25:26 (בן ששים שנה: עשר שנים משנשאה עד שנעשית בת שלש עשרה שנה וראויה להריון ועשר שנים הללו צפה והמתין לה כמו שעשה אביו לשרה, כיון שלא נתעברה ידע שהיא עקרה והתפלל עליה. ושפחה לא רצה לישא, לפי שנתקדש בהר המוריה להיות עולה תמימה) The first Dvar Torah is about the Tefillah for the birth of children. Rashi brings the well known Chazal that Rivkah was 3 years old at the time she married Yitzchok. With that, Rashi makes a Cheshbon that until she was 13 she was not Ra’oi to have children, another 10 years they didn’t have children and then they were Mispallel. It is very difficult to understand, Rivkah got married at 3 years old, Lavan sent her with Eliezer, and Eliezer is asking her to fill up pitcher of water for camels. Tosafos argues and says in Maseches Yevamos 61: (וכן הוא אומר והנערה טובת מראה מאד. תימה דהכא משמע דרבקה נערה היתה ובסדר עולם (פ”א) תניא בהדיא שהיתה בת שלש כשנשאה יצחק ואי אפשר להגיה דהא תניא התם יצחק אבינו כשנעקד על גבי המזבח היה בן שבעה ושלשים שנה ובו בפרק נולדה רבקה וכתיב ויהי יצחק בן ארבעים שנה וגו’ נמצאת שהיתה בת ג’ וה”ר שמואל חסיד משפיר”א הוכיח שהיתה בת י”ד) that Rivkah was 14 years old.
To try to understand Rashi, Rav Schwab gives an insight that answers a Kasha that was asked in Parshas Vayeira. Rav Schwab says it is hard to understand that Rivkah was 3 years old. There is a concept of Ibur Neshamos. This means that one Neshama can have a Hashpa’a on another Neshama. We understand that concept when we name a child after someone. That idea is that somehow there is a connection between the 2 Neshamos. Rav Schwab suggests that physically Rivkah was 14 years old. What happened was at the end of Parshas Vayeira in 22:20 ( וַיְהִי, אַחֲרֵי הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה, וַיֻּגַּד לְאַבְרָהָם, לֵאמֹר: הִנֵּה יָלְדָה מִלְכָּה גַם-הִוא, בָּנִים–לְנָחוֹר אָחִיךָ) that at the time of the Akeidah and Sara being Niftar, Rivkah is born. The fact that Rivkah was born at this time, connected her Neshama to Sara’s Neshama.
We find when Rivkah is brought into Sara’s tent in 24:67 ( וַיְבִאֶהָ יִצְחָק, הָאֹהֱלָה שָׂרָה אִמּוֹ, וַיִּקַּח אֶת-רִבְקָה וַתְּהִי-לוֹ לְאִשָּׁה, וַיֶּאֱהָבֶהָ; וַיִּנָּחֵם יִצְחָק, אַחֲרֵי אִמּוֹ), meaning Yitzchok was then consoled for the loss of his mother. The reason why he was consoled is because Rivkah had the Ibur Neshamos. The new Rivkah with the Ibur Neshamos was now 3 years old. It fits well with what we understand that at a Bar Mitzvah a person has a Hashlomas Haneshoma. It fits well with the Tosafos that she was 14 because she had the Ibur Haneshoma at 11 before her Bas Mitzvah.
This idea would work well in making a sort of Pesharah between the 2 Shittos, physically she was 14 and the Ibur Neshama happened 3 years earlier. At the end of Parshas Vayeira we find in 22:20 that Avraham was worried after the Akeida that Yitzchok was not married and Rashi says that Avraham was told a Bisurah that Rivkah, Yitzchok’s Zivug was born. If she was born then, what was the big thing that Avraham sent Eliezer to find someone, just send him to look for the girl who is 3 years old and is capable of getting married, there couldn’t of been too many people who fit into this category?
According to Rav Schwab it is good. Avraham was told that there was someone who was ready; however, it wasn’t known how old the person was because of this idea of Ibur Neshama. So Mimeila Avraham sent Eliezer to find her.
We have an incident in which Avimelech gets into a squabble with Yitzchok. After this, Avimelech and Fichol come together to make Shaloim with Yitzchok. It says they made it a Bris between them in 26:33, (וַיִּקְרָא אֹתָהּ, שִׁבְעָה; עַל-כֵּן שֵׁם-הָעִיר בְּאֵר שֶׁבַע, עַד הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה) Meaning, He named it Shiva, therefore the city is called Be’er Sheva until this very day. Pashut Pshat in the Posuk is that it was named after the 7th Be’er. Rashi says, (שבעה: על שם הברית) At any rate it is difficult. It already says earlier in 26:23 that (וַיַּעַל מִשָּׁם, בְּאֵר שָׁבַע) That Yitzchok went to Be’er Sheva. In Parshas Vayeira 21:31 we already have that Avraham named it Be’er Sheva (עַל-כֵּן, קָרָא לַמָּקוֹם הַהוּא–בְּאֵר שָׁבַע: כִּי שָׁם נִשְׁבְּעוּ, שְׁנֵיהֶם). Al Pi Pshat it is very difficult to understand. The Meshech Chochmah and Netziv both say, that the city was called Be’er Sheva. However, subsequently, the Bris was broken when Avimelech’s people made trouble for Yitzchok. Yitzchok came and made a new Bris between them and was again Mefarseim the name בְּאֵר שֶׁבַע, עַד הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה.
This idea that a person can give a name to a city that already has a name brings to mind a Noide B’yehuda which Rebbi learned in Yeshiva now in Maseches Gittin. The Teshuva is in Even Ha’ezer and it is about a city in Poland named Piltz. They were writing a Get and the city was always spelled Pei, Yud, Lamed, Tes, Ende Tzaddik. A new Rav came to town and said this is an incorrect spelling because in Lashon Koidesh you can never have 3 Sh’va sounds one after the other. He spelled it without the Tes on 2 Gittin. Earlier there had already been Gittin with the Tes. People wrote the Noide B’yehuda asking if the new Rav was correct or not. This was one case where knowing too much Dikduk caused problems because the Noide B’yehuda wrote back that the original spelling was correct. It should have the Tes and the rules of Dikduk don’t apply to other languages. However, due to Kavod Harav the Noide B’yehuda asked that for the next 30 days they should be Machriz in every Shul in town and say that the city’s name is spelled without the Tes. Just like we can change a person’s name so to you can change the name of a city and with this Hachraza, he made that there wouldn’t be any Lav made on the Gittin. Of course the Chidush is that you can change the name of a city which we learn here from Yitzchok, that he called the city Be’er Sheva which happened to be the same name, however, with a different Tam. What we learn B’derech Mussar is the tremendous Kavod Hatalmid Chochom that the Noideh B’yehuda had.
27:34 This Dvar Torah is B’sheim the Netziv and Rav Tzaddoik. The Posuk says, “ כִּשְׁמֹעַ עֵשָׂו, אֶת-דִּבְרֵי אָבִיו, וַיִּצְעַק צְעָקָה, גְּדֹלָה וּמָרָה עַד-מְאֹד; וַיֹּאמֶר לְאָבִיו, בָּרְכֵנִי גַם-אָנִי אָבִי.” When Eisav heard what happened that Yaakov took the Brochois, the Posuk describes his scream as צְעָקָה, גְּדֹלָה וּמָרָה עַד-מְאֹד. We find by Mordechai in the Megillah a similar Lashoin, Vayiz’ak Ze’a’ka Umara. Chazal tell us in a Medrash on the Megillah, that this was an Oinesh. Yaakov had caused Eisav to scream with a צְעָקָה, גְּדֹלָה וּמָרָה, and K’neged that, Eisav’s descendent Haman caused Yaakov’s descendent Mordechai to Vayiz’ak Ze’a’ka Umara.
Let’s say there had to be an Oinesh, Yaakov did it L’sheim Shamayim Al Pi Rivkah. Why is there an Oinesh for Yaakov’s screaming? We find in 27:33, “וַיֶּחֱרַד יִצְחָק חֲרָדָה, גְּדֹלָה עַד-מְאֹד.” Yitzchok who was certainly more Kadoish than Eisav also had been anguished by Yaakov. So why is there no Oinesh for the Charada of Yitzchok as there was an Oinesh for the Tze’a’kah of Eisav?
Sometimes a person is performing a Mitzvah however; it comes in the Tzurah of an Aveira. It is unusual; however, sometimes it is a Mitzvah to steal or to fool. Yaakov came to do a Mitzvah that was in the Tzurah of an Aveira. The Yesoid is, when you do a Mitzvah that comes in the Tzurah of an Aveira, a person has to do it 100% Lishmah. If it is not 100% Lishmah, the Cheilek of the Aveira is still there.
Yibum is the perfect example of a Mitzvah that comes in the Tzurah of an Aveira. A woman marrying a brother in law is an Aveira. Here by Yibum it is a Mitzvah, however, it is in the Tzurah of an Aveira. The Gemara says that with the Yeridois Hadoirois when people were not Mechavain Lishmah, we stopped doing Yibum and started doing Chalitzah. How can we tell people not to do a Mitzvah? We learn from a Posuk that Yibum is better than Chalitzah? Nevertheless, since it is a Mitzvah B’tzuras Aveira, the Gemara teaches us that a Mitzvah B’tzuras Aveira has to be 100% Lishmah.
The Chofetz Chaim says the same thing regarding Lashoin Hora L’toi’eles. Of course you are allowed to say Lashoin Hora when there is a Toi’eles and you have to warn somebody to stay away from someone else. One of the conditions of saying Lashoin Hora L’toi’eles of the Chofetz Chaim is, you don’t have any arguments with that person or hatred towards him. You are not getting a Geshmak out of saying this piece of Lahsoin Hora. If there is a She’loi Lishma mixed in then it is a Mitzvah B’tzuras Aveira. Loi Samoid al Dam Re’acha, L’toi’eles, you have to tell the Lashoin Hora, but it has to be 100% Lishmah. If it is not 100% Lishmah, then you don’t do a Mitzvah if it comes about through B’tzuras Aveira.
The same thing here, Yaakov undoubtedly was doing it Lishmah, and when “ וַיֶּחֱרַד יִצְחָק חֲרָדָה, גְּדֹלָה עַד-מְאֹד,” it gave Yaakov no Simcha at all. He was Tzebro’chen that he had caused Yitzchok pain even indirectly. However, when Eisav walked in and “וַיִּצְעַק צְעָקָה, גְּדֹלָה וּמָרָה עַד-מְאֹד,” Yaakov had a little bit of Geshmak out of the fact that Oisoi Rasha was in Tzar. That little bit of Geshmak, on Yaakov’s Madreiga, is what caused there to have to be a payback by Mordechai that came about through the Tzuras Aveira that existed in the Mitzvah that Yaakov Avinu did.
The Yesoid is an important Yesoid. Sometimes you have to give Toichacha to someone; you are doing it because it is a Mitzvah. If it is not Lishmah, if it is someone who you don’t like, don’t shush him in middle of Laining or Chazoras Hashatz. Of course it is a Mitzvah to Shush him, but to make Machloikes or to take a chance at making a Machloikes and make someone feel bad, when it is not 100% Lishmah, should not be done.
Someone who is a Ba’al Teshuva was once eating by Rebbi on a Shabbos and asked him this question. He said he has an older brother who is not Frum. He knows that when Mashiach comes the Avoidah will revert back to Bechoirim as opposed to in the past when it was performed by Koihanim. He wanted to know if he were to buy the Bechoira from his older brother for $5 because it is not worth anything to his brother who doesn’t even believe in it, and then when Mashiach will come will he be the Bechoir?
