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Why did Yitzchok lose his eyesight? The Midrash attributes it to justifying Eisav—a form of bribery (shochad). The shiur develops a profound yesod: bribery doesn't just corrupt judgment; it distorts reality itself. Yitzchok saw Eisav's acts as genuine when they were theater. Only Moshe Rabbeinu maintained perfect sight—the ability to distinguish real mitzvos from performance—because he never validated evil.
Rabbi Zweig opens with a striking Midrash on Parshas Toldos (Bereishis Rabbah 65:5): "Vayehi ki zaken Yitzchok vatekhena einav mei'ros"—when Yitzchok grew old, his eyes dimmed from seeing. Chazal say that anyone who is matzik a rasha—who justifies a wicked person—because he received shochad (a bribe), will lose tzidkas hatzaddikim, the righteousness of the righteous, which the Midrash identifies as Moshe Rabbeinu's perfect eyesight. Moshe's eyes never dimmed ("lo khasu eino"), whereas Yitzchok's eyesight failed because he was matzik Eisav due to the "bribe" of food Eisav brought him. The shiur raises several fundamental questions: Why is the consequence of taking shochad specifically blindness? What does eyesight have to do with bribery? Why is Yitzchok Avinu accused of taking shochad—a term that implies corruption in judgment? And most puzzling: why does the Midrash call Moshe's clear vision "tzidkas hatzaddikim"—the righteousness of the righteous? Since when is good eyesight considered righteousness?
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Why does the Midrash connect Pharaoh's expulsion of the Jews to the mitzvah of shiluach hakan? The shiur develops a chiddush that Pharaoh's sin wasn't only drowning the children, but the insensitivity of expelling the parents afterward. The deeper analysis reveals that Pharaoh may have valued the Jews greatly and wanted to control them—making his expulsion an act of tremendous cruelty, not liberation.
Why does Moshe respond to the splitting of the sea with shirah rather than praise or thanksgiving? Rashi's use of "al libo" reveals that shirah is an emotional expression—a response of love to love. When Hashem shows personal care, the only adequate response is "I love You too," not mere gratitude or praise, and this principle applies to all relationships.
Bereishis 27:1 (Parshas Toldos), Bereishis Rabbah 65:5
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