Parshas Toldos 5776
This is transcribed from questions that were posed to Harav Miller by the audience at the Thursday night lectures. To listen to the audio of this Q & A please dial: 201-676-3210
QUESTION:
Why did Yaakov Avinu merely take the bechoro away from Eisav? Why didn't he guide him in the right direction? Didn't he have opportunities to teach Eisav the truth?
ANSWER:
Let me explain something to you. Eisav was the older brother; he was born a minute before Yaakov Avinu and Yaakov Avinu called him adoni, my master. In those days they respected their older brother; the gemoro says that you have to respect your older brother. Eisav wouldn't take any instruction from Yaakov Avinu! My little brother, I know more than he does. I know how to shoot arrows, I know how to catch deer. He's a batlan (loser) that sits all day long in the house and listens to the father's Torah, mother's Torah. Shma b'ni musar avicha, al titosh toras imecha, what does he know?
Does he know how to climb trees? Does he know how to shoot deer? I'm a capable person! Therefore he looked down on Yaakov Avinu and wouldn't listen to him. Lo ye'ehav letz hocheiach (Mishlei 15:12), the letz doesn't want anybody to criticize him, el chachomim lo yeilech. Certainly if Eisav would have listened, Yaakov surely would have saved his life, would have saved his neshomo. But Eisav was far away from listening to anybody, he didn't even listen to his parents. Yaakov at least listened to his parents, Eisav didn't listen to anybody.
Therefore the man that doesn't want to listen, he thinks he's a chochom, he thinks he's arum (cunning), he's the fool whose life is wasted.
Important Numbers
