Parashah of the week: Toldot

As an educator at the JLE, I have had many conversations over the years with Jews of all ages who tell me that while they find the Torah wisdom we share to be insightful and relevant, they cannot really apply it to their lives since they are “not holy enough” to lead a spiritual life.

For so many of these wonderful Jews, a more vibrant Jewish life seems unattainable since they feel buried under a deep layer of spiritually negative thoughts and habits.

Relative to his father Abraham and his son Jacob, the Torah provides little detail about the life of Isaac. However, one area that the Torah does focus on is his well-digging, described in this week’s parashah. It is clear that in the arid desert, the need for water was of paramount importance, yet why is it so vital for us to know about Isaac’s search for subterranean waters?

I believe that it is those who are feeling spiritually distant or buried under layers of negativity that Isaac’s well-digging comes to address. As the late Lubavitcher Rebbe taught, we might feel as if our spiritual lives are concealed and buried. However, within each of us lies a wellspring of holiness and spiritual beauty.

This sacred essence is so often hidden under layers of “dirt”— the residue of poor choices, painful experiences, failures and setbacks. To uncover these waters we must have the courage to dig through the layers of earth by changing and refining our behaviours and habits.

Isaac embodied this strength and we see it in his relationship with his son Esau. While the world may have seen Esau’s outer layer of dirt, Isaac saw beyond it. He recognised the beautiful waters of holiness still flowing beneath the surface. He could see the potential for goodness even under the grime, even while Esau was behaving in a way that betrayed that core of holiness.

We, too, must become “well-diggers” in all our relationships. Even when we meet people whose spirituality lies dormant, we must remember that the waters of holiness run deep and remain ever-present within them. We must learn to see the good in others, to recognise that even when people hurt us, there is still goodness within them. We need to focus on the waters, not the dirt.

By following Isaac’s example, we learn that no matter how deep the layers may be, the well of holiness inside us remains unspoiled and waiting to be uncovered. It is up to us to dig — within ourselves and others — and reveal the waters of goodness that always flow beneath the surface.

Rabbi Benjy Morgan