Toldot | “And There Was a Famine in the Land

 

 

 

The collection of derashot that deals with the famine in the days of Yitzchak consists of three petichtot followed by one long derasha.[1] In this shiur, we will examine the petichtot.

 

The first part of the first petichta relates to God's command to Yitzchak not to go down to Egypt in the wake of the famine. The first verse brought for the purpose of the exposition: "The Lord knows the days of them that are wholehearted (temimim), and their inheritance shall be forever" (Tehillim 37:18), characterizes Yitzchak as wholehearted, on account of which he is commanded not to leave the country. Accordingly, the words "And their inheritance shall be forever" are given tangible meaning as a prohibition cast upon Yitzchak never to leave his Eretz Israel.

 

The second part of the petichta addresses the contrast between the beginning of the story, "And there was a famine in the land," and its continuation, which tells of prosperity and abundance, as if there were no famine (Bereishit 26:12-13):

 

 

The verse, "They shall not be ashamed in the time of evil, and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied," refers to the double difficulty faced by Yitzchak in Gerar — the trouble of Rivka’s being taken by Avimelekh and the trouble of the famine. The expression "the evil of Avimelekh" in this derasha is understood as pertaining to the evil thought of Avimelekh regarding Rivka.[3]

 

This interpretation is implied also by the wording of the second petichta on the verse, "And there was a famine in the land," which also relates to these two matters, while clearly pointing to Avimelekh as an evil person:

 

At first glance, the two petichtot appear to be very similar, and the message emerging from them seems to be the same. However, the verse cited from Ketuvim for each derasha creates a different frame of reference. Whereas the first petichta draws a connection between Yitzchak's wholeheartedness and his remaining in Eretz Israel during the famine, the second petichta deals with God's concern about each and every righteous person in every situation.

 

 

Let us go back to discuss the first petichta. The nature of Yitzchak's wholeheartedness is not explicit in the first petichta. We are all familiar with Rashi's interpretation of God's command:

 

 

Rashi's comment is taken from a derasha of Rabbi Hoshaya that appears later in Bereishit Rabba (64, 3):

 

 

According to Rashi, the quality of wholeheartedness is attributed to Yitzchak's readiness to be sacrificed as a burnt-offering at the time of the Akeida, and this is the reason that he is commanded not leave Eretz Israel. But is this what the author of the petichta had in mind when he expounds the verse, "The Lord knows the days of them that are wholehearted" as referring to Yitzchak?[6]

 

In order to clarify the matter, let us trace additional appearances of this verse in the Midrash in reference to the patriarchs and matriarchs of Israel. This verse is expounded three times in Bereishit Rabba on Parashot Chayei Sara-Toledot, in connection with the figures of Sara, Avraham and Yitzchak:

 

 

 

Another explanation: "The Lord knows the days of them that are wholehearted" — this refers to Sara.

 

 

In the derashot that relate the verse to Sara and Avraham, they are presented as wholehearted, on account of which they merit God's closeness ("The Lord knows the days of them that are wholehearted"). In these derashot, the trait of wholeheartedness is certainly not connected specifically to the Akeida. According to this, would it not be correct to read the derasha relating to Yitzchak's wholeheartedness in the same way, as relating to some general characteristic of his, and not specifically to the Akeida?

 

We find a reference to Yitzchak's wholeheartedness elsewhere in Bereishit Rabba as well, in connection to Eliezer's conversation with Rivka's family about taking her to Eretz Israel to be married to Yitzchak:

 

 

Here, too, there is no connection to the Akeida, and Yitzchak's wholeheartedness finds expression in his full faith in Eliezer's mission to bring him back a fitting wife.

 

Avraham and Ya’akov — "a wholehearted man (ish tam) living in tents," Bereishit 25:27— go down to Egypt on account of a famine, despite their wholeheartedness. Why is Yitzchak commanded to remain in Eretz Israel? Rabbi Hoshaya's answer, that Yitzchak's leaving the boundaries of Eretz Israel would have been a desecration of his elevated status, offers a clear and logical explanation of the connection made in the petichta between Yitzchak's wholeheartedness and the command to remain in Eretz Israel during the time of the famine. But what is the meaning of this connection according to our approach? To answer this question, let us examine how the second half of the verse from Tehillim, "And their inheritance shall be forever," which is expounded in reference to Avraham and Sara:

 

 

What is the meaning of this derasha? In the print editions of the midrash concerning Avraham, there is an addition: "For the Holy One, blessed be He, cherished the years of the righteous and recorded them in the Torah so that the inheritance of their days be remembered forever." This addition explains the derasha: the Torah records the summation of "the years of the lives" of Avraham and Sara so that it will be known to all. This is the meaning of "And their inheritance shall be forever." However, this addition does not appear in the main manuscripts of Bereishit Rabba, and therefore it cannot be accepted as the original reading of the midrash. What, then, is the meaning of the derasha?

 

Often, the verse being expounded is not cited in full for technical reasons (for example, to save on parchment).[7] The term ve-go' (ve-gomer) is used to advise the reader of the need to relate to the entire verse or the adjacent verses, even if they are not cited in the text. In the verses before us regarding the "years of the lives" of Avraham and Sara, their death is reported in brief, whereas their burial is described at length:  

 

 

The verse "The Lord knows the days of them that are wholehearted, and their inheritance shall be forever" relates, according to these derashot, to the burial of Avraham and Sara in Eretz Israel. Makhpeila Cave is the first place that Avraham owns in Eretz Israel and the beginning of the permanent acquisition of Eretz Israel for his descendants. God knows the wholeheartedness of the father and mother of the nation, who wander around Eretz Israel with a Divine promise concerning the land which goes unfulfilled in their lifetime and only begins to be actualized after their death. It is their faith that guarantees the continuation of the acquisition of that land for their descendants.

 

According to this approach, the petichta in our section continues the idea of the previous derashot relating to the verse in Tehillim and links Yitzchak's wholeheartedness to his meriting continuous residence in Eretz Israel. However, in contrast to Avraham and Sara who merit their "inheritance" in their death, Yitzchak must embody a different kind of connection to the land. Their wholeheartedness finds expression in their faith despite the fact that the promise relating to the land remains unfulfilled, whereas Yitzchak — owing to his wholeheartedness — is expected to dwell in the land inspite of all the hardships present. The promises he is given all relate to the long-term future:

 

 

On the one hand, he is not promised food during the famine; but on the other hand, in Eretz Israel, he is promised a high level of God's support at all times and through all troubles.

 

Let us now return to our question as to why Yitzchak is commanded to remain in Eretz Israel. The petichta's answer is that Yitzchak in his wholeheartedness is supposed to serve as a model for holding on to the land even in times of famine — or, to be put differently: to serve as a model of total devotion to the settlement of Eretz Israel.

 

 

In light of what we have suggested, let us examine Tehillim 37, which Chazal connect to Parashot Chayei Sara-Toledot by way of the verse "The Lord knows the days of them that are wholehearted, and their inheritance shall be forever":

 

 

 

The psalmist describes a situation in which the wicked prosper, but the righteous man continues in his righteousness and integrity. The righteous man is promised that the wicked will disappear, and that he will inherit the land. Throughout the psalm, the righteousness, faith and trust of the righteous is highlighted alongside the Divine protection that he merits. The motif of inheriting the land is mentioned no less than five times across the psalm, and the root shakhan (dwell) appears two more times in connection to the land: "Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land, and cherish faithfulness" (v. 3); "The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein forever" (v. 29). It appears once in between by itself: "Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell forever" (v. 27). The psalm mentions two troubles: famine and harassment on the part of the wicked. The righteous man's adherence to the Torah is also mentioned: "The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps slide," as is the success of his seed which "is blessed." These features bring us back to the verses containing God's command to Yitzchak not to go down to Egypt:

 

 

We suggest that Chazal read this psalm in relation to God's commands and promise to Yitzchak: "Dwell in the land… and I will be with you." Like the tip of an iceberg, Bereishit Rabba reveals that this psalm is built on the wording of the Torah. By way of the petichta, we can go back and read the psalm through the eyes and hearts of the Sages.

 

This reading of the psalm raises another possible way to answer the question: Why is Yitzchak commanded not to leave Eretz Israel? Yitzchak is a second-generation member of the "wholehearted" who remained firm in their faith, and therefore he merits not only on his own account, but also on account of his parents, and he merits that which his father Avraham does not merit — Divine protection during a period of famine.[9] "I have been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread."

 

The people of Israel across the generations, or at least since Rashi's generation, have been brought up on the words of Rabbi Hoshaya, that the reason for Yitzchak's not leaving Eretz Israel lies in his being an unblemished burnt-offering. It seems that in a generation in which a great portion of the nation dwell in their land, at a time when it is possible to live in material abundance outside of Eretz Israel, the challenge of holding on to the land despite all the difficulties involved is an existential challenge for many. From this perspective, our reading of the story of Yitzchak shares a contact point with the reading of the Amoraim of Eretz Israel.

 

 

Another layer in Chazal's reading of Tehillim 37 as an abstraction and expansion of Bereishit 26 is an educational layer for their contemporaries, the Jews living in Eretz Israel in the 3^rd and 4^th centuries. The Jewish community in Eretz Israel faced severe poverty and heavy taxation by the Roman Empire, and it required a great deal of tenacity and faith to remain in Eretz Israel and not go off to live comfortably in Babylonia. Chazal see in Yitzchak, who is commanded not to leave the country but rather to hold on to it even in times of difficulty, an educational model for their own times. God's promise of protection, faith and wholeheartedness, the readiness to remain even when  hardship prevails, holding on to the inherited land — all these things come together in a relevant, poignant and vital message for their flock.

 

In a similar manner, the third petichta relating to the famine in the days of Yitzchak touches upon another critical and existential issue pertaining to the lives and times of the Amoraim of Eretz Israel:

 

Connecting the famine to Eisav is exceedingly relevant to the Amoraim of Eretz Israel: Under Christian Rome, the Jews of Eretz Israel suffer from famine. Their period is, in a sense, a reversal of what is reported in Bereishit 25 — there Eisav is the famished party, and Ya’akov "exploits" his hunger and weakness. In the third century, Eisav (identified by Chazal with Rome) is the sated party, and the descendants of Ya’akov who are living in their land suffer poverty and deprivation at the hands of the descendants of Eisav, who abuse them with land and head taxes. The inhabitants of Eretz Israel during the Amoraic period conduct themselves like Yitzchak and do not leave the country despite the great economic hardship. The Amoraim, leaders of the people, echo God's promise to Yitzchak:

 

And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Avraham. And Yitzchak went to Avimelekh, king of the Pelishtim, to Gerar. And the Lord appeared to him, and said: Go not down to Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell you of. Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you. (Bereishit 26:1-3)

 

The manner in which the Amoraim of Eretz Israel read the stories of the patriarchs is a sign of their absolute involvement in the destiny of their people. We, too, must experience contemporary events with a renewed awareness of the actions of our ancestors as they are taught to us in the Torah. If we experience the challenges that face us in this manner, not only will we meet those challenges and merit heavenly assistance, but we will become fully connected to the full stature of our true essence, as the descendants of Avraham, Yitzchak and Ya’akov.

 

(Translated by David Strauss)