The Parsha starts off with the story of יעקב and עשו fighting in the womb. The פסוק says
ויתרוצצו הבנים בקרבה
Rashi notes
שהיו מריבים בנחלת שני עולמות
Each one was fighting for the inheritance of both worlds, עולם הזה and עולם הבא. The מהר”ל asks, even if their each trying to be the dominant brother, what good does fighting in the womb do for them? After all, they are yet to be born, so why fight now for what isn’t yet relevant?
Answers the מהר”ל, the battle here was not merely a competition between 2 brothers. Rather, this is a battle between 2 opposing forces, קדושה as represented by Yaakov and טומאה as represented by Esav. Just like fire and water cannot coexist and one has to overpower the other, so too קדושה and טומאה cannot exist together. So, although Yaakov and Esav are not yet born, they already sense that the environment they’re in together cannot work, and each one is trying to overcome the other, even before their born.
Indeed, shortly after this description, the תורה provides a clear illustration of these 2 opposing forces in action
ויזד יעקב נזיד ויבא עשו מן השדה
Rashi tells us that this was on the day of the passing of אברהם אבינו Yaakov cooks a מאכל אבלים. Seeing the food, Esav asks
הלעיטני נא מן האדום האדום הזה
To which Yaakov responds
מכרה כיום את בכורתך לי
The twin boys are confronted with the reality of life; that nobody lives forever, and eventually we all die. Esav, who is the force of טומאה immediately makes his calculation: “If life is short, I may as well enjoy it to its fullest. Instead of worrying about the בכורה which isn’t relevant today anyway, let me enjoy the here and now.” Yaakov, on the other hand, is the force of קדושה and as such comes to the opposite conclusion: “If life in this world is fleeting, I should invest all my efforts into עולם הבא, which is forever.” As such, he gladly sells the food for the בכורה which is eternal.
מעשה אבות סימן לבנים
What was true back then is still relevant today. Nowadays too, קדושה and טומאה cannot coexist. And we can try to learn from the lessons of our forefather Yaakov to do our utmost to live a life of קדושה, and through that, merit eternal שכר in the world to come.
We’ll conclude with a famous story that highlights this point. A Chosid came to the Apter Rav complaining that his daughter is set to be married, and all he has in his possession is 1 meager ruble. How will he make Chasuna for his daughter? The Rebbe advised him to travel back home. ” And grab The 1st business opportunity that comes your way.” On the way home, the man stops at an inn to rest. Sitting in the lobby is a group of wealthy Jewish businessmen. Seeing the disheveled Chosid, a member of the group approaches him with a mischievous smile. ” Would you like to make a deal with me?” Remembering the Rebbe’s words, the man replies in the affirmative. ” Great!”responds the businessman. ” I’ll sell you my עולם הבא. ” Sure enough, they agree to sell it for 1 ruble and sign a contract verifying the sale. Returning to his friends, the businessman bursts into laughter over the “naive ” Chosid who gave up his last ruble for something intangible. His laughter didn’t last though, upon returning home and hearing from his wife that she will not live with a man who sold his עולם הבא. In despair he tracks down the Chosid, who agrees to return the purchase, but only for 1000 rubles. With no choice, the man hands over the 1000 rubles to the now overjoyed Chosid who promptly gifts him back his עולם הבא. Upon learning of this episode, the Apter Rav explained: As long as the businessman gave no value to his עולם הבא , it was indeed worth only 1 Ruble. But once he learned that the future of his marriage defended on it, it became worth the 1000 rubles he purchased it back for.
May we follow in the ways of יעקב אבינו, and utilize life towards acquiring a great חלק in עולם הבא
Weekly Parsha Shiur 