Saturday, November 10, 2018

The Chosen Nation

As I wasn't paying attention to this morning's laining, I noticed that the possuk gives a reason for why Yitzchak loved Esav, כי ציד בפיו, but the Torah doesn't say why Rivka loved Yaakov.  Why is there no reason mentioned?  The miforshim give different interpretations why Rivka loved Yaakov most going along the lines that she realized his tzidkus or other's saying as opposed to Esav, who went out hunting, Yaakov remained near his mother.  However, why the omission in the Torah?  I like the Kli Yakar that says that the love of Yitzchak was dependent on כי ציד בפיו and therefore, didn't last but the love of Rivka wasn't dependent on anything and therefore lasted forever.  This reminded me of the haftorah in which we read ואהב את יעקב ואת עשו שנאתי.  The hatred of Esav and love of Yaakov is ontological, it isn't dependent on anything.  The love Rivka had for Yaakov is a משל for the love that Hashem has for us, it is above reason.  Some people don't understand this, see here https://divreichaim.blogspot.com/2016/05/es-eisav-saneisi.html.
The Ramban asks why are we introduced to Avrohom through a commandment of God for him to leave his land, where is the intro. to explain why God is speaking to Avrohom?  Where is the description like we find by Noach,'איש צדיק וכו?  The Maharal in Netzach Yisroel chapter 11(in Mercaz Harav it is known as the Maharal הידוע and Rav Tzvi Yehudah said if one learns Lech Lecha but doesn't know the Maharal, he hasn't learnt Lech Lecha,) explains that the reason Avrohom is chosen isn't bound by his actions.  Even if the later generations don't have the good actions of Avrohom, they are still chosen.  I was thinking about this on Thursday when my coworker, Ahn wished me a good Shabbos as I was leaving.  He asked "you're not going to tell me good Shabbos?"  I said "Shabbos was only given to the Jews, I am a member of the chosen nation, not you."  It hit me at that point that I will always remain a member of the Chosen Nation no matter what I do, but he won't. 
Nice derush of the Ben Eish Chai on 'ותלך לדרוש את ה, that Rivka went to darshen the es, which es would win out, that of the es Yaakov or the es Eisev.
Completely unrelated, I was wondering why Rashi in Acherei Mos (18:4) gives three examples of chukim; shatnez, eating pig and the red heifer but in this week's parsha, 26:5 he omits the example of the red heifer and only says the other two?   

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