Welcome to the short, practical Lelamed Weekly Dvar. Please consider forwarding this to others, and I hope you enjoy... _______________________________________________ As Yitzchak blesses Yaakov and sends him off, Eisav enters with his own food and demands blessings. When he learns that Yaakov received the blessings meant for him, Eisav cries bitterly (27:34). Yitzchak informs Eisav that there are no blessings left to give him (27:37). How is it possible that Yitzchak is unable to bestow any more blessings to Eisav? Did he not intend to bless Yaakov as well at some point? Lekach Tov explains that Yitzchak saw Yaakov’s role as the spiritual continuity of G-d’s promise and covenant, while Eisav’s role was more financially and physically dominant in nature. Yitzchak knew that Eisav wouldn’t be able to bear the spiritual responsibility and therefore couldn’t bless him with those blessings intended for Yaakov. Rabbi Jonathan Sacks suggests that years later, when Yaakov and Eisav finally meet again, Yaakov recognizes that the blessings he stole were indeed better suited for Eisav when he says, “please accept the blessing that was brought to you” (33:11). We all have blessings that are personal to us; the lesson here is to be content with our blessings and not feel compelled to seek out anyone else’s. _______________________________________________ Quotation of the week: "We may not have it all together, but together we have it all."