Do Your Best – Parshat Toldot

In the beginning of the parsha, as Esav sells the rights of firstborn to Yaakov, the Pasuk adds ויבז עשו את-הבכרה – Esav mocked the privilege of the firstborn. Rashi adds that he was מזלזל, degrading the divine service of Korbanot. Is there a hint of what Rashi gets to in the scripture?

I would like to share an insight offered by Rav Shai Gerson z”l, who’s first yarzheit is coming up soon. The Haftorah is from the beginning of the Navi, Malachi (the last of the Trei Asar – who prophesied at the beginning of the Second Temple) who tells us that Hashem loves us with an enigmatic pasuk, Esav and Yaakov were brothers, “and I loved Yaakov and despised Esav”. Hashem then threatens to render Esav’s land into a “jackal filled wilderness”. What’s this all about?

A few verses later, when addressing the Kohanim, the Navi says: בן יכבד אב … “A son honours his father, a servant his master. Hashem then turns to the Jewish people and asks, “If I am a father where’s My honour, if I am a master where’s My fear?”. Hashem accuses the Kohanim of despising His name, shown by their offering of “disgusting bread upon My altar… You say we haven’t polluted you by saying the table of the Lord is contemptible… If you offer the blind for sacrifice it’s not for evil? And if you offer the lame for sacrifice it’s not for evil? Try offering that to the governor, will he be please with you!”.

We see here that the Kohanim are being chastised for their attitude towards mitzvot. The kohanim thought that they don’t always have to do the best, and sometimes would offer far a lame/blind animal that they wouldn’t touch themselves. We’re supposed to give the best! In the original Korbanot, Hevel brought from the good stuff and Kayin brought from the leftovers, with disastrous results.

We see from the Haftorah that the rejection of Esav is juxtaposed to the attitude of the Kohanim that were Esav-like: despising and mocking the divine service.

We should be like Yaakov and not like Esav. When we get the opportunity to do mitzvos, we should do them in a pristine way, a pure way, and a full way – and definitely not haphazardly or half-heartedly.

Shabbat Shalom.