Following much davening and pleading to Hashem to alter her difficult plight of being incapable to conceive, Rivka, who has been desperate for a child, finally becomes pregnant. In fact, Hashem informs Rivka that she has actually been blessed to bear twins: “Shenei Goyim BeVitneich UShenei Le’umim MiMei’ayich Yipareidu ULom Milom Ye’ematz VeRav Ya’avod Tza’ir,” “Two nations are in your womb and two states. They will be divided from one another, starting from within you. One state shall become mightier than the other and the mighty one shall serve the lesser” (BeReishit 25:23).
These Pesukim preface the complex, and oftentimes contentious, relationship between Yaakov and Esav that begins to unfold in this week’s Parashah, and which has continued to manifest itself through their descendants throughout the ages to present day.
Yaakov and Esav mature and proceed on very divergent life paths. Yaakov develops into a “wholesome man” dwelling in tents of Torah scholarship, whereas Esav goes on to be a “cunning hunter, a man of the field” (ibid. 27). Towards the end of the Parashah, we read of how Rivka instructs Yaakov to approach Yitzchak to receive the Berachot. Yaakov is initially reluctant, as doing so will entail an element of deception which is anathema to him. Rivka, however, realizing the great importance of the Berachot and how it is imperative they be bestowed on Yaakov and his progeny, ultimately prevails on Yaakov to relent.
When Yaakov meets his father to receive the Berachot, Yitzchak, who is blind, is quite perplexed. Expecting Esav, Yitzchak notes that ”הַקֹּל֙ ק֣וֹל יַֽעֲקֹ֔ב וְהַיָּדַ֖יִם יְדֵ֥י עֵשָֽׂו,” that the individual before him speaks like Yaakov, yet physically feels like Esav (as Yaakov was wearing a hairy cloak that his mother provided him) (ibid. 27:22). The Midrash interprets this Pasuk homiletically, that so long as Yaakov’s voice is engaged in prayer and Limud HaTorah, Esav’s hands (i.e., his might) will be powerless to triumph over Yaakov. However, if Yaakov is lax in utilizing his voice for spiritual means, then Esav is empowered.
The Vilna Gaon elaborates on how Chazal derived this lesson from the Pasuk. He astutely notes that the word “Kol” is mentioned twice in the Pasuk, yet there is a discrepancy. In the first instance, the word “קֹּל֙” is spelled Chaseir, in its abbreviated form, with only a Kuf and a Lamed, but no Vav. By contrast, in the second instance, the word “ק֣וֹל” is spelled Malei, in its full form with the letters Kuf, Vav, and Lamed. The Vilna Gaon extrapolates that the missing Vav indicates that something is absent; our voice is lacking and not as loud as it could be. When this situation exists, it creates the potential of וְהַיָּדַ֖יִם יְדֵ֥י עֵשָֽׂו. This lesson was important during the times of our Patriarchs and continues to be relevant today as well.
We are unfortunately a people that has been discriminated against and persecuted throughout history. This, however, is not a phenomenon that has ceased in modern times, rather it remains fresh and continues to occupy front page news. Be it Kanye West, Kyrie Irving, the United Nations singular focus on Israel (most recently requesting that the International Court of Justice “urgently” weigh in on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Israeli “annexation”, while seemingly oblivious to atrocities throughout the world), and even something so mundane as ice cream sales where Ben and Jerry’s manages to find selling its products in Israel so abhorrent despite having no issue with sales in places like Iran, Saudi Arabia and China, antisemitism is regrettably alive and well.
In their book “Why the Jews?”, Dennis Prager and Jospeh Talushkin note that despite its prevalence on the world stage throughout history, antisemitism cannot be explained rationally. Jews have at times been hated for allegedly being a “fifth column”, unwilling to be integrated into the dominant society, and at others for being too assimilated. They have been loathed for being poor and parasitical, and similarly detested for their affluence and success, “controlling Hollywood” and the world financial system. This persistent and profound hatred is ultimately unexplainable.
If that is the case, what steps should we take to try rectifying this situation? Undoubtedly, we need to use our voice to speak out against discrimination and Jew hatred by, individually and collectively, protesting vehemently against antisemitism. However, while this remains critically important, by itself it is insufficient and misses the mark. Our Parashah teaches us that to safeguard our safety, security and prosperity, we must ensure that our “ק֣וֹל” is “Malei BeVav”. We must invest time, effort and enthusiasm into our davening and our Torah learning. We must use our voices in a “loud”, “full-throated” manner in the service of Hashem.