In this week’s Parsha, the Torah tells us that Yitzchok loved Eisav. Why? Ki tzayid befiv, because Eisav would supply him with hunted animals. Yitzchok loved Eisav because of the food that he provided him with. There is a big question here. How can it be that Yitzchok loved Eisav because of food? Yitzchak wasn’t chas vshalom a glutton. Yitzchok was so great – he was an oleh temimah, he was almost sacrificed on the mizbeach. He was not blemished in any sense. It seems so strange that the reason why Yitzchok loved Eisav was because of the food he would provide him with. What does this mean? Is this really why Yitzchok loved Eisav?
I heard from my father, Rav Yitzchok Fingerer shlita that the Shem Mishmuel, Rav Shmuel Bornsztain zt”l says that there’s a deeper meaning here. The Torah is teaching us a powerful lesson. Yitzchok understood that food was what mattered to Eisav. Hunting animals was Eisav’s hobby. Since Eisav was so into food, Yitzchok was willing to pretend that he cared about food. That’s why he took such an interest in Eisav’s hunting. Even though he was celestial and divine, Yitzchok was able to meet Eisav where he was. He was able to stoop down to a lower level.
Yitzchok is teaching us all an incredible lesson. When we deal with others, we need to take an interest in them. We need to look for ways to love them. We have the power to give someone self-esteem, a positive self-image, and faith in themselves. We can give a person the courage and fortitude to persevere and swim through difficult times. Vaye’ehav Yitzchak es Eisav, if Yitzchak could love Eisav, we could try to love others no matter how difficult it is.
A few decades ago, there was a young Jewish boy who lived in Canarsie, Brooklyn. He didn’t feel fulfilled, and he wanted to go out to explore the world. When he was seventeen, he left home and traveled 2,000 miles west. He went all the way to India to learn and explore more. As he started learning more, he began to dress like them in the traditional Indian garb.
In his quest and journey for truth, he decided to go to South Dakota, where there was a woman who supposedly had legendary foresight and was known as one of the holiest of them all. After a few days of traveling, Ben arrived and approached the wise woman. However, she refused to talk to him. She said, “I heard that you are not one of us. You don’t belong here.”
In shock, Ben asked her, “Why does it matter that I happen to be Jewish? I became one of you!” The lady refused to accept him and said, “From my understanding, you are not one of us. Go back to your roots. That’s where you belong.” Ben was dumbfounded. He was rejected. He spent so much time and effort in this Indian lifestyle. He had no idea what to do.
He went back home and began asking others for guidance. One person told him about Rav Shlomo Freifeld zt”l, the Rosh Yeshiva of Sh’or Yoshov. Ben called the Yeshiva and scudeled a meeting with Rav Freifled.
When they met, Rav Freifeld discussed Indian culture with Ben. These were the last topics Ben ever thought he would be discussing with a rabbi. During the next few weeks, Ben and Rav Freifeld spoke together for hours on end. One afternoon, as they were talking in the office, someone knocked on the door and told Rav Freifeld that he was needed outside. Rabbi Freifeld excused himself and told Ben he would return in a few minutes.
Being alone in the office, Ben got up from his chair and began walking around, gazing at the overflowing bookcases filled with sefarim. He walked near Rav Freifeld’s seat and noticed something unusual in a draw by his desk. There was a pile of books, and he bent down to look at them. To his amazement, the books were about Indians. It was about Indian culture!
Rabbi Freifeld was studying these books so he could understand where Ben was coming from. Rav Freifeld wanted to understand Ben and his culture to be able to help him return. Before he would meet with Ben, Rav Freifeld would read these books to be more familiar with him and to eventually help him return to Yiddishkeit. Ben studied at Sh’or Yoshuv for a few years, and he kept on growing. Now he is a Torah Jew! This is what it means to connect with others – to understand who they are and where they are coming from. Join our email list – email [email protected].
