Parashat Toledot is a Tale of Two Blessings. But this tale is puzzling on several levels and demands to be understood. Rabbi Paul Bloom looks at a way to navigate a path through this maze of issues.
In
the second half of Parashat Toledot, Sefer Bereishit Chapter 27 revolves around
a dramatic pair of questions: Who will receive Yitzchak’s great
blessing? Who will be chosen to carry the covenant
forward into the next generation—Yaakov or Eisav?
What happened?
Where is Eretz Yisrael? Where is the mission to bring blessing
to the world? Why is the blessing so materialistic—so
un-Avraham-like? These questions, however, lead us to the deeper understanding of the entire parasha.
Was Yitzchak Really “Fooled”?
Chazal
and the classical mefarshim reject the simplistic reading that Yitzchak was
gullible. Yitzchak Avinu—the spiritual giant, the patriarch—was not naïvely
tricked by a bowl of food and a costume.
Following
the approach of the Malbim and the Sforno, we see a completely different
picture: Yitzchak knew exactly who his sons were.
● He knew
Yaakov was the “ish tam yoshev ohalim,” the spiritual heir, the one
destined to carry the covenant.
● He knew
Eisav was a man of action, strength, charisma, and worldly capability.
And
Yitzchak believed that each son had a role to play. His dream—his vision—was a partnership,
a partnership like the later model of Yissachar and Zevulun, where:
● Yissachar
dedicates himself to Torah
● Zevulun
engages the marketplace
● The two
support, respect, and need one another.
Yitzchak
envisioned Yaakov as the spiritual leader but Eisav as the powerful national
leader: the financier, the military protector, the political force. Yaakov
would teach Torah, spread emunah, and carry the covenant. Eisav would
provide the material infrastructure for that mission.
This was a brilliant plan—if it could work
Thus
the blessing Yitzchak gives—thinking Eisav is before him—is not the blessing of
Avraham. It is the blessing of worldly power, the blessing of a national
partner who would support Yaakov’s spiritual mission. Yaakov would receive his
blessing later—the true birchat Avraham—in Chapter 28, Yitzchak
explicitly gives him:
● the
covenant of Avraham,
● the
relationship with Hashem,
● and the
promise of Eretz Yisrael.
That
was always meant for Yaakov. But Yitzchak hoped for a partnership.
Why the Plan Failed
But
one person saw what Yitzchak did not: Rivka. She knew Eisav more deeply, more
honestly. She knew that Eisav was not simply a strong, worldly personality—he
was fundamentally self-centered. His talents and drive were aimed inward, not
upward. He lacked the anavah, the discipline, the spiritual sensitivity
to use power for a higher purpose.
Yitzchak
dreamed of Yissachar and Zevulun. Rivka saw Korach. Had Eisav received material
power, he would not have shared it with Yaakov. He would have used it for himself—not to build
a nation, but to feed an ego. Therefore the partnership could not stand. That’s
why Rivka ensures that Yaakov receives the first blessing as well—not because
Yaakov needed the power for its own sake, but because Eisav could not be
trusted with it.
Yaakov
would now have to carry both responsibilities:
● the
spiritual leadership
● and the
material-national leadership.
And
for that, he is sent to the “Harvard Business School” of Lavan, to learn the
worldly skills necessary to guide a nation.
A New Understanding of “I Already Gave the Blessing”
This
interpretation also explains one of the most puzzling moments in the parasha. Eisav
begs:
“Haven’t you a blessing for me, too,
Father?” And Yitzchak essentially answers: “I’m sorry—I already gave it away.” But why
should this be so? Are blessings like
coupons that can be used only once? Can a gadol ever say, “Sorry, I’ve
run out of berachot”?
The
answer is profound: A true berachah is not “I wish you wealth, success,
power, beauty.”
That is just good fortune. That is not a
Torah concept of blessing. A Torah berachah is:
“May you have success and use it for a
spiritual purpose— for building Torah, for elevating others, for bringing
Hashem’s presence into the world.” If a person cannot or will not use success
for spiritual ends, no true berachah is possible. Yitzchak is not refusing—he is recognizing
reality.
The Dream for Klal Yisrael
What emerges from this parasha is a blueprint for Jewish
society: The Jewish people need both forms of leadership—spiritual and
material. Both are holy. Both are necessary. But the key is mutual
respect.
Imagine
a society—imagine Eretz Yisrael today—where:
● The
military and economic leaders view Torah scholars not as a burden but as the
moral and spiritual backbone of the nation.
● And the benei
Torah view the soldiers, workers, innovators, and officials not as
distractions but as essential partners in building a Jewish state.
That
was Yitzchak’s dream. It remains the
dream of Mashiach ben Yosef and Mashiach ben David— a perfected partnership of
strength and spirit. Rivka understood that it was premature in her day. But the dream remains.
Our Role Today
We
live in a time when these tensions are real—perhaps more visible than ever. And yet the parasha calls us to strive for
Yitzchak’s vision:
● To honor
those who protect and build the physical nation
● To honor
those who preserve and teach the spiritual nation
● And to
foster deep respect between them, as partners, not adversaries.
This
is not only possible—it is our destiny.
Yehi Ratzon
May
we merit to see a generation in which the strengths of Yosef and Yehudah, of
Yaakov and Eisav’s potential, of Yissachar and Zevulun, unite to build
an Am Yisrael that is both strong and holy, prosperous and humble,
powerful and profoundly connected to Hashem.
May that partnership lead us swiftly toward ge’ulah.
