Parashat Toldot

Parasha Thoughts

By Rabbi David Cohen

יאמר הקל קול יעקב והידים ידי עשו
And he said the voice is the voice of Yaakov and the hands are the hands of Esav.

The midrash expounds that at the time the voice of Yaakov is heard in the Beit Kenissiot and Beit Midrashot the hands of Esav will not rule over them.

The Vilna Gaon asks on the Midrash, the posuk doesn’t say that the hands aren’t the hands of Esav like the Midrash quotes. Rather the hands ARE the hands of Esav even if the voice is the voice of Yaakov. He answers that the “ו” is missing in the first קול. So it can read “קל” meaning weak. When the voice of Yaakov is weak then the hands of Esav rule. It’s up to us to make sure that the voice of Yaakov is not only heard but strong. We should fill our Betei Midrashot with the voice of not only our Torah and tefilliot but those of our friends and family as well.

Shabbat Shalom