A Walk on the Beach

~ This Torah thought is dedicated to those killed in Jerusalem this past week, and the comfort of their families. May Israel see no more pain ~

And Isaac said to Jacob, "Please come closer, so that I may feel you, my son, whether you are really my son Esau or not." So Jacob drew near to Isaac his father, and he felt him, and he said, "The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau." 

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There's a known story told in Islamic tradition. A father and son are walking along the beach towards the time of sunset. During this special moment, the father turns to his son and says: "Son, I love you." 

As they continue walking, the son turns to his father and asks, "how much do you love me?" The father responds: "With all my heart." The boy then asks, "Father, how much do you love God?" To which the father responds, "With all my heart." 

With a perplexed look, the boy asks his father one more question. "Father, how can you love me and God with all your heart?" Taken aback by this deep question, the father is very affected by it. The next morning, he packs up his bags, kisses his family, and ventures off into the mountains to dedicate himself only to God.

This story, a concept of spiritual asceticism prevalent in many religions, might not sit well with someone in the Jewish community. The reason is, that the Jewish view on attaining a true connection with God isn't through shunning materiality and human relationships, but is actually the exact opposite. Our physical lives and our relationships -  when approached correctly through the teachings of the Torah - are actually vehicles for connecting to the Divine. 

In this week's Torah portion, Jacob dresses in the clothes of his brother Esau, and receives a blessing from his father Isaac. On a deeper level, our Sages ask, why did the holy Jacob need to disguise himself in his murderous brother's clothing? The explanation is, that Jacob represents the soul, and Esau the body. In order to truly connect with God and draw down Divine blessing, the soul must be in a body and involve itself in elevating the world around them through the Mitzvot.

Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom! 

Dressed for the Occasion

In this week's Torah portion, Toldot, we read about the birth and early years of Jacob & Esau. Born to righteous parents Issac & Rivkah, Jacob & Esau end up going separate paths, as the Torah says: "And the youths grew up, and Esau was a man who understood hunting, a man of the field, whereas Jacob was an innocent man, dwelling in tents."
While Jacob lived preoccupied in learning and character refinement, Esau went out into the world, ready to conquer.

As time passes, Issac realizes that his life may be nearing to a close. He therefore calls his son Esau to fetch for him food, where upon his return, he will be blessed by his father. When Rivkah overhears this (believing that Jacob is more deserving of blessing), she immediately commands her son Jacob to enter his father's tent with food she will prepare, and receive Issac's blessings instead of Esau. Since Esau happened to be very hairy, Rivkah dresses Jacob in a hairy animal's clothing, and Jacob enters his father's tent (Being blind, Issac could only feel the difference in skin).

And Isaac said to Jacob, "Please come closer, so that I may feel you, my son, whether you are really my son Esau or not."
So Jacob drew near to Isaac his father, and he felt him, and he said, "The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau."
And he came closer, and he kissed him, and he smelled the fragrance of his garments, and he blessed him, and he said, "Behold, the fragrance of my son is like the fragrance of a field, which G-d has blessed!"

So what was really going on here? Why did Issac want to bless the wicked Esau? Why did Rivkah decide to intervene and "trick" Issac?
There are many insightful explanations to the meaning of these events, but I would like to focus primarily on one part: Jacob's need to disguise himself in Esau's clothing. If the blessings were ultimately meant for him by G-d, why was it set up in such a way that he had to go with a disguise in order to receive them?

Our Chassidic Masters explain the inner meaning behind this fascinating story of our forefathers. Jacob, the unblemished one, is a symbol for a Jew's G-dly soul.
Esau, the hunter, the worldly one, is a symbol for a Jew's body. Now in order for the soul (Jacob) to receive G-d's Blessing - in order to succeed & fulfill its reason for being - the soul cannot remain in the spiritual realms, but must rather descend into a coarse, physical body (Esau's clothing) and into a physical world. For in order to affect the physical world, the soul alone is just not gonna cut it. It needs a body to work with. A soul cannot put on tefillin or light Shabbos candles or put up a mezuzah, but hands can.
The body is the vehicle in which the soul can succeed in its mission on earth.

But there's one more point here. While riding in this vehicle called a body, during this stay in the physical world, Jacob must never forget that he is Jacob.
No matter how long he's wearing "Esau's clothing", he must never forget who he truly is, who he must identify with. The soul, us, must never forget that we are souls on a mission. Yes, we're in bodies that need food, showers and pampering. And yes, we have to work in the world, leaving the 'tents of Jacob' in order to succeed in it as best we can.
But we mustn't forget who we really are, and what the purpose is of this excursion into Esau's clothing.
As it says: "G-d Desired a Dwelling Place in the lower realms." - (Midrash Tanchuma, Naso 16)
When the twins Jacob & Esau were born, the Torah says Esau went out 1st, and Jacob's "hand was grasping Esau's heel."
The soul must have a hold on the physical, in order to uplift it. But we musn't get consumed by the world's flashy "appeal." We are Jacob underneath the clothes of Esau. We must remain true to our essence.

As Issac put it best: "The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau."
Through the voice of Jacob, Torah and prayer, we can succeed in enriching our hands' work in this world to be the way it should be.
And then we will receive all of the blessings possible, both materially and spiritually, in all that we need.

Have a wonderful Shabbat!

-Daniel
Crown Heights, NY