What Were They Thinking?

#parshattoldot #Yitzhak #rebecca #esau #asav #yaakov #rivka #breisheet #familystories #whatweretheythinking

Parshat Toldot, as I wrote last year at this time, is a Parsha of action.

From the kicking of the fetuses in Rivka's womb, to the frenzied activity of Esav looking to eat the stew, to the great haste in which Yaakov departs at the conclusion of this Parsha, this Parsha abounds with verbs.(see the link to last year's post above)

Between all this activity exist vast gaps in the thought processes of the characters. The storyline is direct and moves matter-of-factly through pregnancy and birth, to the pivotal tale of the pot of stew and onto the story of the giving of blessings with few indications of why people act the way they do.

We conclude Parshat Toldot with one fascinating thought bubble that allows us a glimpse of Esav’s feelings after he doesn't receive Yaakov's blessing

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וַיִּשְׂטֹ֤ם עֵשָׂו֙ אֶֽת־יַעֲקֹ֔ב עַֽל־הַבְּרָכָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר בֵּרֲכ֖וֹ אָבִ֑יו וַיֹּ֨אמֶר עֵשָׂ֜ו בְּלִבּ֗וֹ יִקְרְבוּ֙ יְמֵי֙ אֵ֣בֶל אָבִ֔י וְאַֽהַרְגָ֖ה אֶת־יַעֲקֹ֥ב אָחִֽי׃

Now Esau harbored a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him; and Esav said to himself, “Let but the mourning period of my father come, and I will kill my brother Yaakov.”

This is not the only insight we have into the hearts of our characters, but its frankness and honesty surprise us.

What I would like to do this week is simple. It is an invitation to visit the text in instances where there is no explanation of what the character's inner dialogues are in a story that

has invited commentators over the ages to fill in the voids where thoughts might be.

So, let’s just say that this post ecourages you to pause and consider what Rivka, Yitzchak, Esav and Yaakov thought, considered, believed or worried about at various points in the story.

First, let us consider the beginning of the parsha where Rivka receives a message from God.

And GOD answered her,

“Two nations are in your womb,

Two separate peoples shall issue from your body;

One people shall be mightier than the other,

And the older shall serve the younger.”

Genesis 25:23.

We are left wondering what Rivka does with this information. Is it shared with Yitzhak? As a mother, how does she handle this information?

What was Rivka thinking? 🤔

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Later in the Parsha, in Perek 26, we learn about a famine in the land and God instructs Yitzhak not to leave the land. Following these instructions, the text states,

“So Yitzhak stayed in Gerar.”

Genesis 26:6

Yitzhak says nothing. As a character who is unusually silent, we can ask ourselves:

What was he thinking? 🤔

*

I will add two more examples.

In Bereisheet 27:5 Rivka had been listening as Isaac spoke to his son Esav about going to hunt for game and he would then bless him. When Esav had gone out into the fields to hunt, Rivka said to her son Yaakov,

“I overheard your father speaking to your brother Esav, saying, ‘Bring me some game and prepare a dish for me to eat, that I may bless you, with GOD’s approval, before I die."

Genesis 27:14

Once again, there is so much happening in this text, but we don’t know Rivka’s thoughts.

What might she have been thinking? 🤔

One more example for now. As chapter 27 continues Rivka hastens to Yaakov and gives him quick instructions. Yaakov expresses his doubts but goes and does what his mother asks.

“He got them and brought them to his mother, and his mother prepared a dish such as his father liked.”

Yaakov does what his mother asks and then goes to his father in disguise.

What was Yaakov thinking? 🤔

You may respond to these texts as mothers or fathers or brothers. You might imagine the doubts, the beliefs, the allegiance to family or a belief in Gd that prohibits questions. You might dwell on feelings, whether guilt or pride, or the anticipation of reward. You might approach this as a hunter or as a student. The choice is yours. Today we bring our imaginations to Parshat Toldot. Let's get started!