בס”ד

Parashat Toldot (Offspring) Genesis 25:19-28:9

Shabbat Erev Rosh Chodesh

Haftarah: I Samuel 20:18-42

One of the most significant passages of the Bible appears in this week’s Torah portion. This passage is Isaac’s blessing of his younger son Jacob. Isaac did not receive the special revelation that Rebecca was told, namely that it would be Jacob who would carry on the heritage of G-d. In line with this was the fact that Jacob had purchased the birthright years earlier. In our Torah passage, it becomes known to Isaac that it was not Esau whom he had blessed (the eldest), but in fact the youngest son, Jacob. It was in regard to this that one reads,

“And Isaac trembled a great trembling unto very (much)…” Genesis 27:33

Why was Isaac so fearful of what had taken place? The answer is that he was greatly concerned about the possibility that he had blessed the wrong son. There is power when one blesses another and this blessing cannot be removed once stated. In other words, he feared the implications of his words, since he thought they were made to the wrong person. Because these words were spiritual in their very essence, they would have been wasted on the one who was not called by G-d to fulfill them. Even though this was not the case here, for Jacob was the proper recipient, the principle is warranted. One should be very careful not to invest his or her time and resources in that which is not the L-rd’s intent. This is one of the applications of Messiah’s statement:

“…and do not throw your pearls before the swine…” Matthew 7:6

In the same way that one cannot remove the words of a blessing, we cannot redeem the time and resources which are invested in that which is not HaShem’s will. This is why it is so vital that we pray carefully and listen to whom Yeshua wants us to bless, assist, help, etc., rather than casually give of our time, energy and emotion to those whom are not open to the truth of Scripture.

Shabbat Shalom