Ya’akov Avinu desperately wants to acquire the birthright from his brother Eisav. What prompted Ya’akov to buy the birthright when he did?

The Gemara in Baba Batra 16B points out other occurrences that happened on that very day. Firstly, Avraham Avinu died. In fact, the food that Ya’akov used to buy the birthright was being made for Yitzchak Avinu, who was mourning the loss of his father. It is customary for mourners to eat lentils, as the Gemara mentions, in order to assist in the consolation process. Secondly, Rav Yochanan says that Eisav committed the gravest of his sins on that very day. It became clearer than ever that Eisav was not fit for the birthright or the precious Brachot that were associated with it. Avraham Avinu’s passing made Ya’akov more keenly aware that the Brachot would ultimately be transmitted to the next generation, and it was paramount that he obtain them instead of Eisav.

Eisav approached Ya’akov to ask for some of the soup he was making. When Ya’akov asked for the birthright in return for the food, Eisav’s response was “Since I am going to die, what good is the birthright to me?”(Bereshit 25:32). It seems that Eisav was aware of the birthright’s value, however, in light of the fact that he was going to die, Eisav was willing to sell it to Ya’akov Avinu.

Various reasons are given as to what Eisav meant when he said he was going to die. Whether it was because he thought he would die of starvation, or, as Rashi points out, it was because Eisav realized that with the birthright, his descendants would serve in the Beit Ha’Mikdash and the slightest deviation would be punishable by death, he must have felt some regret that he would not be next in the prestigious lineage of Avraham and Yitzchak.

After Ya’akov and Eisav agreed to the transaction and Eisav took an oath on the sale, Ya’akov gave his brother food and drink. The Pasuk states “… Ya’akov gave Eisav bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank, and he got up and left, and Eisav denigrated the birthright” (Bereshit 25:34). The Sforno clarifies that after the sale, Eisav did not even have the slightest regret due to his contemptuous view of the birthright.

How could this be? Eisav, who just a few minutes earlier had some level of appreciation for the birthright and only sold it because he was “going to die,” suddenly had such a strong aversion towards the birthright and viewed it with denigration and contempt.

This episode can teach us all a valuable lesson in human psychology. No one wants to be wrong or admit to his or her mistakes. If Eisav had allowed himself to maintain his appreciation for the birthright, he would have had to deal with the fact that he had made a terrible mistake. He would need to admit that he had sold his special claim as the first born of Yitzchak Avinu for a mere bowl of food. Eisav needed to denigrate the birthright in order to justify the sale and remove any guilty sentiments. We must be on guard at all times to thoroughly check the motives for our feelings. There is a need for real intellectual honesty without the many rationalizations that we are capable of making. Admitting we made a mistake may be difficult, but rationalizing and corrupting our beliefs and standards is catastrophic. Being aware of this should help us maintain our constant vigilance in our quest for intellectual honesty.

Editor-in-Chief: Asher Naghi ’14

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In Memory of Mr. Jack Gindi לע”נ יעקב אליהו בן אליהו הכהן In Memory of Mr. Max Glass לע”נ שמואל מרדכי בן שלמה זאב יוסף

ליקוטי אורA publication of YULA Boys High School

Likutei Ohr

The Ba’al Shem Tov, the founder of Chasidic Judaism and one of the greatest Tzadikim of all time, was once asked how to develop a love for Hashem. His advice was to first develop a love for one’s fellow man, and the love for Hashem would surely follow. While the individual attempts to eliminate the barriers that prevent him from becoming close to his fellow human beings, he also eliminates the barriers that interrupt his relationship with Ha’Kadosh Baruch Hu. David Ha’Melech profoundly expresses the idea of breaking down barriers in Tehillim:“The desire of the humble you have heard, O God. Guide their heart, let Your ear be attentive” (Tehillim 10:17). Having the proper attitude toward Tefillah is not something that we can do on our own, but rather, it is something that requires Hashem’s assistance. The effort we put in to rid ourselves of the separations between our peers is the key to creating a sincere, precious connection with Ha’Kadosh Baruch Hu, which, as a result, leads to a meaningful, heartfelt Davening. Only when such an effort is made will we be able to truly connect with our Creator.

Tefillah Gems Yonah Hiller ’14

Parshat ToldotOur Quest for Intellectual Honesty Rabbi Dov Rosenbluth

The Flame of Our

Ancestors

“It is not your obligation to complete

the task,but neither are you at

liberty to desist from it entirely”

- Rabbi Tarfon

Volume II : Issue VIThe Pamphlet of Light

YULA Boys High School Nagel Family Campus 9760 W. Pico Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90035 Tel: 310.203.3180

“[Yitzchak] did not recognize [Ya’akov] because [Ya’akov’s] arms were as hairy as his brother Eisav’s …” (Bereshit 27:23). Our question: how did Yitzchak Avinu think that Eisav was worthy of his eminent blessing? Even if we grant that Eisav fooled his father into thinking that he was a Tzadik, how could Yitzchak Avinu not know that Ya’akov Avinu was the greater Tzadik of the two brothers? At least he should have decided to give Ya’akov a similar blessing.

Yitzchak was aware of his sons’ unique talents and abilities. Ya’akov was a more spiritual son. Eisav, as his name implies, was a “doer.” Eisav tried to trick his father into believing that he wished to maintain a balance between the exploitation of his more worldly talents and his spiritual skills. Eisav was well suited to engage in physical abilities. Had he wanted, he could have been a vehicle for holiness. However, there was one essential ingredient that he did not express; he did not show love towards his brother. Eisav was made to support Ya’akov Avinu. If he had been willing, he could have worked hard enough to bring home a gift, a reward to share with his brother, but he would never imagine doing such a kind deed.

Although Yitzchak was intelligent and wise, Eisav was the son of Yitzchak and Rivkah as well as the nephew of the wicked Lavan. Consequently, he managed to come up with a plan to double-cross his father: Eisav pretended to be generous on the matters of eating and drinking. When Eisav provided food for his father, Yitzchak Avinu thought that Eisav was advancing his pursuit of his balance between Gashmyut and spirituality. Instead, Eisav was attempting to manipulate his father and receive the blessing for wealth.

He would have succeeded if it had been not for Rivkah. She had enough knowledge to know that her evil son was up to no good. So, she persuaded Ya’akov Avinu to use some trickery to acquire Yitzchak's blessing. Why was this necessary?

Yitzchak Avinu was ahead of his time. He wanted the world to understand his level of sustaining a balancing act. However, at that time in history, man had still not been forgiven for the sin of eating from the tree of knowledge, so instead of loving their Talmidei Chachamim, they utterly despised them and wanted success and wealth only for their own selfish needs. Eisav was among these men that did not wish to support the scholars of his generation, which included Ya’akov. So our righteous father had to “steal” the Bracha so that his evil brother would not know.

The time will come when every Jew will be fully dedicated to Torah. Until then, we might have to disguise ourselves and wear the hairy and uncomfortable clothes to earn what we need to support ourselves and mankind alike.

The Guise of Ya’akov Joshua Partovi ’17

What It Looks Like Jordan Lustman ’15We often do not fully understand a person’s actions. It is truly impossible to be able to put ourselves in our friend's shoes, which is a

shortcoming of all humans that often leads to misinterpretations. This knowledge can help us understand why Rivkah wanted Ya’akov to receive the blessing that Yitzchak had intended to give to his first-born, Eisav, who was originally supposed to receive the Bracha. However, why exactly would Rivkah go so far as to mislead Yitzchak in order to secure the blessing for Ya’akov?

Earlier in the Parshah, Rivkah has some difficulties during her pregnancy. She decides to visit a Navi in order to understand the problems she has been experiencing. The prophet tells her, much to her surprise, that she is carrying twins. The Navi goes on to say that when the children grow up, the elder son, who turns out to be Eisav, will end up serving the younger Ya’akov. Rivkah, having never told Yitzchak about the prophet’s foreboding prediction, felt scared; she feared that what the Navi said would scare Yitzchak. When Rivkah saw that her oldest son was going to be blessed, she remembered the prophecy and became concerned. How could it have been that, after the prophecy, that Eisav would be blessed and not Ya’akov? Rivkah, therefore, felt justified in taking action and tricked Yitzchak into blessing Ya’akov first.

If there is one thing that we can take away from this whole succession of events, it is the following: We, as viewers on the outside, do not truly understand what is going on in someone else’s head. We can never truly understand why someone does something. However, there is one thing that we can and must do. We must give Dan L’Chaf Zechut, give the benefit of the doubt. Sure, we may feel that Rivkah acted in an inappropriate manner, but we do not truly know why Rivkah did what she did, and what the consequences would have been had she not done what she did. Especially with such a Tzadeket, we must surmise that her actions were based upon good intentions.

Whenever we deal with our fellow man, we must give them the benefit of the doubt because we may perceive our friends’ actions incorrectly. Such misconceptions can lead to rifts Ben Adam La’Chaveiro and among K’lal Yisroel as a whole. So give the benefit of the doubt because who knows–nothing is ever as it seems.

We conclude every Shabbat with the recitation of the Havdalah. The following is an overview of its pertinent Halachot. When one recites the Bracha of Borei Pri Ha’Gafen, he should hold the Kos, or cup, in his right hand and the Besamim in his left hand. Next, one says Borei Minei Besamim and switches the objects: he now holds the Besamim in his right and the cup in his left. If one is left handed, the above is reversed. We never put down the Kos during Havdalah because we want all the Brachot of Havdalah to be connected to the wine. When one says Borei Mi’Orei Ha’Eish, one should put the Besamim down, keep the wine in his left hand, and extend his right hand towards the flame. The Minhag is to use a Havdalah candle that has multiple wicks and that resembles a torch so that one receives greater benefit from the light. In order to say the Bracha, one must receive some benefit from the candle, so it is customary to shut the lights off so that the candle provides illumination. In order to ensure that the light is providing benefit, we hold our hands up and check to see if the candle generates enough light so that we can distinguish between our fingernails and the skin. There is a disagreement among the Poskim whether one should say the Bracha before or after observing one’s fingernails. The reason we have Besamim is because after Shabbat, we lose our Neshama Yeteira, our extra soul, which was granted to us on Shabbat; the Besamim reinvigorates our leftover, weekday Neshama. We use a candle by Havdalah in order to commemorate the creation of fire, which occurred on Motzei Shabbat.

Halachic IlluminationsFrom Rabbi Nachum Sauer

Compiled By Your Senior Editor Micah Hyman