To Err is Human
In this week’s Torah reading, we read about the birth of those polar opposite twins: Ya’akov and Esav. The hunter hero versus the sedentary scholar. Same DNA; totally different personalities. Wish I could explain it.
But there’s another conundrum which I think I can explain. It’s contained in this verse: Yitzchak, who had a taste for wild game, loved Esav, but Rivka loved Ya’akov. (Breiushit 25:28)
That’s the New International Version. This widely accepted translation was spearheaded by a persistent engineer working for General Electric in 1965, named Howard Long (but not the legendary defensive end for the Oakland Raiders). His updated version of the King James Bible has become probably the most accepted Christian translation into English. And it answers this week’s central question: Why did Yitzchak, the recluse, love Esav, the athlete?
Actually, the Ramban seems to agree with this approach. He writes: It is possible to explain that Yitzchak loved Esav because there was always venison in the mouth of Yitzchak. All day he would desire to eat the venison. He would not eat anything else, and Esav was the one who brought it to him.
If only we could just nod our heads up and down, and move on. But, at least according to many Rabbinic sources, it’s much more complicated than that. Let’s take a look at some of my favorites.
The NIV rendition literally translates KI TZAYID B’PIV to mean that he captured his father’s affection with his skillful hunting which provided Dear Ol’ Dad with the exact foods he appreciated (BTW numerous translations suggest it was venison, probably, I guess. What other kosher animals can be hunted in Israel?). However, many of our traditional authorities look at the phrase, and conclude (very reasonably) that Esav cleverly ‘hunted’ his father, not the wild beasts. He misleads his father just as a skilled hunter stalks his prey.
Esav’s clever tactic was to ask his saintly father questions about Jewish traditions that deceived Yitzchak into believing that he was carefully following the family’s traditions. Most famous suggestion: Dad, how do we tithe salt and straw?
Although there are commentaries who just seem to see this as a KLUTZ KASHA (foolish ask), there are those who see this inquiry as very clever indeed. The Maor V’Shemesh suggests that by asking about salt and straw he was hinting that even less important agricultural products contribute to the holiness of society. Salt improves food; people sleep on straw.
The Rebbe sees a proof to this idea in a Gematria. The importance of tithing salt and straw is ‘evidenced’ by the fact that one tenth (a tithe) of the sum of their Gematria’s (MELACH 78; TEVEN 452) is 53, which is the number of annual Torah readings. In other words, we can say salt and straw represent the message of Torah, just in a secondary way. So, Yitzchak should appreciate Esav’s secondary contribution to the family traditions and love him like Ya’akov who is totally dedicated to the MESORAH.
Then there are those who reasonably assume that Yitzchak loved him because he was his son. Do we need a reason to love our offspring? And, moreover, Esav was the first born. The first born very often has a special place in a parent’s affection. I hope my kids aren’t reading this.
Following that reasonable line of logic, we can add that our Sages saw Esav as the paradigm of KIBBUD AV (parental respect and honor). As Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel famously said:”All my life I attended to my father, yet I did not achieve one-hundredth of the honor that Esav showed to his father. (Devarim Raba 1:14).
Along that line of reasoning, there were actually a number of movies in the 30’s and 40’s (generally in grainy black and white) in which a ruthless gangster loved his mother. That tenderness was in total contrast to the mobster’s normal violent behavior. My favorite example of this is the 1949 movie White Heat with James Cagney.
That Mama’s Boy Gangster while cornered by the Cops at the climax of the pic gives a final tribute to his deceased mother by declaring to the world: Made it, Ma! Top of the world! (He was on top of a gas tank, soon to explode.) Very cool!
I could imagine Esav doing that. Blaze of glory, and all that.
However, I’m most interested this year in the comment of Rav Shimshon Refael Hirsch. He noted that Yitzchak was mistaken in his belief that Esav was saintly. This is very much in disagreement with many commentaries, especially Chasidim, who could never imagine our Patriarchs making a mistake. God forbid! That famous position seems to disagree with the wisest of all humans, Shlomo, who declared: Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous, no one who does what is right and never sins (Kohelet 7:20).
This is Rav Hirsch’s introduction to his comment on our verse: Our sages never objected to draw attention to the mistakes and weaknesses in our great forefathers, and so make them more instructive for us, here, too, on V’YIGDALU (verse 27) make a remark which is indeed a “signpost” for us.
Yes! The Torah is honest and real. Humans make mistakes, and our Patriarchs and Matriarchs were human. If they weren’t, their stories would be irrelevant to us. The greatest problem with Greek religion is that it portrayed ‘gods’ as human. I think a big mistake in some of our commentaries is that they make certain humans divine.
Rav Hirsch goes on to give great parenting advice about guiding different children with different methods, because they’re all different and unique.
We read these amazing and wonderful stories of our beloved forebears because they instruct us. If THEY can’t make mistakes, they can’t guide ME. It’s so wonderful that Yehuda and David HaMelech instruct us on how to do TESHUVA. We need that advice.
Rav Hirsch teaches us that: The Jewish task in life is simple, and the same for all, but its realization is as complicated and varied as human natures. Viva La Difference!
Let’s celebrate what we learn from our forebears, even when it’s from their mistakes. We can only love them more.
