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Why does the Torah (תורה) say "ve'eileh toldos Yitzchok" instead of "eileh"? The shiur analyzes Rashi (רש"י)'s account of the scoffers who questioned Yitzchok's paternity after decades of Sarah's barrenness, and why Hashem (ה׳) made Yitzchok look exactly like Avrohom. This miracle wasn't just to answer doubters—it established that Klal Yisroel's connection to Avrohom is biological, not merely ideological, which fundamentally shapes Jewish identity and character traits like chesed (חסד) and rachmanus.
The shiur opens with a textual difficulty: why does the Torah (תורה) introduce Parshas Toldos with "ve'eileh toldos Yitzchok" (and these are the generations of Yitzchok) rather than "eileh toldos Yitzchok"? According to the Midrash's rule, "ve'eileh" (with the vav) indicates continuation from what came before, while "eileh" (without the vav) marks a new beginning, often separating the righteous from the wicked. The immediately preceding verses discuss Ketura's children and Yishmael's descendants—all considered reshaim who were sent away from Avrohom's legacy. Logic would suggest the Torah should use "eileh" to distinguish Yitzchok and Yaakov from these earlier, rejected descendants. Yet it says "ve'eileh," implying connection rather than separation. Rabbi Zweig challenges the traditional approach of some mefarshim who suggest that the word "toldos" is written deficiently (chaser) to exclude Esav. This interpretation is problematic because Rashi (רש"י) explicitly states that both Yaakov and Esav are included in these toldos. Moreover, even if we wanted to exclude Esav, why use "ve'eileh" which connects to the reshaim, rather than "eileh" which would properly separate Yaakov from them?
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Bereishis 25:19
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