In this week’s Torah portion Toldot we read about the twin Jacob and Esau. And although they were twin they were fundamentally different from one another. For Esau, the body is an end in itself; for Jacob, the body is a vehicle to serve Hashem. Compare how Esau and Jacob respectively eat. Esau wants to be force-fed like a camel and drinks himself into a drunken stupor. Jacob washes his hands and says a blessing. Before he eats a morsel of bread, he sits at the table and says another blessing. He eats slowly in complete composure and pushes his plate away before he’s satiated. He then makes a final blessing over his meal. Jacob with his Torah, his lofty level of morals, his emuna and his refined character, is a dazzling bright light compared to Esau, who is a façade or respectability, but the cruelest and crassest of gluttons underneath. Esau and Jacob were twins. The Torah and its ethics are what makes them different. One who chooses a life of Torah and service of Hashem chooses the path of Jacob. One who opts for the path of bodily gratification and pleasure seeking chooses the path of Esau. The choice is up to each of us.
Posted on: Mon, 17 Nov 2014 17:45:37 +0000
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