Toledot: Braving the Economy, Occupy Gerar, Antisemitism's Beginnings

A few notes from Parshat Toledot:

Braving the Economy


26:12

וַיִּזְרַע יִצְחָק בָּאָרֶץ הַהִוא, וַיִּמְצָא בַּשָּׁנָה הַהִוא מֵאָה שְׁעָרִים; וַיְבָרְכֵהוּ, יְהוָה

And Isaac sowed in that land, and found in the same year a hundredfold; and the LORD blessed him.


Rashi notes that Yitzhak Avinu was successful despite both harsh conditions for the land where he sowed and the harsh conditions of that year.


Baruch Hashem, Beli Ayin Hara, Israel has so far weathered the economic storm pretty well.  This BBC report tells of the difficulties, but still paints a moderately rosy picture of Israel's economy.


Occupy Gerar


After the Torah tells us how Yitzhak became wealthy, it explains how he became too wealthy for Avimelech, so much so, that Avimelech kicked him out:


26:16

וַיֹּאמֶר אֲבִימֶלֶךְ, אֶל-יִצְחָק:  לֵךְ, מֵעִמָּנוּ, כִּי-עָצַמְתָּ מִמֶּנּוּ, מְאֹד

And Abimelech said unto Isaac: 'Go from us; for thou art much mightier than we.'


Apparently, Yitzhak was the 1% and the rest of Gerar, i.e. the 99%, didn't like that too much.  In fact, verse 27 records that they actually hated him.  Of course, the occupiers blamed the Joooooos.  Who else?  They fought over wells, saying "The water is ours" - in other words, "You have too much money!  Give some of it to us!  Distribute the wealth!  I don't care what your father did - these wells belong to everybody!"  Socialism found its roots.


Antisemitism's Beginnings


27:41

וַיִּשְׂטֹם עֵשָׂו, אֶת-יַעֲקֹב, עַל-הַבְּרָכָה, אֲשֶׁר בֵּרְכוֹ אָבִיו; וַיֹּאמֶר עֵשָׂו בְּלִבּוֹ, יִקְרְבוּ יְמֵי אֵבֶל אָבִי, וְאַהַרְגָה, אֶת-יַעֲקֹב אָחִי

And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him. And Esau said in his heart: 'Let the days of mourning for my father be at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob.'


This eerily sounds exactly like today's headlines:

Egypt - Cairo Rally: One Day We'll Kill All Jews

Cairo, Egypt - Muslim Brotherhood rally in Cairo’s most prominent mosque Friday turned into a venomous anti-Israel protest, with attendants vowing to “one day kill all Jews.”