling the truth. Explains the Ohr HaChaim, since Yitzchak asked Esov to hunt game was only because he thought Esov was the rightful firstborn, owner of the birthright. Now that Yaakov was the legal and rightful owner of the birthright and considered the firstborn, it was he who had been commanded to carry out the instructions to hunt game. Since Yaakov now owned the birthright, it was as if this command had been issued by Yitzchak to him to perform. Thus, Yaakov answered Yitzchak truthfully when he said, “I have done what you told me to do.”
