Study Desk

He said, "I have sworn by myself — says Adonai — that because you have done this, because you haven't withheld your son, your only son,

and by your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed — because you obeyed my order."

because I want you to swear by Adonai , God of heaven and God of the earth, that you will not choose a wife for my son from among the women of the Kena‘ani, among whom I am living;

(iv) Then he said, "Blessed be Adonai , God of my master Avraham, who has not abandoned his faithful love for my master; because Adonai has guided me to the house of my master's kinsmen."

Yishma‘el's sons lived between Havilah and Shur, near Egypt as you go toward Ashur; he settled near all his kinsmen. Haftarah Hayyei-Sarah: M'lakhim Alef (1 Kings) 1:1–31 B'rit Hadashah suggested readings for Parashah Hayyei-Sarah: Mattityahu (Matthew) 8:19–22; 27:3–10; Luke 9:57–62 Here is the history of Yitz'chak, Avraham's son. Avraham fathered Yitz'chak. Yitz'chak was forty years old when he took Rivkah, the daughter of B'tu'el the Arami from Paddan-Aram and sister of Lavan the Arami, to be his wife. Yitz'chak prayed to Adonai on behalf of his wife, because she was childless. Adonai heeded his prayer, and Rivkah became pregnant. The children fought with each other inside her so much that she said, "If it's going to be like this, why go on living?" So she went to inquire of Adonai , who answered her, "There are two nations in your womb. From birth they will be two rival peoples. One of these peoples will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger." When the time for her delivery came, there were twins in her womb. The first to come out was reddish and covered all over with hair, like a coat; so they named him ‘Esav [completely formed, that is, having hair already]. Then his brother emerged, with his hand holding ‘Esav's heel, so he was called Ya‘akov [he catches by the heel, he supplants]. Yitz'chak was sixty years old when she bore them. The boys grew; and ‘Esav became a skillful hunter, an outdoorsman; while Ya‘akov was a quiet man who stayed in the tents. Yitz'chak favored ‘Esav, because he had a taste for game; Rivkah favored Ya‘akov. One day when Ya‘akov had cooked some stew, ‘Esav came in from the open country, exhausted, and said to Ya‘akov, "Please! Let me gulp down some of that red stuff — that red stuff! I'm exhausted!" (This is why he was called Edom [red].) Ya‘akov answered, "First sell me your rights as the firstborn." "Look, I'm about to die!" said ‘Esav. "What use to me are my rights as the firstborn?" Ya‘akov said, "First, swear to me!" So he swore to him, thus selling his birthright to Ya‘akov. Then Ya‘akov gave him bread and lentil stew; he ate and drank, got up and went on his way. Thus ‘Esav showed how little he valued his birthright.

Yitz'chak prayed to Adonai on behalf of his wife, because she was childless. Adonai heeded his prayer, and Rivkah became pregnant.

Yitz'chak favored ‘Esav, because he had a taste for game; Rivkah favored Ya‘akov.

Stay in this land, and I will be with you and bless you, because I will give all these lands to you and to your descendants. I will fulfill the oath which I swore to Avraham your father —

All this is because Avraham heeded what I said and did what I told him to do — he followed my mitzvot, my regulations and my teachings."

Avimelekh summoned Yitz'chak and said, "So she is your wife, after all! How come you said, ‘She is my sister'?" Yitz'chak responded, "Because I thought, ‘I could get killed because of her.'"

Avimelekh said to Yitz'chak, "You must go away from us, because you have become much more powerful than we are."

But the herdsmen of G'rar quarreled with Yitz'chak's herdsmen, claiming, "That water is ours!" So he called the well ‘Esek [quarrel], because they quarreled with him.

He went away from there and dug another well, and over that one they didn't quarrel. So he called it Rechovot [wide open spaces] and said, "Because now Adonai has made room for us, and we will be productive in the land."

Adonai appeared to him that same night and said, "I am the God of Avraham your father. Don't be afraid, because I am with you; I will bless you and increase your descendants for the sake of my servant Avraham."

However, he didn't detect him; because his hands were hairy like his brother ‘Esav's hands; so he gave him his blessing.

‘Esav said, "His name, Ya‘akov [he supplants], really suits him — because he has supplanted me these two times: he took away my birthright, and here, now he has taken away my blessing!" Then he asked, "Haven't you saved a blessing for me?"

‘Esav hated his brother because of the blessing his father had given him. ‘Esav said to himself, "The time for mourning my father will soon come, and then I will kill my brother Ya‘akov."

So ‘Esav went to Yishma‘el and took, in addition to the wives he already had, Machalat the daughter of Yishma‘el Avraham's son, the sister of N'vayot, to be his wife. Haftarah Tol'dot: Mal'akhi (Malachi) 1:1–2:7 B'rit Hadashah suggested readings for Parashah Tol'dot: Romans 9:6–16; Messianic Jews (Hebrews) 11:20; 12:14–17 Ya‘akov went out from Be'er-Sheva and traveled toward Haran. He came to a certain place and stayed the night there, because the sun had set. He took a stone from the place, put it under his head and lay down there to sleep. He dreamt that there before him was a ladder resting on the ground with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of Adonai were going up and down on it. Then suddenly Adonai was standing there next to him; and he said, "I am Adonai , the God of Avraham your [grand]father and the God of Yitz'chak. The land on which you are lying I will give to you and to your descendants. Your descendants will be as numerous as the grains of dust on the earth. You will expand to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. By you and your descendants all the families of the earth will be blessed. Look, I am with you. I will guard you wherever you go, and I will bring you back into this land, because I won't leave you until I have done what I have promised you." Ya‘akov awoke from his sleep and said, "Truly, Adonai is in this place — and I didn't know it!" Then he became afraid and said, "This place is fearsome! This has to be the house of God! This is the gate of heaven!" Ya‘akov got up early in the morning, took the stone he had put under his head, set it up as a standing-stone, poured olive oil on its top and named the place Beit-El [house of God]; but the town had originally been called Luz. Ya‘akov took this vow: "If God will be with me and will guard me on this road that I am traveling, giving me bread to eat and clothes to wear, so that I return to my father's house in peace, then Adonai will be my God; and this stone, which I have set up as a standing-stone, will be God's house; and of everything you give me, I will faithfully return one-tenth to you."

He came to a certain place and stayed the night there, because the sun had set. He took a stone from the place, put it under his head and lay down there to sleep.

Look, I am with you. I will guard you wherever you go, and I will bring you back into this land, because I won't leave you until I have done what I have promised you."