Toldot: Reconciling Turmoil between Brothers

by Zelig Golden
2 Kislev 5773 | November 16, 2012

Rockets are falling on the suburbs of Jerusalem and Israel is bombing Palestinians in Gaza. An ancient conflict is flaring up again. Parsha Toldot foreshadows the conflict we see today and it foreshadows peace. I offer this as a prayer for peace for all of the children of Avraham.

Toldot begins, V’eyleh Toldot Yitzchak ben Avraham Avraham holeed et Yitzchak (Gen 25:19), “and these are the offspring of Isaac son of Avraham, Avraham begot Isaac.” If we are speaking of the offspring of Isaac, why repeat the name of Avraham twice? The Radak comments that repeating Avraham’s name notes the two lineages of Avraham — Isaac and Ishmael. The story of Isaac’s sons, Esau and Jacob, is a recapitulation of the breaking between Avraham’s progeny—Ishmael who begets the Arabs of today and Isaac who begets the Hebrews and the Jews of today.

This first break in Avraham’s two lines happens when Sarah sends Ishmael (Avraham’s first born with Hagar) out into the desert because she does not want him to compete with her miracle son Isaac. This disturbs Avraham, but G-d comes to him and reassures him, Ki b’Yitzchak yikareh l’cha zara (Gen 21:12), most often translated, “through Isaac your offspring will be known.” But yikareh, “to be known,” can also be read as “reconciled.” The offspring of Isaac, while possessing the same karmic conflict of their father and uncle, also provide the possibility for reconciliation that is still needed today.

Before the twin brothers emerged into the world they were acting out the conflict that was passed down to them: V’yitrotzetza ha’banim (Gen 25:22), “the brothers crushed each other” in Rebecca’s womb. While in their parents’ house, the fighting continued. After returning from a long hunt, famished, Esau requests some of Jacob’s stew. In his cunning, Jacob takes Esau’s inheritance in exchange for a simple bowl of stew. Later, Jacob’s tricks his blind father Isaac, now nearing death, into giving him Esau’s blessing of the first-born. When Esau returns and learns that his blessing has been stolen, he vows to kill Jacob and Jacob flees the family.

In between Jacob’s tricks, the Torah cuts to Isaac’s sojourn to Gerar, the land adjacent to present-day Gaza where violence is erupting again today. Isaac goes to this land where Avraham had dug wells, which had been filled by those in the land, to redig these wells as if to revisit his father’s karma. We learn that Isaac digs three wells. The first well brings confrontation from those residing there, so Isaac names this well Esek (26:20), or “contention.” He moves on and re-digs a second well and is fought off, so he names this well Sitna (Gen 26:21), or “enmity.” When he moved on from this place and dug the third well, there was no quarrel, so he named it Rechovot (Gen 26:22), “spaciousness.” The story of these three wells to me provides a path from conflict to reconciliation.

First we have the rejection of Ishmael — this digs the well of Esek, the beginning of contention between brothers. Second we have the fight between Jacob and Esau – they dig the well Sitna, fighting which continues today. In parsha V’yishlach, which we read next week, we witness the reunion and reconciliation of Jacob and Esau. After leaving home, raising families—and in Jacob’s case wrestling with his shadow and returning with a new name Israel—the brothers reunite. While Jacob fears that Esau will attack him in retribution for past wrongs, they come together and “dig” the third well of spaciousness with a hug and peace.

It’s time to dig the third well in the Middle East. The word for “well,” B’ayre, also means “plain,” the plain truth. The wells of contention and fighting have been well-dug in the Middle East and we must see the plain truth of where this is leading us. The story of Esau and Jacob shows us that fighting brothers can return to peace. It is my prayer that Ishmael and Isaac, living as Arabs and Jews today, dig the third well of spaciousness and peace within their hearts and societies and write the final chapter of Esau and Jacob’s reunion. May the karmic conflict between Avraham’s children finally be reconciled and may peace be realized soon.