~ The word "toldot" of our portion can be translated in many ways. To see possibilities, turn to page 4 and 41.
~ What do you make of the opening of our portion? Before diving into the Etz Chayim commentary, try to make up your own opinion.
אֵ֣לֶּה תוֹלְד֧וֹת הַשָּׁמַ֛יִם וְהָאָ֖רֶץ בְּהִבָּֽרְאָ֑ם בְּי֗וֹם עֲשׂ֛וֹת ה' אֱלֹקִ֖ים אֶ֥רֶץ וְשָׁמָֽיִם׃
אֵ֚לֶּה תּוֹלְדֹ֣ת נֹ֔חַ נֹ֗חַ אִ֥ישׁ צַדִּ֛יק תָּמִ֥ים הָיָ֖ה בְּדֹֽרֹתָ֑יו אֶת־הָֽאֱלֹקִ֖ים הִֽתְהַלֶּךְ־נֹֽחַ׃
These are the generations of Noah.—Noah was a righteous man; he was blameless in his age; Noah walked with God.—
אֵ֚לֶּה תּוֹלְדֹ֣ת שֵׁ֔ם שֵׁ֚ם בֶּן־מְאַ֣ת שָׁנָ֔ה וַיּ֖וֹלֶד אֶת־אַרְפַּכְשָׁ֑ד שְׁנָתַ֖יִם אַחַ֥ר הַמַּבּֽוּל׃
This is the line of Shem. Shem was 100 years old when he begot Arpachshad, two years after the Flood.
"אֵלֶּה תּוֹלְדֹת נֹחַ" הה"ד (משלי יא, ל ): "פרי צדיק עץ חיים" מה הן פירותיו של צדיק מצות ומעשים טובים ...
"These are the generations of Noach" - this is what is written: the fruit of the righteous is a tree of life" (Prov. 11:30). What are the fruits of the righteous person? The mitzvot and the good deeds...
(יט) וְאֵ֛לֶּה תּוֹלְדֹ֥ת יִצְחָ֖ק בֶּן־אַבְרָהָ֑ם אַבְרָהָ֖ם הוֹלִ֥יד אֶת־יִצְחָֽק׃
(19) This is the story of Isaac, son of Abraham. Abraham begot Isaac.
If you take all what came before, it is very odd that our portion begins that way. Why would the story of Itzchak begins with the recap of his birth to Avraham? There are several interesting ideas in our sources.
עֲטֶרֶת זְקֵנִים בְּנֵי בָנִים (משלי יז, ו), הָאָבוֹת עֲטָרָה לַבָּנִים, וְהַבָּנִים עֲטָרָה לָאָבוֹת. הָאָבוֹת עֲטָרָה לַבָּנִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (משלי יז, ו): וְתִפְאֶרֶת בָּנִים אֲבוֹתָם. הַבָּנִים עֲטָרָה לָאָבוֹת, דִּכְתִיב: עֲטֶרֶת זְקֵנִים בְּנֵי בָנִים. רַבִּי שְׁמוּאֵל בַּר רַב יִצְחָק אָמַר אַבְרָהָם לֹא נִצֹּל מִכִּבְשַׁן הָאֵשׁ אֶלָּא בִּזְכוּת שֶׁל יַעֲקֹב, מָשָׁל לְאֶחָד שֶׁהָיָה לוֹ דִּין לִפְנֵי הַשִּׁלְטוֹן וְיָצָא דִינוֹ מִלִּפְנֵי הַשִּׁלְטוֹן לִשָֹּׂרֵף, וְצָפָה אוֹתוֹ הַשִּׁלְטוֹן בְּאַסְטְרוֹלוֹגְיָאה שֶׁלּוֹ שֶׁהוּא עָתִיד לְהוֹלִיד בַּת וְהִיא נִשַֹּׂאת לַמֶּלֶךְ, אָמַר כְּדַאי הוּא לְהִנָּצֵל בִּזְכוּת בִּתּוֹ שֶׁהוּא עָתִיד לְהוֹלִיד וְהִיא נִשַֹּׂאת לַמֶּלֶךְ. כָּךְ אַבְרָהָם יָצָא דִינוֹ מִלִּפְנֵי נִמְרוֹד לִשָֹּׂרֵף, וְצָפָה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא שֶׁיַּעֲקֹב עָתִיד לַעֲמֹד מִמֶּנּוּ, אָמַר כְּדַאי הוּא אַבְרָהָם לְהִנָּצֵל בִּזְכוּתוֹ שֶׁל יַעֲקֹב, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב (ישעיה כט, כב): לָכֵן כֹּה אָמַר ה' אֶל בֵּית יַעֲקֹב אֲשֶׁר פָּדָה אֶת אַבְרָהָם, יַעֲקֹב פָדָה אֶת אַבְרָהָם. דָּבָר אַחֵר, עֲטֶרֶת זְקֵנִים בְּנֵי בָנִים, (בראשית כה, יט): וְאֵלֶּה תּוֹלְדֹת יִצְחָק בֶּן אַבְרָהָם.
"The crown of the elders is the children of their children (Prov. 17:6)". This means: the parents are the crown for the children, and the children are the crown of the parents. The parents are the crown of the children as it is written: "and the glory of the children are the parents" (Prov. 17:6). The children are the crown of the parents as it is written "the crown of the elders is the children of their children." Rabbi Shmuel bar Rav Itzchak said: Avraham was only saved from the fiery furnace due to the merit of Yaakov. This is similar to a person who had a capital judgment against him, and he was going to be burnt. But the highest authority in astrology had it for sure that he would be the father of a daughter who would marry the king. The [judge? unclear who is "he"] said it is worthwhile that he should be saved since his future is to sire a daughter who will marry the king. So too Avraham had a judgment to be burnt by Nimrod, but the Holy Blessed One saw that Yaakov was destined to come from him and said "it is worth for Avraham to be saved for the merit of Yaakov, as it is written "therefore, thus said the Ad-nai to the House of Yaakov who redeemed Abraham" (Isaiah 29:22) - it was Yaakov that redeemed Avraham. Another explanation: the crown of the elders are the grandchildren - "and these are the generations of Itzchak, the son of Avraham."
So in this vision, the story of Yitzchak begins because he is the one mediating between Avraham and Yaakov. Poor Itzchak has very little to say, he is more bridge than person in this reading. But in kabbalah, Yitzchak will have a lot of say. It is Rav Nachman of Bretslav who brings the most concise explanation.
~ Remind people that the avot and imahot, our ancestors, can be read as symbols for our own impulses and energies in the world, as well as symbols for the seven lower sefirot, which are the containers of those energies in a universal level.
11. This is the meaning of “Avraham begot Yitzchak” (Genesis 25:19). Avraham is lovingkindness. Yitzchak is strength (strict judgment), as in “the Dread of Yitzchak” (ibid. 31:42). In other words, holy judgment, which corresponds to Yitzchak, is born from and extends from Avraham, who is lovingkindness. For in truth, this judgment embodies great lovingkindness, because it is for the benefit of a person, as in “those whom God loves, He rebukes,” as explained above.
15. Now, the judgment associated with Yitzchak is mitigated through wisdom, which is knowledge of the Torah, as explained above. This is the aspect of Yaakov, who was born to Yitzchak. For the aspect of judgment/Yitzchak, which corresponds to the soul, begets two aspects: Yaakov and Esav. Yaakov corresponds to wisdom, to speech-with-wisdom, which is the aspect of mitigating the judgment associated with Yitzchak. Esav corresponds to the impurities and utter waste that devolve and descend from the aspect of judgment; he is the aspect of “a soul that transgresses” (Leviticus 5:17). This is: “These are the descendants of Yitzchak the son of Avraham” (Genesis 25:19)—and Rashi comments: Yaakov and Esav, as explained above.
~ So when you experience hardships, according to Reb Nachman, you have to remind yourself that they are clothed in love. Even when you have nothing to be thankful for, there is the thanks you can give for the learning experience of the hardship. And why am I saying that? Because being a Jew, a Yehudi, in Hebrew, is tied up with the attitude of thankfulness, of gratitude:
וַתַּ֨הַר ע֜וֹד וַתֵּ֣לֶד בֵּ֗ן וַתֹּ֙אמֶר֙ הַפַּ֙עַם֙ אוֹדֶ֣ה אֶת־ה' עַל־כֵּ֛ן קָרְאָ֥ה שְׁמ֖וֹ יְהוּדָ֑ה וַֽתַּעֲמֹ֖ד מִלֶּֽדֶת׃
She conceived again and bore a son, and declared, “This time I will thank Ad-nai.” Therefore she named him Yehudah. Then she stopped bearing.
מודֶה [מודָה] אֲנִי לְפָנֶיךָ מֶלֶךְ חַי וְקַיָּם, שֶׁהֶחֱזַרְתָּ בִּי נִשְׁמָתִי בְּחֶמְלָה, רַבָּה אֱמוּנָתֶךָ:
I offer thanks to You, living and eternal Sovereign, for You returned to me my soul; Great is Your faithfulness.
~ This prayer does not mean my day will be easy and perfect, and so I'm giving thanks in advance. No, it means that I give thanks because the day could not have been. God's faith in us is so great that even if I have not been good yesterday, I can be better today, and so I have another day to do so.
~ In a way, this is behind the proclamation of Thanksgiving by Abraham Lincoln:
Thanksgiving Proclamation from Abraham Lincoln 1863
No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy … I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States … to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and Union.
The nation is far from perfect, and he knows it. Yet giving thanks for what is might open us to see the greatness that it can be.
Minyan by Rabbi Rami Shapiro
Spirituality is living with attention.
Living with attention leads me to thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving is the response I have
To the great debt I accrue with each breath I take.
Attending to the everyday miracles of ordinary living
I am aware of the interconnectedness of all things.
I cannot be without you.
This cannot be without that.
All cannot be without each.
And each cannot be without every.
Thanksgiving is not for anything,
It is from everything.
May I cultivate the attention
to allow the thanks that is life
to inform the dance that is living.
From Everyday Spirituality by Rabbi David Teutsch
Cultivating an attitude of gratitude is crucial for Americans, who are conditioned to believe that we never have enough, no matter how much we have. Choosing to acknowledge just one blessing each morning is a good way to begin to train the heart and spirit to notice personal blessings and to move from a perspective of a glass half-empty to a glass half-full.
And to us, cultivating a sense of gratitude is what enables us to write our own stories, stories that see the glass half full - they are our toldot - our generations, our stories, our lines.
Pick up a new blessing to say every day. Write it down. Make it your own. And then write a new one.