TOLDOS 1996

In the Torah portion Toldos we learn how Rivka finally gets pregnant after twenty years of trying.  She has a very difficult pregnancy.  The Torah says, "And the children agitated within her."  Rashi explains, based on the Medrash, that the word Eesrotzetsu really comes from the word to run.  The Medrash says that when she would pass a house of study Jacob would run to go out, but when she would pass a house of idol worship Esau would eagerly jump to run out to go there.  The rabbis comment that when it comes to doing good deeds, many times we act in a measured and orderly way, but when it comes to doing misdeed, we passionately jump to do them.  The rabbis comment that when the Jewish people received the Torah they even overslept and when the came to Mount Sinai they came in an orderly way. However, when it came to demanding that Moshe send spies to the land of Canaan, they all eagerly pressed forward upon him paying no attention to rank or order.
The truth of the matter is that when it comes to doing good deeds, we many times do them in a passionless way, but when it comes to doing evil or questionable deeds, we do them with great gusto and enthusiasm.  It is true that when you hate somebody, you usually hate them with a lot more energy than if you just like or love a person.  Somehow the negative qualities seem to attract greater energy than the positive qualities.  It is a lot easier to write a check to go gambling in Las Vegas than it is to write a check to the UJA or to our synagogue.
Based on this phenomenon, Rabbi Soloveitchik explains why the Talmud says that a Baal Teshuva has a higher place in heaven than a person who never sinned.  A Baal Teshuva brings the great passions that he or she previously used to pursue questionable goals and

brings them to bear on religious and positive goals.  We need to have this enthusiasm and passion when we do good things.
Obviously, what we are dealing with in this Torah portion when we talk about the boys in the womb is not en evil Esau and a good Jacob.  After all, the boys had not been born yet.  They could not be held culpable for anything until they were at least born.  I am reminded of the story they tell about a rabbi, a minister, and a priest who were discussing when life begins. The priest said life begins at the moment of conception, the minister said life begins at the moment of birth, and the rabbi said life begins when your children have graduated college. The boys in the womb represent the evil inclination and the good inclination, the rabbis say. The evil inclination represents man's passions.  The rabbis also teach us that these passions are not necessarily evil.  They are absolutely necessary for the world to continue.
That's why when G-d created the world, He said that the world was very good.  The rabbis explain that the word "very" refers to the evil inclination. We know that without ambition and drive and sexual energy the world could not continue.  The rabbis tell the story about how after the destruction of the first Temple, the Jewish people complained to G-d saying, "G-d, it's Your fault we sinned.  You gave us the evil inclination."  G-d said, "All right, I'll remove it."  He did.  Nobody got married, no homes were built, nobody planted their fields, etc.  The Jewish people then asked that G-d restore the evil inclination, and He did but not with such great force.
The Talmud also says there are three gifts that G-d gave man.  One was the evil inclination, the second was envy, and the third was mercy. What the Talmud meant was that we can only make progress in this world if we have ambition and drive and passion.  There is nothing wrong with passion as long as it is wedded to good and morality.  That's why Yaacov and Esau were twins. The idea was the good of Yaacov should be wedded to the passion of Esau.  Yaacov recognized that he needed Esau.  Unfortunately, Esau did not recognize that he needed Yaacov.
In our day, too, we need the passion of people who return to Judaism or who find Judaism. Many Jews who are born with Judaism and practice it have succumbed to a passionless rote type of Judaism. This is important, too, because it shows that they are very comfortable with it, but it does not have the passion which will allow Judaism to elevate our lives. As Rabbi Soloveitchik said, we must take the passions which are usually associated with negative emotions and use them positively.  Perhaps that is why Yaacov sinned by tricking his father and taking the blessing from his brother. This gave him an insight into his own soul.  It showed him what passion can do if used negative.  However, if passions are used positively, they can elevate us. We must always have enthusiasm in all our relationships.  It is important that our synagogue exude passion and enthusiasm moderated, of course, by good sense and morality.  The same thing is necessary in any relationship, especially a marriage relationship. We should be passionate and enthusiastic about our relationships while also exercising good sense and morality.
I am reminded of the story they tell about a man who was an efficiency expert.  He was giving a demonstration at a factory.  One of the workers asked him, "Do you also apply these techniques at home?"  He told the worker, "It is not a good idea." The worker then asked him, "Have you ever done it?" He replied, "Yes, once I told my wife as she was making breakfast that she could save a lot of time making breakfast if she would take two or three things out of the refrigerator at the same time." The worker asked, "Did it work? Did it save time?" The man said, "Yes, it certainly did. It used to take my wife twenty minutes to make breakfast and now it just takes me seven,"
It is important that we learn how to do good passionately and enthusiastically. It is important that we always wed our passions to good. If we do that, we can create wonderful relationships, wonderful communities, and wonderful marriages so the Mashiach will come quickly in our day. Amen.