TOLDOS 1998

In the Torah portion Toldos, we learn how Yitzchak wanted to give the blessing to Esau; however, his wife, Rivka, and son, Yaacov, conspired so that the blessing would go to Yaacov.  Why was it, though, that Yitzchak wanted to give the blessing to Esau?  Didn't he know that Esau was running around with ruffians and was not the studious type that Jacob was? Besides, when we analyze the blessing he was going to give him, we know it was only material things.  The spiritual blessing of Abraham he actually gave to Yaacov when Yaacov left to go to Mesopotamia, supposedly to get a wife.
Perhaps we can understand why Yitzchak wanted to give the blessing to Esau if we examine the portion of the Torah which comes right before it.  We learn how there was a famine in the land, and how Yitzchak was commanded not to go down to Egypt as his fattier had done during a previous famine, but to remain in the land of Israel.  He did and went to modern day Gaza.  There he employed the same ruse that his father employed, and told his wife, who was a very beautiful woman, to pretend to be his sister.  It so happened that Avimelech, the king, saw Yitzchak and Rivka acting as husband and wife.  He became incensed and said, "You almost caused a big sin to happen to my people.  They may have taken your wife," and commanded that anybody who

would touch this man and his wife would surely die.  Yitzchak then planted in that land and reaped a hundred fold.  He became very wealthy. The Philistines became jealous of him and even Avimelech, who had invited him, said "Go out from us because you have become too mighty, too rich." This, of course, is the pattern of anti-Semitism, which has taken place over and over again throughout Jewish history.  First they invite the Jews in, and then when the Jews succeed they are very angry, and they expel us and harass us and hound us. We Jews were invited into Poland and for 500 years until 1648 we had a wonderful life there.  Then the Cossacks rebelled under Kamenetsky and the Jesuits blamed the Jews; the Cossacks killed a third of the Jews, and since then, Jewish life in Poland has been filled with virulent anti-Semitism.  Yitzchak responded to Avimelech by leaving.  He went into the Negev and dug wells.  When the people of Gaza heard about that, they argued with him claiming that the wells and that water was also theirs since it would flow into their borders, so once again he left and dug other wells further out, but they came again and quarreled with him, and he called the name of that place hatred.  He saw that their motives were not just jealousy, but that they did not want him to make a living at all.  He men moved again and dug another well. This well he called

Rechovot, which means ample.  He hoped now that they would see that there was room for everyone.  Avimelech now saw that everything Yitzchak did was successful, so he came with the head of his army and others to see Yitzchak. Yitzchak said, "Why do you come to me? You hate me.  You sent me out from your midst."  Avimelech told him, "Listen, if we wanted to do bad with you, we would not have sent you out; we would have killed you.  Let's make a treaty of peace between you and us."
This is the pattern of classical anti-Semitism.  Even today in Poland, there is terrible anti-Semitism among the masses. The editor of the Rice newspaper, who is not Jewish and not particularly favorable to Jews, went to Poland, and when he came back he told us how astonished he was to find the great hatred that still exists among the masses toward the Jews.  It is not the swastika which is the sign of contempt and disgust in Poland but the Star of David.  It is true that the elite in Poland want Jews to come back and build up the country.  My wife and I have just returned from a meeting in which the main subject was what the Christian churches have done to change their doctrine since the Holocaust.  The Christian churches have a very severe problem.  How could it

be that a religion which is based on love could have perpetrated such a monstrous crime, as the Christian theologian who presented the paper on the subject, commented.  The Holocaust is different from all other injustices in the world for the Christian churches because Hitler and all who assisted him can say, "We only did what you told us to do."  As far back as Saint John Chrysostom, who lived from 345 to 407 CE and who was called the Bishop with the golden mouth, Jews were called Christ killers.  He said, "The Jews are the most worthless of all men. They are lecherous, greedy, rapacious. They are perfidious murderers of Christ.  They worship the devil, their religion is a sickness.  The Jews are the odious assassins of Christ and for killing G-d there is no expiation possible, no indulgence or pardon.  Christians may never cease vengeance, and the Jew must live in servitude forever.  G-d always hated the Jews.  It is incumbent upon all Christians to hate the Jews."  This was taught in all seminaries until today.  After all, Saint John Chrysostom was one of the founders of the church.  Even Martin Luther said all Jews should be taken and placed in synagogues and the synagogues set afire. Because of these teachings of contempt, Jews have been hounded and persecuted throughout the centuries, especially by the church.  I remember as a kid passing a Catholic school and
being called a Christ killer and having to fight the other boys.  This was, of course, before Vatican Two.  Many of the churches now look with favor on Jews, but for some reason, they have an anti-Israel bias. They have transferred their anti-Jewishness to anti-Israelness. They believe mat Israel has to be perfect to have a right to exist.  Obviously, Israel is an imperfect society. There are murderers and thieves in Israel, not in as large a proportion as the United States, but they are there.  They still have a hard time with the concept that Judaism is a religion equal to theirs.  They believe they are the new Israel. They believe they have superseded Judaism.  Anti-Semitism, unfortunately, is still not dead.  This theologian who presented the paper to us stated how his students have been criticized by even their own parents for taking courses on Judaism because everybody knows that Judaism is a cursed religion and the Jewish people are a cursed people.  We hope that this teaching of contempt will end. The Moslems, of course, say the same thing about us.  Unless this teaching of contempt ends, this terrible sickness of anti-Semitism will just be transferred from one generation to another.
Yitzchak knew he had to face this anti-Semitism.  He knew that it was not going
to end just with this treaty with Avimelech.  He knew that his children were going to have to face it.  The people around would always envy Jewish success, and they would hold in contempt Jewish ideas and feel justified in striking out against the Jews.  His way of handling the problem was to withdraw, to move. He confronted Avimelech and was not obsequious.  He said, "Why are you coming to me? You hate me."  He knew that to handle anti-Semitic feelings you had to have wealth and position.  People had to need you, and sometimes you had to spread the money around a little.  He did not think that Yaacov had what it takes to survive in such a world. Yaacov was a student living in the tents.  Esau, he thought, could handle this problem, but that is why he blessed him with wealth.  He knew it takes wealth and contacts to be able to live with anti-Semitism.  Rivka knew better.  She came from the society which did not hold Jewish ideals in high esteem.  She knew that although Yaacov seemed to be a quiet type, he could handle things better than Esau.  After all, who resembled more her husband, Yitzchak, and he managed okay.
I am reminded of the story they tell abut a woman who called up an army base and said, "Thanksgiving is tomorrow.  I would like you to send over three
soldiers, but, please, no Jews."  The sergeant said he would. The next day at 3:00 p.m. a black soldier, an Vietnamese-American soldier, and a Filipino-American soldier knocked on her door.  She said, "There must be some mistake."  The black soldier said, "Ma'am, Sergeant Goldberg does not make any mistakes."
We all know that in this world we are going to face many challenges. Throughout history, people have used the Jews as a scapegoat for their own problems. They have envied our success and found fault with our ideals.  They have expected us to be perfect, even though they and their societies have not been perfect.  We, with G-d's help, have always persevered and overcome all problems.  We have done it only because we have had the qualities of Jacob. We have been studious, family oriented, ambitious, and caring.  We have always contributed mightily to every society in which we have lived.  Let us hope that we will always maintain these values so we will always be able to overcome all anti-Semitic attacks, as we have in the past, so the Mashiach will come quickly in our day.  Amen.