Torah Thoughts

  In parsha Toldos we learn that, while Yaakov was cooking red lentil stew, Eisav came home exhausted, and asked Yaakov to pour some of that red stuff into his mouth: וַיָּ֥זֶד יַעֲקֹ֖ב נָזִ֑יד וַיָּבֹ֥א עֵשָׂ֛ו מִן־הַשָּׂדֶ֖ה וְה֥וּא עָיֵֽף׃ וַיֹּ֨אמֶר עֵשָׂ֜ו אֶֽל־יַעֲקֹ֗ב הַלְעִיטֵ֤נִי נָא֙ מִן־הָאָדֹ֤ם הָאָדֹם֙ הַזֶּ֔ה כִּ֥י עָיֵ֖ף אָנֹ֑כִי עַל־כֵּ֥ן קָרָֽא־שְׁמ֖וֹ אֱדֽוֹם׃ Once when Jacob was cooking a stew, Esau came in from the field, exhausted. And Esau said to Jacob, “Give me some of that red stuff, for I am exhausted”—which is why he was named Edom.  (Genesis 25:29-30) Which Rashi explains means: "I will open my mouth and you pour it all in".  Now, this seems like a very odd request, and should raise a red flag of suspicion. Have you ever heard such a wild request made by an adult hairy man, asking his host to pour a pot full of stew into his mouth, while he keeps his mouth wide open? Why not simply ask the host to give him a very large plate of stew with a ver...

In parsha Toldos, we read that  וַיֶּאֱהַ֥ב יִצְחָ֛ק אֶת־עֵשָׂ֖ו כִּי־צַ֣יִד בְּפִ֑יו וְרִבְקָ֖ה אֹהֶ֥בֶת אֶֽת־יַעֲקֹֽב And Isaac loved Eisav, because of  trapped meat  (צַ֣יִד - tzaid)  in his mouth, while Rivkah loved Yaakov. ( Bereishit 25:28) Rashi explains: בפיו. כְּתַרְגּוּמוֹ בְּפִיו שֶׁל יִצְחָק. וּמִדְרָשׁוֹ בְּפִיו שֶׁל עֵשָׂו, שֶׁהָיָה צָד אוֹתוֹ וּמְרַמֵּהוּ בִדְבָרָיו: As the Targum renders it: in Isaac’s mouth (i.e. Isaac ate the trapped meat he brought home). But its Midrashic explanation is: there was hunting  ( צַ֣יִד - tzaid )   in Eisav's   mouth, meaning that he used to entrap and deceive him by his words (Genesis Rabbah 63:10). Question: How can a tzaddik such as Isaac be entrapped and fooled by Eisav with a piece of meat (tzaid)? The Midrash says that Eisav would ask questions about tithing salt and straw every time he came into the house of Isaac. Can a tzaddik really be...