Toldois 2024: Mother Knows Best
by devadmin | November 28, 2024 7:30 pm
Raboyseyee and Ladies,
Mother Knows Best
Back in Parshas Bereishis, when confronted by the RBSO as to why he ate from the forbidden fruit, Odom (Adam) blamed it all on his wife. Let’s read those words:
וַיֹּ֖אמֶר הָֽאָדָ֑ם הָֽאִשָּׁה֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר נָתַ֣תָּה עִמָּדִ֔י הִ֛וא נָֽתְנָה־לִּ֥י מִן־הָעֵ֖ץ וָאֹכֵֽל׃
The Human said, “The woman You put at my side—she gave me of the tree, and I ate.”
He chapped -from the get-go that women were devious. We shall next explore the role of a few women -including two of our foremothers- in shaping the future of their families and the unilateral moves they made.
For the past fourteen years, the heylige Ois has been telling you that Sefer Bereishis and its many storylines share one underlying theme: Selection & Rejection. We find examples in many of the parshas and it began with Kayin and Hevel; the results were of course devastating with one brother killing the other. Ober, did that cause the RBSO to change His mind about the process? Not! A nechtiger tug (fuhgeddaboudit). Though the process came with many inherent flaws, it is featured over and again in many parshas. Mamish from the very beginning, some were selected for success and greatness and others, though seemingly innocent -at least in the heylige Toirah- were for some reason rejected.
Back in Parshas Lech Lecho and Vayoro we read how Yitzchok was selected and Yishmoel rejected. What did poor innocent Yishmoel do to have been discarded? We covered him last week and the bottom line is this: Not much! Of course, that didn’t stop many an exegete from piling on charges -a la Jack Smith style- but the bottom line was that he had no chance. Why not? Because a very powerful woman, our foremother Soro, got involved and made sure that Yitzchok, her own flesh and blood, would succeed her husband Avrohom and that Yishmoel -though Avrohom’s firstborn -yes, born to her maidservant Hogor- would be chased out like a dog. Rejected!
How did all this unfold? Let’s go back and read the words of the heylige Toirah (Bereishis 21:10) which tells us this:
After Yitzchok was weaned, Soro urges Avrohom to dismiss the son of his slave-woman (or concubine) Hogor, so only her son would inherit:
וַתֹּאמֶר לְאַבְרָהָם גָּרֵשׁ הָאָמָה הַזֹּאת וְאֶת בְּנָהּ כִּי לֹא יִירַשׁ בֶּן הָאָמָה הַזֹּאת עִם בְּנִי עִם יִצְחָק.
She said to Avrohom, “Cast out that slave-woman and her son, for the son of that slave shall not share in the inheritance with my son Yitzchok.”
After Soro insists that Hogor and her son be expelled, Avrohom is distraught, but the RBSO tells Avrohom to respect her wishes:
בראשׁית כא:יב וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים אֶל אַבְרָהָם אַל יֵרַע בְּעֵינֶיךָ עַל הַנַּעַר וְעַל אֲמָתֶךָ כֹּל אֲשֶׁר תֹּאמַר אֵלֶיךָ שָׂרָה שְׁמַע בְּקֹלָהּ כִּי בְיִצְחָק יִקָּרֵא לְךָ זָרַע.
But the RBSO said to Avrohom, “Do not be distressed over the boy or your slave; whatever Soro tells you, do as she says, for it is through Yitzchok that offspring shall be continued for you.”
Soro was not -under any circumstances- going to stand by and watch Yishmoel inherit and succeed his father; she took a stand. And guess what? The RBSO seemingly agreed with her decision and told Avrohom to listen and do whatever she said to do. And the question is this: Was Soro then but the messenger of the RBSO? Or, did she take the initiative and the RBSO, but agreed with her decision? We shall circle back to her soon, ober let us move one to our next matriarch, Rivka.
Not to be outdone, welcome to Parshas Toldois where yet another strong woman will get involved in the section/rejection process. What’s pshat you ask? Let us learn this week’s parsha where Rivka -after some twenty years of infertility- gives birth to twins. Yitzchok favors one, she the other. The bottom line: Everyone, including parents, has a favorite even though most deny it.
Once again, it will be the mother who concocts, manipulates, deceives, and executes her plan-almost to perfection- to make sure that her favored son will go on to lead and that her husband’s favorite will be rejected. So happens that the ruse had consequences that lasted decades as Yaakov found himself on the run for his life. Not too many years back, Rivka was a three-year old- who fell off her camel when she first saw Yitzchok and shoin. A few parshas later, she’s making strong moves! What’s pshat here? Was the RBSO but using these two women, mamish two of our holy foremothers, to execute His plan? Or, were they on their own? Let’s also shoutout Loit’s two wonderful yet lustful daughters who took turns fornicating with their own father; were they acting with the RBSO’s instructions? Or, were they on their own? Ver veyst but somehow, one day soon -hopefully- the Moshiach will trace his linage to those two one of those two nights. Gishmak!
Let’s check in on Rivka and her devious plan: The heylige Toirah tells us that when Rivka overhears Yitzchok’s plan to bless their elder son, and bestow upon him greatness, and the bonuses associated with rights of the first-born, she outlines a plan for Yaakov -whom she prefers- to disguise himself as Eisav (14–16) and take the blessing for himself. Let’s read the salient pisukim innaveynig (Bereishis 27:9-10), they tell us the story.
לֶךְ נָא אֶל הַצֹּאן וְקַח לִי מִשָּׁם שְׁנֵי גְּדָיֵי עִזִּים טֹבִים וְאֶעֱשֶׂה אֹתָם מַטְעַמִּים לְאָבִיךָ כַּאֲשֶׁר אָהֵב. כז:י וְהֵבֵאתָ לְאָבִיךָ וְאָכָל בַּעֲבֻר אֲשֶׁר יְבָרֶכְךָ לִפְנֵי מוֹתוֹ.
“Go to the flock and fetch me two choice kids, and I will make of them a dish for your father, such as he likes. Then take it to your father to eat, in order that he may bless you before he dies.”
One must wonder why Rivka was so determined to advance Yaakov’s interests, to the point where she plotted with Eisav to trick Yitzchok into thinking that it was Eisav standing before him? What was so special about Yaakov? So happens that heylige Toirah doesn’t tell us much. What it does state is that Yitzchok favored Eisav and why, but not why Rivka favored Yaakov. Let’s read the posik from our parsha (Bereishis 25:28): “Now Yitzchok loved Eisav, for the game he provided from his hunting; and Rivka loved Yaakov.
And we also know this: Both Yitzchok and Rivka were understandably upset when Eisav married out; when he married a Canaanite shiksa. Let’s read posik 34.
34. And when Eisav was forty years old, he took to wife Yudit, the daughter of Be’eri the Hittite, and Basmat, the daughter of Eilon the Hittite.
35. And they were a bitterness of spirit unto Yitzchok and to Rivka.
Taka, why then would Rivka favor Yaakov over Eisav? And the answer must be -or could be- azoy: the heylige Toirah recounts Rivka’s pregnancy. Anxious of the kicking in her belly, she went for advice and was told about upcoming twins and how one would rule over the other. The Younger would rule over the older. Rivka took literally the prophecy that she had received, believing that it meant that Yaakov would -in the end- be superior to Eisav. Let’s read that posik as well:
“And the LORD Said unto her: Two nations are in thy womb, and two peoples shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.”
Perhaps Rivka thought ‘the end’ meant the end of Yitzchok’s life? More on that below. Did Rivka then take a page out of Soro’s handbook? Was she but a copy-cat conniver? Or, was this the act that caused her to be selected for greatness and matriarchy? Does the RBSO favor those who are devious and mischievous? Those who plot behind their husband’s backs? Ot, those who take the initiative? So, it would appear. And how was it that both Avrohom and Yitzchok were fooled into following the plan of their wives? Ober, if we drill down a bit more, it will soon become crystal clear and you will see how the RBSO set things in motion for the women to succeed. So happens that old age -near the end of life, or with symptoms associated with old age, and or sight, were the common denominators for both women. Later in the Novee, yet another woman -who avada read the entire heylige Toirah, will follow the playbook. More on her further below.
Shoin, now that we know what motivated her – she chapped the vision- let’s see how she went about the plan. Rivka’s opportunity begins with Yitzchok’s eyes becoming “too dim to see” (וַתִּכְהֶיןָ עֵינָיו מֵרְאֹת). He was old and blind!
27:1-4 And it came to pass, that when Yitzchok was old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see, he called Eisav his elder son, and said unto him: My son; and he said unto him: Here am I.
2 And he said: Behold now, I am old, I know not the day of my death.
3 Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me venison;
4 And make me savory food, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die.
Rivka seized the opportunity offered her by her husband’s disability to trick him into blessing Yaakov instead of Eisav.
בראשׁית כז:טו וַתִּקַּח רִבְקָה אֶת בִּגְדֵי עֵשָׂו בְּנָהּ הַגָּדֹל הַחֲמֻדֹת אֲשֶׁר אִתָּהּ בַּבָּיִת וַתַּלְבֵּשׁ אֶת יַעֲקֹב בְּנָהּ הַקָּטָן. כז:טז וְאֵת עֹרֹת גְּדָיֵי הָעִזִּים הִלְבִּישָׁה עַל יָדָיו וְעַל חֶלְקַת צַוָּארָיו.
Rivka then took the best clothes of her older son Eisav, which were there in the house, and had her younger son Jacob put them on; 27:16 and she covered his hands and the hairless part of his neck with the skins of the kids.
And we read this about old age: Indeed. Yitzchok tells Eisav explicitly that he fears he will soon die: Gen 27:2 And he said, “I am old now, and I do not know how soon I may die.
בראשית כז:ב וַיֹּאמֶר הִנֵּה נָא זָקַנְתִּי לֹא יָדַעְתִּי יוֹם מוֹתִי.
And then this: Yitzchok then tells him to prepare a meal and bring it to him, so he can get into the proper mood: כז:ד …בַּעֲבוּר תְּבָרֶכְךָ נַפְשִׁי בְּטֶרֶם אָמוּת “…so that I may give you my innermost blessing before I die.”
The bottom line: We can kler that Rivka had no personal preference regarding her two sons; she was merely enacting the Divine Decree to which she has been made privy, to the best of her understanding. She was but the RBSO’s ‘agent’ selected for the master plan of advancing Yaakov and rejecting Eisav. And guess what? This was not the first time the RBSO used a female agent to execute His plan. As mentioned above, two parshas back, He did the same when selecting Soro to cancel Yishmoel. In a few weeks, He will embolden Tamar to be available for a roadside encounter in furtherance of the plan to seed the Moshiach. To begin, Tamar will need to be seeded first, if you chap.
In the case of Rivka and Yitzchok, we already know that Yitzchok was old and blind; in the case of Avrohom and Soro, it does epes appear that Avrohom was at least blind as to the RBSO’s intentions viz a vis Yitzchok and Yishmoel. Avrohom loved Yishmoel; the RBSO had other plans and used Soro to execute them. Soro emphasized Avrohom’s old age when reflecting on the miraculous birth of Yitzchok.
בראשׁית כא:ז וַתֹּאמֶר מִי מִלֵּל לְאַבְרָהָם הֵינִיקָה בָנִים שָׂרָה כִּי יָלַדְתִּי בֵן לִזְקֻנָיו.
And she added, “Who would have said to Avrohom that Soro would suckle children! Yet I have borne a son in his old age.” Chapping that Avrohom was old, she took the opportunity to effectuate her plan.
Shoin, let’s roll the clock forward to the Ois’s favorite king, Dovid Hamelech and Bathsheva. —When Dovid was on his deathbed, Adonijah, the son of Haggith, calls together important officials and princes, and proclaims himself to be Dovid’s heir (1 Malochim1:5–10). At the urging of the Novee, Noson (Nathan), Bathsheva approaches Dovid to advocate for her son:
מלכים א א:יז וַתֹּאמֶר לוֹ אֲדֹנִי אַתָּה נִשְׁבַּעְתָּ בַּי־הוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ לַאֲמָתֶךָ כִּי שְׁלֹמֹה בְנֵךְ יִמְלֹךְ אַחֲרָי וְהוּא יֵשֵׁב עַל כִּסְאִי.
She said to him, “My lord, you yourself swore to your maidservant by YHWH your G-d: ‘Your son Shlomo shall succeed me as king, and he shall sit upon my throne.’”
Ober, what caused Batsheva to act? The story in the Novee opens with this: “King David was now old, advanced in years; and though they covered him with bedclothes, he never felt warm.
מלכים א א:א וְהַמֶּלֶךְ דָּוִד זָקֵן בָּא בַּיָּמִים וַיְכַסֻּהוּ בַּבְּגָדִים וְלֹא יִחַם לוֹ.
His officials even find him a young, beautiful virgin to warm him up in his bed, but Dovid is apparently too old to consummate with her. Dovid’s old age and inability to perform is recognized by his son Adonijah who makes a mov eon the kingship. Ober Batsheva, no stranger to controversy, chapped what was going and made her move. This scene also opens by emphasizing David’s age: 1 Kgs 1:15 So Bathsheva went to the king in his chamber; the king was very old…
מלכים א א:טו וַתָּבֹא בַת־שֶׁבֶע אֶל הַמֶּלֶךְ הַחַדְרָה וְהַמֶּלֶךְ זָקֵן מְאֹד…
The bottom line: Beware of your wives as you get older! On the other hand, in all these cases -and more- it is the mother and not the father who ensures that the legacy got passed down to the proper son. For some reason, the RBSO trusts them to execute. Shoin!
Happy Thanksgiving! A Gittin Shabbis and upcoming Choidesh Kislev
The Heylige Oisvorfer Ruv
Yitz Grossman
Source URL: https://oisvorfer.com/toldois-2024-mother-knows-best/