Family Dvar Torah Parashas Toldos: What Do I Need the Future For? Overcoming the Impulsivity of Esav
- Yesodei Yisrael
- Nov 20
- 1 min read
By R' Eli and Yosef Freedman,
In Parshas Toldos, we meet Yaakov and Esav, two brothers who are total opposites. Esav lives in the world of right now. He comes home starving, sees the lentil soup, and trades away his whole birthright just to eat something immediately. Yaakov is the opposite; he thinks about the future, he focuses on what actually matters, even if it doesn't help him straight away.
The crazy part is how human Esav feels. Who hasn’t made a rushed choice when they were tired, hungry, or just done with everything? Esav basically says, What do I need the birthright for if I’m going to die anyway? In that moment, the future feels way too far away to care about.
Yaakov shows the other side, the part of us that remembers that the things that last are usually the things that take time. Values, meaning, a connection to Hashem, all that stuff needs patience, and sometimes it means saying no to the quick and easy option.
Toldos pushes us to think: Which voice am I listening to right now? The Esav voice that wants comfort fast, or the Yaakov voice that aims for something real and lasting? A tiny bit of patience can totally change where we end up. Our Rebbeim at Yesodei are hard at work bringing out the “Yaakov” in us, and for that we are grateful!
Good Shabbos!
The Freedman Family made Aliya from Montreal, Canada in 2022. They currently live in Ramat Beit Shemesh Aleph. R' Eli Freedman is the founder and lead consultant of Cork and Cellar - The premium wine concierge in Israel.
Comments