27 Cheshvan, 5785 - Tikkun Olam 47

on November 28, 2024

Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 26 Cheshvan, 5785

Good morning! In America it is thanksgiving.

Last night, I went to see Wicked with my kids. The movie is perfect in my opinion. If you are unfamiliar with the story, there are so many allegories built into it – so much to unpack. And? It connects with today’s Torah portion.

You see? Wicked takes the story of Wizard of Oz? And turns it on its head.

Today’s portion is about victims and villains. How we write the story in our heads.

In Wizard of Oz? Glenda is the “good witch” because “wicked witches aren’t pretty.” The villains are ugly, the victims or heroes (because what is a hero if not a victim who has overcome great tragedy) are pretty.

In Wicked, we get back story as to how these characters “developed.” And that is where the magic happens.

In life, there are not victims and villains. Just stories we make up about the reality we engage with. And those stories are told from varying perspectives.

And part of how we tell the story within our heads and hearts? What we label as blessing and vexing. If we get stuck on the blessing too much (like finding water in a well) we will quickly get disheartened with the vexing.

The moon cycles. We can’t get angry when the moon moves from full to new. I mean we can, but then we are making the moon to be a villain, and us being the victim. It’s stories.

Today’s portion challenges us with these very themes. We see Isaac coming to his death. We see Esau selling his birthright and Jacob manipulating his father (with the assistance of his mom).

We also see tone. How we read words. What meaning we give those words.

And? At the end of the day, it all comes to judgment within us. Judgement, and not curiosity.

Read more from my thoughts below to discover this. How we read vs how we could CHOOSE to read.

This was my conclusion from last year:

When we take in stories and data – we need to be careful not to bring our own bias and trauma into how the data gets stored into our hearts and minds. Those who are “not us” are part of the human experience and have their own experiences. Be curious about what we are INFERRING versus what we believe the other person is INSINUATING. This is the path to freedom – especially in communication!

In the context of “Wicked” it’s a beautiful message to connect her. Because who decided the “Wicked Witch of the West” was “Wicked?” Who gave her that term? How did she come to get that moniker?

Be curious. And we will remain in freedom (in my opinion).

These are my thoughts. What are yours?

Here are my thoughts from last year:

Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 3 Kislev, 5784
Parsha Toledot: (Genesis 25:19- 28:9)
Fifth Portion: Genesis 26:30 -27:27

This is a longer passage but let’s be curious about it. We asked “What happens next” with Abimelech’s approach to Isaac? Here’s the answer (Genesis 26:30-31)

30So he made a feast for them, and they ate and drank.

31And they arose early in the morning, and they swore one to the other, and Isaac escorted them, and they went away from him in peace.

Isaac could have been bitter. He could have seen himself as a victim. He could have judged Abimelech as a villain. And we need to be honest with ourselves here. When we’ve read this Parsha – when we read about Abimelech – do we see him as a villain? No. He threw a party for Abimelech. A feast. And let Abimelech go in peace.

With Hashem – there are no victims and villains. Just my opinion. Isaac remained curious and went where he saw he needed to go. And how did Hashem respond?

32And it came to pass on that day, that Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well that they had dug, and they said to him, “We have found water.”

33And he named it Shibah; therefore, the city is named Beer sheba until this very day.

Hashem blessed their efforts. They dug a well. They found water. Trust. Trusting the process. This is a good takeaway – are we trusting the process around us? What is unfolding beyond our control? Let’s keep going:

34And Esau was forty years old, and he married Judith, the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath, the daughter of Elon the Hittite.

35And they were a vexation of the spirit to Isaac and to Rebecca.

So – on the roller coaster ride of life? Hashem blessed the decision Isaac made to be curious – they found water in the well they dug. And then? They were vexed.

My takeaway here is – when blessing comes – we can’t get caught up on the blessing – because right around the corner? Vexing. And that vexing is happening for our good as well.

Let’s turn the page and dig into Chapter 27. This will become more familiar:

Genesis 27

1It came to pass when Isaac was old, and his eyes were too dim to see, that he called Esau his elder son, and he said to him, “My son,” and he said to him, “Here I am.”

2And he said, “Behold now, I have grown old; I do not know the day of my death.

3So, now, sharpen your implements, your sword [and take] your bow, and go forth to the field, and hunt game for me.

4And make for me tasty foods as I like, and bring them to me, and I will eat, in order that my soul will bless you before I die.”

It is interesting the Torah mentioned Isaac and Rebecca being “vexed” because of the decisions Esau made before jumping into Isaac asking to bless Esau, right? What was going on within Isaac when talking to Esau about blessing him? Did Isaac already know what was going to unfold?

Let’s keep going:

5But Rebecca overheard when Isaac spoke to Esau his son, and Esau went to the field to hunt game, to bring [it].

6And Rebecca said to Jacob her son, saying, “Behold I have heard your father speaking to Esau your brother, saying,

7’Bring me game and make me tasty foods, and I will eat, and I will bless you before the Lord before my death.’

8And now my son, hearken to my voice, to what I am commanding you.

9Go now to the flock, and take for me from there two choice kids, and I will make them tasty foods for your father, as he likes.

10And you shall bring [them] to your father that he may eat, in order that he bless you before his death.”

11And Jacob said to Rebecca his mother, “Behold, my brother Esau is a hairy man, whereas I am a smooth man.

12Perhaps my father will touch me, and I will appear to him as a deceiver, and I will bring upon myself a curse and not a blessing.”

13And his mother said to him, “On me is your curse, my son. Only hearken to my voice and go, take [them] for me.”

14So he went, and he took, and he brought [them] to his mother, and his mother made tasty foods, as his father liked.

15And Rebecca took the costly garments of Esau, her elder son, which were with her in the house, and she dressed Jacob, her younger son.

16And the hides of the kids she put on his hands and on the smoothness of his neck.

17And she gave the tasty foods and the bread that she had made, into the hand of Jacob her son.

Rebecca had heard from Hashem. The older would serve the younger. What I don’t read in the Torah – that I think I had inferred previously – was Rebecca’s emotional reaction to overhearing Isaac saying he was going to bless Esau. My brain was expecting to read something like “Rebecca was distressed about what she heard – so she hatched a plan to usurp Isaac’s plan to bless Esau.

When we read verses 5-17 above – what tone of voice do you hear in your head as Rebecca is talking to Jacob? Me? I’ll confess; I hear anxiety.

And I have to realize – that’s MY addition to the Torah. Because there is a DIFFERENT way to read the passage. With the voice of trust and power. Rebecca saw what happened, and knew this was her purpose and plan. Hashem has laid this out for her and she knew exactly what to do. Every moment of her life happened – even the vexing – for her to be ready to do Hashem’s will. Isaac and Rebecca weren’t necessarily “vexed” in this moment. That’s not how feelings and emotions work.

“It came to pass when Isaac was old….”

This all happened long after the vexation of Isaac and Rebecca for Esau marrying Judith. Feelings don’t last. They come and go like waves of the ocean. Sure it is possible in this moment – Isaac was anxious about Judith and Esau. Or – the lesson for us could be – be careful what energy we are bringing to the table as it could cloud our understanding and wisdom.

Feelings are crucial. They are important. But they aren’t ways in which we should be making decisions.

Now. Reread the passage about the exchange between Rebecca and Jacob. Read it from a place of calm, power, trust, faith. It reads VERY differently – doesn’t it?

The second read of it? I notice Jacob’s anxiety. Jacob’s fear. He didn’t trust his mom’s plan. He was worried about being cursed because he was deceiving his dad. He was stuck – honor his mom – or honor his dad. He was being asked to do one or the other. But was he?

Rebecca knew there was no curse. This was how Hashem had it all unfold. She trusted. To the point she told Jacob – if there is a curse to be had, it will be on me, and not you. That is not fear. That was trust that Hashem was unfolding this exactly has He told Rebecca it would. The older will serve the younger.

I don’t think I have seen Rebecca in this light before now. She wasn’t scared. She had faith. Let’s see how this unfolds with Jacob and Isaac (remember – Isaac is the miracle child)

18And he came to his father and said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?”

19And Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you have spoken to me. Please rise, sit down and eat of my game, so that your soul will bless me.”

20And Isaac said to his son, “How is it that you have found [it] so quickly, my son?” And he said, “Because the Lord your God prepared it before me.”

21And Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come closer, so that I may feel you, my son, whether you are really my son Esau or not.”

22So Jacob drew near to Isaac his father, and he felt him, and he said, “The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.”

23And he did not recognize him because his hands were hairy like the hands of his brother Esau, and he blessed him.

Isaac wasn’t an old fool. He HAD TO KNOW what Hashem told Rebecca about the twins. He knew the older would serve the younger. And – Isaac had a responsibility to be faithful and bless the older son.

This seems more like a way for Isaac and Rebecca to do Hashem’s will vs the way I have read this in the past. Isaac knew this wasn’t Esau. The Torah is clear here. “He did not recognize him.” Isaac was old and blind. But he wasn’t dumb. He was wise. He was curious. He did not judge. The Torah is clear. And Isaac blessed Jacob:

24And he said, “Are you [indeed] my son Esau?” And he said, “I am.”

25And he said, “Serve [it] to me that I may eat of the game of my son, so that my soul will bless you.” And he served him, and he ate, and he brought him wine, and he drank.

26And his father Isaac said to him, “Please come closer and kiss me, my son.”

27And he came closer, and he kissed him, and he smelled the fragrance of his garments, and he blessed him, and he said, “Behold, the fragrance of my son is like the fragrance of a field, which the Lord has blessed!

The focus on the field seems to connect to our last lesson: “As we experience wells of living water in our life – the path to slavery is arguing and harassment. Make space. For ourselves and others. This is spiritual liberation and freedom. Allowing and making space. Spreading out. Expansion. Not contraction.”

I also think there is a new takeaway here:

The Path of Ascension begins with curiosity and not judgement
If someone’s curiosity causes doubt and defensiveness, be curious about our own doubt and defensiveness and NOT their motives for curiosity.
The tree of life is within us. Choose life within with curiosity and not judgment
Learn to balance the comfort of stumbling, with the challenge of pushing ourselves towards spiritual growth.
Let go of a stable life. Freedom is accepting “what is” as a blessing. We can’t control what happens. We can only navigate it with bitterness or flow.
Freedom requires balance – emotions vs intellect, humility vs confidence, thinking as an individual while staying meaningfully connected to others.
Freedom comes from expansion and not contraction – but contraction is important to the process of expansion
To live free, we must circumcise the foreskin of past trauma and feel the pain of healing so that our higher selves can appear to us, and we can co-create miraculous NEW life for us and others.
To be free, we must understand what love requires vs the world around us. 10%. Just start there. Freedom is seeing the 10% and moving to 11%. Not being trapped by the daunting 90% we feel guilt and shame about. The 90% is slavery. The 10% is freedom.
Receive the Universe. Don’t Resist it. This is the path to freedom and liberation.
We must be vulnerable and ask for the Universe to provide. And. We don’t need to ask because the Universe knows. This is freedom.
We must accept and receive our role in co-creating moments with Hashem.
As we experience wells of living water in our life – the path to slavery is arguing and harassment. Make space. For ourselves and others. This is spiritual liberation and freedom. Allowing and making space. Spreading out. Not contraction.